Tag Archives: Animals

Papercraft and LEGO make for the cutest crab

Exceptional arthropod builder Takamichi Irie probably could’ve engineered a crab completely out of LEGO. He didn’t need to make a paper shell – but that wasn’t the point. Combining his love for LEGO creatures with his uncle’s passion for papercraft, he has formed an adorable crab.

Under that paper shell is the unique parts usage we’re used to. The hotdogs work well as legs, and the bulb elements (Bionicle eye) are perfect for the eyes. In addition and as usual, the arrangement of the pieces makes it look organic.

This artistry and attention to detail must run in the family because Takamichi has also gained inspiration from his late grandfather. The last time we featured one of his pieces, it was a mixed media bull also using papercraft. Check out it and his other work in our archives.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Time with a child is time well-spent

As a parent, I love spending time with my kids. Builder Felix Jaensch‘s “Orang-Utan with Child” creation is a beautiful tribute to those who play with LEGO with their kids.

There is so much that I love about this. Let’s start with colors: it’s incredible how accurate the orangutan is, with the parent having orange marking around the mouth and the child showing lighter colors. I’m equally stunned at the layering Felix did in replicating fur with bricks. It looks so real!

The tree itself is worth mentioning. Small color splotches help identify the tree as being in a weathered environment.

I hope to see more amazing builds like this from Felix this year!

The famous cat stretch

Cats are majestic yet silly creatures, and generally, there are a few habits shared between big cats and their domestic counterparts. Among those habits is what I call the cat stretch, a pose that requires both front legs extended while the cat’s backend is elevated. LEGO builder nobu_tary expertly recreates this feline posture with some small LEGO elements in his kitty mini-build.

Very commonplace elements are utilized in this build; for instance, the front legs are minimally but accurately fashioned out of 1×1 cylinders with white cheese slopes serving as the paws, the cat’s head cleverly makes use of a few white 2×2 corner plates along with some tan 1×1 plates, cheese slopes, and semi-circle pieces. The rest of our furry friend’s body comprises of other slope pieces and tiles in tan as well as a tan cat tail piece. Surely this is a build that could be inspiring to both animal fans, and LEGO builders, pictured below is another brick-built feline build by nobu_tary.

Monkey see, monkey do bigger

I’ve seen giant LEGO pieces, and even upscaled fish and chickens, but I’ve never before seen a giant LEGO monkey, and this one from mybrickbuild has me tickled pink. The classic LEGO monkey was one of my favorite pieces in the original Pirates theme, this giant one makes me want to see a whole LEGO Pirates set built at this scale. It’s a digital render but it looks like it’s mostly buildable with real bricks, except for the 2×2 round bricks with Technic holes, which aren’t currently available in brown. The arms and curling tail are courtesy of the new curved 2×2 round piece that forms the trunk on the Bonsai Tree.

If you like seeing things made bigger with bricks, check out our upscaled LEGO archives!

I am the robot walrus

When I first heard about Mitsuru Nikaido‘s LEGO mecha walrus, I pictured a cyberpunk Beatles nightmare. But when I looked at how well-built and detailed it was, I was only impressed.

What really sells this as a mecha walrus are the green eyes. They give off a ghostly computer-like glow that is creepy and makes the rest of the build look metallic. The tubing also helps, but without the eyes, I would have thought it was just a LEGO Technic-style sea mammal.

The skin even looks like armor plating! Well done, Mitsuru!

TBB cover photo for March 2021: Lifelike Koi Fish

This group of life-sized koi fish by Ian Hou of DOGOD Brick Design has awed us before, but we had to return to it for this month’s cover photo. Not only is this model lifelike from looks alone, it also evokes a feeling of zen associated with koi ponds. Looking at Ian’s photography, these look so good on display, like true sculptures. I would love to have these adorn my home to put me at ease when I’m stressing about building. Hopefully, this cover photo will offer the same feeling of calm for our readers. Once you’ve taken in this work of art, check more of Ian’s creations here.

