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.

Long live the Queen... of nightmares.

There are few monsters in the history of movies that strike more terror in audiences and fans than the Queen Xenomorph imagined by James Cameron in the movie Aliens. Here at TBB we have featured many LEGO xenomorphs in the past, but in my opinion, this Queen by Manufactura Jarema is one of the best, most detailed queen models I have ever seen.

There are so many details that are worth mentioning. For one, the use of two black clip elements used to create the tapering barbs on the flexible tail. Also, the hinge piece on the arms is the perfect part for making thin yet posable limbs. Besides the many wonderful details in the Queen herself, the stand which contains great environmental structure also features another hero of this model, the Facehugger!

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Cross the bridge and find yourself

Many people use LEGO building as a form of meditation, but not quite as many use LEGO to literally build meditation. Andreas Lenander definitely uses it at least for the latter — that we can be sure of. The build is very atmospheric, but secretly, it is also quite technical in its construction.

The Journey represents an old traveler crossing a bridge amongst blooming trees. The surrounding landscape is not bad, but the bridge is really the impressive part. The railing uses Elves fence pieces with a well-known curve technique. The bridge itself is just stacked plates carefully curved to follow the railing’s curvature – a construction that seems very unstable, but Andreas says that it actually holds together quite well. The trees should be noted too, densely packed with flowers, nicely designed trunks, and lanterns hanging off the branches.

My, what big fins you have.

Sometimes the simple details on a LEGO model are the most interesting. Take this spiffy spaceship by Jme Wheeler, for example. Those smoothly curving fins are the centerpiece of this stylish creation. In addition to all the curvy bits in all directions, the gold details on the engine, and that macaroni pipe around the cockpit are great details.

Which raven do you choose?

Most of us are familiar with princesses kissing frogs in fairytales to save their beloved from a curse, but this build by Revan New introduced me to a different, unique story, in which the girl is tasked by a sorcerer to guess her lover amongst four of the sorcerer’s apprentices, turned into ravens.

The creation is not a perfectly “realistic” recreation of the fairytale scene, as Revan adds expressive, artistic accents to the build. The snow on the edges of the beautifully constructed walls seems to have little logical relation to the scene itself, instead capturing the atmosphere and emotional aspects of the story. A few splashes of brown help to break up the build colour-wise without making it inapropriately cheerful, and the window is especially well integrated into the wall. The figures are well built too, with great details like the sorcerer’s boots and belt buckle, but most importantly, they are very expressive.

Flying submarine – top gun of the sea

When it comes to building a great LEGO narrative, the right signature element can really set the scene. Take this delightful flying submarine scene by Yang Wang for example. The tall, skinny, chibi-style fuselage with that perfectly rounded canopy creates a unique and fun vehicle. The working tilt rotors make this airship/submersible complete.

See more detailed pics of this submersible after the jump

Dive into a tropical paradise

We’ve featured Sarah Beyer‘s tropical holiday home LEGO models in the past, but this latest creation takes her architectural style and moves it out of the jungle and onto the beach. This Tahiti-inspired holiday hut is a delight — a showcase of effective texturing, nice landscaping, and cool water effects.

It’s worth diving-in to take a closer look at some of the details, like the path towards the veranda with its mix of stones and plants…

See more views of this tropical LEGO paradise

Assemble your own Fåctötum, a robot from IMEA [Instructions]

There is a certain Swedish style to these instructions for your own Fåctötum, a robot from IMEA (Intergalactic Manufactory of Electronics and Automata). Luigi Priori has definitely found inspiration by eating a few Swedish meatballs and assembling some flat-pack home furniture. While the instructions are for a cute little robot, half the fun of this build is enjoying the time and energy Luigi has put into designing the instructions themselves.

You will require a few minifigure tools and a friend to help you to carry the box of parts — this is a two-minifigure lift.

Build your own little LEGO robot with step-by-step instructions

And the Pacific Rim Uprising mechs come rolling in

The original Pacific Rim was a huge inspiration for many LEGO builders. The Jaeger were an obvious choice for mech builders and we saw a tonne of recreation of them at various scales. With the second movie, Uprising, out soon, we’re starting to see the same thing happen again. Talented builder Kelvin Low, whose amazing custom LEGO Hulkbuster we featured earlier this week, is responsible for this Bracer Phoenix rendition. That’s the mech from the trailer with what looks like a morning star attached to one arm.

If you want to make you own, you’re in luck. This 22-minute video uploaded by the builder will show you exactly how Kelvin created this custom mech.

Finally, if tan’s just not your colour, Gipsy Avenger has also been made, complete with its own build video.

Japanese sushi that looks great and tastes blockish

Fresh from winning the ABS challenge in spectacular fashion, Didier Burtin has created a delicious Ikura maki roll. At sushi restaurants ikura (salmon roe) is always served gunkan-style (battleship.) Besides the rice and the nori (edible seaweed), there are no other embellishments and it is not served with any sauce, although you may brush a little soy sauce (shoyu) on top of the eggs with a small slice of gari (sweet pickled ginger) and the all-important wasabi.

Are you not entertained?

The custom Brickhead models just keep coming! I am glad to see that the latest LEGO building trend to make custom versions of the popular Brickheadz line is not limited to pop-culture like Star Wars and Marvel. This Roman centurion by Koen demonstrates some very nice parts usage. From the mini-fig spear and shield to an assortment of recently released curved and angled tile elements. And don’t miss the gold printed Wonder Woman tile! The curved fan on the helmet really completes the look.

A beautiful hunk of bulk hanging out in outer space

This bulky spaceship by Nick Trotta, called Ataraxis has caught me completely off guard. I am used to seeing unique LEGO spaceships with a handful of unique ideas and shapes associated with them, but this one is in a completely different class. Of course Nick is one of the best space builders out there, but even so his latest work is incredible. No wonder, as the builder has spent the past four months worth of weekends on it.

There are countless angles and lines all around the spaceship that just a list of them would be too long to be read in a reasonable time. Nick seems to be able to capture any shape and detail that would cross his mind, to a degree that it looks as if he was designing LEGO bricks specifically for this creation. This effect might also originate from the disproportionate amount of newer elements, of which most builders only have a handful and can not use in ways Nick did. My all-around favourite part is the most subtle detail in the build though; on a few spots, you can see jagged edges of grill 1×2 bricks showing, which just seems to make sense.

For an even greater appreciation of the build, you can see the pictures that inspired it.

Avast Ye Brick-aneers!

If you’re looking for a scurvy mate to fill your pillaging needs, here be the fellow! He’ll stand guard with his cleverly crafted musket, making sure your enemies walk the plank! The creator of this “maniac gunner pirate” is LEGO 7, and he’s no stranger to great builds. One of the best parts of this particular creation is the unique personality of the character. Not only does he have that wonderful classic pirate look, he also has the best expression on his face. Not to mention, his weapons display a uniquely creative use of parts.

And if you’re looking for a captain to add to your crew, you won’t be disappointed! LEGO 7 has also created a devilish Blackbeard to go with this first mate! He even has the peg-leg and macaw!