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.

Bringing the might of the Empire to the podracing arena

One of the great things about the podracers in Star Wars is that it’s quite easy to put a creative spin on it. Two massive engines, link it to a cockpit with some flimsy cables, and voila! Having said that, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an Imperial podracer like Rubblemaker‘s here. Using the TIE fighter’s signature ball cockpit as the pod is really clever (and probably safer than the open cockpits some other podracers have). The engines also take some design cues from the Empire’s main starfighter. Like the cockpit it just seems like such a natural design choice, but I’m not sure I would have thought of it!

The Imperial Pod Racer

This hot rod really pops

Nothing says retro-future quite like a clear dome canopy. And, in the hands of 1saac W., retro-future has never looked quite so cool. There are plenty of beautiful curves to admire on this car, but the way the bubble top nestles into two sideways placed mudguards takes the cake. And those chrome details are the perfect finishing touch.

Bubble Top Rod

This think tank will steal your tank engine

We’ve just had a whole month of themed builds in the form of Febrovery, but now we’re in March we’re going straight into another one. It’s Marchikoma! And who better to kick things off than Cole Blaq? This particular tachikoma (or think tank, if you prefer) draws inspiration from Howl’s Moving Castle and Castle in the Sky, with a microscale city on its back. The link to the viaduct is particularly neat. Either this city exists as a massive turntable to turn the trains around, or it lies in wait for trains to stop before stealing them. In that sense perhaps it’s a bit more Mortal Engines than Studio Ghibli. Either way, it’s a great way to kick off the month. Why not have a look at what previous Marchikomas have brought us while we wait for more?

Old V.I.C.

Nobody tosses a dwarf, and Gimli’s LEGO helmet is no toss-up either

This LEGO version of Gimli’s helmet by Marcin Otreba from The Lord of the Rings gave us no real choice — it was too awesome for us to pass up! Pearl-gold lattice pieces decorate the brow and chin guards, evoking the dwarvish designs on the helmet as seen in the Peter Jackson movie series. Sitting on a display stand, Marcin’s fan design would fit right in with the official LEGO Star Wars helmets collection.

Gimli's Helmet

Marcin follows up his fantastic Mouth of Sauron, and we’re hoping that this latest LEGO helmet is just the next in a larger series of helmets and busts from the world of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Like a good bra, this rover lifts and separates

The orange brick separator is so ubiquitous that, as I write this, I’m less than two feet from one now. It keeps staring at me like it knows I’m writing about it. If you bought a LEGO set of at least $50 or any Ideas set of any price, chances are you have at least one Brick Separator too. Joey Klusnick has upscaled the Brick Separator and made it a feature in this clever rover. If you’re on a wicked cool space journey and suddenly have to pry up some LEGO this rover would suit your needs nicely. Others, including Joey, have used the Brick Separator in their builds. Click the little blue link to see what I mean.

Brick Separover

We’re caught in the web of this wonderful build.

Grant Davis has been on a quest to depict the major moments from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings saga in LEGO form. Grant’s latest vignette is of Sam’s encounter with the vicious, spidery monster known as Shelob. Rarely has an arachnid been so perfectly captured in LEGO form. The secret is plenty of inverted rubbery tires to give Shelob some organic roundness and an eerie texture.

65. Shelob

Getting baked with the Ovenger

This new LEGO creation by famed film director Angus MacLane may appear, at first glance, to be just an ordinary oven.

The Ovenger

But mistaking it for common cookery may be your undoing as it is more than it seems. Behold the Ovenger! It opens to reveal itself to be a suped-up spaceship featuring Pvt. Extra Crispy, the baked-to-golden-perfection pilot of this uncanny ship. And like much of what Angus MacLane has been building lately, it has a missile bay. Because of course it does!

The Ovenger (open)

Got anything that needs tormenting? Cuz I’m The Tormentor. It’s what I do.

My little brother may have described me The Tormentor in the 80s because I might have convinced him that the president was going to send missiles to our house if he wasn’t a good boy. In my defense, Your Honor, it was the 80s and, with plentiful stock footage of MX Missiles on TV, it was easy to convince him of self-caused, yet hilarious impending doom. Plus he was a toddler and toddlers just aren’t cool. So, one could argue, that he really had it coming. While you’re mulling over that legal defense check out this LEGO creation by Titolian. It’s called The Tormentor and apparently it’ll be featured in the game Destiny II: Lightfall.

Tormentor

Seeing the world on rose-tinted terrain

No need to adjust your glasses. Everything’s looking rosy in this darling LEGO FebRovery build by Julius Kanand. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the jewel piece put to such excellent use as to create the ground in this diorama. Add in the mass of red crystal behind the rover, as well as the occasional bump and crag from the LEGO crystal part, and it’s hard to tear my eyes away from the background. But when I do, I’m greeted with an astonishing white rover, reminiscent of NASA’s best work! Each gray tube and bit of texture tagged onto this beauty provides a level of realism betrayed by its fantastical location.

Crystal Hopper

The rockstar and her 5-star cabin

Somehow famed LEGO builder Jaap Bijl has made a non-food-related creation look downright delicious. It likely has everything to do with that sweet and refreshing color scheme. I’m imagining the flavors of strawberry ice cream and lemon sherbet. Do they go together? I just might be willing to find out! Aside from seeming dastardly delicious, this cabin is chock full of amazing build techniques. I love the smoke emanating from the chimney (it’s a white serpent!) as well as the gold scorpion nearly hidden among the filagree along the roofline. The chef’s kiss probably goes to the multitude of walkie-talkies making up the thatched roof. I love the musician’s lute but that hair-like lovely cotton candy! I feel like I could stay in this cabin forever but I just might be tempted to take a bite out of the wall just to see if it’s as delicious as I imagine.

The Rockstar

“I came in like a cuuu-rling stone!”

I love this fun scene from Ids de Jong. It depicts the beloved classic space minifigures enjoying a game of curling. While the curling stones are cleverly made using a Dots decorative piece, Benny has taken to launching himself down the… Whatever a curling playing field is called. A rink, I guess? Anyway, it’s much to the amusement of the onlookers, with the exception of the brown spaceman. He’s the only one who seems to have noticed the baby on the rink. What drama! For a relatively simple build, the careful posing of the figures and choice of facial expressions really breathe life into this scene.

Curling Practice

A retro car from the future

Retro-futurism is a theme I don’t see too often with LEGO, but it’s one of my favorite design styles. Take this slick car from 1saac W. as a great example of why I love this style so much. It’s got such a cool, sleek look with fantastic lines and a lot of character. Gaze upon those slopes and curved LEGO bits — rain and wind just pass right over this vehicle as it blazes down empty highway. It reminds me of the Batman: The Animated Series art style with its extra length and curves. This car looks so good, I’d love to see more retro-futurism designs. In the meantime, I’ll just keep admiring this build.

Retro futuristic concept car