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.

A true inhabitant of the Perilous Realm

If you are anything like me and were raised watching plenty of Disney movies, your idea of what a fairy looks like is probably skewed towards Tinkerbell. That is, a relatively benign, miniaturized, and heavily sexualized female (big breasts, tiny waist, long legs, etc.) that hangs out in bushes or around flowers. Now, that’s all well and good, I suppose, for those who get their kicks that way, but it leaves out an enormous portion of the realm of Faerie. LEGO builder Alexey Tikhvinsky gets it. Eschewing the dainty feminine for something that reminds me of the Polynesian culture in Moana (I told you I’ve watched plenty of Disney movies), Alexey has created something with wings (like Tink), garbed in plants (also like Tink), and holding a spear (not like Tink). The stormy eyes paint a picture of something definitely not benign if the spear didn’t clue you in first. This is the real Faerie. Don’t mess with it. It isn’t called the Perilous Realm for nothing.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Carrey on my wayward son

The 1990s are a golden age of under-appreciated comic book movies. Sure, just about everyone loves the 1992 Batman flick, but what about Mystery Men? Or Darkman? Or, better still, 1994’s The Mask? Based on the Dark Horse comics of the same name, Jim Carrey starred as a wisecracking, fourth-wall-breaking, indestructible anti-hero. Sort of the Deadpool before Deadpool. Pistash has recreated one The Mask’s most meme-able images in LEGO, and it’s just as expressive as the movie version. (Or its animated inspiration.)

Some standout bits of construction include the use of a zebra-print tile for a handkerchief, and what I think are FreeStyle wheel pins for pupils. And there lots of curved slopes in magenta for the tongue. But I bet you noticed that bit for yourself.

Let’s end with a bit of oddball trivia I discovered while researching this post. I mentioned the Mask’s similarities to Deadpool earlier, right? Well, in 1988 Jim Carrey had a role in The Dead Pool. Eerie foreshadowing or just a stupid coincidence? You make the call.

Why should the Empire always get the cool ships?

While brainstorming ideas for my own entry to the Assemble the Fleet Contest, I went down a bit of an internet rabbit hole of ships and concept art from lesser-known Star Wars video games. Among them was the Assault Frigate Mark II, only seen in the Star Wars: Empire at War RTS games, which I took one look at and dismissed as impossible to recreate in LEGO due to it’s almost entirely rounded shape. A few weeks later, to my dismay and excitement, The Brickforce proved me very wrong with his beautiful microscale rendition of the ship.

Making good use of the multitude of new rounded, angled, and sloped pieces LEGO has released the past few years, the builder has managed to skillfully recreate the rounded form of the ship, with minimal gaps between the bricks for a smooth look. The splashes of color top complete the build, both incorporated into the complex shaping of the hull and in the Nebulon-B-esque pod array coming off the bottom of the vessel.

A rover made for relaxing

February is over, and LEGO builders who participated in the month-long building challenge known as Febrovery even got a bonus day with this leap year. Several rovers have been featured here on TBB this month, but this open-topped model by Anthony Wilson instantly caught my eye, mostly with the presence of something not usually seen in space exploration vehicles, a tree, and a very nicely sculpted one at that. I would say this tree-topped rover was a breath of fresh air.

Santa Maria del Fiore – a Florentine cathedral to lift the spirit

When the master builders of the Renaissance were building things from bricks, they were not using ABS plastic like LEGO master builders do today. They were building with marble, constructing some of the most beautiful buildings ever built. The proportions, the balance, the arrangement of the different elements were intended to raise the hearts and spirits of those visiting to an experience of the supernatural. Scaled down and converted from marble to ABS, those same buildings remain awe-inspiring. Take this model of Santa Maria del Fiore, the cathedral of Florence, Italy. Perhaps bricksandtiles is not Arnolfo di Cambio or Filippo Brunelleschi, some of the men who designed various parts of it (the cathedral was under construction from 1296 until 1436, when the dome was completed and the church was consecrated, so lots had their hand on it), but nonetheless this LEGO version is spectacular in its own right.

The famed octagonal dome is built from countless rounded 1×2 plates, mimicking the tiled roof splendidly. Sand green grille tiles serve as green marble borders to the intricate multicolored inlays on the real thing. But there is a lot more inlaying of sand green with the white, brick built all over the place. With the tower and the baptistry, the whole structure is a massive LEGO build, worthy of the UNESCO World Heritage site.

Of course, this is not the first version of the cathedral featured on The Brothers Brick; check out another LEGO Florence cathedral we featured last year.

TBB cover photo for March 2020: Bricks, bricks never change

This Fallout homage by Ralf Langer captures that moment you step out of the vault perfectly (and such a memorable moment it is in every game). Between the desolate landscape and the lonely billboard, it’s hard not to think of the better times before nuclear war, but let’s look at the positive side of things. Take a close look and you’ll spot many details that bring this Fallout scene to life — from the tires and exposed wires surrounding the vault entrance, the tears in the billboard leaving exposed boards, and the subtle curvature of the desertscape (we’ll be watching your Instagram for your technique reveal). The simple yet awe-inspiring contrast between the vault and the open world drew us to this image for March’s cover photos on The Brothers Brick social channels.

