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.

Do you feel lucky cyberpunk? Well, do you?

William Gibson’s seminal sci-fi novel Neuromancer helped set the cyberpunk standard for urban cityscapes with its depiction of The Sprawl — a vast built-up area stretching the full length of the Eastern Seaboard of the US. Whilst Didier Burtin doesn’t mention Neuromancer with regards his latest model, this microscale LEGO creation immediately made me think of Gibson’s work. The architecture and the presence of some small-scale aerial vehicles also brings to mind Syd Mead’s vision of the cities of the future from Blade Runner. Whatever your particular favourite flavour of cyberpunk, you’re sure to find something you like in this model…

The city is gloriously detailed, rewarding a closer look with a wealth of textured detail, the product of smart parts choices and interesting combinations. Too often futuristic LEGO cities offer a homogenous architecture, but this offers a rich variety of building style, looking like it evolved over time in a messy clash of planning, business, and everyday living — much as a real world city does.

The model is all the more impressive for its tight footprint. All the glorious details in the images above are found within a small square of construction — a great advertisement for the effectiveness of microscale building in being able to conjure up epic vistas…

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Ride the roads in a really radical rat rod

In American car culture, the rat rod has come to symbolize rugged individualism. You might think of it as the automotive equivalent of a cowboy. Over the course of seven months, Manuel Nascimento built a LEGO Ford Model A rat rod. Manuel’s Model A oozes personality, with its “rust brown” patina, chrome trim and chopped, lowriding body. His model captures the subtle curves and angles of the real car. I’m particularly impressed with how the sides slightly slant upward.

Manuel’s rat rod is as impressive mechanically as it is visually. The car is equipped with power functions motors for moving, steering, and the ability to raise and lower the rear. Because the engine is exposed, you can also see it in action. Manuel chose to highlight these features in the following video.

See this gorgeous Model A rat rod in action

Same house, different times

When you’ve designed something as beautiful as Ayrlego‘s Wainwright house, it seems a shame not to experiment with its presentation. It looks right at home in its medieval situ, with its muddy path, city guards, and period timber frame construction.

However, why stop here? Relocate the build half way around the globe to Jamestown in Virginia and you have a completely different enviroment to explore. LEGO palm trees and red coat soldiers have surrounded the timber frame residence, giving the model a fresh colonial feel.

Fearsome Tengu watches over from atop the mountains

Tengu are legendary creatures in Japanese myths going back hundreds of years. Although they have a complicated history, they’re most often seen today as protectors of mountains and forests, though still certainly fearsome! John Cheng has built a rather adorable Tengu, dressed in Yamabushi (mountain hermit) garb with black bird wings and an enormous, beak-like nose that reveal his avian origins.

See you in Cerulean City!

For more than 20 years, the Pokémon series has captured the minds of fans young and old all over the world. Toronto’s BrickinNick has tapped into the nostalgia of the beloved franchise with an extremely faithful LEGO depiction of Cerulean City as seen in the Kanto region of several games in the video game series.

Sometimes a model stands out not so much for fancy techniques or showing off the latest parts but is more about sharp color choices and reference accuracy; in this case it’s of a place familiar to millions of gamers. Compare to a screenshot of the city from HeartGold and SoulSilver from the Nintendo DS:

All the major locations are easily identifiable in this microscale rendition, including the Cerulean Gym where leader Misty uses water-based Pokémon to soak her challengers, a Pokemart, Bike Shop, and the dangerous Cerulean Cave.

And of course, the main protagonist from the games and his faithful companion Pikachu on their way to another adventure!

Like what you see from this builder? Check out his How to Train Your Dragon model of Toothless, Destiny 2 Guardians, and of course his LEGO sculpture of Bob Ross.

Build your own mini LEGO Aston Martin DB5 with working features [Instructions]

No, not the 10262 James Bond Aston Martin DB5 LEGO set from earlier this year. As remarkable as the working features on the official LEGO set are, hachiroku24 has scaled the iconic vehicle down while — rather miraculously — retaining many of the car’s functions.

Learn how to build your own LEGO Aston Martin DB5

Presents you must have, my young padawan

The Grinch isn’t the only strange green creature you’ll meet this festive season, Koen Zwanenburg would have us believe that Father Christmas is in fact a Jedi master, Yoda no less! Bizarrely it makes perfect sense — clearly, it would take a high-level Force user to achieve Santa’s intergalactic delivery schedule. There is also a sly nod to the commercial success of the Star Wars franchise: in a clever reversal of roles, Yoda carries a LEGO minifigure Luke on his back, ready to fill someone’s Christmas stocking.

If you like Keon’s model, he’s provided LDD instructions for you to make your very own Santa Yoda.

Rebel RZ-1 A-wing interceptor gets an update

It’s been more than 10 years since Jarek shared the first version of his LEGO A-wing, a sleek starfighter first seen in Return of the Jedi. It’s always interesting to see how builders approach the same subject matter years apart, with improved building skills as well as access to new LEGO pieces. Jarek says that his updated A-wing has better proportions than the 2008 version, with properly brick-built missile launchers.

See more photos of Jarek’s A-wing along with new variants

A bit of LEGO abrakadabra [Video]

Ever wondered how some of the classic magic tricks are done? Teun de Wijs might have some answers for you! This LEGO version of the “floating woman” illusion is a little technical marvel, and when seen from multiple angles, gives an idea of how such a trick might be done.

See this magician in action!

Transparency in business

Builders tackle the LEGO Castle so often, I sometimes wonder if it has been completely exhausted. At times like that, builders such as Jonas Wide prove me wrong. When people move away from the military aspect of castle, they can find an endless well of inspiration beyond just castles and battles.

This glass-blowing workshop scene is as much artful photography as it is a LEGO build. The lighting through the windows and from the kiln is quite immersive, and the build itself is not bad at all. The textures on the walls are just enough and the tiles on the floor use related colours that actually look like variable clay bricks. What I really love is the attention to detail with the minifigs – a little drop of sweat on a minifig’s face is enough to show just how hot the workshop must be.

M:Tron – delivering to a galaxy near you soon

The M:Tron range of LEGO Space sets released back in 1990 never made any bones about the utilitarian nature of its magnet-laden fleet. It was all about finding innovative ways of lifting and moving its precious equipment cases around the galaxy. Tim Goddard, whose space work has become a regular feature here on TBB, has really run with this idea of transportation. He asks, how do you deploy your beautifully built M:Tron mech to the planet surface? With the M:Tron Pod of course.

Having had a close-up look at this build at Bricktastic earlier this year, I was mightily impressed by the lengths Tim had gone to, to make his Pod hexagonal. Of course it also has a fully functional hatch mechanism. Like so much of his work, it’s a splendidly detailed homage to one the LEGO Group’s most-loved themes.

A castle shot through with a bolt of blue

What makes a LEGO model special often comes down to an inspired design choice. In the case of En Zoo’s Laelariel Hall it’s all about the use of colour. The build is a solid medieval construction utilising many tried and tested stone wall and roof techniques. What lifts it above the average are the exquisite splashes of blue bricks throughout. The main walls are veined with light blue and 1×1 round tiled studs. Layered in sequence, they imbue the building with a sense of magic. Accents of dark blue in the roof echo the marbling elsewhere. It’s a clever choice that transports the scene into its own fantastical realm.