Tag Archives: Monsters

All hail Godzilla, King of the Monsters

Is there anyone out there who thinks a giant sea-dwelling lizard monster isn’t cool? No? Good. How about one made of LEGO? An even more resounding no? Excellent! In which case, take a look at this epic Godzilla by Joss Woodyard. Godzilla has many incarnations, and this one is based on its appearance in the Monsterverse films. The texturing is simply incredible. Joss makes great use of the stepped bow slope and a variety of textured rock pieces for the monster’s rough skin. Worth paying careful attention to, though, are the ridges up the spine. This is a mish-mash of curved and straight slopes and tiles; simple parts, but used to devastating effect to complete Godzilla’s menacing form.

Godzilla might be the King of the Monsters, but we’ve featured plenty of his subjects in our monster 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.

It’s best to keep an eye on this one

A LEGO builder who goes by the uncanny name of Iggs is a person of few words, all of them cryptic, shadowy, and kinda creepy. About this Lord of Many Eyes creation, he tells us “That which collects eyes will set sight on many…” The three dots at the end was his inclusion, probably for dramatic effect. And what a dramatic creation this is! I’m loving the foreboding nature of this totally creeptastic figure. Iggs’ words are a bit shadowy indeed but hold plenty of truth. The same can be said for anything, really. It’s kinda like me with Hot Wheels cars or, since we’re here talking about adult LEGO builders, and LEGO. This wouldn’t be the first time Iggs made us think whilst also giving us the heebie-jeebies a little. Click the little blue link (if you dare!) to see what I mean.

Not exactly a LEGO Rivendell...

Titled “Temptation” and haunted by an enormous black monster, Ben Cossy‘s latest LEGO diorama feels like it’s set in an alternate Middle Earth where our heroes face down their worst desires made manifest, rather than struggling quietly against the thrall of the One Ring. Ben shares that he’s glad to build something in the fantasy/castle theme that doesn’t require quite so much green (or gray, for that matter). The autumnal color palette of the trees contrasts beautifully with the white architecture.

Continue reading →

Hallowe’en has never looked so cuddly

Koen Zwanenburg has added to his collection of plushie-style LEGO builds. Normally I would describe them as adorable, but since these are Hallowe’en themed… Ah, who am I kidding! They’re still cute. Except that clown, though. The last thing anyone needs a cuddly toy of is Pennywise. The consistency of style between all of them is remarkable, even among the less anthropogenic ones such as the pumpkin or spider. I think my favourite is the little devil. Who is yours?

It isn’t just plushies that make Koen such a good builder – have a look through some of his previous work!

Watch your fingies while handling this LEGO D&D chest mimic

It seems that we’ve seen a veritable dragon’s hoard of Dungeons and Dragons-themed builds lately, thanks in large part to the challenge on LEGO Ideas celebrating the 50th anniversary of the game. And I guess it’s time I toss one of my own onto the pile: this ferocious chest mimic. It’s mouth is brimming with treasure, including a necklace, ring, gold ingot, and lots of coins (2×2 round tile) and gems (1×2 transparent brick). These goodies are on display thanks to a false bottom built into the mimic’s mouth, upon which it’s tongue rests. If I had to pick a specific design piece that I was most proud of here, I would say it’s the use of exposed studs along the lid to emulate rivets in the dark gray metal. When faced with the challenge of using brackets to form the arch of the lid, I decided to lean into it and use the design byproduct to my advantage.

It’s funny to think that this build started out as a generic treasure chest construction, complete with lighting to highlight the gems inside. And while those lights haven’t made it to this final version, the original frame remains largely intact. However, from this initial version through the handful of shows where the chest mimic has been on display, the model has broken on me three times. That’s not just into pieces, but countless fractured LEGO plates! I guess that’s the cost of working with so much reddish brown and not being overly careful when packing. The first major break was when prepping for the picture below. I dropped the chest’s lid on the concrete of my back patio and was forced to delay the photo shoot until the next night while I made repairs.

