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.

Han Solo’s “cocky” weapon of choice

Star Wars is clearly a hot topic at the moment and Rhys Knight has created his LEGO weapon of choice, Han Solo’s DL-44 Blaster.

The BlasTech Industries DL-44 heavy blaster pistol was a powerful sidearm from the time of the Galactic Civil War. It was the weapon of choice for Han Solo and the Rebel Alliance and also wielded by Luke Skywalker throughout The Empire Strikes Back.

Rhys’ 1:1 model has a raised scope, and he shared with TBB that as the model is primarily black, he wanted there to be a clear separation. He notes that the ‘fiddly’ aspect of the build was the rear of the telescopic sight as it had to be circular, but also flare out. The trigger guard is actually upside down, and is attached to the grip via Part 60470 (1×2 plate with double clips) and attached to the power cell via a simple slot for the guard.

Best part for me — it cocks!

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Deathshead’s war machine of the new order

Wolfenstein: The New Order was one of my favorite games of 2014, with its crazy yet immersive alternate World War II timeline. SHARPSPEED built one of antagonist Deathshead’s dog-like war machines, the Panzerhund. The LEGO version looks just as vicious and armored as the mechanized hounds roaming an alternate 1960s Berlin.

It’s a mech dinosaur in classic space – What else do you need?

The only thing cooler than a mech is a dinosaur mech, and the only thing cooler than that is a dinosaur mech in space. Christopher Bassett may have struck gold with this. It’s called the “T-Rex JumpJet in classic space colors”, and as far as names go that’s exactly what it is. There’s also another version of this that isn’t in space colors, but I think the simple additions here really add a lot.

(Also notice the little blaster in the right hand. Awwwwwww.)

The Ruins of St Paul’s: glorious rather than ruinous

This impressive creation depicting the Ruins of St Paul’s by Alex Hui was built for the Macau X LEGO Exhibition. The model is deceptively large at nearly four feet tall.

The Ruins of St. Paul’s, located in Macao, refer to the façade of what was originally the Church of Mater Dei built in 1602-1640 and the ruins of St. Paul’s College, which stood adjacent to the Church — both destroyed by fire in 1835. The sculptured motifs of the façade include biblical images, mythological representations, Chinese characters, Japanese chrysanthemums, a Portuguese ship, several nautical motifs, Chinese lions, bronze statues and other elements that integrate influences from Europe, China and other parts of Asia.

Alex chose to build in a sufficiently grand scale to allow the carvings and sculptures to be accurately depicted in LEGO and took 6 months to complete the build. The model is approximately 1.2m high and is constructed solely in light gray and dark grey. The use of dark grey is very effective for highlighting the depth of the central sculpture and really captures so many of the fine details from the original. My own favourite part is the winged ‘Holy Spirit’ in the triangular pediment at the top, which symbolizes the ultimate state of divine ascension as seen in the zoomed image below.

Her Majesty’s Theater is the place for your LEGO West End productions

There are LEGO creations, and then there is Janet VanD’s recreation of Her Majesty’s Theater in Westminster, England. The real-life theater is a cornerstone of West End theater, hosting some of the best and brightest musicals and theater productions. Janet’s recreation painstakingly replicates the exsqusite detail and the theater-going experience of its brick-and-mortar counterpart beautifully.

Her 57,992 piece build features gorgeous detail and took nearly 11 months to complete. The main entrance treats LEGO minifigure theater patrons to posters advertising the production currently on stage: Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Phantom of the Opera, one of the longest-running productions in Broadway history.

Those lucky enough to hold seats are greeted to the stunning auditorium and plush seats, with the musical’s title moment on-stage, with The Phantom and Christine on the boat, making their way to the Phantom’s lair below the Opera Populare.

For those lucky enough to be in London December 11 – 13, 2015, Her Majesty’s Theater will be on display for you to see in all its detail at Brick2015. For tickets and more information, click here.

