Tag Archives: WWI

Tommy in the trenches on the Western Front

During the First World War, an explosion in the rate and range of weapons fire made field warfare a last resort. Trenches provided a modicum of safety for soldiers on the Western Front but at the cost of a drawn-out war of attrition. Historical builder The Halls of Montezuma honors the British soldiers who gave their lives in the Great War with a vignette of trench life in LEGO. The scene takes place near Ovillers in northern France, which Montezuma recreates with excellent brick-built terrain that mixes light tan and white bricks to depict the region’s chalky soil. Densely packed carrot tops make for beautiful grass, with snaking foliage in dark green giving extra texture to the scene.

Near Ovillers

Military history buffs will find many models to appreciate in The Halls of Montezuma’s collection, as well as in TBB’s own WWI archive.

The Hells Angels set the stage in this massive moving WWI diorama

With the exception of the past couple of years, I’ve been a staple at BrickCon in Seattle since 2005 or so. This year, I wasn’t a registrant but snuck in unnoticed (almost). While there, I was treated to this wonderous LEGO stage show put on by Douglas Hughes. The table presence of this massive creation was quite impressive, even with the curtains closed. But as the curtains parted, the intro music started and the real show began! As described by the builder, “As the curtains part you can see biplanes circling both above and below the zeppelin which maneuvers up and down.The soundtrack transitions to biplane maneuver and machine gun noises, and a red biplane swoops to the center stage from behind a cloud, gently rocking back and forth. Soon enough the red plane sidles back behind cloud cover and the finale begins to unfold – a little biplane corkscrews down in an uncontrolled dive until it hits the zeppelin.” He goes on to say; “Red lights flash, explosions rock the air, and the zeppelin slowly breaks apart revealing smoke and fire rising from within. The curtains begin to close and the finale fanfare plays – the show is over!”

Hells Angels

I guess you had to have been there. No, seriously, you had to have been there! The builder hasn’t provided a video of this beast on motion just yet but I can attest that this was an amazing work of art. I didn’t stick around long enough to find out, but this had to have won one of the top prizes, I’m sure. Chime in in the comments to let us know what awards this won or just to tell us what you think.

The tiny mighty Dreadnaught

A builder who goes by the name of Mix the Brix proves you don’t need a shipyard full of LEGO pieces to build an awesome battleship. This tiny model is good enough to show off the superstructure and an impressive array of cannons. I mean, check out those billowing smokestacks! Mix (can I call you Mix?) says this is their first military build and it also seems to be their first time being featured on The Brothers Brick. With wee builds this amazing, we might have to keep an eye out for whatever they may do next.

LEGO HMS Dreadnought

A LEGO Sopwith Camel fit for any museum display

Sometimes a LEGO creation comes along that is both well detailed and informative. Such as the case with this amazing 1/9.2 scale Sopwith Camel built by James Cherry. This mostly uncovered model is suitable enough to draw a crowd in any museum. The wingspan is 94cm (over 3 feet!). Even the greenery is interesting in the sense that we’ve never seen this used for grass before. It’s easy to assume from this photo that this model is merely a replica based on the 10266 Sopwith Camel set from 2012. However…

Lego Sopwith Camel F.1 Display

…click this link to see a comparison

From Hawaii to Havana on the Bannanaville

A striking turn-of-the-century style dreadnought, the CWS Bannanaville is outfitted with more armaments than you could hope to face if she decides to give you a broadside. Designed by Thomas of Tortuga, this fictional fleet-leader is one of the best examples of microscale warship building I’ve seen, with lots of perfect little details. Because of how perfectly it fits, the one I like best is the use  of the “cheese grater” 1×2 slopes for ladders between the decks. It’s a remarkably good render, to boot.

CWS Bannanaville

Aces high – a duel in the sky

Harking back to an age of more gentlemanly aerial combat, these LEGO versions of a Sopwith Camel and a Fokker Triplane from Vaionaut are beautifully done. The tan and dark brown colour scheme on the Sopwith is perfect, and I particularly like the smart use of clip-and-bar pieces to give the upper wings their signature raked-forward look. Nice use of binoculars and screwdrivers to create the twin machine-guns too. The restrained use of some custom stickers, an appropriate choice of minifigures, and a lovely little workbench all come together to complete the scene.

Sopwith F.1 Camel

However, if you have a Sopwith, you must have an opponent in red. And sure enough, Vaionaut has built a gorgeous Fokker Dr.I to accompany.

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To those who served their countries: You are not forgotten

More than a million men gave their lives in the Battle of the Somme in the late summer of 1918. It was a harrowing affair even for those who survived, as depicted in this LEGO diorama by James Pegrum. As we close out this Veteran’s Day, may their lives never be forgotten, and may we always strive for peace for all the men and women who have and still do serve.

We Remember