Submit your LEGO creations for a chance to be featured across TBB social media for a month! Check out the submission guidelines share your builds today. Photos that do not meet the submission guidelines will not be considered, and will be removed from the group.

Keep up with The Brothers Brick by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter and Pinterest. Follow us on Instagram, Flickr, subscribe to us on YouTube, and join our brand new Discord server for extra goodies!

LEGO BrickHeadz 40466 Panda and cubs [Review]

The BrickHeadz theme has continued to branch out over the years to bring us everything from heroes and villains of the Marvel and DC universe to holiday characters, and most recently, a new sub-theme Pets. Today we’re taking a look at what I hope to see many more of, wild animal parents and their babies, LEGO BrickHeadz 40466 the Panda, and two cubs. The 249 piece set retails for US$19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £17.99

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Read the full review

The Nettledrake hides in plain flight

Thank you for joining us again for another edition of The Brothers Brick’s nature documentary series, Planet Brick. Today we’ve spotted Joss Woodyard’s well-camouflaged Nettledrake. Made up of many LEGO pieces you’d traditionally think to use for plant life, this magnificent beast is naturally hidden. If you happen to come across one in the wild yourself, it’s best to observe from a distance and see it spread its wings and take flight. Don’t be drawn in by its pretty pink spots or tail. If you get too close, you might get stung by the vicious beast’s teeth or talons. Thanks for stopping by and discovering another beautiful creature inhabiting Planet Brick.

Cable Clip Chameleon

Builder Joss Woodyard has made a chameleon out of LEGO and it’s simply a small work of art. There are a lot of axle connectors used in this build for the tail and the spine of the creature. I love that it manages to stay true to the color scheme of an actual chameleon. White wedge plate create gaps that resemble the mouth and there is great part use with the pumpkin part used to portray the characteristic eyes which bulge out the side of their head and appear to swivel about in all directions.

Look closely at the coral and spot a seahorse

Welcome back to the Brothers Brick’s LEGO nature documentary series, Planet Brick. Here you can see, hidden among the coral atop a 1×1 brick, a tiny little pygmy seahorse. Yes, James Zhan’s creation is well hidden, away from the mouths of crabs, rays, or fish looking for a little snack. The pink and red specks of this pygmy’s pigment help it to blend in with the vibrant colours of the coral, home to a number of other tiny camouflaged sea creatures. If a predator gets too close and the tiny little seahorse and tip the LEGO brick below it over and hide inside. A truly remarkable little creature to find on the reef. Stay tuned for our next episode as we explore other brick built flora and fauna inhabiting Planet Brick.

It’s always time for adventure with the new LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31116 Safari Wildlife Tree House! [Review]

A couple months ago some marketing material put out by the LEGO Group seemingly, accidentally teased an image of an unknown new set. Gasps ensued. An adorable giraffe?! Where can I get that?! Well folks, now it’s here. The new Creator 3-in-1 set 31116 Wildlife Safari Tree House is coming to shelves near you! This kit will be available March 1st, and will retail for US $29.99 | CAN $39.99 | UK £29.99. Join us as we don our safari vests and tour this fun new addition to the LEGO Creator line.

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Continue reading →

The bird is the word, but also a nerd.

Of course the bird is the word, but the bird is also the nerd as evidenced by wise old owls and the fact that little birds have a tendency to provide information to people. The cerebral nature of the species is also captured in Isaac Snyder’s brick-built avian critters sporting some stylish specs.

The pair of fowls here appear to be around the size of an average brickheadz model and they are crafted out of bricks and tiling as well as slopes which allow for curvy avian features. Both builds utilize two 1×1 cheese slopes to fashion beaks and 1×2 plates to minimally render their feet. The penguin and the owl also feature the squinting eye 1×1 round tiles, but each bird has their own distinctive eyewear – the penguin with its round frame and the owl with a square one. While simple and compact, these builds are still certainly a hoot!