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. Photos that do not meet the submission guidelines will not be considered, and will be removed from the group.

Keep up with The Brothers Brick by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter or Pinterest. And for extra goodies, follow us on Instagram, Flickr, or subscribe to us on YouTube.

Bookmark this Bookshop

LEGO recently added a bookshop to their line of modular buildings. That’s a fun set, but if you’re like me, you’d never be satisfied with just one corporate Birch Books bookstore in your town. You also need the sweet goodness of an indie store – they always stock the more interesting volumes. Happily, builder Maxim Baybakov has created a masterful bit of competition with Once Upon A Book. This modular-style building is full of fun details and avid readers.

Click here to learn more about Once Upon A Book bookshop…

Yes, you CAN take it all with you!

We would have been totally impressed with just a LEGO Ford pickup. Really, we would have. But colognebrick went the extra mile and added a stunning fifth-wheel camper and now we’re in awe. This is what the world could be like if we had a wide-open road and unlimited time and gas money. The possibilities are endless! It makes your heart go pitter-patter, doesn’t it? I should get on the horn with Brothers Brick brass to see if we have it in our budget to get a real truck and camper like this one. We could use it as a mobile headquarters for…you know…article writing and stuff. I really like the gray and blue stripe along the side. The trailer’s color scheme and the “Wildlife Caravans” stickers comes from this set. But if that wasn’t impressive enough, the sides expand out, and the camper has a fully detailed interior.

Here’s some of the inside.

Guys, come on. Seriously, do we have the budget for this? It’ll be like the Batmobile except for less crime-fighting and more sightseeing. Andrew? Chris? Brothers Brick road trip? Anyone?

A cabin in the woods

LEGO creations often make me want to experience what’s built but in the real world. Carter Witz’s Mountain Cabin really makes me want to get out into the wilderness and go hiking. Sure, you can’t really feel the temperature of what’s depicted in a photo, but the hue of the green grass and the orange leaves on the trees peg this as an autumn scene. The trees tell me there’s a slight breeze too. And for some reason, I think it’s an overcast day. If I slip and fall into the cold mountain runoff in that stream, I’ll have no problem warming up in the snug little cabin. Aside from all the wilderness feels I’m getting, I need to also take a moment to appreciate the quality of these birch trees. The technic pins take them to a whole new level, making it look like the bark is falling off along with the leaves.

Owl be one of the cutest birds you ever saw

Guys, have you ever seen a Eurasian Pygmy Owl? If you haven’t, you need to look it up because they are one of the most adorable animals on the planet. Between their tiny stature and sweet expressions, these little predators swoop in and snatch your heart. This LEGO version is built by none other than the incredible Eero Okkonen. It’s a slight departure from some of the characters he’s known for, but this bird is just as lovely. How can you resist that little face?

If you’d like to see more owls, check out this fierce flyer and these builds of Hedwig.

The vacation rental market can be a real beach

February is gone, and March is beginning; soon the college basketball mania will start, and spring breaks will be taken at schools across the USA. That means hordes of high school and college kids descending upon such popular vacation spots as Cancun, Acapulco, and Miami. Copious amounts of alcohol will likely be consumed, and a fun time will be claimed by many. Not all will enjoy their vacations, however, because some will be staying at a rental like this LEGO one built by alego alego. Yes, it is a beach house, but that is about all it has going for it. According to the fine print (who reads that, anyway?) the beach is near the nuclear plant (that explains the dog, perhaps), the hot tub is only hot when the weather is, and the electricity doesn’t work. Among other things. But hey, it makes for a great story when you get back! If you get back, that is.

The little girl is cleverly done with the Beast’s micro body, and I love the bushes used as palm trees ripped in the hurricane winds. All the little bits pushed through here and there for weeds in the cracks are perfect, and the syringe by the outhouse and the dog poop in the yard give it just the right vibes. Next time, read the fine print on your Airbnb!

Surrounded by a rainbow of sound

Each year, talented LEGO builder City Son reveals a new focal creation. This time he was inspired by something special to so many: music. Not just music, but the inherent emotional beauty of it. It’s something that many can relate to. Personally, ever since I was a child, my dad would play all kinds of different music and quiz me on the titles and artists until I had them memorized. As I grew, I learned to play a few different instruments, and when I hit high school, the saying, “music breathes the words we cannot speak,” was my mantra. Indeed, it got me through tough times, and I still cherish it every day. And it’s true; music does speak. It speaks a language so powerful that it’s universal across all ages and races, no matter their tastes or connection to it. This colorful piece embodies the emotion of music. The dimension, liveliness and expertly crafted instruments speak for themselves. But I am most impressed with the expression of pure bliss upon the face of the headphone-clad woman. It takes a truly brilliant builder to bring LEGO to life in this way, and he couldn’t have done it better.

If you’re on a music kick, take a look at our music archive. You can also check out City Son’s animal inspired creation from last year.