Tag Archives: World War II

From sprawling dioramas depicting the invasion of Normandy to full-scale LEGO aircraft carriers and battleships, the Second World War is a frequent subject among LEGO builders fascinated by the conflict’s history, people, and weaponry. Here on The Brothers Brick, you’ll find everything from LEGO M4 Shermans and Tiger tanks lumbering across the landscape to F4U Corsairs, P-51 Mustangs, and Mitsubishi Zeros patrolling the skies.

BrickMania releases custom Panzer IV Ausf. G. LEGO tank kit [News]

The most frequent question we get from LEGO builders is How do I get blogged? But for all of you out there who read The Brothers Brick to see what we builders do, one of your most common questions is “Where can I buy that?” The answer is usually “You can’t.”

Daniel Siskind of BrickMania was one of the first LEGO fans to create and sell custom LEGO sets of his own design, way back in 1999 or 2000. After a five-year hiatus, Dan recently began producing new custom kits.

The Panzer IV Ausf. G. tank kit from World War II comes in Afrikakorps tan, with a unique BrickArms prototype MG42 machine gun.

Dan’s Panzer tank kit includes 690 pieces and sells for $99.95 with instructions on CD.

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LEGO battleship Yamato, largest LEGO ship ever, completed after 6 years

In a feat of LEGO naval engineering rivaled only by Malle Hawking’s USS Harry S Truman and Ed Diment’s HMS Hood, Jumpei Mitsui (JunLEGO) completed his World War II battleship Yamato today.

LEGO battleship Yamato has some very impressive specifications:

Length: 6.6 meters (22 feet) from bow to stern
Width: 1 meter (3 feet) at the widest point midship
Scale: 1/40
Time to complete: 6 years, 4 months
Parts: 200,000 LEGO elements
Weight: 150 kilograms (330 pounds)

Jumpei’s LEGO version is based on the way Yamato appeared immediately prior to the fateful Operation Ten-Go in 1945.

Jumpei built LEGO Yamato to answer the question he posed to himself all the way back in elementary school: “How big would Yamato be from a LEGO minifig’s perspective?” A third-year college student today, Jumpei can now demonstrate exactly what that would look like!

Breaking through the language barrier, Jumpei pioneered the use of Bricklink among Japanese LEGO fans to source the two hundred thousand LEGO elements necessary to build Yamato.

Yamato includes wonderful details like the Imperial chrysanthemum emblem on the bow and a brick-built Japanese navy flag flying from the bridge. The superstructure is especially impressive.

See more photos of this amazing LEGO creation on Jumpei Mitsui’s website and in his LEGO Battleship Yamato gallery on Brickshelf (when moderated).

Not to be confused with the fictional Space battleship Yamato, the real Japanese battleship Yamato was launched in 1941, and remains the largest battleship ever constructed by any navy.

Having fired her guns against Allied forces only once during the Pacific War, Yamato was sunk in 1945, taking nearly 2,500 of her 2,700 crew to their deaths.

Six years in the making, Jumpei Mitsui’s LEGO battleship Yamato is major news in the LEGO fan community. The Brothers Brick will get in touch with Jumpei and try to arrange an interview for our English-speaking readers. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the pictures.

A bigger bite

Ralph Savelsberg (Mad Physicist) has made a wonderful model of the De Havilland Mosquito used by the RAF in World War II. His proportions and clever cockpit designs (as well as the special working features) are what really make Ralph’s planes stand out from the usual offerings.

M3 Grant Medium Tank by Dan Siskind

Daniel Siskind (Brickmania) recently posted this awesome M3 Grant Medium Tank from World War II, in British 7th Armored Division (“Desert Rats”) markings:

The handlebars on the wheels are a nice touch, and notice the tan Brodie helmet prototypes from BrickArms on the side.

By the way, this should come as good news for all of you out there who ask if the items we feature here on The Brothers Brick are for sale (they generally aren’t) or if we can send you instructions (we can’t), Dan has ~~a wide range of custom LEGO kits for sale, along with~~ instructions for many of his LEGO designs.

New BrickArms prototypes: Bazooka, MGL, MG42, Colt, and more [Preview]

Will Chapman from BrickArms took the summer off from work to try focusing exclusively on custom minifig accessories.

Starting with BrickWorld 2008 in June, each LEGO convention has revealed more and more new products and prototypes.

Thanks to the extra time he has now, Will has been churning out more prototypes in his garage than we can count — particularly for those of you eager for World War II accessories.

