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.

Château de Chenonceau shines in LEGO

In between competing in another Iron Builder competition and contributing to New Hashima, builder Gerrit Gottschalk (gGh0st) spent much of 2024 working on his microscale masterpiece — a model of Château de Chenonceau. The 16th-century French castle sits in the Loire Valley with its bridge and gallery crossing the river Cher. Gerrit’s model consists of about 6,600 LEGO elements and is 80 cm long.

Building in the Architecture style at this scale was a new adventure for Gerrit but you wouldn’t guess it from the end results. It’s a remarkable build filled with innovative parts usage and a high level of detail that remains virtually seamless.

Click for a detailed look at Gerrit’s majestic microscale castle !

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Settle into some snowy steampunk serenity

We’ve all been there: you’ve had a busy year fighting sky pirates in your steam-powered dirigible and now you just want to kick back and enjoy some holiday cheer in peace. Thankfully, “Snowbound Serenity” by Isaac Snyder has just the steampunk-friendly winter retreat for you. At first glance, the retrofuturistic aspects of the cabin are subtle, playing second fiddle to icy landscape and inviting exterior of the cabin. Blue and green cheese tiles make for great angled siding, with gentle slopes of snow piling up on the ground next to the icy lake.

Stepping inside, however, is where it becomes clear this is no ordinary cabin. A steam-power boiler keeps the fire going. Pipes spread warmth throughout the house, weaving through pearl-gold accents. A few relics from our steampunk hero’s adventures adorn the walls. Our wily adventurer himself sips hot cocoa and helps himself to a cinnamon roll while his beloved pets look on. I love this build because it brings to life several fantasies at once—both the call of adventure and the allure of a cozy winter night.

To boldly go... and sometimes not come back

In a Star Trek world of Enterprises and Klingon Birds of Prey, sometimes it’s the little ships that mean a lot. Take this LEGO Shuttlecraft built by Horace Worblehat for example. It’s expertly crafted and certainly takes me back to classic Star Trek episodes. This little craft has taken these two crewmembers to parts unknown. What will harangue them next? Will it be a ferocious Gorn or a hideous Salt Vampire? One thing for certain is one of these guys will escape by the skin of their teeth and the other will die a horrible yet amusing death. It’s the Redshirt, by the way. It’s always the Redshirt.

Fall leaves when snow falls in LEGO

There is so much to appreciate about Mark van der Maarel‘s Edo-era Japanese diorama in LEGO, but it’s the red leaves against the newly fallen white snow that draw me in like an ukiyo-e woodblock print. The central cottage is charming and full of details of everyday life. A bundle of reeds over the window made from broom elements is a great touch. Towering over the cottage is an incredible wall made of interlocking brick-built stones (Mark gives credit to collaborator Marshall Banana for this technique). Down by the river, a woodcutter kneels as a samurai approaches on horseback. While Mark doesn’t offer a story, I imagine the woodcutter has a blade hidden in the cottage and soon leaves won’t be the only red splashes in the snow.

Mark’s build was part of the Rogue Ronin collaboration displayed at the Bricking Bavaria event in Germany where over 30 members of the Rogue Bricks community participated. We also adored felix-workshop’s award-winning contribtion.

Digital distortion in physical LEGO

Inspired by a painting from an unknown artist in a Korean hotel, Luka set about trying to capture distorted reality in LEGO with a work titled “Error.” The results are stunning, as pastel mountains and a city skyline get stretched at the horizon into abstract color lines. The shadow box frame looks to be about 5 bricks deep to allow for the stacked layers of the diorama. The distortion lines would have extended even further had the builder not run out of time and pieces. Luka (aka First Order Lego) is a builder who continues to impress and inspire with both abstract builds like this one and minifig scenes like his recent Witcher 3 tribute.

These Star Wars TIE Arrestors have questions

Boy, I sure love a fan-made Star Wars concept! These LEGO TIE Arrestors built by Alec Hole look like they can be canon but are inspired by the Cantwell class Arrestor Cruiser from the Andor series. The TIE Arrestor, according to Alec “is an Imperial starfighter with two powerful tractor beam emitter dishes. It can be deployed to intercept, disable and tow Rebel starfighters suspected of stealing Imperial technology. It can also be used to capture Rebel personnel wanted for questioning.” It sounds like such unpleasant business! What’s with the purple? Well, it seems our alum Mansur Soeleman has his tentacles all up in the influence of this color decision. Alec tells us the purple accents denote the evil counterpart to Mansur’s Teal Squadron.

