Tag Archives: Iron Forge

All that talent down the drain

In a LEGO world of castles, mechs, and spaceships it’s neat when someone with the amusing name of Pistash comes along and builds something totally ordinary. A golden faucet is an ordinary thing if you happen to be in a higher tax bracket than most, but you get what I mean. The smooth porcelain of the sink and even the water splatter effects are all amazing touches. I even love the gold wheel rim used as the drain. It was built for the Iron Forge competition over at, well, Iron Forge. We’ve been amazed with this builder’s work before. Check out our Pistash archives to see what I mean.

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.

Twice the helmets for double the NPU

Hot off the heels of featuring in many of our end-of-year lists, Maxx Davidson gets off to a cracking start with his first LEGO build of 2024. Or should that be a… Croaking start? With the latest Iron Forge seed part, he’s crafted one of the cutest amphibians out there: the red-eyed tree frog. Said seed part is the minifigure helmet, and there are actually two variants used here. Both designs have been around for a long time, albeit in decidedly modern colours! The classic spaceman helmet in orange makes up the frog’s toes. Meanwhile, the flowers use a colour variation that’s barely a couple of years old – the ‘newer’ crash helmet in coral pink. I say newer – that part is now 30 years old! (Holy heck, that part is 30 years old?! Where does the time go…)

You won’t be-leaf this amazing vignette.

As part of the Iron Forge competition, gGh0st is putting LEGO leaves to work in as many places as possible for this kitchen vignette. From the curtains to the tablecloth, and even as spilled orange juice on the floor, there’s almost nowhere you can look in this build and not spot a leaf piece. But the real kicker is the wall construction, which allows for a framed portrait of Kermit the Frog in an almost Haunted Mansion-style effect.

Sink your teeth into this gorgeous architecture

When the Forest Elves need weapons and armor, they come to this forge crafted by gGh0st. With vertical and horizontal tooth plates galore, the building itself almost looks like it’s wearing scale armor. Not only is the result beautiful to look at, but I bet it makes any orc armies think twice about invading.

The fragile beauty of microscale LEGO spaceships

I have reason to suspect our very own Mansur Soeleman must be a wizard. Why? Well, look at his latest LEGO creation. Not only is it a super rendition of Spike Siegel’s Swordfish II from Cowboy Bebop, it looks to be held together with magic. I’d be worried about breathing near this for fear of something falling off. There are so many pieces that look like they’re barely hanging on to each other, but it works so well! And what pieces they are, all in such a tiny package. Wheel arches, the venerable sausage piece, a rubber ring and of course, the sword at the front. Well, it is known canonically as the Swordfish II, so there had to be one in there somewhere, right?

Cut through the competition at Cutlass Cove

A LEGO builder with the clever name of EMazingbrix has created a little diorama using six Minifig swords. Now, this is a conundrum because, for the life of me, I can only spot five. I see three trees, the serrated ridge to the far right, and the little boat sail. I’m still stumped on the sixth. There’s probably a passage in a survival manual somewhere stating that not spotting a weapon in plain sight is counterproductive in terms of longevity. Still, I’m flummoxed. OK, EMazingbrix, I give up. Where’s the sixth…(Schick!)…oooooh!

That’s one way to sharpen your skills as a builder

Builder Justus M. has really put his latest LEGO creation to the sword. Or rather, he’s put the sword to his latest LEGO creation! Quite a lot of swords, in fact. The build is a quaint little tabletop diorama of a junk ship being chased by a sea dragon. The swords are used everywhere: in the detailing for the ship, as part of the dragon’s headdress and on its back, and – most cleverly of all – as the stands. It’s these golden blades used as feet, along with the compass in the middle, that give this build an air of something more than just a cool LEGO build. It looks designed to be on display. Perhaps it would take pride of place on someone’s mantelpiece, in much the same way some real swords do.

Turning an armory into a place of peace

When creating your own builds with LEGO, one of the major hurdles is seeing a specialized piece as something other than what it was intended for. gGh0st demonstrates that here perfectly, turning a bevy of staffs and blades into a serene pavilion. The conical roof is cleverly constructed, and the shades of blue pair beautifully with gold and green to perfectly complement the stylish minifigure.

A dangerous addition to the LEGO Botanical Collection

It’s a cold winter here in the US, and as I look out the window I can only wish that the snows would be replaced with the warmth and sun suggested by this lovely botanical creation from Andreas Lenander. Oh, sure, this Piranha Plant from the words of Super Mario may be classified as an invasive species, but look at the great detailing and construction here! From the fun flower pot/pipe, to the organic-yet-spiky stem, to the “V for victory” mouth, there’s just a lot to love. Its enough to make you forget that this plant wants you, and everyone who looks like you, dead.

Built as part of the Iron Forge completion, Andreas has gone one step beyond by also sharing a great video that shows just how this chompy friend was constructed!

You know, Andreas wasn’t the first LEGO builder to take inspiration from the worlds of Mario. Check out some other super Mario-related sets and creations in our archives!

The clouds make for a lonely home.

Daniel Cloward is no stranger to builds with a storybook sensibility. But his latest creation is one of the most impactful pieces of LEGO storytelling we’ve seen. This ramshackle space is the cloud-based home of a pilot who needs to fix his airplane so he can return down to the world he’s left behind. But the pilot can’t bear to face the people below that he has wronged, and so his plane sits broken and incomplete, as does his life.

There are so many details in this space that speak to the lonely pilot’s state of mind – the pictures of old friends on the wall, maps of places once explored. And there’s a ton of great technique at work here: the arching entrance way, the blend of bars and tiles in the floor, the use of forced perspective. The genesis of this build was an Iron Builder round with antenna base and handle pieces as the seed part. They may not be immediately obvious, but there are plenty of them buried in this build. Try and pick them all out.

So it begins...a new year and a new Iron Forge

LEGO builder Francis Wiemelt has aptly named this piece So it begins. This is apt because it is a new year and this is Francis’ first entry into the first Iron Forge competition of 2022. That’s a lot of firsts! He goes on to tell us that the seed part is a lever (base or antennae), used here twenty-three times in the Uruk-hai army, and eight times in the fortress itself. Iron Forge competitions mean frantic building and stress for a chosen few intrepid builders, constant entertainment for you, and job security for us. Kinda like The Hunger Games. Good luck, Francis Wiemelt and may the odds be ever in our favor…or something.

And you thought stepping on them was painful

Most of us have a few brick separators lying around, but Gino Lohse takes things a step further by building a human-scale chainsaw that seems ready to take apart just about anything. Built for Iron Forge‘s April Tools monthly challenge, this 1:1 scale wonder isn’t based on a specific real-world inspiration. I think that makes it all the cooler, as there’s no question that this could be something you’d find on the shelves of a LEGO-universe hardware store. My favorite details are the modified 1×1 pate with clip/cheese slope teeth on the chain, the tires forming the handles, and the pull-cord starter. The photography deserves some recognition, too, as this is one model that really benefits from a “lifestyle” setting.

Cool additional fact: We learned about Gino’s creation on our Discord server. Head on over and join the discussion with fellow Brothers Brick fans! Or maybe seek some inspiration from other featured Iron Forge creations.

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!