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.

Steer clear of these surly Sea Raiders

The right minifigs can elevate a build by making a scene come alive, suggesting a story much bigger than the LEGO model on display. The motley crew of pirates assembled by Bryckland have clearly seen their fair share of action, gaining infamy for their raids, but no shortage of glory too with close-calls and daring adventure too, I’d wager. Bryckland’s longship is a wonderful design, with a hull made of horns and rounded Technic elements, invoking ancient reed boats. Considering the sails are made from Hungarian Horntail wings, perhaps the hull is made of dragonbone or some other fantastical substance. The diorama is elevated by the patch of roiling blue sea. Where will this voyage end? Perhaps with a little pillaging at one of Bryckland’s past ports of call.

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LEGO chess pieces ready for war

There are no shades of grey on the battlefield of chess — only black and white. Builder Herbert Lee explores that stark contrast with a pair of opposing pieces that are as commanding as they are elegant. The White Queen is almost entirely monochrome, with only black contrast for the eyes and hidden mixel joints to allow for regal posing. Herbert mixes soft, rounded parts for the queen’s dress with sharp horns and egg shells that should make you think twice before accepting her gambit.

The Black King is no slouch waiting for his knights and rooks to keep him out of check. Armed with a jagged sword and Kylo Ren’s chiseled abs, he looks ready to pwn a few pawns. I appreciate the asymmetry introduced by a single metallic grey Bionicle chest piece as a pauldron.

Seeing these two pieces, I can’t help but imagine a full board of such characters readying for battle. For more interpretations of the ultimate test of cerebral fitness, see the creme de la creme of the LEGO chess world in our archives, with everything but Yul Brynner.

This awesome Batman is a little far from Gotham City

Batman has always been a bit of a rōnin at heart: a masterless warrior honor-bound to protecting people. So it makes sense that a fusion between Caped Crusader and samurai (and LEGO) would be supremely satisfying. It’s not the first time Batman and feudal Japan have come together (if you haven’t seen the anime Batman Ninja, it’s a odd mash-up), but this build by Dad’s Bricks (Joe) at Japan’s Brickfest is just plain awesome. Every aspect of the Batsuit makes an appearance, from the blades on his arms (now the samurai’s vambraces) to the ears on his cowl (now the helmet crest). I don’t know what the Japanese term is for “whoa,” but now I might have to learn it.

This LEGO construction mech is square, and that is OK

Construction vehicles come in many shapes and sizes in the real world, but I’ve never seen one, LEGO or otherwise, in the shape of a cube until now. This boxy mech by SweStar looks like a cross between Ghost in the Shell and Super Mario. I love how the piston legs feel like they could hold the weight, although the sidewalk and street may not survive intact. Hopefully there is enough room inside for a mini-fridge.

“My grandfather’s deck has no pathetic cards, Kaiba”

While I was more a Magic: the Gathering fan growing up, I was certainly aware of the trading card phenomenon known as Yu-Gi-Oh. And to see such an excellent recreation of characters/cards from the TV show in this LEGO build by mc tung takes me back to the early 2000’s, for sure. Featuring (from left to right) Swords of Revealing Light, Dark Magician Girl, Kuriboh, Dark Magician, and Blue Eyes White Dragon, these five iconic cards from the show and game stand before Yugi Mutou, wielder of this special deck of cards. Each of the figures are an outstanding creation on their own, and as a sextet are instantly recognizable. I especially like all the detail put into Yugi’s crazy hair and the billowing cape behind him. He’s even rocking his magical Millenium Puzzle and standard-issue Duel Disk.

In space, no one can hear your heart break

With the new alien movie coming to theaters this summer, the offspring of sci-fi’s scariest endoparasite is back. An endoparasite is defined as a creature that lives or is born inside another animal, like the appropriately named chest-burster built in LEGO by VelociJACKtor wrapped around some poor soul’s heart. Small gears make the perfect set of teeth, while a curved white shoulder piece from the buildable Obi-Wan figure forms the iconic rounded forehead. I can almost hear the squelching….

