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.

Building hot rods at the local parts shop

This street scene in what looks like sunny California by sanellukovic certainly doesn’t lack for local color. My eye was immediately drawn to the excellent brick-built lettering that spells “PARTS” on the garage, as well as the realistic palm trees with leaves in varying colors, but it’s the little scenes peppered throughout the larger diorama that kept me looking. The engine on a dolly inside the shop is great, but my favorite mini-scene is the old lady picking up after her chihuahua who’s just done some business on the grass.

The builder has also shared this excellent 1929 Ford Model A Sedan “rat rod,” with a highly detailed engine and a body in a rusty-looking “dark nougat.”

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If it bleeds, we can kill it

I watched Predator with the lights off late one night by myself when I was 14, terrified just as much that my parents would find me watching a hyper-violent R-rated movie as I was of the invisible alien antagonist. Cid Hsiao has built a Predator figure that uses the organic armor of Bionicle and Hero Factory to great effect. Placed on a stand built from regular LEGO bricks, I need this imposing fellow standing guard on my desk.

The Foxbat Fighter rebuilt for combat

As new pieces and building techniques emerge and as builders improve their style, it’s interesting to see a builder revisit a previously built design. Benjamin Cheh Ming Hann shows a side-by-side comparison of his custom fighter design, the FB12 Foxbat, with his original 2013 build on the left and 2014 rebuild on the right. Improved color blocking, an overall smoother shape, and added rear fins and air intakes show Benjamin’s efforts to rework an already great compact fighter design.

See more views of Benjamin’s FB12 Foxbat on his Flickr, with an album each for Mark I and Mark II.

Keeping things running at optimal level

This rad little droid built by Marco Marozzi has all kinds of neat details packed inside its frame. I especially like face, with the thin tire squeezed in between two translucent orange armor plate pieces to break up the orange a bit. Though the droid is what grabbed my attention here, don’t miss the overall maintenance scene with engineers in oversize helmets — a bold idea to choose over standard minifigure headgear, but it works well.

Slimes: they make a popping sound when they burst

Slimes. What are they good for? Nothing. They’re purple and oozy and maybe a little bit cute, but they get into everything and multiply like there’s no tomorrow. Sometimes, you just have to take a the drastic option, and that means grabbing the biggest hammer you can find. SPLAT! Well, that’s one fewer slime to worry about. I feel like this hilarious little vignette by Letranger Absurde was inspired entirely by the purple splat piece, aka Toy Story Stretch’s octopus arms, and I don’t think I’ve seen a better use for that piece yet.

Cold winter at the Nordheim Greathouse

Isaac S. is working on a Skyrim collaboration, and based on the other bits he’s posted, it looks like it’s going to be wonderful. The Nordheim Greathouse brings it all with lovely textures to the wood and stone, along with a very very chilly atmosphere with bits of ice and lots of snow. I love the details, like the wood around the windows at the top of the tower, and those wonderful brick built, locked doors.

If you’re in the area, I encourage you to check out BrickFair VA, coming up Aug. 3 – 7, 2016.

The Force Awakens in Miniland

Larger than minifig scale, Miniland scale is a scale used in Legoland theme parks around the world, and it places a character about 5 inches tall. It’s become a popular scale for fan builders wanting to create brick-build characters. TBB Contributor Ralph often uses this scale to create iconic vehicles and their drivers, such as his recent Ghostbusters Ecto 1. Builder Casey McCoy used this great scale to build the cast of The Force Awakens, and he’s done a lovely job. I particularly love the details on Poe’s flight suit. Check out the flickr album for individual shots of the cast.

Down the rabbit hole

Since the release of the Collectible Disney Minigures earlier this year, I’ve been waiting to see the adorable Alice figure put to great use. And that’s exactly what The Knit Knight has done here! Knight built the iconic scene where Alice falls down the rabbit hole in her quest to crash the white rabbit’s party. This LEGO scene is truly complete, including excellently-built, falling furniture, striped wallpaper, sweets and fizzy drinks (presumably all labeled “eat me” and “drink me”), a miniature rabbit-sized door, and even a tiny Dinah waving goodbye to Alice from the real world.

The future of law enforcement

Here’s a new twist on an old set: Central Precinct Headquarters from 1993. The old black and white color scheme has been updated to a futuristic black and green, and all the flowers are gone. But the rooftop technology bits and the safety railings are still around. Most of the original vehicles are here too (helicopter not pictured). Big_Sal_224 also has a full backstory and script available, featuring a lot more gender diversity than the original set. I wonder what other old sets are ripe for re-imagining?

Back in the Red

Hang in there Red Dwarf fans, only a couple more months before Series 11 airs! In the meantime, feast your eyes on this totally spot-on Red Dwarf custom LEGO play set designed by Bob Turner. The dance-ready Series 8 version of Blue Midget shuttlecraft is definitely the star of the show here, but it’s the smaller details that really make this scene a real fan-pleaser:

Of note are the brick-built scutter, the inclusion of the Holly Hop Drive from Series 2, and most importantly a set of custom Red Dwarf minifigs. Each one is accurate and immediately recognizable. And in addition to the main crew, Bob has even included minifig versions of popular alternate characters Duane Dibbley and Ace Rimmer.

Smoke me a kipper, I’ll be back for breakfast!

Microscale office looks like the perfect place to work

Modern architecture might appear to be the perfect subject for recreating in LEGO. However, many of the angled planes currently in vogue amongst building designers actually make for difficult modelling in bricks. Polar Stein pulls it off in style with this microscale version of an award-winning office complex in New Jersey.

The model is beautifully simple, with excellent lines, much like the building it’s based on. I’m a particular fan of the angled supporting columns at the open corner. Also, at this scale, the use of multiple trans-clear bricks manages to suggest an internal structure. The builder suggests they’re going to have a go at this in minifig-scale. Interesting challenge, and they’ve already set themselves a high bar with this lovely microscale version.

LEGO Spaceman is made of LEGO Spacemen

aido k has created a fabulous tribute to LEGO Space — a classic blue space figure created from a multitude of classic space figures. I’m not normally a fan of rendered LEGO creations, preferring to see models and scenes created within the restrictions of regular part availability. However, I dread to think how expensive this idea would have been to recreate “in the brick”, and besides, as far as I can tell, there are no weird part/color combinations used here, just spacemen… lots and lots of spacemen.