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.

Calvin and Hobbes are back for one last ride!

If you love Calvin and Hobbes (and who doesn’t!?) you need to check out this LEGO build by Markus Rollbühler! Calvin and Hobbes ran in newspapers for ten years and has left behind a beloved legacy in the hearts of its readers. Markus here has captured the final panel of the entire run of Calvin and Hobbes in blocky form; Calvin and Hobbes riding off into the snowy magic of winter! To depict this scene, Markus has made use of a huge variety of sloped pieces to capture the chunky and cartoon-y shapes of the comic artwork. Part of Calvin’s gloves are made from armor pieces used in the Bouquet of Roses. The snowy slope the pair are sledding down features tonnes of 1×6 slopes cleverly aligned for a smooth surface, while the chunky shapes around the outside feature a number of the new 1×4 wedge from the new Speed Champions and Tuxedo Cat sets. All told, this build is a beautiful love-letter to a beloved piece of comic history! All that’s left to say is to do like the duo and get out there and explore!

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.

Metroid figs trade mini for mighty

The minifig’s chunky and chibi format has made it a beloved icon recognized around the world, but have you ever wondered how your favorite minifig head or accessory might look at more human proportions? Japanese builder Qin has carved out a niche upgrading minifig and minidoll heads onto fully articulated action figure bodies, and the results are outstanding. To commemorate new footage of Metroid Prime 4 coming out of the latest Nintendo Direct, Qin assembled Samus Aran, in both power suit and unmasked versions, and the results are among Qin’s best figures to date.

When building at this scale (just 4″ tall), truly every piece needs to pull its weight, adding articulation or character-specific accuracy. For Samus’ suit, the standout section has to be those shoulders, built from orange Stuntz helmets and rare Samurai X visors.

Unmasked Samus trades minifig helmet for a minidoll head, but the clever parts usage continues. For the shoulders and elbow joints, we can see one of Qin’s best tricks for pint-sized articulation – mini-antennae – a technique you can see in some of their other recent character builds. Every one of Qin’s little action figures brings a smile to my face – proof that big talent can come in small packages.

Fortunate frog finds finest amphibian comforts

One lucky amphibian has found froggy paradise in this LEGO build by Roanoke Handybuck! With a serene tree, gentle waterfalls and plenty of sunny rocks to sit on, what more could a little frog ask for? All that said, that tree might be more surreal than serene; its leaves are made of minecraft zombie heads! As for the water, the spray at the bottom of the waterfall is made from croissants and the ripples around the rocks are made from official LEGO rubber bands. Finally, the entrance-way to this peaceful pond owes its angular shape to cheese slopes and the 1×2 grated slope. Now that this frog has found the best pond around, do you think they’ll find a friend here too?

LEGO Echo Base is under attack!

As loud thuds reverberate through the halls of the Rebel base, with icy LEGO studs raining down on the faction within, it must mean that the Empire has arrived. Hypolite Bricks depicts the scene brick by brick in this excellent Star Wars vignette. Featuring a detailed AT-ST and a cutout of the Rebel base underneath, the armaments are quite detailed. But I absolutely adore the inclusion of some light aqua patches. This additional pop of color may not be able to hold off the Empire, but it might give the transports a little more time to get away while the snowtroopers stare in awe.

And if you’re looking for more The Empire Strikes Back action, Abe’s got a video on his YouTube channel showing the construction process and even more hidden details. Be sure to give it a watch!

Draconis Wisteria is a garden-variety dragon with a twist

As we cross the halfway point of 2024, Joss Ivanwood (jayfa_mocs) continues his Year of the Dragon LEGO celebration with his sixth offering: Draconis Wisteria. June’s dragon is a tribute to the flowering wisteria vine. The idea first came to Joss at the start of the year, but it took until now for the vision to fully come together and the results truly soar. Joss excels at organic shaping in his builds, especially when liberated by the chaotic outgrowths of roots and vines, as he demonstrated with his orchid-inspired Demogorgon. The model masterfully incorporates a lot of snaking brown parts that you would expect with the theme, and a few parts you might not, like a hairpiece for upper maw, and golden One Ring eyes. This dragon is such a perfect execution of a concept that just feels right. I can imagine the majestic beast nesting on a pergola, draping its wings to create a lavender canopy and perfectly camouflaging itself in plain sight.

With six months remaining, I can’t wait to see what other imaginative spins on the dragon Joss has in store for LEGO fans.

This LEGO barrel ride is making quite a splash

Riding down a river on a barrel may not be the most efficient way to travel, but ABrickDreamer manages to make it look like a pretty fun ride in this vignette which reminds me of the iconic barrel ride from The Hobbit without the angry elves taking pot-shots. The builder made excellent use of multiple transparent power effects and other elements for the splashing water, and that waterwheel really packs in the details at such a small scale.

