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.

This microscale Y-wing is setting up for an attack run

The single most recognized feature of the BTL-A4 starfighter, a.k.a. the Rebel Alliance Y-Wing, is the long tube-shaped engines or nacelles that give the starfighter its nickname. But an equally distinct design detail would have to be the greebling, or random non-specific technical looking details, that fill the rest of the ship behind the wedge-shaped cockpit. This microscale model by Tim Goddard has absolutely nailed both of these details in a very challenging scale for a model this complex.

The recent introduction of a number of tiles with rounded edges like the 1×1 quarter tile, the 1×1 incisor tile, as well as the 2×2 curved and angled tiles, provide a lot of detail both on the ship’s fuselage, and in the stand, which contains a slice of the Death Star surface. Another MVP with this model is the 1×2 silver ingot. The signature elements all come together perfectly.

Tim’s Y-wing joins his growing wing of Rebel starfighters at this scale, including a U-wing from Rogue One and classic X-wing.

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Kick back and relax in this stylish loft apartment

“I would love to live there!” This was the first thought that entered my mind upon seeing this warm and welcoming loft apartment, built by Heikki M. Thanks to the iconic large open space and towering windows, this living space looks like it’s straight out of Manhattan. The composition of the entire scene is excellent, with the carpet, table and couch drawing your eyes to some impressive-looking masonry. I like how the furniture feels simple but modern, with each piece playing off of one another to form a cohesive still life. Even the portrait of Michael Jackson is well-placed; his side-turned head makes it look as if he’s admiring Heikki’s pad.

Speed through the turns in this beautiful Bugatti

Pixeljunkie is back on the scene, turning once again to the pages of automotive history. You might remember us sharing his 1955 Buick squad car and luxurious 1930s convertible. This time, he brings us a French racing legend in the form of the 1928 Bugatti Type 37A. Back then the competition for consumers was fierce, and touting a car’s racing performance was used as a means of advertising. We have to give Pixeljunkie the Golden Cup for this one because it is every bit as epic as the car it is based on. The lovely blue and white color scheme, the shiny trim, the little windshield…I love it all.

Despite his ongoing thirst for speed, Pixeljunkie has since taken time out of his schedule to recreate a scene from the 1929 Monaco Grand Prix. There’s even a cameraman ready to photograph the fantastic finish!

Now that you are caught up on Bugatti’s heritage, what not race on over to our review of the cutting-edge Chiron?

LEGO Technic Ferrari Testarossa: An icon of 1980s retro culture

Building supercars, especially Ferraris, is a mixed blessing: Sometimes you know exactly what pieces you need and how they’ll all work together, but just one wrongly placed pin or tile can ruin the model’s proportions and send it to the dustbin. However, when every single piece takes its rightful place, an outstanding scale model is born — just like this beautiful Ferrari Testarossa by Jeroen Ottens.

This is the case when a creation does not need any description; it is just too lovely to simply list all of its parts. And when you finish enjoying this LEGO Testarossa’s iconic exterior, peek inside at its very detailed interior, which even has a working glovebox!

The conflict of Horus and Set

Talented character builder Leonid An taps into the primal iconography of ancient Egypt in his LEGO depiction of the gods Set and Horus. Set, the dark god of storms, disorder and violence is suitably built from black elements, utilising a row of ball joints to covey a muscular body; modified bricks added to the side of his face neatly imply the tapering of a jackal-like snout.

Horus, the sky god, meanwhile displays a leaner torso made from bowed bricks, and a craftily sculpted falcon head, formed from a variety of unexpected parts.

Built together, the two bring to life the epic myth told in the famous Chester Beatty Papyrus; of the contest between Set and Horus to determine the rightful king of Egypt.

There is only one logical explanation: Aliens

If you’re wondering what a group of bikers is doing in front of a Mesoamerican temple, then I appreciate your imagination, but also recommend a closer look at this LEGO creation… Joking aside, this Alien Construct by Tirrel Brown embraces the otherworldly aesthetic of Mesoamerican architecture and takes it one small step further, onto another planet.

The trees and alien flowers deserve a bit of attention, but it is a good thing that the greenery is not too distracting, as your main focus is and should be on the alien temple in the middle. The simple yet interesting design is very futuristic, while a brick texture gives it an ancient look. An important thing to notice is what appears to be white patterns in the construct – it is actually light aqua, one of the LEGO colours closest to white. This subtle change makes the pattern almost glow.

