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.

Transformer, roll out!

Having grown up in the eighties, the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of a Transformer is a vehicle that changes into a giant robot. In the real world, though, a transformer is less exciting. It is a device that changes the voltage of an electric current. Transformers can range from small enough to fit on printed circuit boards to massive industrial units weighing hundreds of tons. My latest LEGO model represents a mid-size example, of about 50 tons.

I’ve been building minifigure-scale vehicles lately, and a transformer seemed to be a suitable load for a nice heavy-haulage truck. The Mercedes Arocs truck is a model that I have been planning (and buying parts for) for quite a while. It should pair nicely with a Goldhofer modular trailer.

Let’s shift gears and see how this truck came together!

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Bionicle’s Mata Nui finally appears in LEGO form in stunning fan model

For Bionicle Fans, the Great Spirit Mata Nui is more than a robot and not quite a god and is pretty much the most important figure in the complex cosmology of LEGO’s beloved franchise being a creator, protector, and the land itself. But as important as he was, Mata Nui never appeared in his true form in any official sets (only as a Glatorian Legend). Bionicle fan GiiKei remedies this omission with a brick-built version that features incredible articulation and custom lighting. Even if you know nothing about Bionicle lore, it’s easy to appreciate this square-jawed gentle giant.

To give a fuller picture of Mata Nui’s epic majesty and functionality, GiiKei shares a video:

Bionicle fans, would you want to see LEGO release an official version of Great Spirit Mata Nui?

And you will know us (this LEGO build) by the trail of dust

Take it from me: there are few things as epic in life as seeing a rally car going full pelt over a jump. Mike Sinclair has added a LEGO freeze-frame to the gallery of big sends! Mike says he studied a variety of rallies to come up with the layout, and I’m reminded of the famous Fafe jump at Rally de Portugal. And as jumps go, that’s probably the best of the lot! The highlight of the scene is the trail of dust that this particular car is leaving in its wake, but the details are just as realistic. The banner across the apex of the jump, the many cameras ready to capture the moment, and the distance markers for those crews looking for bragging rights. In fact, the only thing missing is… Er, the co-driver?! That’s some drive if it’s all been done without pacenotes!

A LEGO R-Type spaceship that warms my Metal Heart

Nick Trotta might not be the most prolific builder, but every one of his works is a masterpiece of color, geometry, and innovative use of LEGO elements. For style and technique, Nick sets the gold standard for LEGO spaceship design. Nick’s latest craft is the R-104 Metal Heart, a ship inspired by the classic R-Type shoot-em-up video games, characterized by the massive wave cannon and many fins for maneuverability. Clocking in at 4,021 pieces, the ship is one of Nick’s most elaborate builds to date.

The best LEGO ships take advantage of slopes and SNOT (short for “studs not on top”) parts to create shapes and angles that are plausible as aerospace engineering while keeping that “swooshable” fun form factor of a kid’s favorite toy. In Nick’s build, every seam enhances the ship’s smooth lines. Modules connect in ways that defy logic. To see how Nick pulled off this slick exterior, you really have to see the ship from the inside. Thankfully the builder provides a detailed video of the build process.

Click to see Nick’s build process on this amazing ship!

Since we’re revisiting Blacktron, why not a Battrax, too?

The talk online has been fairly mixed regarding the return of LEGO Blacktron with LEGO Icons 10355 Blacktron Renegade. I don’t know about you, dear reader, but I’m definitely excited. And so, it appears, is builder 1corn, coming in hot with an excellent modern take on 6941 Battrax. With big chunky tires, a large sensor array, and what appear to be custom decals, this dark rover is quite the ode to the 1987 model.

And like the model from back in the 80’s, this one also transforms into a flying ship. Really putting the “Bat” in Battrax, am I right?

A minimalist LEGO camper packs some nostalgia

True minifigure scale in a detailed LEGO vehicle can be hard to pull off, but this Volkswagon camper by Nick Kleinfelder comes close. At just 6 studs wide, with some clever use of brackets to shape the wheel wells and studs not on top side panels, this camper packs a lot of unusual building techniques into a small package. One of my favorite parts used is the black roller skate element for the door handle.