The year is 2000

Some people might accuse me of posting too many selfishly nostalgic LEGO creations. Like that time last month, remember that? Ah man, those were some good times. Good times. Anyway, time to repeat the sin with this rather splendid mining scale recreation of a favorite toy from my childhood, the Raider Command from Matchbox’s 1978 line of futuristic Adventure 2000 vehicles.

Due to a limited selection of parts in olive green, French builder Eric Druon actually had to recreate this in tan (and then apply a little harmless Photoshop magic). I was lucky enough to own a few of these beauties back in the day. And I am embarrassed to say that – thanks to the power of eBay – I have been able to enjoy them all over again, albeit “mint in box”!

LEGO “Freewheelin” album cover is as heartwarming as the original

Right at the time when cold winter months are coming, umamen favours us with an incredibly touching and warming brick-built version of the artwork for Bob Dylan’s 2nd album “Freewheelin”. I have no idea how he managed to enliven this handful of pieces, but the way Suze Rotolo’s figure clinges to Bob’s makes my heart melt every single time. The background is something that takes a moment to notice, but contributes to the whole.

Move over Tumbler, Arkham Knight is here

When you have to get around town to beat up costumed criminals, it’s important to do so with style. And technique. And size. All of these can be found in the latest creation by Hansan Kabalak, who has painstakingly recreated in epic scale the unique vehicle from the latest Batman game, Batman: Arkham Knight.

Larger than Lego’s own USC Tumbler, this Batmobile features functionality and loads of complex angles. Hansan went all out: adding his own custom decals, colored parts, and even a few custom pieces to his creation to make it as faithful to the game as possible. Best of all, Hansan even took the time to design his Batmobile with its signature feature: attack mode.

Just a goblin next door

Watcha workin’ on there, neighbor? This friendly guy comes from the mind of Letranger Absurde and is chock full of what LEGO fans call “NPUs” or Nice Part Usages. In this case the clever parts are, among others, the Jabba the Hutt bodies for the upper facial features and the dewback for the nose. Even though this creation doesn’t use many parts, it’s imbued with a lot of personality — and that’s what makes a good brick-built creature really shine.

USG Ishimura from Dead Space

Fans of the Dead Space video game will no doubt recognize this iconic mining vessel and its horror-infested corridors. This microscale replica by Rat Dude captures the ship’s iconic ribbed hull and has the right amount of details reflected in its greebled areas.

Are you PC?

For some time now LEGO artist Chris McVeigh has been bringing us palm-sized chunks of hi-tech nostalgia heaven, such as his Atari 2600 and Apple Macintosh kits. But now Chris jumps into the unfashionable-yet-practical camp of “IBM compatibles” with this picture-perfect 80’s era DOS computer. This certainly brings memories of my first tech job flooding back – twin floppies, Hammer pants, and all.

The kit is currently available for pre-order from Chris’ store. Or if you prefer, as of today you can now download the instructions and build one from your own collection of bricks. But here’s all the narly stuff you’ll get if you order the full kit:

Relive the ’80s with this incredibly detailed 285-piece retro computer model custom design! Pop off the computer’s chassis to see its fully-equipped interior, which includes disk drives, expansion cards and power supply. Additional features include:
• Custom-printed processor tile for added detail
• Custom-printed display slopes featuring a choice of two prompts, A>_ and C:_
• An extra tile allows you to switch one of the diskette drives to a hard disk

I know what I’m putting at the top of my list of stocking stuffers this Christmas! Hmmm, but I guess the important question is: Have I been naughty or nice?

A room with real character

This pair of figures and room by Simon Pickard is a cracking piece of work. The scale was initially unclear on my first look, requiring a zoom in at the details for me to understand this model is actually pretty big…

The figures are good (although this “no-eyes” style always gives me the heebie-jeebies), and the floor is well executed, but as ever it’s the details which make a creation pop: the use of a minifig for a photograph, the fishbowl in the corner, and best of all, those plug sockets. All of these show creative parts-use and a good eye for what works at this scale. Nicely done Simon.