For your Allied minifigs, the Bazooka M9 (with M6 rocket) will pack a serious punch:

On the Axis side, the German Panzerfaust 30 anti-tank weapon and MG42 machine gun will complement the MP40 SMG and C96 Mauser:

One of the most intriguing new prototypes is the U-clip (“U” for universal). The U-clip can connect any two objects that can fit into a minifig hand.

The potential applications seem infinite, such as attaching a bayonet (also a new BrickArms prototype) to your Lee-Enfield SMLE, a Combat Knife (again, new) to your M4 Carbine, or simulating an M203 grenade launcher with a black LEGO lightsaber handle:

Between our earlier coverage and the Zombie Apocafest, readers should already be familiar with the Lewis gun and Combat Shotgun:

The current Lewis gun prototype solves a minor issue with the earlier version (the drum tended to pop off fairly easily) by attaching the drum to the gun with a clip-like stud. This does make the drum more secure, but it resembles T-21 blaster from Star Wars a bit less with the drum removed.

A couple of the more unique new weapons include a game-inspired gunblade and a Derringer:

The MGL (multiple grenade launcher) will enable your minifigs to take on Decepticons and Predators alike with ease:

Finally, fans of Western movies get two iconic pistols — the Colt Navy 1861 revolver and the M1917 revolver (which looks a lot like the Colt Single Action Army “Peacemaker”):

For those of you wondering when we’ll see all this great stuff in production, here’s the final word from Will:

The next mold (in black and/or bley) will include the Combat Knife and Combat Shotgun for sure, and most likely the MGL, Lewis Gun, and Paintball Gun, but the lineup is still being decided. Look for that mold in early 2009, perhaps even by BrickFest 2009 in Portland!

The swords and Colt Navy will most likely be added to a silver mold, sometime soon as well. I’m still coordinating the layout for it. The other items may be limited-edition “garage releases”, as time permits. All will eventually see production.

Did he just say swords and paintball guns? Yes indeed. Look for a preview of those in the next few days from Josh. ;-)

New BrickArms M21 Sniper Rifle, Lee-Enfield SMLE, and Baseball Bat [Review]

We mentioned the new accessories from BrickArms during BrickCon, and picked them up at their booth the moment they opened.

The newly released M21 Sniper Rifle isn’t substantially different from the hand-molded prototype we previewed a few months ago, but it’s great to see the final version in production.

My M21 is being put to good use against zombies by Sgt. Doyle from 28 Weeks Later:

What came as a bit more of a surprise for me at BrickCon, though, was the new Lee-Enfield SMLE rifle. The Lee-Enfield was the official rifle of British Commonwealth forces from 1895 to 1957, seeing action in both world wars.

I’d been making soldiers with BrickArms prototypes all day, so I gave my shiny new SMLE to a member of the British Home Guard:

I’d also used prototypes of the new BrickArms Baseball Bat in the hands of my zombie-hunters, so I forgot to take pictures of the production version. Thankfully, Zack Newright saves the day:

Speaking of prototypes, in the next couple of days we’ll have a full preview of the cool stuff Will’s been cooking up in his garage. Stay tuned…

First look at future BrickArms prototypes [News]

Will Chapman of BrickArms was at BrickWorld 2008 the weekend before last, and Nannan scored a selection of custom items and prototypes for future BrickArms products. Since this isn’t a review (like my recent BrickForge review), I’ll mainly just show you pictures.

My favorite BrickArms prototype is the unique Lewis gun from World War I:

In addition to historical accuracy — the round magazine is removable — I think this gun has the most potential beyond military applications. In fact, the real-life Lewis gun inspired the T-21 light repeating blaster from the Star Wars universe.

The BrickArms machete and KA-BAR (“survival knife”) add sharp edges to the BrickArms inventory:

Military builders have already expressed excitement over the M21 Sniper Weapon System:

The baseball bat and “cleaver” improve minifig odds against the zombie horde:

The “Spy Carbine” and “Golden Gun” evoke the world of Ian Fleming’s James Bond:

See more in my BrickArms photoset on Flickr.

I know lots of you want to know when these are going to be released and whether these prototypes represent the final design. To save you some confusion, here’s the official word from the BrickArms spokesbadger:

Cleaver – Prototype only. Design is finalized. Will eventually see mass production.

Machete – Prototypes only. Two versions were distributed in a variety of colors: one with a lip on the handle and one without. The design is still being finalized. Will eventually see mass production.

KA-BAR – Prototype and included in a special BA custom Commando fig. Existed in a variety of colors including trans-colors. Will eventually see mass production.