The flying Scotsman rides again: Jackie Stewart’s Matra MS80 01

1969 was a glory year for Jackie Stewart, dominating the F1 Championship in his Matra MS80 01; and it is the spirit of this golden age of motor racing that builder Luca Rusconi recreates in his version of the classic car. Luca is known for his detail perfect LEGO renditions of the sport’s most iconic cars, here capturing the distinctive ‘Coke bottle’ shape of the Matra with a range of perfectly aligned curved bricks. An array of smaller LEGO elements treats the Ford’s Cosworth DFV engine similarly. There’s no doubt that Luca’s interpretation of the Matra is as stylish and emblematic as the car it pays homage to.

A towering castle of a different age

LEGO bricks and their interlocking system allows for certain architectural shapes stone or clay brick could never take, giving rise to many fantastical castle creations, much like this one by Zachary Milenius. The builder takes a unique turn with the choice of setting though; expected grays and earth tones give place to yellow and white with red brick showing through the cracks – a colour combination immediately recognizable to every LEGO pirates fan growing up in the 80s and 90s.

Click to discover more of the island’s secrets!

Dog fighting in the sky over Vietnam with the Fishbed and the Phantom II

Even though the North Vietnamese didn’t have much of an air force at the start of the air war over Vietnam in 1964, with Soviet assistance they were soon able to present US pilots with a few surprises. Their MiG-17 fighters were old-fashioned and only had guns as their armament. The jets were small, though, and well-suited to out-turn heavier US jets mostly optimised for higher speeds. Peter Dornbach has built the more modern MiG-21, known as the “Fishbed” in the West. This entered Vietnamese service in 1966.

Peter’s model has a retractable undercarriage, opening cockpit and a brick-built representation of the characteristic camouflage used by the Vietnam People’s Air Force. With its higher speed and two AA-2 Atoll air-to-air missiles the Fishbed was typically used in hit-and-run attacks. The US countered this threat using the F-4 Phantom II. This wasn’t particularly agile, but had powerful twin engines. Its crews were taught to use these as an advantage against the MiGs by manoeuvring in the vertical.

The particular example built by Evan Melick is “Showtime-100”, a US Navy F-4J flown by Randy “Duke” Cunningham and William Driscoll who put this tactic to practice shooting down three Vietnamese fighters during a famous mission in May of 1972. Added to their two previous victories, this made them the US Navy’s first and only aces of the Vietnam war. Like most US Navy aircraft from the time period, it had distinctive squadron markings, which Evan recreated on his model using a mix of brick-built patterns, custom vinyl stickers and water-slide decals intended for 1/48 scale models. Note his clever use of new 45 degree angled tiles to build studless leading edges on the jet’s wings.

Both jets are part of a Vietnam collaboration by about a dozen builders, including yours truly, which will be on display at Brickfair Virginia in a little less than three weeks.

Shanty Town: Designing a disordered way of living

Creating anything that appears haphazard and undesigned with LEGO bricks is never easy, which makes #1 Nomad’s Shanty Town all the more impressive. A tottering tower of makeshift units and containers, where each segment is crafted according to a unique aesthetic: one flying the livery of LEGO Classic Space theme, with its blue frame and yellow arrow prints, the next offering a nod to the Octan colour scheme. Nomad demonstrates his skill by orchestrating this chaos, from the precise way the detritus is scattered around the creation’s base, to the lines of snaking cables and satellite dishes that clad the building. The result is something essentially disorganised, visually fascinating and ultimately beautiful.

Comes the morning, and the headlights fade away

LEGO bricks are forever. They are all I need to please me…and I am very pleased with Victor’s 1985 Aston Martin V8 Vantage, as driven by James Bond in The Living Daylights (1987). Victor has done an excellent job of sculpting out the body to replicate the look of 007’s famous ride. The use of ratchet minifigure accessories as windshield pillars works really well here, and they are angled in such a way that matches the profile of the Aston Martin. Bond’s bells and whistles are also present, including a side-mounted skis and a giant flame for a speedy getaway through the snow. If you peek inside, you will even notice the interior upholstery is textured! It’s a design that is best shaken, not stirred…

Behold the baroque beauty of this LEGO church

This baroque Church, created by builder Jellyeater, achieves the illusive feat of capturing an authentic sense of place. Numerous building techniques have been used to accurately capture the proportions, angles and curves of the baroque style, with the elegant dome being a stand out feature. However, when a creator gets me excited about the gradients of grey in a slate roof, I know I’m looking at something special.

This theme of exquisite detail is continued in the form of various modified plates, bricks and tiles used in the off-set courtyard tower; hinting at age, wear and centuries of repair. The oak doors, made from turntable bases layered over black bricks, completes the historical effect.