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.

Ta Davy Jones’ locker with ya!

There is no doubt that William Navarre is one of the best and most active LEGO builders out there, churning out build after build of great quality almost every week. This one and his previous creation were built for the Colossal Battle Contest.

This naval battle has a lot going for it; the positioning of the ships is very expressive and dynamic, not to mention how well they are constructed. The scale is deceiving and the details are amazing — from the burning elements of the sinking ship to the rigging on the victorious side, each vessel is worth looking at individually. What I like best though, is the surrounding water, achieving a realistic look with two layers, a top textured one, and the bottom for colour (and a great look from the side!). William’s creations seem to have a theme of their simpler environment ending up capturing my attention even longer than the build’s focal point…

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Don’t worry, this is just a test

I’m not sure if these still even exist on television broadcast channels anymore, but for me this build by Jason Cichon brings back a flood of childhood memories of waking up early in the morning to catch my favorite weekend cartoons. And on the other end of the spectrum, during my teenage years, this is what we dreaded at the end of the day, when TV broadcasts would go off-air.

Consisting of roughly 530 pieces, this is quite an accurate build of the PAL PM5544 test pattern that often is broadcasted before or after the closing of a TV channel. For you young ones: yes, there was once a time when TV channels did not broadcast round the clock and operators actually had to go home and sleep, leaving us to figure out how to entertain ourselves during those periods.

Oh ship, we’re in trouble now

What happens when an English frigate faces a French 64-gun battle ship? Well much as we all love to support the underdog, it seems that the English captain may be regretting his bold move against the larger vessel. Sebeus and Rick Bewier have built a LEGO scene full of action as the French guns fire upon the English frigate as it broadsides causing fire, destruction and death. The ships have been really well crafted with lots of attention to detail, but I love the atmospheric smoke, giving a sense of action to the whole scene.

A close up look at the damage to the frigate shows some deck hands frantically fighting fires while one sailor appears to be jumping ship into the blue water far below.

Looks like the English are going for an early bath.

The chirping of the birds, announcing spring

I am not sure whether Geneva Durandlives in the southern hemisphere or not, but spring is starting for some people out there and this creation of a mother bird feeding its baby definitely captures the feelings of the season.

Geneva says the bird is some sort of lark, but she could not get the colours of the feathers accurate enough. There are some interesting part usages in the baby bird, but even more so the elephant tail/trunk pieces used as the nest (a requirement for the ABS building contest, for which this creation was built). I have mixed feelings about the tree though. On one hand, the leaves are, understandably, not perfect and the textures may be a bit too intense. On the other hand though, the very idea of building a segment of a tree in 1:1 scale and the complex shaping and angles involved are very impressive.

Mamma mia! Che bella città!

If your haven’t travelled to Italy this Summer, Luca Di Lazzaro is bringing a piece of Italy to you. This stunning diorama is full of Mediterranean sun thanks to a brilliant choice of colours — tan, dark orange, reddish brown, and some touches of dark green and sand green. However, the unique irregular shaping of this tiny street is what makes the build look totally Italian. No wonder why that tourist minifigure looks so lost and delighted!

Dress like you’re going to meet your worst enemy today

It doesn’t matter how unique and powerful your weapon is, you armour must always shine bright. And there is no colour brighter than gold. Japanese builder Moko continues experimenting with LEGO pieces of chrome colours. Just like the last time, he skilfully decorates his new mech with shiny chrome-gold rings — along with a ton of chrome-gold tiles. What is especially remarkable is brilliant implication of old chrome pieces like Sun Disks and Dragon Heads.

When you cross a dragonfly with The Matrix

What does September mean to you? Perhaps it signals the end of summer, when the days are noticeable shorter and leaves start to change colour. For a significant number of LEGO builders, September is SHIPtember when the aim is to build a large spaceship of at least 100 studs in length. Marcin Grabowski completed this huge dropship on 10 Sept after 29 days of building. His DragonFLY class dropship is certainly eye-catching with its lime and yellow hull. I love those central wings with the ball of complex machinery, wiring and ducts at the connection point.

Sometimes is is hard to get a sense of scale with this type of large model. I am happy to report that Marcin did exactly what any self-respecting LEGO SHIP builder should do…he swooshed it!

Git along now, little dogies

Continuing with his circle motif, Sergeant Chipmunk has brought us another slice of LEGO adventure. This time, we’re given a glimpse into the old wild west. While the covered wagon, rockwork, and dusty landscape are beautiful, it’s the little details that truly bring this scene to life, like the horses’ reins and bedrolls. Not to mention, the sleeping cowboy on the ridge, with his hat cocked down to block the sun.

The sound of a thunderous charge in the dark forest

The prolific teenaged builder William Navarre is no stranger to realistic historical Japanese themes, but this latest creation of a company of samurai ambushing a camp of the emperor’s ashigaru is one of his best addditions to the series.

There is much to see in this full LEGO scene, from the minifig action that seems to express motion much better than one would expect of the somewhat motorically limited minifig, to the flags and the realistic ground texture. The background deserves discussion too; while the opinions on the trees’ textures may be variable, the textures do work for what they are supposed to. More importantly, you should not miss the most subtle, but also the most ingeniously simple part of the build: the angled black background with dark blue rays of light penetrating the treetops.

Blade Runner 1849

We’ve seen excellent LEGO versions of the Blade Runner Police Spinner in the past, but as soon as I saw the title of the new movie I’ve been waiting for an 1849 steampunk remix. Jonas Kramm is happy to oblige with this clanky update (back-date?) of the classic sci-fi vehicle. The black piping makes for a pleasant change from the grey or gold steampunk builders tend to use for greebly details, and those brown whips uncurled against the dark blue panelling look excellent. The lanterns are a nice touch too.

Now to properly combine cyber and steam, what this really needs is a massive Neo-Victorian Neo-Tokyo diorama setting. Come on Jonas, what’s stopping you?

A place to call home in Hong Kong

Walking amongst the old residential buildings in certain parts of Hong Kong, one looks up to see hanging laundry, treasured rooftop garden space, and air-conditioning units attached to dusty windows. Chiukeung Tsang has captured the scene perfectly in LEGO, with loads of character packed into one model. The curved corner is typical of the architectural style, as are the rows of windows, and the commercial nature of the ground floor with residential housing above. I particularly like the use of colour on the right, it lifts the entire build and adds visual interest without looking too garish.

The view from the other side shows the typical ground floor shop, complete with awning, and the obligatory tourist posing for a selfie.

Practice shooting targets with a working LEGO Desert Eagle

As a LEGO weapon builder myself, I know how difficult it is to construct a gun model that fires projectiles and manages to look the part. However, YouTuber Snyzer_Tech makes it look easy with his functional Desert Eagle replica. Though it looks a bit flashy in custom-painted gold, his magazine-fed, brick-shooting handgun is impressive in both form and function. Watch Snyzer light up some brick-built targets in this slick two-minute video.