Golden Gun – Prototypes only. Existed in a variety of colors including trans-colors. Unlikely to ever see mass production, but may be available beyond the Spy Contest prizes at some point in the future. Design is final.

Spy Carbine – Prototypes and included with a special BA custom White Tuxedo Bond figure. Decision regarding mass production still in flux as is the design of the accessory.

Needler-inspired accessory – Only included with a special BA custom Marine fig. Will never see mass production due to the complexity of the process to produce the item (multiple molds and over-injecting).

Baseball Bat – Available for purchase in a variety of colors. Design is finalized. Will eventually see mass production.

Lewis Gun – Prototypes only. Design still in flux. Will eventually see mass production.

Brodie Helmet – Prototypes only. Design is final. Will eventually see mass production.

MGL – Prototype only. Design still in flux. May or may not see mass production given certain design difficulties.

M21 Sniper rifle – Prototype only. Design still in flux. May or may not see mass production.

Sonderkraftfahrzeug 139 Marder III by Pepik

Brickshelfer Pepik has quite the collection of German World War II vehicles.

Here’s the Sd.Kfz. 139 Marder III in action on the Eastern Front:

(Via Klocki.)

New 2008 BrickArms weapons [Review]

At BrickCon in October, I learned about the Halo-inspired weapons and the M1 Garand rifle that Will Chapman of BrickArms was working on at the time (see First look at new BrickArms weapons).

Last week, I received my shipment of new 2008 BrickArms weapons, and I’ve been eagerly building and waiting for a break in the snow (!) to take pictures.

Aside from much improved polish, the BA-M5 rifles and BA-M6 pistols aren’t substantially different from the prototypes I highlighted in October, as seen here with a trio of UNSC Marines from Halo:

In addition to the BA-M5 and BA-M6, the latest batch of BrickArms weapons includes two more weapons inspired by science fiction. The PKD2019 Replicant Blaster takes its inspiration from Blade Runner, so I whipped up a custom Rick Deckard to “retire” my minifig androids:

The final M1 Garand rifle is slightly larger than the prototype. Regardless, a minifig can hold the rifle at several points, as demonstrated below by a custom WW2 US Army Sergeant minifig you can also buy from BrickArms:

My favorite new BrickArms weapon is the Mk48 Machine Gun. Bundled with a bipod and monopod, the Mk48 resembles the M240 and M249 families of modern machine guns (at least at minifig scale). Other additions to the contemporary arsenal are the MP7 PDW and M84 Stun Grenade (aka “flashbang”):

The Bipod from the Mk48 can attach wherever a minifig hand can attach, including other BrickArms weapons, such as the PSG1 Sniper Rifle (with S.W.A.T. sniper below). A Monopod can convert your M1 Garand into an M14 (with Marine, circa 1965):

The other sci-fi-inspired weapon is the Auto-9, from RoboCop (below):

The priciest thing I picked up this time from BrickArms was the Medkit ($8). The Medkit includes a syringe, scalpel, and bag. Although BrickArms sold a limited run of 30 World War II medic minifigs a while back, I missed them when they were $25, and the final minifig went for $162.50 (!) on eBay.

So I made my own (mostly), using the new Medkit, an Indiana Jones bag, and bits of the Sergeant:

As I said last February in my first BrickArms review, BrickArms weapons compare well to official LEGO elements on both price (on the secondary market) and quality. This certainly holds true for the 2008 weapons, which continue to extend the building possibilities provided by our favorite little plastic bricks.

For more photos of the new weapons and accessories, see my BrickArms photoset on Flickr.

Also check out our previous coverage of BrickArms here on The Brothers Brick:

Into the trenches with Harrison

From barbed wire, constant explosions, mud, rats, and blood, Harrison captures the brutality of trench warfare in World War II.

The combination of brown, tan, and dark green works very well to denote a denuded landscape:

World War II LEGO pinups by Charlie Co.

Charlie Co. (aka Tim) continues to post great World War II creations, including a trio of adorable pinups sure to give comfort to little plastic Allies.

Memorial Day Minifigs

Today is Memorial Day here in the United States — a holiday that honors the men and women who have died in military service to this country. As a pacifist myself, I hope that someday our leaders will stop increasing the number of people we remember on this day each year.

But as a pragmatist, I also know that there are truly unique times in history when the world must come together to stand against evil. I believe that the Allied effort during World War II (against Nazism in particular) was one such time. With that in mind, I built a squad of WW2 U.S. Army minifigs:

Here’s a WW2-era U.S. Marine:

(With M1 helmets and Thompson submachine guns from BrickArms.)

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