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.

15,000 piece LEGO Space Mountain is a motorized E-Ticket wonder

Cinderella’s Castle and fantasy may have become the face of Disney Parks, but founder Walt Disney’s heart was always in Tomorrowland. Space Mountain, first built in 1975 at the Magic Kingdom, has endured as the crowning achievement of Tomorrowland and cemented itself as one of the most beloved roller coasters in the world. One of Space Mountain’s most enthusiastic fans is builder and LEGO Masters Japan contestant Kon, who has spent much of the past year focused on a incredible and functional recreation of the attraction built at minifig scale from 15,000 bricks.

Hop on the FastTrack and see more of Kon’s creation!

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Going rogue in the Bio-Cup

The Bio-Cup, an annual tournament for LEGO constraction builders, has grown to become one of the biggest events on the LEGO fan calendar. The preliminary round has concluded and 27 builders advanced to Round 2, where each is assigned a D&D type character class as a theme. VelociJACKtor, whose first round entry tugged our heartstrings, is first across the line in Round 2 with his “Wandering Assassin,” in the “Rogue” category. The assassin is an elegant figure armed with a Bionicle blade and a face/mask borrowed from Garma Mecha Man. The highlight, though, has to be the rogue’s mount, a lovely robot mixing Bionicle and Technic parts, topped with a System saddle, which gives new meaning to the phrase “rubbernecking.” VelociJACKtor has given the pair such a personality, one can’t help but be curious about their harrowing travels across a techno-fantasy landscape.

While we wait to see who makes it to Round 3, be sure to check out our Bio-Cup archives.

A masterful build of a masterless samurai

Ronin in winter
Fuji-san and red sun rise
Shadows cut the snow

Like a haiku, Cecilie Fritzvold has found beauty in constraints with her latest LEGO creation, a vignette that plays with perspective and color to striking effect. I love the techniques of crisp brick-built shadows integrated into the snow, and the depressions of the ronin’s footsteps. The restrained use of red bricks, especially in the lovely torii gate and the red sun (mirroring the Japanese flag), add dynamism to the quiet scene. Cecilie’s pagoda is a wonderful architectural build on its own. As a whole, the vignette evokes Ukiyo-e woodblock prints with its muted palette and intense perspective. A masterful work of stillness from a builder who is always evolving.

Start your shift at this awesome alien refinery

Sometimes, the best LEGO builds are the most down-to-earth (or down-to-another planet). Check out this refinery by qian yj. Sure, it’s in outer space, but there’s a mundane familiarity in the way the alien workers are just doing their jobs. I love the cool, industrial grays and whites paired with subtle blue or red highlights. Anyone who’s ever worked the daily grind can relate, no matter what planet you’re from. I don’t know what the aliens are refining, exactly, but I hope they get their lunch break soon.

Creature Contraptions building a better future in LEGO

2024 has been a delightful year for the Space theme, with it showing up in surprising forms across a range of LEGO themes. Ian Hou (DOGOD Brick Design) keeps the Space party going with a whimsical scene where old and new space minifigs pilot fish-ships and bug-gies to a chameleon-inspired space station. In the spirit of joyful collaboration, the model even incorporates a modified portion of the LEGO Friends Mars Space Base for the chameleon’s control module. According to the builder, the scene depicts a facility where the “dragon” restores life-giving soil. The central building is so colorful and fun, but my inner-kid’s favorite element has to be the adorable beetle buggies.

For more of Ian Hou’s playful animal-inspired builds, check out our DOGOD Brick Design archives.

Calvin and Hobbes are back for one last ride!

If you love Calvin and Hobbes (and who doesn’t!?) you need to check out this LEGO build by Markus Rollbühler! Calvin and Hobbes ran in newspapers for ten years and has left behind a beloved legacy in the hearts of its readers. Markus here has captured the final panel of the entire run of Calvin and Hobbes in blocky form; Calvin and Hobbes riding off into the snowy magic of winter! To depict this scene, Markus has made use of a huge variety of sloped pieces to capture the chunky and cartoon-y shapes of the comic artwork. Part of Calvin’s gloves are made from armor pieces used in the Bouquet of Roses. The snowy slope the pair are sledding down features tonnes of 1×6 slopes cleverly aligned for a smooth surface, while the chunky shapes around the outside feature a number of the new 1×4 wedge from the new Speed Champions and Tuxedo Cat sets. All told, this build is a beautiful love-letter to a beloved piece of comic history! All that’s left to say is to do like the duo and get out there and explore!

