Category Archives: Models

This is what we’re all about. We scour the web for the best custom LEGO models to share with you. From castles and spaceships to planes, trains, and automobiles, you’ll find the best LEGO creations from builders all over the world right here on The Brothers Brick.

Catching Scoobies on the Shutoko

As much as I like building LEGO cars, I never quite got into building contemporary car models. On a small scale it will never be possible to capture all the details. So, to make a LEGO car model recognisable, it helps for the real car to look distinctive. You can mess up a lot when building a Hummer or a Volkswagen Beetle and they will still be identifiable. Unfortunately, a lot of modern cars kind of look the same. Perhaps none more so than Japanese cars.

Last year I went to Japan BrickFest. If the COVID-19 pandemic won’t prevent it, I hope to go again next year. With that in mind, I’ve been building more and more Japanese cars. So far I’ve managed to build a fair few recognisable ones, including an ambulance and a rather wacky-looking courier van. I’m still looking for more distinctive examples, though. My most recent Japanese cars are the Toyota Crown and a Subaru Impreza WRX.

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Minifig springs from the original LEGO brick

In the beginning, there was Brick, and it was good. It was smooth, perfect, and devoid of all color. Then one day, a great rumbling was heard deep within the brick and a wonderous sloshing sound. With a mighty crack, golden yellow life burst forth from the brick and spilled color into the universe. So goes the legend of the first Minifig, captured in all its glory by Andreas Lenander

Batman, Batman, BATMAN!

Who doesn’t love a good mash-up? And when it comes to LEGO mash-ups, Classic Space is one of the more common themes that builders love to mash. Even LEGO Batman, who usually only builds in black, has joined in the fun, in this dynamic duo of vehicles by Stu Pace, which covers two Batmobiles from opposite ends of the modern Batman franchise. Both vehicles combine the classic space color scheme and iconic details of the source material very well.

Did someone order a bowl of ramen?

A frequent staple of the Brothers Brick, LEGO Designer Markus Rollbühler knows his way around the LEGO kitchen. He’s dished up a hearty broth containing soft flex hose noodles, minifig leg mushrooms, some yolky eggs, and a white and pink spiraled narutomaki. Gotta say the photography really helps the model shine as well. I’d order this in a restaurant.

Hungry for more? We’ve got you covered for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Why not have some dessert while you’re at it?

Lend me some sugar, I am your neighbor!

Shake it, shake it, shake it like a Polaroid picture. When the song Hey Ya came out the Polaroid Company issued a statement advising against shaking their instant photos and that the preferred method for developing is to leave it face down on a hard surface for 20-40 minutes. Had Outkast actually taken their advice my guess is that the song would have been far less engaging when encouraging listeners to shake their thang on the dancefloor. I’m not sure if Vainaut shakes his thang on the dancefloor but he has built a stunning LEGO Polaroid camera. The details in silver are inspired and I particularly like the lenses and flashbulb. Here’s some other stuff we liked by the same builder.

Tiny tank has a leg up on the competition

LEGO Master Tyler Clites, fresh off a nationally televised victory, is already jumping back into battle with a not-so-tiny tank.

With deceptively chunky proportions (hearkening back to Metal Slug, Advance Wars, and other video game renditions) this new offering is impressive for it’s economical use of olive green pieces which aren’t available in as wide a variety of molds as many other LEGO colors.

This beauty is also notable for a unique tread technique made by stacking minifig legs. Besides LEGO’s own tread pieces, there have been a bevy of alternate techniques used by builders in the past including binoculars, coupling plates, and even behemoths so big the treads are entirely original builds.

Torpedo Roadster pedals its wares

Idahoan Jake Sadovich, fan designer of the LEGO Ideas Ship in a Bottle, returns to the pages of The Brothers Brick with a retro throwback pedal car.

Before Power Wheels hit the streets, pedal cars ruled. This one heralds from the early 1950s, a pitch-perfect recreation of the Murray Torpedo roadster’s apple red curves.

Click through to see its kinetic function and a 360 view

If your troopers aren’t anything this lit, don’t bother entering the battlefield

Italian builder Marco Marozzi has proved himself as the master of heavily armed walking battle mechs. His vast portfolio includes mechs of the boldest designs, so for his next creation, he needed something special to take it to the next level. Now, it’s all about the brand of your armor if you do want to reign supreme. PNG5 Supreme Mech would be easy to spot in the heat of the battle — not just because of the branding but also because of jaw-dropping building techniques. Can you count how many various types of connections Marco used in this model? And I don’t know what looks cooler: exposed Technic pins or red mudguards from Town cars.

You came in that thing? You’re braver than I thought

Thomas Jenkins is the latest in a long line of LEGO builders trying their hand at one of -if not THE– most famous ships of all time. While others go for shocking size with accurate interiors, others like Thomas have opted to go pint-sized and adorable.

We’ve seen Han Solo’s pride and joy in this scale before in 2009’s 7778 Midi-scale Millenium Falcon. But in the 11 years since that release building techniques in the world of LEGO aficionados have evolved.

The way Thomas built the forward mandibles, for example, is a departure from every official rendition of the Falcon we’ve seen to date, and in fact many fan creations. The closest I can recall is Gol’s sleek version from late last year which also used slopes to achieve the acute angles. He’s also smartly used a smaller version of the wedge plate flap techniques of it’s larger siblings, and I also genuinely appreciate the effective choice to simply alternate between two different molds of the jumper plates to achieve The Force Awakens-era rectenna.

This isn’t even the first Falcon we’ve featured in a month or even in a week, but you can trust that as long as savvy builders keep coming up with fun and interesting ways to reinterpret the YT-1300 Light Freighter, we’ll share it with you.

Suns out, buns out

We rarely have days like this in the Pacific Northwest and certainly not in early May. However, Miro Dudas either lives in a warmer climate or is dreaming of sunbathing in the tropics. The figures, with their tanned bodies and shapely buns, are cleverly constructed using minifig legs. 1×1 round plates act as their bare feet. It’s a clever trick that can only work from this vantage point; view the figures from the front and the illusion is ruined. The simple palm trees, the towel, the beach bag, and the gentle surf makes for a relaxing scene indeed.

TBB cover photo for May 2020: Seeing Double

This month’s community cover photo features a mind-bendingly detailed alchemist workshop by Markus Rollbühler. Look carefully, and you might think that he’s used Photoshop to mirror one side of the image. A cheeky way to save bricks! However, look even more carefully at the shadows and reflections and you’ll realize it’s not a digital trick, but a full LEGO creation with perfect symmetry.

The immaculate photography complements such an expertly crafted creation. I wonder if the alchemist who resides here is creating such a symmetrical scene through some kind of magic, or are they just OCD?

Want to see your own LEGO creation featured across TBB social media for a month? Then read the submission guidelines and submit your photo today. Until next time, stay well and be safe, and practice social distancing whenever possible as we need it now more than ever!

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Retrieve Majora’s Mask before the Dawn of the Final Day

German gaming and LEGO enthusiast speedyhead takes us back to the haunting adventure of the Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. This is very, very far from the only LEGO Zelda model we’ve highlighted over the years, but I’ll tell you why this one stands out to me.

First: colors. The in-game mask is certainly colorful, but seeing it in LEGO form is an explosion of hues. The dorsal fin piece featured here in no less than four distinct shades combines with the contrasting dark red and blue of the mask face to create a pop of color.

Second: look into those eyes! The mysterious, evil artifact is a key element of the game, and looks suitably possessed with malice here.

Finally, parts usage. I’ve already commented on the colorful fins, but the perfect use of croissants deserves a shoutout as well.