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.

Classy castle in a creaky casket

Marcel V. has built a wonderful microscale LEGO castle in a box. The fortress itself has hints of Disney in its soaring spires and color scheme, but for me it’s the classy brown and gold of the casket which elevate this model into something special. The silky lining within the box lid — achieved with a nice pattern of curved slopes — is excellent. It’s so good when a microscale creation is more than “just” a tiny version of something else. Here, the micro-ness fits with the setting to conjure up something altogether more magical.

I had a go at building a LEGO kingdom in a box myself a couple of years back. However, Marcel’s brick-built box is much cooler than the slightly scabby wooden chest I used for mine!

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2016 LEGO Advent Calendars: Day 7

Welcome to Day 7 of your digital LEGO Advent Calendar! Each day, we’re revealing the day’s calendar model for the LEGO Friends, City, and Star Wars Advent Calendars. We know some of you want to be spoiler free, so you’ll need to “open” the day’s post to see the models by clicking below!

And if you want to build your own LEGO Advent Calendar, you can win big prizes by building tiny creations in TBB’s Create a Calendar Contest.

Click here to see Day 7!

Living the high life

Heikki Mattila is on a roll. This excellent high-rise bedroom scene comes hot on the heels of a fabulous LEGO sauna. It’s a follow-up model to Heikki’s cool sitting room we featured previously, with a similar city skyline visible through the window. But it’s no less impressive for sticking with a theme. The bed with its cushions and attendant tables is nicely-built, and the abstract wall art looks fabulous. I also like the plant and the way it stands out against the microscale cityscape beyond the glass. However, it’s the imaginative use of a reversed baseplate as the bed’s headboard which makes the scene for me.

An Avalonian home and gardens spills over the border

In the peaceful rural setting of Avalonia, there is a grand old house called Königsfeld Manor. Life in the village of Avalonia is normally peaceful, but this spring a visit from an old friend brings worrisome tidings. This diorama by Patrick Massey is the perfect antidote to the current wintry conditions in the Northern Hemisphere. There is a lot to admire in this scene with its engaging mix of landscaping and architecture. My favourite part is definitely the overspill of landscape beyond the black border, I think this may be the first time I have seen this technique used so effectively.

The main house has some lovely architectural details and surprisingly it appears to be built on stilts; perhaps the monsoon season brings flood water. The decorative roof ridges are not the usual village design so I wonder if there’s a more sinister character living here. There’s another small building under construction with just a wooden frame on show at the moment. Perhaps it’s a storage barn or a granny flat to stop granny hassling those who live in the main house… ‘Have you seen my glasses?’, ‘Can you pass me the scroll?’, ‘These carrots are undercooked!’…

You think it’s ugly now? Wait until the sun goes down

The Gamma Dragon by Mitch is, on the surface, just an absolutely huge blue dragon with a ridiculous amount of older Bionicle pieces used throughout.

But, when the lights go down, the abundance of pieces from 8935: Nocturn light up thanks to their glow in the dark properties.

The head, though, is from one of my personal favourite sets, 8922: Gadunka. I’d been meaning to turn that set into a mech since I got it back in 2007, but I can’t bear to take it apart.

French artist Mat Green is back with more giant metal minifigure sculptures, and they’re jaw-dropping [Interview]

In June, French artist Mat Green amazed us with a pair of life-size LEGO minifigures made of steel. Those figures, named Hugo and Pablo, were a classic minifigure and a punk rock LEGO skeleton. Mat has now finished his next project — more classics you’ll surely recognize, the pirate Sparrow and his parrot Jacquot. We spoke with Mat about his work translating these iconic LEGO figures to life-size metal sculptures.

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2016 LEGO Advent Calendars: Day 6

Welcome to Day 6 of your digital LEGO Advent Calendar! Each day, we’re revealing the day’s calendar model for the LEGO Friends, City, and Star Wars Advent Calendars. We know some of you want to be spoiler free, so you’ll need to “open” the day’s post to see the models by clicking below!

And if you want to build your own LEGO Advent Calendar, you can win big prizes by building tiny creations in TBB’s Create a Calendar Contest.

Click here to see Day 6

Banana-flavored fighter doesn’t slip up

Pico can Grootveld‘s latest LEGO starfighter combines a striking design with an eye-popping color scheme. The presentation is excellent, with the banana-bright yellow bursting off the black and white backdrop. But it’s the building details that catch the eye, inviting a zoomed-in view to see some of the lovely touches and techniques up close. Don’t miss the tapered cockpit, the pin-joints used as gun housings, and the judicious use of stickers for added depth and texture.

Crafting the first experimental TIE Fighter

Every piece of tech in the Star Wars universe must have started with a plan and a team of engineers to realize the vision. Inthert shows this interesting idea for a vignette with a LEGO scene showing Sienar Fleet Systems engineers constructing the first TIE Fighter. Like on the builder’s previous sectioned X-Wing, rubber bands as exposed wires make the TIE look realistic.

Roads are for amateurs

The Dakar is a cross-country off-road rally race which is held annually in South America (but named after its former finish line in Africa). It requires a specially designed car which can endure tough terrain and unpredictable weather. If you’re interested, why not take a Ferrari? The F40 may be best known for its smooth lines and road handling, but with the right modifications, it might be the car to beat off the beaten path. This modification of an official LEGO set by LegoMarat has enough suspension, steering, lights, and rollbars to rival any sport-utility vehicle. I can only imagine what the paint job will look like afterwards.

Chugging through the starry skies

LEGO Vic Vipers tend toward the sharp and angular, with sleek lines and sharp corners. Each design must meet strict requirements epitomized by the late Nate “nnenn” Nielsen. Not so with this bulbous affair by Tyler Clites. Tyler’s Vic Viper has enormous, rounded engines — with frying pans as intake vanes, no less — and stubby little wings, with bright, childish colors. But it’s no less a legitimate Vic Viper than Nick Trotta’s Serrated Night.

2016 LEGO Advent Calendars: Day 5

Welcome to Day 5 of your digital LEGO Advent Calendar! Each day, we’re revealing the day’s calendar model for the LEGO Friends, City, and Star Wars Advent Calendars. We know some of you want to be spoiler free, so you’ll need to “open” the day’s post to see the models by clicking below!

And if you want to build your own LEGO Advent Calendar, you can win big prizes by building tiny creations in TBB’s Create a Calendar Contest.

Click here to see Day 5!