Sailing the seven highways with Top Gear

For a show that was ostensibly about cars, it’s sometimes easy to forget just how much fooling around featured on British TV show Top Gear. Some of their challenges stick in the mind more than others, though, and LEGO builder Nard Verbong has re-visited possibly one of the most iconic in brick form. In 2006, Clarkson, Hammond and May were tasked with turning everyday cars into sea-worthy vessels. Predictably, the results were equal parts wacky, funny, ambitious and, frankly, pretty rubbish. But the designs were all very different, and the most successful (or least unsuccessful) was James May’s Triump Herald. The car model on its own here is superb, but the sailing accessories really make it.

Take a look at the other vessels after the jump!

A toy-like tower showcases tremendous LEGO technique

Pan Noda has only been active sharing original LEGO creations for a few short years, but they’ve quickly cementented themselves as one of the most exciting builders around. Pan Noda’s creations are united by a love of texture, patterns, verticality and liminal spaces. Their latest work, simply titled “Castle of building blocks,” is an architectural wonder existing in limbo between earth and sky, childhood and sophistication. The red slope rooftops evoke a nostalgia for the earliest LEGO buildings, only these are weathered from age with a rash of studs popping out. The red door (taken from Isabelle’s House Visit) and poofy brick-built clouds evoke a safe Nintendo childhood, in contrast to the pokey brown technic frame (building on a technique from another of their vertical marvels) that almost says “Don’t touch!” Once again, Noda floors us with a towering achievement in LEGO artistry.

There will be blood (and relaxation!)

We all need to unwind and blow off some steam sometimes. And if someone’s form of recreation involves bleeding a caged victim to make a nice little wading pool, who am I to judge? Mihał Ch‘s creepy vampire pleasure den imagines such a scenario in LEGO. The scene itself makes my stomach crawl a little, but I can distract myself from the visceral reminder of my own fragile mortality by checking out those cool building techniques. I love the way simple 1×2 bricks are stacked at slight angles to make the columns, and the trans-red antenna stands in for the steady drip-drip-drip of the victim’s blood into a viscous pool below. I hope that poor victim gets out soon, but it doesn’t look good.

Massive LEGO spaceship is over 5 feet long

Canadian LEGO builder Jean-Philippe Leroux has built a massive LEGO spaceship with a suitably impressive name! The Empress took over 24,000 parts to build and weighs over 43 pounds. If you like sci-fi bits and bobs, The Empress has it in spades; so let’s look at the engines back to front. For sports fans its got minifig skis and snowboards. For the handy-folk there’s saws. After the robot arms, there’s stud shooters and the old 1×8 bar. Finally, towards the front, there are robot binoculars and zipline handles. And that’s just the engines!

Continue reading →

Chinese lake in LEGO brings memories to life

Earlier this summer, our old friend Nannan Zhang recreated a the quintessential American playground of the sort he’s experienced as a new father. For his latest LEGO achievement, Nannan draws on his childhood memories of growing up in China in the 90s to create “A park from yesteryear.” Even though it’s an amalgam and not a recreation of a specific park, the traditional architecture, weeping willows, lotus plants on jade water, and swan boats make Nannan’s memories so specific and tangible.

Nannan pulls his usual magic trick of making clever technique look effortless. The hexagonal pavilion, where older residents share snacks and gossip, is a lovely build on its own. The balls stacked on rollers skates make for excellent decorative elements, and the heart tiles in the eaves are a great detail. One of my favorite techniques is seen along the bottom of the railing where curved slopes fit neatly under window arches, adding a subtle texture to the stonework. The cotton candy machine is a very clever and instantly recognizable mini build. I also admire the attention paid to the lotus plants, with leaves popping from the water at angles, and some flowers and leaves aloft on long stems, differentiating them from lilly pads. But the stars of the show are the swan boats, which hold a secret…

See the swan boats in action!

A triple transformer that’s too tiny to transform? Try again...

In his review of 10338 Transformers Bumblebee, Kyle mentioned that the yellow Autobot’s large size was likely down to the transformation requirement in LEGO form. Clearly, Grantmasters read this and took it as a challenge. He, too, has created a LEGO Transformer. And this one is tiny! It depicts Blitzwing, a Decepticon with as many personalities as he has transformations (three). He is depicted the way he appeared in the animated series rather than in the 2018 Bumblebee film, which results in a snazzy purple-and-tan colour scheme.

But is he too tiny to transform? No! Now he can’t do all three transformations – even for a builder of Grant’s skill, that’s almost attempting the impossible. But still, being able to transition Blitzwing between his jet and robot forms is seriously impressive at this small scale!