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.

It’s a Plutopalooza!

It really doesn’t feel like 9+ years since NASA launched the New Horizons probe on a mission to explore the dwarf planet Pluto and its system of moons. But now the craft’s closest approach is finally less than a week away, and NASA wants you to celebrate the occasion by throwing your very own Plutopalooza party! (Heads up: You’d better make the party last 16 months, because at 1kbps that’s how long the probe will take to transmit back all 64Gb of its data from the encounter)

Since several of my Brothers Bricks co-contributors are hopeless space junkies, I thought I’d mark the occasion by building the above LEGO model of the little probe …accompanied by targets Pluto and Charon naturally! A lot easier to do now that we finally know what color they are.

It’s an interesting milestone for me since my very first true MOC was of the Voyager 2 spacecraft, back in 1979 when it passed Jupiter. Armed with a clothes line, white bed sheet, length of string and basic film camera, I had no idea that the resulting images would be…. hopelessly out of focus! T_T

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LEGO Ideas The Big Bang Theory 21302 [Review]

In November last year, LEGO announced two new ideas sets. By now the birds setby Tom Polsoun has already been in shops for months, but although we’ve previously seen pictures of The Big Bang Theory set, it is taking a bit longer to hit the shelves. It has finally been officially launched at the San Diego Comic Con earlier today.

Several of us at The Brothers Brick are fans of the show, but being a physicist, I was the lucky guy granted the opportunity to review this. Having worked in both a physics and an engineering department of two universities, the characters from The Big Bang Theory are very recognisable. There may even be a bit of Sheldon, Leonard, Raj and Howard in me. This is not my life story or a review of the TV show, however, so I will cut straight to the chase: the price is pretty steep for only 479 parts, so if minifigures aren’t your thing or you don’t like the show, this set is not for you.

The minifigures are the highlight of the set and probably the main reason why anybody would want this. All seven characters are instantly recognisable and come with new printed parts for the faces and clothing. The prints are highly detailed and look crisp, with Amy’s knitted vest and the tiny flowers on Bernadette’s skirt standing out in particular. The backs of the torsos are also printed. The upper and lower parts of the legs on Amy and Bernadette are molded in different colours, to represent skirts, with the obvious advantage that the figures look decent when seen from the back (in more ways than one).

As a bonus all the figures have reversible heads, with happy faces on one side and an alternate expression on the other. Bernadette’s is a particularly menacing angry look and Penny’s will also be instantly recognisable to any fan.
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To fly among the Tzars....

Doctor Mobius felt inspired by the classic Galaxy Commander to put a Neo-classic Space twist on that venerable old relic, and came out with this lovely concoction, which he’s dubbed the Galaxy Tzar. Just like the original, the Tzar splits into several self-contained sections for more modular star-system domination.

Sleeping Beauty Castle

Many of us recognize the Sleeping Beauty Castle as a Disney icon, and thanks to the work of Stephle59 you can see what it looks like as a minifigure-scale Lego creation. The pink bricks set the model apart from just about any other castle I’ve seen. It doesn’t look like a bad place to take a nap!

To Paint a Sparrow

This caught my eye, and I felt ya’ll needed to see. Anthony Pinder has shared with us this lovely little sparrow, inspired by LEGO Ideas 21301 Birds Model Kit. I think it’s an adorable build, but paired with the minifig painter and the sketch adds another level to the presentation.

The Little House on the Prairie

In 1869, the Ingalls family left Wisconsin and went west, eventually settling in Kansas near what is now Independence, Missouri. Like many families moving west, the journey and new settlement was full of adventure and danger. Eventually the family went back to Wisconsin, then west again.

Laura Ingalls Wilder turned her experiences into the Little House on the Prairie, cementing herself into literary history.

SeigneurFett brings us this gorgeous diorama depicting Plum Creek from the books and TV series, which captured the hearts and minds of viewers of all ages.

I encourage you to explore the diorama and get lost again in the story!

Stargazing Castle-Style

Ever fancy a nice, isolated tower in which to observe the stars? David Hensel does. He presents this whimsical Stargazer tower, complete with telescope. It almost looks like it should be a floating rock, and I happen to love the purple roof.

Shooty Spider Mech

This deliciously detailed minimech by Flavio is a feast for the eyes. The greebling is practical and the shape is a novel take that reverses the proportions of the ubiquitous tachikoma.

Apartment life

César Soares built a series of vignettes depicting various rooms of a stylish apartment. The presentation of the vignettes by stacksing the rooms creates an illusion of the tight quarters of an actual apartment.

Microscale Jurassic Park

Maybe a T. rex chasing after you won’t be as scary if it’s only 2 inches tall. That’s what’s going on in Sami Mustonen‘s mini Jurassic Park. The rendering of the models look so real you probably didn’t think it was all digital Lego.

Have a smurfy day!

Despite more comebacks and fewer female characters than the Star Wars franchise, the Smurfs are still wildly popular today, almost 60 years after their first appearance as a Belgian comic strip. With two new Smurf movies behind us and another one in the works, it was only a matter of time before fans got tired waiting for LEGO to get in on the action, and took matters into their own hands. Which is exactly what Lee Jones and a team of builders did at BrickWorld Chicago did last month!

This huge diorama depicts the Smurf village, complete with forest landscaping, mushroom houses, and a forced-perspective version of Gargamel’s castle. All beautifully rounded off with the giant intruding faces of Gargamel and Azrael (courtesy of Tyler Halliwell and Kevin Lauer).

But the most remarkable part of this display have to be the Smurf minifigs. No, you’re not seeing things… Those aren’t shoddy clone brand figures. And no, LEGO didn’t secretly launch a line of collectible Smurf figs when no-one was looking. These are 100% custom manufactured! Lee’s team worked with BrickForge and Brick Fortress to design and produce custom components (heads, tails, even rotatable arms) all to “LEGO quality”. The results speak for themselves. Our pals at Beyond the Brick talked to Lee at BrickWorld and got the low-down…

I live, I die. I LIVE AGAIN!

Jordan Schwartz built the vehicle driven by Immortan Joe from the latest Mad Max movie. It features the stacked 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Villes along with the powerful engine and front plow. Surely getting a ride in this bad boy will take you straight to the gates of Valhalla!