Metroid figs trade mini for mighty

The minifig’s chunky and chibi format has made it a beloved icon recognized around the world, but have you ever wondered how your favorite minifig head or accessory might look at more human proportions? Japanese builder Qin has carved out a niche upgrading minifig and minidoll heads onto fully articulated action figure bodies, and the results are outstanding. To commemorate new footage of Metroid Prime 4 coming out of the latest Nintendo Direct, Qin assembled Samus Aran, in both power suit and unmasked versions, and the results are among Qin’s best figures to date.

When building at this scale (just 4″ tall), truly every piece needs to pull its weight, adding articulation or character-specific accuracy. For Samus’ suit, the standout section has to be those shoulders, built from orange Stuntz helmets and rare Samurai X visors.

Unmasked Samus trades minifig helmet for a minidoll head, but the clever parts usage continues. For the shoulders and elbow joints, we can see one of Qin’s best tricks for pint-sized articulation – mini-antennae – a technique you can see in some of their other recent character builds. Every one of Qin’s little action figures brings a smile to my face – proof that big talent can come in small packages.

Fortunate frog finds finest amphibian comforts

One lucky amphibian has found froggy paradise in this LEGO build by Roanoke Handybuck! With a serene tree, gentle waterfalls and plenty of sunny rocks to sit on, what more could a little frog ask for? All that said, that tree might be more surreal than serene; its leaves are made of minecraft zombie heads! As for the water, the spray at the bottom of the waterfall is made from croissants and the ripples around the rocks are made from official LEGO rubber bands. Finally, the entrance-way to this peaceful pond owes its angular shape to cheese slopes and the 1×2 grated slope. Now that this frog has found the best pond around, do you think they’ll find a friend here too?

LEGO Echo Base is under attack!

As loud thuds reverberate through the halls of the Rebel base, with icy LEGO studs raining down on the faction within, it must mean that the Empire has arrived. Hypolite Bricks depicts the scene brick by brick in this excellent Star Wars vignette. Featuring a detailed AT-ST and a cutout of the Rebel base underneath, the armaments are quite detailed. But I absolutely adore the inclusion of some light aqua patches. This additional pop of color may not be able to hold off the Empire, but it might give the transports a little more time to get away while the snowtroopers stare in awe.

And if you’re looking for more The Empire Strikes Back action, Abe’s got a video on his YouTube channel showing the construction process and even more hidden details. Be sure to give it a watch!

Draconis Wisteria is a garden-variety dragon with a twist

As we cross the halfway point of 2024, Joss Ivanwood (jayfa_mocs) continues his Year of the Dragon LEGO celebration with his sixth offering: Draconis Wisteria. June’s dragon is a tribute to the flowering wisteria vine. The idea first came to Joss at the start of the year, but it took until now for the vision to fully come together and the results truly soar. Joss excels at organic shaping in his builds, especially when liberated by the chaotic outgrowths of roots and vines, as he demonstrated with his orchid-inspired Demogorgon. The model masterfully incorporates a lot of snaking brown parts that you would expect with the theme, and a few parts you might not, like a hairpiece for upper maw, and golden One Ring eyes. This dragon is such a perfect execution of a concept that just feels right. I can imagine the majestic beast nesting on a pergola, draping its wings to create a lavender canopy and perfectly camouflaging itself in plain sight.

With six months remaining, I can’t wait to see what other imaginative spins on the dragon Joss has in store for LEGO fans.

This LEGO barrel ride is making quite a splash

Riding down a river on a barrel may not be the most efficient way to travel, but ABrickDreamer manages to make it look like a pretty fun ride in this vignette which reminds me of the iconic barrel ride from The Hobbit without the angry elves taking pot-shots. The builder made excellent use of multiple transparent power effects and other elements for the splashing water, and that waterwheel really packs in the details at such a small scale.

Sailing the seven highways with Top Gear

For a show that was ostensibly about cars, it’s sometimes easy to forget just how much fooling around featured on British TV show Top Gear. Some of their challenges stick in the mind more than others, though, and LEGO builder Nard Verbong has re-visited possibly one of the most iconic in brick form. In 2006, Clarkson, Hammond and May were tasked with turning everyday cars into sea-worthy vessels. Predictably, the results were equal parts wacky, funny, ambitious and, frankly, pretty rubbish. But the designs were all very different, and the most successful (or least unsuccessful) was James May’s Triump Herald. The car model on its own here is superb, but the sailing accessories really make it.

Take a look at the other vessels after the jump!

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