Forgotten LEGO Hockey heroes reborn as Tiki totems

One of LEGO’s oddest experiments was a short-lived, Bionicle-adjacent collaboration with the NHL that saw robotic hockey players like Puck Passer and Slammer Goalie slapping pucks into Technic goals. Sakiya Watanabe (N.A.B.E _mocs) resurrects these esoteric elements to create a tiki-style totem pole. Hockey masks aren’t the only clever parts usage; the builder also employs a pair of troll arms for mossy rocks, and the gear racks from Lloyd’s Golden Ultra Dragon hint at further ruins hidden behind the tropical vines. A new builder on the Flickr scene, N.A.B.E _mocs has only shared three builds so far and each employs new techniques and parts. We also loved the builder’s spot-on General Grievous bust.

A captivating cathedral’s fantastic façade

Prepare to be transported to the heart of Gothic architecture thanks to Kit Nugent‘s stunning LEGO “St Bley’s Cathedral.” With its towering spires, intricate rose windows, and stately arches, the model captures the grandeur and reverence of a twelfth- or thirteenth-century cathedral.

The rose window is a true highlight. We’ve seen printed stained glass on sets like 21601 Notre-Dame de Paris, but here the brick-built version (crafted with handcuff elements and minifig action stands) mimics the complexity of stained glass and immediately draws the viewer’s eye. The rest of the build is no less arresting, though. From vaulted arches to the narrow, soaring spires, every detail emphasizes the verticality and elegance of the Gothic style. The monochromatic grey palette enhances the build’s realism, with carefully layered textures adding depth and dimension without the need for color. Small touches, like statuesque figures nestled in niches (each one slightly different!) and decorative elements on the spires, finish off the build. Altogether, it does what cathedrals are meant to do: invoke reverence and awe.

Remote Dantooine outposts make for an effective demonstration of LEGO craftsmanship

Dantooine is first mentioned in the very first Star Wars film, a throw-away bit of worldbuilding that made George Lucas’ galaxy feel so much more lived in. Since then the world has shown up in games and books, and now, thanks to builders Jonas G and WG Productions, we can explore the outer rim world in LEGO form. First up, Jonas shares an industrial farming outpost run by Republic sympathizers. Jonas absolutely aces the monolithic Imperial architecture with gorgeous curved corners, a thin window, pinstripes of red, and a mandatory dose of greebles. The massive Blba tree is just as impressive, insanely dense with leaves. Minifigs tell a story of resistance with Republic troops securing thermal detonators, while a Sith helm is used on a scarecrow.

While Jonas’ many Star Wars builds focus more on the galaxy’s heroic forces, WG Productions favors the Dark Side. Here we see the Sith troopers seizing a transport station for the Sith Empire. Using dozens of rollers skates for the rail is a brilliant technique. Both builders coordinated on the terrain to ensure consistency in the Dantooine ecosystem.

Dantooine seems like a lovely planet, whatever side you’re allied with. What a relief the planet was too remote for Grand Moff Tarkin to use as a demonstration for the Death Star’s power.

Jaap Bijl rolls a natural 20 on creativity with this D&D inspired LEGO scene

Sometimes castle-themed builds can lean heavily on the grey bricks to the exclusion of all the other colors in the LEGO palette. That’s definitely not the case with Jaap Bijl, whose fascination with color has made us big admirers of his LEGO creations. For this latest work, “New Area Discovered,” Jaap plays with negative space rather than a central building, taking inspiration from the towering architecture in Balder’s Gate 3. Jaap brings in his favorite color, purple, to contrast with the gold, including an unusual Ninjago snake blade. Greenery is blow-out bright, with ghostly beards adding otherworldly texture. For vines, Jaap unfurls round sprues. Looking past the splashy parts, the model demonstrates some wonderful castle brickwork, especially the round mosaic courtyard. The scene looks deserted, but I would suggest making a perception check with those 20-sided dice just in case…

Bootstrapping a botanical brewery in LEGO

Scandinavian folklore is full of tales of little people living in the woods and meadows. Swedish builder Peter Ilmrud gives us a glimpse of one community of fairy folk who have made a lingonberry cidery out of an old boot. Peter incorporates DUPLO and Scala elements alongside wildflowers from the Botanicals line and many custom flowers and berry bushes in the vibrant display.

Break out your magnifying people for a better glimpse of what these wee cider makers are up to!

This LEGO bust would make a fine addition to any collection

One thing that Star Wars – and especially – the prequels, for their flaws – does really well is villains. One look at Darth Maul or the Emperor and there’s no doubting which side they’re on. But really, none of them looked as villainous as the skeletal General Grievous, whose likeness has been captured by Sakiya Watanabe (N.A.B.E_mocs). In builds where the cybernetic and natural collide, texture can be a useful tool to differentiate between the two, and this is a fantastic example. Grievous’ armour is almost entirely studless. It’s wonderfully organically shaped, too – a touch of irony therein, perhaps! In contrast, his fleshy bits (for want of a better phrase) are rougher. His esophagus (I think that’s what it is) is all studded plates, while the red eyes use anti-studs to perfectly accentuate their organic nature.