Tag Archives: Fish

Creature Contraptions building a better future in LEGO

2024 has been a delightful year for the Space theme, with it showing up in surprising forms across a range of LEGO themes. Ian Hou (DOGOD Brick Design) keeps the Space party going with a whimsical scene where old and new space minifigs pilot fish-ships and bug-gies to a chameleon-inspired space station. In the spirit of joyful collaboration, the model even incorporates a modified portion of the LEGO Friends Mars Space Base for the chameleon’s control module. According to the builder, the scene depicts a facility where the “dragon” restores life-giving soil. The central building is so colorful and fun, but my inner-kid’s favorite element has to be the adorable beetle buggies.

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For more of Ian Hou’s playful animal-inspired builds, check out our DOGOD Brick Design archives.

Opulent LEGO “goldfish” doesn’t play coy

Last year Swedish builder Rickard Stensby (@stensbylego) wowed us with his ingenious technique for layering round plates around a frame to create a perfectly-shaped chicken. How to follow up on one of 2023’s most admired LEGO creations? Rickard plumbed the depths and hooks a gold-plated anglerfish, mounted and ready for its gallery debut. This time it’s the 2×3 flat tile with angle that gets the layering treatment, giving the fish its sleek yet pokey finish. The jutting teeth, cartoon eye, and glow-white ball dangling on a pearl gold hose round out the briny personality. Don’t let the flat presentation fool you – the model captures nearly the full spherical body of the fish (which you can appreciate in Rickard’s video). The black tile backing and gilded frame let the deceptively simple model shine. Rickard says there were two unfinished attempts at creating this difficult form but the third time is a charm worthy of a LEGO Master.

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This kingfisher knows all the greatest fishing spots!

With all of the excitement for the new official kingfisher LEGO set, it’s no wonder other builders – like Ryan Van Duzor – are giving us their own unique take on the subject. This LEGO model captures a kingfisher in its most exciting moment as it just hits the water and drops in on those unsuspecting fish. If you’re like me and didn’t recognize those fish right away, don’t feel too bad; those are Duplo fish that were discontinued in 2018. The air-water boundary in this scene is skillfully held together by transparent slide shoes and the kingfisher is crowned with feathers from the Chima line. While this bird may not make a splash, I think the build will!

Women fear me and my oversized fishing hat

This LEGO creation by Tino Poutiainen reminds me of those model kits of yore; The Visible Man, The Visible Woman, The Visible Horse, etcetera. They even had, I found out just now, a Visible Trout similar to this one that showcases all the squishy bits you’d rather not think about while enjoying some fish and chips. Apparently, you have to sell a major organ to get your hands on these retro kits nowadays! I went on to read Tino’s write-up and he said “Women Fear Me, Fish Fear Me, Men Turn Their Eyes Away From Me, As I Walk No Beast Dares Make A Sound, In My Presence I Am Alone On This Barren Earth.” Then I was like; what the heck? Of course, I Googled it and it used to merely be a meme of an oversized fishing hat with that scripture on it but now you can buy it for real. This leaves me with a difficult choice; either save up for one of those old model kits or profess my awesomeness with an oversized fishing hat. Difficult choice, indeed!

Diner and a dinner

Brick-built life on LEGO pond

Well really, there’s just as much life within this LEGO pond, built by Jannis Mavrostomos, as there is “on” it. The composition is lovely, and an interesting perspective that you don’t often see – including both above and below the waterline in an elegant way. I love the seamless transition and how it all blends together, and of course, the animals are fantastic. Both the mallard and the pike are easily recognizable, but I think I’m most impressed by the use of the cylindrical hinge element with heart tiles and hands to create the smaller fish.

While you’re here, check out more builds by Jannis, as well as loads of other exceptional animal creations.

LEGO Creation of the Week (#11): Goldfish by Dicken Liu

Every week readers of the The Brothers Brick Telegram channel choose the Creation of the Week: one project that impressed all of us the most. Watch out for a hungry fish, as this lovely one by Dicken Liu swallowed all of its contenders in the last week’s Creation of the Week voting! Congratulations, little goldfish!

Meanwhile, the new vote is already on! Join our Telegram channel to follow all the best LEGO creations, latest news, and, of course, vote for your favorites. See you there!

Going for a swim just off the cape

I absolutely adore this red goldfish LEGO build by Dicken Liu! Its big, gaping white mouth is perfect for a cyprinid with a known memory problem. The use of rounded tiles for scales feels perfect for such a cartoonish creation. And the intricate touch of the gold ring around its eye is absolutely perfect here. But the real star of the show is the terrific use of Doctor Strange capes throughout the model. The part fits in perfectly for the goldfish’s flowing fins, bringing the model to life.

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A lionfish build that’s good enough to eat

With all the LEGO turkey legs and croissants adorning his denizen of the deep, Ryan Van Duzor makes a good case for eating more lionfish, an invasive species in the Western Atlantic Ocean. I love the use of Ninjago Dragon Master wings to replicate the fish’s delicate fins. And the minifigure weapons adding their points to the many spines is some inspired part usage! I can only imagine what the interior of the model looks like to support the arching pieces making up the face of this beautiful Pterois. This model is a real catch!

You wouldn’t want to be this fish’s dentist!

Mitsuru Nikaido has constructed this haunting model, taking inspiration from aquatic creatures found in the depths of the ocean. Specifically, this build is based on the strangely named footballfish, from the same family as the anglerfish. The body is covered in armour like plates, providing the model with a robotic aesthetic, until you get to the mouth. The twisted, organic looking teeth, recreate the horrifying appearance of the fish, along with the round gleaming eyes. Beware dear readers, I’ve heard that this model uses a golden bionicle orb to lure in unsuspecting LEGO fans…

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LEGO 31129 Majestic Tiger – There’s no tame in this big cat [Review]

From the jungles of Asia comes a new LEGO set that released on January 1st: the LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31129 Majestic Tiger. This 3-in-1 set features alternative builds of a fish and a red panda. The 775-piece LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31129 Majestic Tiger is available now for US $49.99 | CAN $64.99 | UK £44.99. It may also be available from third-party sellers on Amazon and eBay.
The Brothers Brick had the opportunity to review the 775-piece Majestic Tiger and share our thoughts on whether or not it’s worth purchasing.

Click to read the full, hands-on review

Things are going swimmingly for this golden fish

This LEGO creation looks like something straight out of a steampunk world. Mihai Marius Mihu has built this intricately detailed mechanical fish, using a wide variation of parts. Wing and blade pieces represent fins, while there are all sorts of parts used across the body; branches, armour modules, claws and snakes. Around the eye, a tyre encompasses the pupil, represented by a crystal globe. The blue wing sections provide an excellent contrast to the golden colour scheme. It’s a fantastic build as you’re guaranteed to spot new clever details every time you look at it.

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In the belly of the bass

Okay, so maybe it’s not a bass – it’s a European perch. But I couldn’t help using the alliteration there. This LEGO recreation of the perch, built by Jannis Mavrostomos, has some nice body-shaping and a good use of parts. But it’s really what’s on the inside (or flipside) that makes this build unique!

Click to see what the other side looks like!