Need a hell-ping hand?

This five-fingered demon by Nathan Hake is an unconventional monster that makes for a suitably spooky way to celebrate Halloween. Inspired by cover art from an album by the Dead Pirates, Nathan has crafted plenty of character into this gruesome glove. The use of curved slopes and hinges creates a surprisingly anatomically accurate hand shape that feels like it could grab hold of anything. And a fortuitous lighting mishap gave the final pic a classic horror movie feel.

A child’s imagination is a wonderful thing

While we often features builds by AFOLs, sometimes it’s important to remember that LEGO is, fundamentally, a kids’ toy. BetaNotus‘ local LEGO User Group (LUG) has borne that in mind with their latest challenge. Each builder was assigned a sketch by local children, and tasked with turning it into a MOC. It’s an adorable idea that has resulted in a rather cool-looking monster! It’s a skilful piece of building, but it still manages to retain the inventive charm of what a kid’s imagination can conjure up.

What happens when a Kaiju joins the human side?

The answer to the question posed in the title is demonstrated in this fascinating creation, built by Ryan Z. The model has an elongated form and is adapted for human use by having a carrier section on its back. The face has an interesting design with two large angled slopes placed together sideways with a green snowboard representing the tongue of the creature. The carrier section features a control tower overlooking a short runway where fighters can launch from. It could be quite the bumpy ride for those in the tower section, especially if this beast moves in a lizard like motion.

A strange new horror emerges

A huge looming shadow envelopes a city as squirming tentacles rise from the earth, while a floating monstrosity transforms all in its wake into a dark and twisted land. Or at least that’s what we can assume is happening in this awesome build created by Ivan Martynov. The main model features an odd humanoid body surrounded by a variety of cable and tube parts. One of the protruding lower sections of the creature is actually a sled piece from the Life on Mars sets. Several of the structures on the ground are cleverly made up of old Znap pieces with hints of colour wedged in between. It also seems this new overlord will always be watching with its many gleaming red eyes.

Behold! An excellent LEGO D&D monster!

Other than its titular dragons, there isn’t a more iconic Dungeons & Dragons monster than the terrifying Beholder. And this version by Tim and Dannii from LEGO Masters Australia is a critical hit! The shaping and coloration are fantastic, and I love the bit of drool dripping out of that hideous mouth. All those teeth make for a menacing countenance the causes my level 10 warforged wizard to quake with fear. I also particularly like the ruins in the background. It shows some elegantly simple work with brown bars, and it sets a great scene without stealing the show.

Good...doggie...beast

Looking like an extra from a reboot of AAAHH!!! Real Monsters, the Skulkhound isn’t something you’d want to find rummaging through your rubbish. Builder Djokson is quite a practiced character artist with a great eye for design and parts usage. This creepy little doggo is a perfect example of both. The sharp, spindly legs provide just enough support for the arching, unnaturally thin spine of this Chupacabra-esque cutie. Clever color-blocking with DOTs bracelets of different thickness give the beast a cartoonish coat that almost distracts from its jagged smile.

It may have a face only its creator could love but look at it a little longer. You know it’s cute, just in a “good boy, don’t eat my soul, here’s your graveyard kibble” kind of way. If creepy isn’t your thing, I wouldn’t recommend checking out too many of Djokson’s other creatures. Some are much less cuddly than others but they’re all full of life.

A monster has fallen into the sewer in LEGO City!

Are you old enough to remember Dirty Jobs? This scene from Shannon Sproule reminds me of that show. It’s easy to project the personality of Mike Rowe onto the hard-hatted figure descending into the sewer, particularly with the backstory that Gracie (as the monster is known) gets along just fine with the City workforce. It’s a fun little slice of life that shows we can all get along if we try. (And if we offer the monsters in our lives chicken legs and cheeseburgers.)

We’ve featured a lot of monstrous creations over the years. Why not check them out?