For some insight into how this compact camper came together, check out this view of the interior construction!

LEGO Shinto shrine offers solace in the snow

I’ve never visited Japan in winter, but it sure looks lovely in LEGO in this scene from BrickiboT. The Shinto shrine is entered via a gate in the rōmon style, which BrickiboT achieved in LEGO using 10 nets sandwiched between 1×1 red tiles on the bottom and 1×1 curves on top. (that’s over 3000 pieces just for the curved roof sections alone!) Inside the gate stand brick-built statues of Fuijin and Raijin, the gods of wind and storms.

A look at the full complex reveals more details of Shinto tradition, like the wooden ema tablets where wishes are written, strung up, and later burned.

BrickiboT created this scene as part of the Roguebricks LUG 2024 Rogue Ronin collaboration at Bricking Bavaria. We also loved these entries from Mark van der Maarel and felix-workshop.

A tasty LEGO cyberpunk city block

Cyberpunk has long been an inspiration to LEGO builders worldwide, and there is an emerging trend in collaborative displays at LEGO conventions that takes cyberpunk LEGO to new levels. New Hashima, a collaborative standard in creating staggering cyberpunk cities where builders like Toltomeja create buildings designed to stack together to create cityscapes much larger than an individual builder can accomplish on their own. In this colorful two-block unit, Toltomeja combines hexagonal apartments with a variety of food vendors. But it’s best not to ask where the meat comes from.

If you want to see more featured builds from other New Hashima enthusiasts check out this curated collection.

Bricking the micro-waves

Sometimes it’s the tiniest LEGO builds that stop you in your tracks. That was definitely the case with this vignette of two pixie-sized ships fleeing a wave of mutilation from builder Louis of Nutwood. Take a moment to appreciate Louis’ brilliant ship design, with croissant sails and frog bows. The gradient of water, from inky black to white sea foam, as well as the irregularly shaped base, add to the drama.

That’s one big chicken!

The mythical cockatrice gets its day in the sun in this exciting build by Ids de Jong. A cockatrice, a monster devised by people in the Middle Ages who looked at a dragon and thought it needed a bit more chicken to it, has the potential to be a bit silly-looking, but this monster looks appropriately menacing. Those claws aren’t something I want to face, whether or not I’m wearing armor. The rest of the build looks great too—I’m a big fan of the luxuriant foliage, as well as the clever parts usage in that rickety fence. Just don’t take your eyes off the cockatrice for too long. Those slitted eyes look like they mean business.

Rolling around with this LEGO build from Katamari Damacy

As LEGO has always been my primary hobby, I’m not the biggest video game enthusiast. But I’ve definitely put in way too many hours playing Katamari Damacy in my youth. As the Prince, I’ve rolled that sticky ball around rooms, houses, towns, and the world picking up all sorts of items, all in an effort to reform stars and constellations stripped from the night sky. And if that description hasn’t piqued your interest, this excellent LEGO build by Maxx Davidson certainly will. Fresh off of winning TBB’s Builder of the Year 2024, Maxx has nailed the Prince, his katamari, and even a few small bits from off the floor that he’s picked up — that red thumbtack is a brilliant mini-build in its own right. The King of All Cosmos would definitely be pleased!

A terrifying tree (and a lesson in awful alliteration)

Its name might not be as catchy as Whomping Willow, but you still won’t want to get too close to talented Ukrainian LEGO builder Illia Zubashev (AKA Dwalin Forkbeard)’s “Mysterious Shrub”. Just ask the two soldiers in this scene! One is being dragged under by the tree’s roots, and I fear the other may not last much longer. Perhaps that’s why it hasn’t earned a catchy name – no-one lives long enough after meeting its gaze to give it one. Thankfully, Illia’s diorama is built at a safe distance, so we can ponder the question ourselves. The Swallowing Spruce? The Odious Oak? The Brutalising Birch? I would find out what type of tree it is, but I’m not about to ask it to find out…