You don’t have to be a birdwatcher to appreciate this collection of South American birds by Luis Peña. Each South American bird is built from between 35-55 LEGO pieces and would look great on your display shelf, desk, or bookshelf.
First is the Black-necked swan, which swims on a small stand of water.
Check out more instructions from Luis
There is a golden rule of vehicles: If it exists in real life, then it exists as someone’s LEGO creation. This medium-sized Technic off-roader by Anton Kablash is a model of a car that does not exist… yet. A recently announced next-generation Ford Bronco, set to release in 2021, is a modern take on a classic SUV. While retaining its iconic boxy shape, the new model has a futuristic take on the front grille and headlights of the original vehicle. Anton captures the design with pinpoint accuracy using mostly Technic parts with a few of the usual plates, slopes, and tiles thrown in between.
As with the real vehicle, I am drawn to the simple, minimalist design of this vehicle. The clean lines form a box that is aesthetically pleasing rather than boring. The only curves are where it matters – the wheel arches and the frame around the headlights. My favourite is the hood, which Anton constructed from tiles and curved slopes rather than Technic parts. The windows and roof in black offer a nice contrast from the white body, and I particularly like the inclusion of mounted spotlights.
Underneath a clean white livery with openable doors, hood, and trunk, there are as many functions as a large-scale supercar. The working steering connects to both a steering wheel and a “hand of god” gear on the roof. The rear wheel connects to an inline four-cylinder engine in the front, and all the wheels have high-clearance suspension. On top of it all, the chassis and exterior are separate modules.
I fancy myself as too old and too unhip for TikTok. With that said, LEGO meme builder and Brothers Brick alumni Iain Heath is a few years older than me and probably already on the AARP mailing list. Yet somehow he has his middle-aged finger on the up-to-the-minute pulse of what the crazy kids are into on TikTok. You may have heard that the Tweeter in Chief nearly banned TikTok for new American subscribers as recently as last Sunday but apparently has since struck up a lucrative business deal that’ll maybe put the ban on hold and thus somehow TikTok is no longer a national threat. Thank giblets for progress, right? Thankfully Iain already has an account and can clue the rest of us in on what we’re missing. Presenting TikTok sensation Bella Poarch whose schtick is apparently making faces to the beat of Techno tunes. Check out Iain’s 10-second video to get in on all the fun. Your lives will most certainly be enriched.
Call me weird, but given the money and space I’d make a classic hearse as my daily driver. I already have the somber disposition down pat, and when not sweating gravy during the summer I can pull off a black suit with some semblance of charm and poise. I’m no expert on the matter but by the looks of the fins and taillights I’d say this LEGO creation by Plastic Pauper is representative of a ’58 or ’59 Cadillac. That is some automotive excellence right there! The coffin is also well-built. The neat thing about hearses is that, for some of us, it marks the first and only time we get to ride in a fancy car. What, too soon? I’ll just let myself out now.
If you don’t recognise it, the title is a small excerpt of Part of Your World from Disney’s The Little Mermaid. (It’s also something I’ve never heard an adult fan of LEGO say when describing their collection.) Builder Konoyaro used the Disney movie as an inspiration for this creation and it looks stunning! The best part about this has to absolutely be the vibrant colours. Konoyaro used a lot of parts introduced in the Friends and Elves sets for the coral reef. Look how cute Sebastian and Flounder are on this scale. Small but still very recognisable. The award for best part used goes to the knit caps used as a shell bikini top. And I am really curious to how posable this figure is. It looks like it has joints in all the right places.
LEGO builder Matthew Terentev built an amazing Technic replica of a 70s-era Russian station wagon, the GAZ-24, and then he crashed it. The result is this fascinating depiction of a crashed LEGO car, which is something that even after years of featuring LEGO models here on The Brothers Brick I haven’t seen done well more than a few times. Rather than just being a partially disassembled pile of bricks, you can tell exactly how the front-right impact crumpled the hood and bumper of this racer.
What’s even more unusual is for a LEGO car to have a story. But Matthew didn’t just build the crashed Gaz-24. Instead, he gives us its whole life as a car, starting with the original, factory spec wagon.
