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.

The treasure is knowledge

Of the two similar structures in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Petra in southern Jordan, Al Khazneh and El Deir, the iconic “Treasury” featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is much more famous than the larger (and arguably more spectacular) “Monastery” deeper in the Nabatean archaeological site. So it’s no surprise that we’ve seen Al Khazneh depicted in LEGO many times over the years, with nary a Monastery in sight (or brick). Nevertheless, I appreciate each new LEGO Petra, like this one by Inthert built only from tan pieces.

What’s especially notable about this build is less its monochrome color scheme than the variety of interesting “illegal” techniques Inthert uses to achieve shapes and angles at this scale. LEGO’s internal design team follows a strict set of guidelines to ensure that official LEGO sets are study in the hands of grubby little hands, while adult builders and other LEGO fans have no such restrictions (so it’s rather amusing when commenters decry the use of such techniques in fan-built models — stop it). Specifically, many plates and tiles are half-attached to studs or wedged in with friction, while a number of the Technic pins used as columns are connected using the gaps that allow the pins to flex for clipping into place. But my favorite detail is the Technic gear atop the “roof” of the central section.

Be sure to click through to the full-size photo and expand it to take in all the interesting details and techniques.

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A little bird to watch

With all the time I have been spending at home lately, I find myself paying more attention to the birds that live in my neighborhood, from feeding a family of crows in my backyard to listening to the calls and songs of feathered friends of all shapes and sizes. This tiny LEGO sparrow by Luis Peña is quite a lovely model, and very expressive. Luis shapes the wings with quarter tiles and that flat tail captures the look of the real-life inspiration, the Rufous-collared sparrow.

If you enjoyed this bird, be sure to check out more recent birds from Luis on his flicker page

And I thought meetings at work were bad

I saw this LEGO scene by Midwest_Builders and just had to chuckle. A month ago the humor might have been missed but as many of us are now working remotely, we have more virtual meetings. During video conferences, I’ve seen some very relaxed dress and grooming standards on behalf of my co-workers. Hair got frizzier, dye-jobs are fading, bags under eyes got baggier. Week after week I’m watching my co-workers age and, in some cases put on weight, right before my eyes. And that’s not to mention how I must look during video conferences. Miles O’Connor here is trying to hold a Zoom meeting with his associates Jimmy Plate, and Morgan Greebles but weeks of quarantine have made everyone a little crazy. Jimmy is shirtless and chugging a beer while Morgan is having a bit of a tinkle. And while Miles seems the most put-together, his baby has interrupted the meeting riding on the doggy.

Child and dog interruptions are bound to happen with home conferences but let’s hope we can at least keep our shirts on. And for the sake of our sanity, stay the heck out of the bathroom during conference calls. Please.

Moody musician turns up the bass

When I first saw this LEGO model of a musician with headphones by aido k, I laughed out loud. I thought it was so expressive, with his floppy hair, and sleepy eyes. And those headphones are so amazing. Then I found out it was a tribute to a Youtuber, and I loved it even more. Aside from the face, I think one of my favorite and easily missed details is the white stripes of his sweatshirt, along the shoulder and arms.

They sure don’t make them like they used to

Joe Klang is back in the workshop making more amazingly deceptive 1:1 scale models. If you thought his LEGO Etch-a-Sketch and Atari were neat, prepare to do a double-take with his cordless power drill.

Although the drill is what caught my eye I think my favorite tool is the orange adjustable box cutter making great use of the newer rounded plates to provide both smooth AND textured edges.

1:1 LEGO models are among my favorite fan creations, particularly because I appreciate the immense effort of manipulating the vast system of pieces (most of which have studs that would immediately give the game away!) into something familiar and handheld that seems like it couldn’t possibly be built out of LEGO.

Fooling around in the royal court

My friend Doug Hughes isn’t always outspoken, but his LEGO builds are certainly bold! I’m constantly impressed by his unique designs and clever parts usage. This latest piece chronicles the entertainment of a jester in a royal court. But I have to be honest, I almost lose the jester in the majesty of the whole scene. The perfect curvature, the bold colors, and the mix of architectural styles all pull you into every independent detail. You get lost in loving the floating pillars, or statues, or trees, or gold designs, or even the texture created by the underside of jumper plates. Then you step back again and the whole thing paints a harmonious picture. Brilliant.

While you’re looking, I would play a little eye-spy. Then check out another favorite of mine, Doug’s Seanchan Greatship.

All is quiet at Springvale

I have just one question for Martijn Valkenburg; how do I sign up for Springvale Watch? I mean, this LEGO diorama has it all; beautiful scenery, peace, and quiet, and a few friends in shiny helmets to talk to. It’s like he tapped into all my good dreams right there. I’m loving the repetitive use of ingots adding texture along the wall and edges of the tower. Curved tiles make for excellent arches over the windows. The use of masonry bricks in the crumbling section at the base of the tower leads me to believe that not all was peaceful at Springvale. But on this clear, beautiful day there is nary a catapult or impending army in sight. For now, the biggest enemy at Springvale just might be allergies.