Look and see her, how she sparkles, it’s the Brick Unicorn

’80s animated film The Last Unicorn is a true gem. Like the best fantasy films of that era, it can be scary, sad, romantic, and haunting in a way that kid flicks since rarely aspire to. Also, the theme song slaps. One fan caught under the film’s spell is LEGO builder Gino Lohse who pays tribute with a mesmerizing triptych poster. The central panel mirrors the original movie poster with the terrifying red bull menacing the eponymous unicorn. I’m impressed by Gino’s use of bold colors, layered plates, and flame shafts to create the burning intensity of the bull. And the typography of the title perfectly matches the iconic font.

The ensemble of characters on the left is equally accomplished, especially King Haggard with those piercing blue eyes and wispy hair made from feathers. The castle on the right looks simpler at first glance, but features some very clever use of negative space to create the winding road. With its sophisticated layering, creative mix of elements, and artful framing, Gino’s model continues the trend of LEGO art pieces like the Gotham City Skyline of blending 2D and 3D to stunning effect.

“All I am surrounded by is fear... And LEGO bricks”

Evil though he is, Darth Vader is a bit of a badass. That’s sort of evident from the films, but it’s laid out in full, merciless glory in the Darth Vader: Imperial Machine comic series. Flickr builder h2brick is paying tribute to this run of comics in the best way they know — with some fab LEGO vignettes! We’ve got three to look at so far — there will be nine in total, which we’ll surely come back to. Might as well start at the beginning, right? In this one, half a Technic click hinge is used as the medical seat/bed legs, to great effect.

Have a look at numbers two and three after the jump!

Think wasps are only good for being a nuisance at picnics? Think again

Wasps are something of a bête noire when it comes to animals – they’re probably the least liked of all the insects. Having been stung by a fair few in my time, I’d have to agree; but if anything is going to change my mind, it’s Shamisenfred‘s innovative LEGO interceptor. Christened the GUÊPE (French for wasp, or more literally, WASP), it’s said to be a craft with “erratic, unpredictable movements”. Yep, sounds very on brand. And speaking of which, I love the use of the chevron-shaped wedge pieces to create the ship’s body, as it mimics the hexagonal nature of wasp or bees’ nests. I bet it still packs a sting, though…

A colorful blast to the medieval past

A medieval LEGO scene with nary a brick in black, white, or grey? It’s harder than you might think, but castle fan Klaas de Wit proves more than up to the challenge with the village of Tranquil Brook, “where everything is calm except the colors.” The bustling tableau makes up for the lack of swords and masonry with vibrant foliage, brightly painted buildings, a traveling goldsmith, and plenty of livestock. The colors and church steeple remind me of a Scandinavian village in the summertime. Klaas’ model is a great reminder that sometimes adding constraints can be a great way to unlock creativity.

Klaas built the Tranquil Brook for the first round of the Summer Joust, an annual contest for LEGO Castle fans that always inspires amazing medieval builds from the LEGO community. We can’t wait to see more colorful Castle creations in the days to come!

The fast and the furious

Some of the magic of Dicken Liu’s LEGO work is his ability to capture speed even when his creation is standing still. This is the case with this biomechanical leopard; the tail, the curvature of the back, and the purposeful gaze all leads me to believe that some serious business is about to go down. Someone or something is about to be destroyed and maybe even made into lunch. Do biomechanical animals eat? It’s a question I’d rather not find out, thank you very much!

Guess what I did, Batman? I built a mask out of LEGO, Batman.

Much like cartoons, LEGO themes, and pop-tart flavours, every generation will have its own favourite Joker from the Batman series. If they’ve seen the Batman movies, that is. Or the TV series. Or read the comi- you know what, maybe that’s a bad comparison. But my point stands: every Joker is memorable in their own way. Heath Ledger’s take on the character stuck in TBB alum Nick Jensen’s mind. The opening scene of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight had the villain of the piece robbing a bank in a clown mask, faithfully recreated here. It’s extremely accurate, and very artfully shaped, and the Joker’s calling card is a great touch, too.

As for Nick’s calling card, that’s undoubtedly his myriad collection of 1:1 scale LEGO builds. Our archives are full of loads of great examples of his work.

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