Click to see more of the LEGO Gaz-24
Ten minutes ago if you would have told me a LEGO baroque harp would have been the best thing I’ve seen all day, I’d respond with “you must be hitting the nipperkin”, or some other clever 17th-century phrase denoting my disbelief. Now ten minutes have passed and here we are. This is pretty much the best thing I’ve seen all day. It comes from a builder aptly named Vincent’s LEGO Creation. I’m in awe of the intricate detailing, the filigree, which is nearly entirely monochromatic. To see this in person would certainly be a sight to behold. It conjures up images of fancy lords in pantaloons and powdered wigs, ladies in hoop skirts and heaving bosoms, and both with questionable grooming practices. No, it’s true! I’ve read books on the matter. You don’t want to know! Anyway, this is a thing of beauty.
If only we had more photos, we’d feature multiple shots of this from every angle. But for now, we have but this one image and the hope that we’ll see more creations from this builder again soon.
Rescue from the Merpeople was released in 2005, that’s right, 15 years ago! It was a small build but it contained 5 unique figures. It was the first set, and still one of the only sets, containing sleepy faced minifigurs. On top of that LEGO gave us their first mermaid minifigure. Whether or not you think the mermaid is pretty is a matter of taste. In 15 years a lot has changed in the world of LEGO and Caleb Schilling shows us a peek of what the set might look like if LEGO would ever decide to redesign it. I am really fond of the demure use of colour in this creation. The only vibrant colour comes from the vegetation and some of the characters’ outfits. The base is especially well made, showing little to no studs. The skirts on Hermoine and Cho further add to the flowing underwater feel of this creation.
The ancient woods have even older guardians, and this one does not seem like one to be trifled with. Named Tyto, the mighty beast is part owl and part lion, with the antlers of a stag. LEGO builder Joss Woodyard has expertly sculpted the chimera to achieve an organic, regal shape. The furry chest is made of Hero Factor armor pieces layered together, but it’s the wings that really sell the beast for me. The feathers are created with many different kinds of wing elements, but primarily several dozen white stylized wings from the Legends of Chima theme. They’re strung together with clips over a spine of flex tube to create the wings’ shapely curves.
Oh, and that name? Tyto is the Latin name for the genus containing owls. This magnificent beast will watch over all his feathered friends.
Known to fans as the “chicken walker”, this LEGO All Terrain-Scout Transport (AT-ST) model by builder Lewis Kiwi is anything but a wimpy chicken. I’d use this beast to stand up to rebel scum any day of the week.
This has to be the most well-built AT-ST I’ve ever seen. From the top of the highly-detailed roof to the bottom of the articulated feet, this AT-ST outshines even the Ultimate Collector’s Series AT-ST set. Just look at the joints! The blasters! The engine work!
Some of the best LEGO creations have a level of detail that implies more detail beneath it. Notice how simple pieces like tubing and fans draw your eyes into the walker’s interior, making you wonder where those tubes connect to and how the walker is powered.
Where Lewis shines the most, however, is in his color schemes. This AT-ST uses light gray as the main armor layer, while underlying dark gray form the walker’s structure. This effect establishes the battle-readiness and is a detail not seen in many of the AT-ST models built over the years.
Since 2018 the LEGO wizarding world has been expanding via collectible minifigure series as well as sets based on the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films. All of the newly available minifigures and elements have really stirred up the imaginations of Potterheads and have inspired some great work. One of these exemplary builders is Kale Frost who invites us to sit in on a lesson at Hogwarts with his build of a Herbology classroom.
Kale’s brick-built greenhouse is a truly magical creation, the stars of the scene I would say are some of the newer elements he included as well as the latest Professor Pomona Sprout minifigure. Also from the second Harry Potter collectible minifigures series, is the potions book featured in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. He incorporates elements from other themes such as the geode from LEGO City Space and the teal headphones from Monkie Kid, both pieces also being fairly new. This vignette certainly makes me wish I was a minifigure, I could throw on those teal headphones and cultivate some mandrakes to whip up various restorative potions.
This orangutang made by Lestrange Absurde is giving me very strong The Jungle Book vibes. King Louie was added to Rudyard Kiplings original story. King Louie has been portrayed as an orangutang in the 1967 version, and a gigantopithecus in the 2016 remake. This creation by Lestrange Absurde looks soo sweet and gentle. There is a rediculous amount of brilliant modified plate use. Just look at the fur, bottom lip, nose, fingers & toes and last but not least that cute as a button belly button.
