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.

Super Mario Bricks

Rod Gillies was clearly a young whipper-snapper back in the early 1980s when Super Mario Bros was released as a video game. Mario and Luigi, the adventurous plumbers who explored Mushroom Kingdom, have evolved into Super Mario Bricks. They made dungarees cool again and gave some much needed resuscitation to the video game market.

If your Mario Bros knowledge is up to par, you will note that Rod definitely has an eye for detail. Mario was the shorter, more portly brother, while Luigi was taller with a smoother, more groomed moustache. The M and L initials on the caps is always a good fallback option to avoid confusion. I bet Rod was glad that brother Sergio didn’t make the cut — some letters are tougher than others in LEGO.

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Going Dutch

Some great Dutch architecture modelling here from Brickbink. This scene is a near-perfect recreation of an Amsterdam street; all it needs is a canal and it would be spot-on.

The color blocking of the buildings and the windows are excellent, and the brickwork around the gable-end roofs really catches the eye. As ever though, it’s the details which make a model pop, and there’s a feast of them on display here. The piano lifters are the obvious stars of the show, but I love the little basement windows at street level, and the crate of bric-a-brac is a nice touch. I’m assuming the build is set around Konigsdag – “King’s Day” – when the Dutch sell their second-hand goods out in the street in front of their homes.

LEGO Elves: 41176 The Secret Marketplace [Review]

As promised in our 2016 New York Toy Fair coverage, I’m happy to share our first dragon review from the LEGO Elves line! LEGO sent us a copy of 41176 The Secret Marketplace. You’ll be able to find this set beginning in March. It has 691 pieces, and we expect it to retail for $59.99.

Click for more dragons!

Turtle power!

Everyone knows Leonardo leads, Donatello does machines, Raphael is cool but crude, and Michelangelo is a party dude. But would you guess the heroes in a half shell could look so phenomenal in brick? French builder 74louloute created this awesome forced perspective rooftop scene with LEGO’s fairly limited selection of olive green parts. In addition to the overall pizzazz of the turtles, there are several hidden gems in this shot including legs used as fingers, sweet brick-built weapons, and strangely, even the flux capacitor.

Surfin’ Safari checks out nicely

Sebastiaan Arts has built a cracker of a beach-bound pickup truck for the 100th Lugnuts Challenge. The tan and dark green color scheme has a beautiful 50s vibe to it, and the accompanying deck chair and surfboard are wonderful additions.

The truck features an opening hood, revealing the engine, and a detailed chequered interior. I’d highly recommend you take a look at all the images for loads of lovely little details.

LEGO District 9 Exosuit

I may be a bigger fan of District 9 when compared to most people. It’s partly because it’s set in my home country of South Africa, but mostly because it has one of the coolest mech scenes ever created.

The Exosuit / mech prawn / bio-suit is done great justice by Jonas and uses some clever tricks to get all the details in this relatively small build. My personal favourite is the heavy use of the minifig pirate hook hands for multiple elements.

Also check out another version of this mech by Brian Kescenovitz.

40 Wall St built with LEGO trumps the real thing

Following on from his recent adventures in London at the Houses of Parliament, Rocco Buttliere is back on the other side of the ‘pond’. Rocco’s latest build in his 1:650 Architecture series is 40 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan.

Rocco tells us that 40 Wall St is a 927ft, 70 storey skyscraper, completed in 1930. It held the title of World’s Tallest building for less than a month before the Chrysler Building took the title (albeit after a bit of arguing). The building was designed by lead architect H. Craig Severance in collaboration with associate architect, Yasuo Matsui.

The view of the other side of 40 Wall Street shows the number of setbacks required to form the building. Rocco tells us, “The dramatic massing due to the density of setbacks on the major block of 40 Wall St, is a result of the 1916 Zoning Resolution. This ordinance required the footprint mass of the building to diminish accordingly as the height of the building increased.” In other words, as the skyscraper goes up, it needs to get smaller – seems like a good idea to me too…

Apparently this creation had been on hold until LEGO Architecture Venice 21026 was released as it provided the sand green quadruple convex slope which tops the gabled roof. Did you spot the screwdriver at the top?

You set my heart pumping

If a bunch of beautiful LEGO roses doesn’t set your heart aflutter, maybe you need some steampunk love instead? Jason Allemann continues to prove he’s the king of kinetic LEGO sculpture with this Valentine’s Day creation…

Naturally Jason’s latest build looks even better in action. Check out the video:

Deadpool, the most romantic gentleman in town

Hey girl, you turn my software into har—[We can’t say that. This blog doesn’t post that kind of stuff. -Ed].

Nothing says “I love you” like some violence, courtesy of your friendly neighborhood Deadpool (and Chris McVeigh). Roses and blood are both red, right? Perfect.

Wishing you a happy Valentine’s Day

Regardless of your opinion on the merits of February 14, I would like to present you this lovely bouquet of roses. I know I would certainly love to receive a bouquet like this. Simon Pickard‘s done a lovely job designing the vase and flowers. I love the detail of the greenery with the delicate white flower buds.

One of the best things about this particular dozen red roses is that you’ll never have to worry about thorns!

Should you need something more than roses, then I suggest you take advantage of kosbrick‘s gorgeous box of gourmet chocolates.

Desk-sized International Space Station

Take a look up at the night sky. If you’re lucky, you’ll see the International Space Station high above you. If you miss it, and don’t want to wait for their orbit to fly by again, you’re welcome to observe this lovely model from Jonas.

54-inch LEGO Nornfang Sniper Rifle from Halo 5

Of all the new weapon variants introduced in Halo 5: Guardians, Nornfang, Spartan Linda-058’s custom sniper rifle, is my favorite. The camouflage and lone wolf designs applied to the classic Halo sniper body was inspiration enough to get building. My LEGO replica of Nornfang measures 54″ long (that’s 171 LEGO studs), weighs 9 pounds, and features a moving trigger, sliding bolt/charging handle, and removable box magazine.

See more photos on my flickr page.