Category Archives: LEGO

You’d probably expect a lot of the posts on a LEGO website like The Brothers Brick to be about LEGO, and you’d be right. If you’re browsing this page, you might want to consider narrowing what you’re looking for by checking out categories like “Space” and “Castle.” We’re sure there’s something here that’ll fascinate and amaze you.

A dysfunctional family portrait

Here’s something some of us can relate to: You gather the family for one of those formal portraits and dad has some unsavory opinions, mom worries about your eating habits, brother would rather dress as Batman and the less said about little sis the better. The end product is a study in angst and dysfunction forever immortalized over your parent’s dining table. LEGO builder Joseph Zawada has a similar vibe going here except this family is a bunch of mechs. They most certainly share a family resemblance. There are four mechs in all but, if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to show you just two of my favorites.

Click to delve deeper into family dysfunction

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This is the Jedi starfighter you’re looking for

You don’t have to travel to a galaxy far, far away to see Koen Zwanenburg‘s LEGO build of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s starship from Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. One of the sure things about the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy is the beauty of the spaceships zipping around the galaxy. This take on the Delta-7 Jedi starfighter does the on-screen ship justice. Every angle is present, and the color scheme has just as much pop. I’ve always loved the green accents in the Republic color palette–it really gives the ships something special. Koen captures the different layers of the ship seamlessly. I really can’t stop looking at this build! Of course, this has always been one of my favorite ships from the Star Wars franchise… I can’t wait to see what ship Koen takes on next.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

There’s the age-old question of why the chicken crossed the road, but it appears it doesn’t apply at this tidy chicken farm by LEGO builder Carter Witz because there are no roads here. Instead, these birds are stuck at home with their tiny wings, because this chicken farm is on a floating island. With lovely autumnal colors and a rustic vibe, this build has everything we’d want from a floating island habitat. The stone doorframe on the house is a great detail that makes the structure feel sturdy despite its precarious location, and there are lots of other great details like the shingled roof and the adorable chicken coop.

What a lovely plumage for a delightful dragon

When I think of nice parts to use in building a dragon, plants are not particularly high on the list, but Andreas Lenander clearly had fun building this dragon bust that looks like it belongs in a parade. I spotted at least 3 different plant elements used to create a feathery plumage, and an eye-catching detail (see what eye did there). Oh, and what dragon would be complete without gold? – particularly the ring element used to adorn the ears.

You gondor love this LOTR vignette.

This 16×16 vignette by Fuku Saku brings the half-sunken ruins of Osgiliath to life. The former capital city of Gondor is instantly recognizable in comparison to its big-screen counterpart. The damaged brick, open archways, and domed tower are spot-on with the production design of Peter Jackson’s epic. And bonus points to the Orc’s brick-built legs that create a “wading through the water” effect that perfectly compliments the scene.

Billowing sails on the high seas

The latest episode of LEGO Masters had me in awe as the contestants built stunning pirate ships in just eight hours. This lovely tall ship by Ralf Langer is admittedly several nautical miles above and beyond that and surely took him more than eight hours to construct. The cannons, the rigging, and the waving flag are all amazing touches to be sure. But the star of the show here has got to be those billowing sails. Ralf is a master at building complex curves and textures and this ship encompasses all of that in some surprising ways. Please do yourselves the favor and set sails for our Ralf Langer archives to see what other adventures await.

Fair weather and a tiny patch for your garden... in the clouds

Floating islands have even more need of a strong beacon to warn airships away from dangerous rocks. This tall beacon by Ids de Jong is more than just another lighthouse, with an industrial revolution aesthetic and a factory in the far distance giving the scene a clever bit of forced perspective. One thing this beacon keeper doesn’t have to worry about is groundskeeping, aside from a few herbs and flowers, there’s not much room for gardening

A Vampire’s never late

It may be a little past Halloween, but a vampire’s never late. Because they’re undead! Get it? Anyway, this fantastic dungeon by Marcin Otreba has all the trappings of a ghoulish lair set into a great little vignette. The architecture is wonderfully gothic with lots of spikes and details, such as repeating batarangs. The tan highlights give it enough visual interest to offset the drab grey you’d expect. Now pardon me, I’m going to go finish watching What We Do in the Shadows.

Back when the future wasn’t quite so futuristic.

LEGO builder Isaac Wilder is known for retro automotive creations. But this time Isaac is bringing us a vision of the future – or, at least, the way the future was envisioned back when the cars he normally builds were new. Does that all make sense? Isaac’s hover car is all old-school curves up top, while the bottom is a gaggle of technological greebles keeping it aloft. And it’s getting gassed up by what looks like the love child of a Star Wars droid and a Radiator Springs gas pump. The full effect is a scene from a future we all remember, but haven’t quite reached, yet.

The LEGO great ball kraken-traption

The LEGO builds of the Great Ball Contraption universe are far more known for their function rather than their form. Each module is designed to move minifig-scale basketballs and soccer balls from one point to another. But Jeff Strong adds a wonderful aesthetic touch to his GBC module, Kraken Attackin’. An ode to Tacoma, Washington, in the US, balls fly down a channel next to several natural and man-made landmarks of the region. But beware the dangerous kraken under the Narrows Bridge with its wily tentacles! The color palette here is brilliant, as are some of the great building techniques like the trees on the hillside. Even the blue and white conveyor that moves the balls up to the start of the run is striking. It’s a masterful piece of moving artwork!

But a still picture can’t really do this creation justice. See below for some video footage of the GBC module in action. Pay specific attention to the unique movement of the kraken’s tentacle. Jeff employs some genius engineering under the “water” to add a natural flow to the giant red limb.

A lone pop of colour in a lonely village

We love a good LEGO creation that uses about double the amount of LEGO pieces to be built as you’d expect. This creation by Joe is composed of a lot of small little pieces to create patterns and structures. The scene depicts an abandoned village with one sole visitor. The visitor is apparently the only living soul in the town, just as the blue door is the only thing with colour in the town. Your eye gets drawn to the door due to the vibrant colour, and the door itself is exceptionally well built. But if you look past it, you’ll notice that the rest of the creation is as well. All the walls are made by slopes, tiles and plates to resemble woodwork. The use of the paled fence for windows is quite clever. Throughout the entire creation there are a lot of fangs, horns, angled bars, plates with a handles, and small windows used to represent snow and ice. Of those four, the last two are most resourceful.

This cat mech has had enough of your shiz!

When I saw this LEGO cat mech by Dan Rubin I immediately thought of that meme of the lady yelling at a cat who seems perturbed by a plate of vegetables. That image, and just about every variation of it I’ve seen so far, has tickled my funny bone to no end. There’s just so much absurdity to it! I imagine the cat growing into a giant mech suit and then taking sweet revenge on Miss Whiny-Yelling-Crying-Pants. Point that finger at me, will you? Hah! The imagination soars with hilarious scenarios. Anyway, that meme is not where Dan took his inspiration, as it turns out. This idea spawned from the bunny mech from Sucker Punch and the fact that LEGO produced a snarling printed cat face on a half-dome. I can’t even fathom which set that part would have come from but surely some of you know so be sure to let us know in the comments.