Tag Archives: zakar.ion

Dark Lords and Durasteel – Sith happens [Minifig Monday]

The LEGO minifig scene on Instagram is a welcoming place with creative collaborations, friendly crossovers, and a supportive community… all virtues sneered upon by the subject of this week’s Minifig Monday. Today we’re spotlighting Dark Lords of the Sith dreamed up by some of our favorite builders. The prompt for these builds came from the #swminifigtournament started by burbricks. Which wicked fig is your favorite?

Our first Sith comes courtesy of Expansion Bricks. Per the builder, “Darth Taz is an ancient Utapauan sith from the Old Republic era, long before the rule of two. Taz fought in the Sith Civil Wars as a revered warrior and tactician.” The robotic arm and collection of trophies are incredible, but my favorite detail is definitely the use of the minifig ladybug wings as a collar around Taz’ head.

From kappa_o407, we have Darth Enophis, a highly unusual Mon Calamari Sith. Per Kappa, “He was best known for his ability to create Force Storms, an ability that allowed him to tear the fabric of space and create hyperspace tunnels, a power that allowed him not only to travel, but also gave him the ability to destroy entire planets due to the instability of the tears.” His storm powers were also ideal for laying traps.

The Sith revenge tour continues after the fold

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Dieselpunk Mechs and Military Hard Suits – [Minifig Monday]

Mechs and minifigs have been near and dear to the Brothers Brick for as long as we’ve been covering LEGO fandom. It’s always a thrill when builders bring a specific and fresh aesthetic to a favorite genre, and that’s definitely been the case with Brickbot Studios, Red Impala, and Zakar.ion – three builders who are absolutely crushing it with military mechs at an intimate perspective. The trio collaborated last week on trench warfare dieselpunk mechs inspired by the 1920 setting of mr_werewolf, with each builder bringing a personal spin to the theme. This week on Minifig Monday, we’re spotlighting this collab, but also some mortar blasts from the dieselpunk past from some top builders of yesteryear playing in a similar sandbox.

Leading this week’s charge is the PZM-7 Śmiały from Red Impala. Swift, merciless, and armed with an anti-mech rifle, this unit looks ready to leap over trenches like a Winged Hussar. (The lore that these builders share alongside their brilliant builds is half the fun!).

Brickbot Studios responds with theStahlschreiter 44 “Trench Reaper.” My favorite flourish is the moustache on the mech. The builder brings a touch of Warhammer sensibilities to this Death Korp diesel demon.

The minifigs and mecha continue after the break!

From Sand Elves to Frank Herbert’s DUNE, these desert dwelling minifigs are an oasis of creativity [Minifig Monday]

Believe it or not, Tatooine is not the only desert world to inspire amazing minifigures. There’s also Jakku. And Jedha. And Geonosis. And Pasaana. And… You know what? We’re not looking at any desert worls where Jedi have set foot today. Instead, for this week’s Minifig Monday we’re looking at original designs from the worlds of fantasy, literature, history, and military sci-fi.

Leading us into the desert today is Jacob Manahan, whose Akhanii desert elves are an imagined ancient kingdom from which civilization flowed. Jacob selects a nice assortment of printed body parts with folds of cloth and timeless jewelry (and I see Horizon‘s Aloy split across two different figures). Those blue eyes suggest the presnce of a certain spice on this world…

Speaking of Spice, builders Parker (lego.frenzy) and Woudt (_standaartwoudt_) recently collaborated on a series of fig builds based interpreting the characters of Frank Herbert’s Dune, without leaning the official figures from the excellent Dune Atreides Royal Ornithopter. Parker’s series leads with this ensemble. I love the choice of the Haunted Mansion employee for Paul’s sullen face. The Sardukar soldier is epic and menacing. Parker even slips in a brilliant mini-build with that innovative Sandworm maw made from light nougat shields clipped in a ring.

Quench your thirst for hot desert minifigures after the break

LEGO builders join forces for some greebley goodness

Do you know what greebling is? I’ll tell you: it’s a mish-mash of tiny mechanical details that serve little-to-no purpose other than making something look suitably futuristic. It’s a favourite technique of LEGO sci-fi builders, particularly in Star Wars-adjacent or -inspired builds. And these mechanical mounts from Red Impala and Zakarion are masterclasses in the technique! First, we have K-Drak and his steed Zeet, as built by Red Impala. You may have seen his work before – he’s a frequent fixture in our Minifigure Monday round-ups. The figure here is suitably attired, which, together with its ostrich-looking mount, really drives home the fact these guys live in the desert.

As for Zak, he made Oros and Gazelle here – and this thing seems to be made almost entirely of greebles! I’m a sucker for sand-red, so that’s what I’m drawn to here. Of course it would be a sand-based colour, being a desert mount. It also appears to draw inspiration from birds like ostriches or emus, but it’s interesting to see how two different builders can take the concept in wildly different directions!

Marchikoma 2025 – celebrating the latest and greatest LEGO “think tank” mechs [Feature]

March is becoming a packed month in the LEGO building community – Marchitecture, Imperial March, and our old favorite Marchikoma when builders make “think tanks” inspired by the mecha of the classic anime Ghost in the Shell. A think tank is a sentient mech characterized by 4 (or sometimes more) legs with feet or rollers, a pair of manipulator arms, and sensor “eyes,” that skitters about like a high-tech militarized spider or crab. Each year builders find ways to add a fresh spin to the iconic design. Let’s bring on the Marchikoma mecha of 2025!

We start with this Blue Planet Attacker by LEGO set designer Wes Talbott. Inspiration came from Wes playing with the latest smooth nougat parts in his collection, which paired with red-orange evoked the classic Life on Mars LEGO theme. Bright yellowish green and dark azure highlights make for a distinct color scheme. But it’s those manipulator arms and big eyes that ooze personality. Wes paired the mech with a patch of incredible space terrain where the military mech makes peaceful first contact.

Fellow LEGO designer Chris Perron also skates in with this beautiful Ice Planet mech, the Snow Scuttler. Chris took inspiration from the CMF Ice Planet fig for the design specifics, like the curves and sensor eye. Aside from the iconic trans neon orange elements from the classic theme, Chris incorporates X-Pod lid and Fabuland windows to create maximum curves with minimal seams.

Skitter on down for more think tank goodness

Android freedom fighters lead the charge in a new weekly feature [Minifig Monday]

The Brothers Brick started as a minfig-focused site, so with our 20th anniversary fast approaching, it’s high time we bring back the celebration of custom minifigure creations. A lot has changed in the minifig scene since TBB founder Andrew shared his first fig. Collectible Minifigure lines and ever-expanding licenses have exploded the range of minifig elements and accessories, and social media has led to more channels to share creations and get inspired by the community. Minifig Mondays is a new feature where we choose a theme and showcase recent creations from the custom Minifig community. This week’s theme is Androids – humanoid robots.

Our first figs are a collaboration between Red Impala and Bambus Bricks Customs. These three are members of Onyx Talon, a faction of freedom-fighting androids in a post-apocalyptic future. Ferret the infiltrator, Hare the scout, and Beetle the reconnaissance drone provide intel and overwatch for the team. I love the digitigrade leg designs, especially Hare’s with the hotdog feet. In case you’re wondering where Hare’s eerie face is from, it’s from Star Wars: Solo character Enfys Nest.

Read on for more amazing custom minifigs and microbuilds