Big ‘wig

One of the most prolific LEGO bug builders, Takamichi Irie, has presented us with another of his crawly critters. Now, even though I work with animals for a living and don’t mind the creatures that typically freak out other people, earwigs are not my favorite. There’s just something about how fast, erratic, and alien they are. And even though those pincers can’t really hurt a human, I’d rather not give them the chance.

Fun fact: earwigs do not crawl in your ears at night to lay their eggs; that’s just a myth. Their name is actually derived from the fact that their teeny tiny wings are shaped like human ears. YES, wings. It is extremely rare, but they can indeed fly. Nope, nope, double nope.

You can read our interview with Takamichi to learn more about how he builds his various creatures (not just bugs) and other epic creations.

LEGO photography in monochrome

LEGO and photography are core interests of most of the Brothers Brick staff – and when they combine we take notice. There’s been a recent trend of super-realistic LEGO camera recreations and today we’re sharing another stellar example. This Olympus OM-1 by David Hensel is just a joy to behold. Built for a contest where only one color was allowed, this monochromatic marvel is full of unusual parts and smart techniques. My favorite feature is the tank treads that form lens housing. Using a 4×4 dome as the lens itself is also unusual for these builds, but it adds just the right curvature to the product shot here. Other standout touches are the ribbed 1×2 brick in the case, the minifigure life preservers as cord straps, and the variety of tires that form the knobs.

You know you’ve nailed the appearance when you still have to take a second look when your model is grouped in with some examples of the actual camera.

I suppose over time this theme could even branch out into more smartphone builds. I’m guilty of using mine for most of my photos these days. Regardless, here’s to hoping that this isn’t the last camera we see, either from David or other builders.

Small, or far far away?

Some LEGO builders return over and again to the same subject — obsessively tinkering with a particular design, fiddling with the structure or details in an endless quest to “improve” their creation. My particular obsession is with microscale Star Wars — the attempt to capture iconic spaceships and movie scenes in the minimum number of pieces. Microscale building can be a dangerous time-suck of a pastime, as the smallest tweak in part choice or connection can make all the difference in the final appearance of a model. For as long as I’ve been an adult builder I’ve been fiddling around with tiny Star Wars scenes. I must have built these subjects in microscale dozens of times, but on every occasion, the design gets tweaked and revised and tightened. Maybe someday I’ll be content with them, but in the meantime, here are the current iterations. First up, Episode IV: A New Hope…

Click to see models from Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi

This post-apocalyptic Green Grocer is falling apart

With the world seemingly ending at the moment, Keith Reed took the opportunity to recreate what the iconic Green Grocer will look like once the apocalypse actually does come. And that look is decaying, faded, rusty, decrepit, crumbling, and rot. That many words are needed to describe just how many different ways this building is falling apart.

The signature sand green walls have faded to olive green. The siding of the building has eroded, the horizontal slats in behind are expertly represented by the underused side of masonry bricks. Huge chunks of the walls have fallen off and the windows are smashed. The fire escape and awning frame are rusted. The rooftops are pock-marked. Nature has started to reclaim the building, with plants sprouting through the sidewalk and vines climbing inside. But one man remains a stalwart holdout, down to his last square of toilet paper.

But why is the rum gone?

Where I sit, the government has issued a stay at home order, and non-essential in-person businesses are closed. Grocery stores are an exception, of course, as we all still need to eat, and so are liquor stores, as folks still need to drink. I mean really, what else do you do when socially isolated? It puts me in mind of Captain Jack Sparrow, getting through his time marooned on an island alone. He, too, drank away his sorrows. So when I (Benjamin Stenlund) decided to enter the Style it Up contest to pass the time during my days at home, it wasn’t long before I hit on the idea of building a ship. And since I have a lot of black fabric elements, I decided to build a black ship. And if I was going to make a black ship, why not make Captain Jack’s ship, the Black Pearl?

At first, I tried building the sides with slope bricks and tiles, but it looked too chunky at this small scale, so I hit upon the idea of using the quarter dome elements for the prow, and the rest of the ship filled in from there. The 1×1 round plate with bar makes for some nice cannons, even if I did not add enough to equal the real ship; there are concessions one must make at this scale, after all. The sails are cloaks wrapped in rubber bands, and the crows nests are Black Panther ears and ninja cowls. The soft sails, combined with the rigging, make this unique among small-scale LEGO ships that I have seen, but what really sets it apart (if I may toot my own horn a bit) is the atmospheric quality of the photo. Since the contest required that only one color be used, the water is black, too, and the backdrop is also black; in fact, the photo is unedited except for cropping, so this is full-color. Perfect for the ship of a drunken pirate.