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 breath of crisp mountain air

This enchanting mountain hut by Ayrlego proves that you don’t need to build big to build beautifully. Envisioned as an idyllic retreat where medieval townsfolk might bring their goats to graze, it uses a number of simple but effective techniques to capture a delightful homely quality. Revelling in the joy of studded textures, wonky plates adorn its façade bringing a rural feel to the building. This effect is cleverly accentuated where the studded elements meet occasional modified plates. Completing the look, the grass roof uses exposed studs, as well as plant and curved elements in a complimentary arrangement, to craft a charming mossy appearance.

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Would Mike Wazowski have depth perception problems?

I’ve always wondered about whether Mike from Monsters, Inc. would have problems depth perception and balance, since he only has a single huge eye. Maybe having a larger eye enables him to compensate. This build by Palixa And The Bricks features Mike Wazowski and Boo, two lovable characters from the movie Monsters, Inc. Mike is instantly recognisable with his handsome blue eye and white teeth (first introduced in the LEGO Mixels line back in 2014). And Boo, well, is playing peek-a-boo as she always does.

Dominate the skies with this LEGO F-4 Phantom II

Military jets are a popular subject for LEGO model-makers and represent a particular challenge with their swept back wings and curved fuselages — difficult shapes to recreate in bricks. But Evan M seems up to the challenge, presenting this fabulous minifig-scale F-4 Phantom, decked out in US Navy Vietnam-era livery.

Evan has made great use of some of the new angled tile parts to give the wings a smooth leading-edge, but there’s excellent brickwork all over the model. We’ve seen fimpressive LEGO Phantoms before, notably James Cherry’s astonishing 6,000-piece LEGO F-4 Phantom, but this is one of the best fast jet models I’ve seen at this sort of scale. The overall shaping and the model’s sleek lines are readily apparent in this side view, as is the smart integration of the twin cockpit pieces and the subtle angle up on the wing tips. Retractable landing gear and a full load-out too! Fantastic stuff.

Rewind the scene and play it again, and again, and again...

The wonderful thing about LEGO building is that we get to see the same thing built again and again yet they come out very different each time. This build by GolPlaysWithLego does it yet again and that never cease to amaze me. It reminds me when I was younger and had to keep rewinding my favourite scenes from Star Wars on the VHS countless times just to enjoy the coolness of it all. This scene from the planet Hoth is filled with the tiny goodness of a couple of Snowspeeders, an AT-ST and the big baddie AT-AT. I love how the red elements on the Snowspeeder break the monotony of the muted colors and both partially in motion seconds before the mighty AT-AT takes a fall.

Ariel and these other LEGO Disney characters just want to be part of your world!

Ariel and Ursula recently joined the ever-growing ranks of Disney LEGO characters available in Brickhead form… but today we’re talking about a very different version of these two iconic characters from The Little Mermaid. Mike Nieves has built a well-crafted model of Ariel dramatically posed as she expresses her longing to be part of the world outside her beloved ocean. Her flowing red hair looks very much like it’s on-screen inspiration, and the use of several green curved tiles along her lower body creates the perfect scaly look.

Of course, Ariel is just the start of Mike’s Disney character lineup.

See more of Mike’s sculpted Disney characters

Gorgeous LEGO models of 3 famous New York skyscrapers use 50,000 pieces, stand 6 feet tall

Builder DeepShen has been toiling away for more than a year to create three incredibly accurate classic art deco skyscrapers out of LEGO bricks. All three are New York landmarks, with the American International Building, the Chrysler Building, and the Empire State Building bringing the amazing legacy of tall buildings to brick form, the last of which tops out at a staggering 6 feet, 3 inches. Together, they use a whopping 50,000 bricks.

DeepShen says that the American International Building is 1/192 scale, and stands 5 feet tall. Like the Empire State Building, it’s made from mostly tan bricks with dark grey roofs, while the building’s famous “snow-clad mountain” top is made of white.

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A small piece of summer can be enough

Depending on where you live, this creation by Dvd might be something you might identify with strongly right now, or instead as a little piece of summer to break up your winter mood. So sit back and, despite its simplicity, take the time to enjoy the little slice of summer – like a real vacation!

I like how few pieces the builder needed to perfectly capture the spirit of summer, with little details like a speedboat dragging an inflated banana, a beach hut that probably houses rentable surf boards or drinks and even a towel and beach seats built at this tiny scale. The best part is undoubtedly the waves though, built into the base with just a little bit of variation in height to simulate them breaking on the sand.

Tiny terrors from outer space

This pair Alien and Predator figures by Grant Masters are only a little larger than minifigure scale, which is remarkably small for such detailed brick-built characters. Even more impressively, though, Grant says that they contain only legal connections–that is, connections you might find in an official LEGO set. There are lots of clever bits, but one of the most amusing has to be Grant’s use of microfigs for the Predator’s legs.

This orca is set to create some killer waves.

When it comes to ocean-dwelling mammals, the majestic black and white killer whale (also known as an orca) is a fan favorite. The killer whale’s beauty is matched by its power, which can be seen when they breach the surface. Both of these characteristics are expertly captured by timofey_tkachev in his model of an orca leaping out of the waves. I am especially impressed by the builder’s ability to use a variety of curved and angular slope elements to capture both skin color patterns and the sleek shape of the whale’s body. The brick-built base with with waves following the whale’s trajectory is also a wonderfully believable touch, plus the builder included instructions for an added bonus.

A bridge back to 19th century China

Taking us back to Qing Dynasty China, ElviN has built a historically accurate version of the iconic Double Dragon Bridge. The diorama is packed with the comings and goings of day-to-day life: there’s a peasant fishing in the Nanpan River; a platoon of soldiers marshals a criminal across the bridge; whilst at the other end a farmer waits to herd his cattle over to the other side.

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Hadouken! This LEGO Ryu from Street Fighter II isn’t taking it easy

Growing up in the 1990s, Street Fighter II was all the rage in arcades and home video game consoles. One of the most iconic characters from the series is Ryu, whose signature special move is the hadouken in which he releases a massive fireball with his bare hands. Thanks to John Cheng, we now have a slick-looking chibi version of Ryu getting ready to unleash his famous attack. John’s representation was instantly recognizable, right down to Ryu’s tattered sleeves (made possible through the use of the 1×2 modified plate with 3 teeth). Moreover, the figure is fully articulated, perfect for recreating Ryu’s wide range of moves.

A mystical treasure awaits those who can find the shrine

You might imagine that the golden crystal in the centre of this scene is the treasure of the shrine, but I believe the true treasures are all the crazy building techniques that Grant Davis has used in his Mountaintop Shrine. From a distance it may look like nothing special and the foliage on the periphery is nothing new, but a closer look will have you looking for your jaw somewhere under your desk (or under a bus seat if you are reading this on a mobile device).

The very composition and colour choices are great for setting up a bright, positive and somewhat cartoony atmosphere, but that is only the first thing to draw your attention. This attention is retained by amazing building techniques I have hinted at in the previous paragraph. Starting with the obvious, the cobblestone wall behind the shrine uses all sorts of round pieces from ends of bars through small ball joints to 2×2 tiles and more to achieve a highly realistic effect. But there are more subtle details too. For instance, you can see that the path leading towards the shrine is not just tiles connected flatly to the base, but is in fact irregular, as if damaged by centuries of disuse. Another subtly irregular thing is the left pillar (built out of frying pans stacked on one another!), which is standing at an angle. One more unique thing and the last I noticed myself is the tree, using the new leaf pieces set in such a way that they make a coherent treetop.

Click if you want to see a behind the scenes video