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 dark shadow over the kingdom

An ominous black dragon hovers low over Kale Frost’s stunning microscale castle. Although small, this model is filled with movement and atmosphere. The perfectly placed transparent slopes convincingly replicate waves crashing against its rugged coastline, and it’s matched by cleverly selected tile and foliage bricks, which complete the landscaping. The castle itself is a cunning amalgamation of unexpected pieces. It even manages to use what may potentially be the least useful LEGO elements ever, the trigger from a stud gun, which is doing duty as a detail in one of the towers – bravo!

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A LEGO kitchen fit for a cookbook cover

Is it harder to build something purely from scratch, or based off of something already in existence? Having done both myself, I honestly can’t decide. Sometimes making LEGO resemble life-size objects is really tough. But it doesn’t seem to have been much of a challenge for Timofey Tkachev! This beautiful LEGO kitchen is based off a real one that is virtually identical. Of course, the real one does not include a human-sized penguin and a few other hidden gems.

Timofey is an incredible artist. We’ve featured many of his builds, but one of my favorites is the terrifying and thought-provoking representation of our oil consumption. Another, much lighter favorite, is his adorable and clever cockatoo. You can also learn more about him by reading more in our interview with him.

Heavy Assault Fighter that’s a lean and mean killing machine

I love me a good spacecraft when I see one, and Onkel Ton has some mean LEGO skills indeed. While the additional decals give it a smashing sense of realism, the build structure, shape and greebling stands out on its own to a cinematic worthy quality to it all.

Together with the overall bulk of the ship, the contrast of the reds to the grey really emphasizes the look of a very futuristic military ready craft with heavy artillery.

Bring on the LEGO butter and bib

The line of LEGO Star Wars constraction figures has unleashed a plethora of new sculpted parts to feed the Bionicle building frenzy. However, this delicious looking lobster by 楚沐猴 puts some of the parts from LEGO 75529 Elite Praetorian guard to a very different use. The finished product is a crustacean that looks good enough to eat.

This tug is very uplifting

This McQue-inspired salvage tug by Martin Redfern is a plucky little workhorse on its way back to the yard with a fresh haul of parts. One of the reasons I find the floating boats and other vehicles from Ian McQue’s concept art so interesting is that they seemingly float out of the sea and defy gravity without any explanation. It’s as if these worlds simply don’t have the same laws of physics as our own.

If this theme looks familiar, we recently featured another of Martin’s floating vehicles inspired by the same source.

Whatcha gonna do when the Space Police come for you?

Let’s take a moment and go back to 1992. If you’re about my age, you were probably sitting on the floor surrounded by a huge pile of LEGO bricks building literally the coolest spaceship ever. With the hindsight of 20+ years, it probably wasn’t that great, but to my childhood imagination, it looked a lot like this Space Police II ship by spaceruner, which is definitely the coolest spaceship ever. Inspired by classic sets 6781 SP-Striker and 6897 Rebel Hunter, it’s the perfect mashup of outlandish design and wickedly cool styling. Plus, who doesn’t love those classic Space Police II colors?

When the wind blows your way

There’s nothing like a stiff breeze in your sails and a bit of steampunkery to make the workday fly. This rickety windmill by Martin Harris hits all the right notes with its exposed framework, abundance of gears, and plethora of thingamabobs that are the hallmarks of the aesthetic. The LEGO ship rigging elements pull double-duty here as framework, with Martin even taking advantage of their flexibility to bend them into place. Now the real question is: what does it power?

Moko’s militarized mecha is locked and most definitely loaded

The battlefield just became deadlier with this highly capable armored platform by master mecha builder, Moko. When it comes to an attention to detail, the builder has spared no expense. Moko’s piloted mecha is named after the wolf Fenrir of Norse mythology, and it looks ready to dish out some serious pain. Form and function are expertly fused together in a mech that not only takes down enemies, but looks good doing it.

There are plenty of crafty techniques, such as using an old school Bionicle head for the visor and printed elements as the rifle’s forearm. (Those pieces are from last year’s Mack Anthem set.) The design also allows for some intimidating poses.

Just like its ferocious namesake, this heavily armed and armored warrior is unlikely to allow itself to be easily restrained.

A neat fleet of stylised Batman treats

Inspired by the new LEGO Batman sets Batsub and the Underwater Clash and Batman Mech vs. Poison Ivy Mech, Elvis Lawrey has added his own spin on cartoon-like super hero vehicles. Embracing the chibi aesthetic, he’s rolled out a clutch of cute, fun, and playable vehicles for the Dark Knight to test-drive.

See more on these quirky Batman vehicles

For many around the world, the New Year is just beginning...

With the Chinese New Year less than a week away, we’re seeing a number of creations inaugurating the Year of the Pig and a new calendar for over 20 percent of the planet. Joseph Zawada provided a detail-filled scene of how the Lunar New Year is likely to be enjoyed next month in San Francisco, California. Held since the 1860s to celebrate Chinese culture in the United States, this parade draws in hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and is the largest Lunar New Year event outside of Asia. The builder recreated a lively portion of the parade in front of the Dragon Gate in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The scene features a ton of popular references to the Lunar New Year, such as dancing dragons and children carrying red envelops containing gifts of money (hóngbāo). There’s even a C-pop float to round off the sensory experience.

As a quick note, Joseph states he recently worked with LEGO China’s Integration and Engagement team and fifteen other builders to highlight the Lunar New Year in LEGO form (including the Nian beast we recently featured). We’re hoping to see many more creations in the days ahead. We wish our readers great happiness and prosperity for the year ahead!

The ARC-170: a classic in Star Wars design

For many Star Wars fans, the jury is still out on where the prequels stand. However, it’s likely that few would argue with the quality of their vehicle designs. I’d agree with Thomas Jenkins, who considers the ARC-170 Starfighter to be one of the franchise’s best ships. It’s also woefully underrepresented in LEGO, which makes his latest creation such a treat.

It’s a clean, compact build with carefully modeled lines. Positioning the ship into its attack configuration reveals grey and white colour blocking on the inner foils, which I find particularly pleasing. Overall, it brilliantly captures the ship’s unique proto-X-wing theme and reminds us just how talented those prequel designers were.

I see a row of cabinets and they’re all painted white.

Do-it-yourself projects are more fun in LEGO-form, such as this detailed painting-themed render by _spacehopper_. The cabinetry, refrigerator, and sink look attractive in this kitchen, complete with a mouth-watering turkey. (Who makes a turkey and paints the kitchen at the same time?) Someone has been busy painting but is noticeably absent. A ladder sits to the side, and the fan is running to help with ventilation. Meanwhile, the paint roller sits abandoned on the counter top, dripping white paint on the floor. No drop cloths or trays are there to catch anything. Perhaps our missing painter is a novice, realized he was in-over-his-head, and drove to the hardware store for the missing supplies.