The forest moon of Endor is the scene of the Star Wars equivalent of the Teddy Bear’s Picnic, where a coalition of Ewoks and Rebels (oh, and some Jedi) defeated the might of the Empire once and for all. It’s a scene that has been rendered in LEGO many times, to great effect. Abe Fortier (AKA Hypolite Bricks) has joined the fray with a superb effort! Often, these dioramas are dense with vegetation and trees; it did take place on the forest moon of Endor (not Endor itself!), after all. Abe’s isn’t quite as densely populated with plants, but that might be for the better here. It gives some space to focus on the scene’s protagonists and antagonists – and the superb landscaping. It looks like it gave the good guys a better line of sight to take down that AT-ST, too! The post Can’t see the forest for the trees...

Much as the Apollo missions took us to the moon in the 1960’s with enough technology to easily fit on today’s smartphone, Joel Short brings us back from the landing in 8 simple LEGO pieces. Utilizing the sprue of a pair of 1×1 round plates as the capsule, we see this little spacecraft propelled through a pair of LEGO Space CMF bases toward a 1×1 plate star. Let’s hope they’ve got enough fuel in that flame piece to get them back home! The post Eight pieces is all you need to escape lunar orbit appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Kyle Keller (TBB Managing Editor)

“The crunch of snow beneath my boots betrayed my presence with every step. The forest, a solemn witness to my journey, contoured the world with branches heavy under the weight of winter.” Even without those words, it’s amazing how much of a story the simple but beautiful LEGO build tells. “Prey,” by Louis Nutwood, transports you to a single moment as a solitary hunter stalks a rabbit half-hidden in the snow. Gazing at this build, the world goes still until all you can hear is the sound of your own heartbeat in your ears as you take aim. Will the shaft fly true? Or will the hunter go hungry? The post You only get one shot (to take in this scene) appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Ryan Kunz

All the Empire wanted to do on Mimban was bring peace and prosperity, install a regime loyal to the Emperor, and eradicate the hostiles. Arthur Behe takes to LEGO to show what happens when those “hostiles” fight back. Seen during Han’s brief tour with the Empire in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Mimban is a literal swamp and a figurative quagmire for the Imperial forces. Arthur’s Imperial base, with all of its sensors and greebles, imposes on the inhospitable world perched atop rocks and surrounded by sand-green sludge. I love the dynamic terrain, with a speeder bike swooshing under the gangway. Almost as impressive as the building technique is the number of Swamp Troopers Arthur managed to recruit for the diorama! The post Purging the swamp of Imperial occupiers is more than a solo job appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jake Forbes

Fritz Lang’s silent sci-fi masterpiece Metropolis remains one of cinema’s most iconic films nearly 100 years after it first hit screens. Paolo Loro‘s LEGO tribute to the film’s classic poster should be instantly recognizable to cinephiles. A black brick skyline and shafts of golden Ninjago blade “light” capture the dramatic angles of Lang’s German Expressionist vision. C-3PO stands in for the Maschinenmensch, appropriate as the film’s robot inspired our favorite protocol droid’s design 50 years later. The post “It’s against my programming to impersonate German Expressionism” appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jake Forbes

Being left behind on Mars and having to science your way out of certain death might sound like a terrifying fate, but I’ve always found The Martian a very cozy slice of science fiction. Nuno Taborda‘s LEGO space base isn’t based on that film, but it brings the same cozy vibes that has me daydreaming of tooting around an inhospitable planet in my little rover like Matt Damon. Nuno’s living module looks great with its round corners, orange detailing, and tasteful array of sensors and solar panels. Wouldn’t mind settling down in a base like that. But where am I supposed to grow the potatoes? The post Ace space base that fits on your bookcase appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jake Forbes

In between competing in another Iron Builder competition and contributing to New Hashima, builder Gerrit Gottschalk (gGh0st) spent much of 2024 working on his microscale masterpiece — a model of Château de Chenonceau. The 16th-century French castle sits in the Loire Valley with its bridge and gallery crossing the river Cher. Gerrit’s model consists of about 6,600 LEGO elements and is 80 cm long. Building in the Architecture style at this scale was a new adventure for Gerrit but you wouldn’t guess it from the end results. It’s a remarkable build filled with innovative parts usage and a high level of detail that remains virtually seamless. Gerrit started with sketches, then moved to Studio in planning his ambitious model. He also looked to an earlier version from LEGO designer Aaron Newman which didn’t include the keep and is built at twice the scale, but helped Gerrit with proportions. A standout section...

Scandinavian folklore is full of tales of little people living in the woods and meadows. Swedish builder Peter Ilmrud gives us a glimpse of one community of fairy folk who have made a lingonberry cidery out of an old boot. Peter incorporates DUPLO and Scala elements alongside wildflowers from the Botanicals line and many custom flowers and berry bushes in the vibrant display. The boot, which doubles as fairy housing and green house, features some incredible shaping with an eclectic mix of brown elements giving the boot a weatheted look. The roof is gorgeous, using pairs of bowed plates in staggered rows for a scaly effect. At ground level, Peter packs the scene with fun details of the wee folk going about their work chopping, stomping, and barrel aging their cider. Perhaps my favorite detail is this rider tranporting hjortron berries from a nearby bog. The beetle design is phenomenal, creating...

One thing that Star Wars – and especially – the prequels, for their flaws – does really well is villains. One look at Darth Maul or the Emperor and there’s no doubting which side they’re on. But really, none of them looked as villainous as the skeletal General Grievous, whose likeness has been captured by N.A.B.E_mocs over on Flickr. In builds where the cybernetic and natural collide, texture can be a useful tool to differentiate between the two, and this is a fantastic example. Grievous’ armour is almost entirely studless. It’s wondefully organically shaped, too – a touch of irony therein, perhaps! In contrast, his fleshy bits (for want of a better phrase) are rougher. His oesophagus (I think that’s what it is) is all studded plates, while the red eyes use anti-studs to perfectly accentuate their organic nature. The post This LEGO bust would make a fine addition to any...

If you want to bring a bit of whimsy to a fantasy LEGO creation, a good place to start is making your characters animals. Oh, and giving them a massive sword. That’s the angle that Dan Ko has gone for in this charming duo. Both the frog knight and his snail steed are full of character – and clever parts use! Our knight in croaking armour has some fantastic leafy webbed feet, and the ski for a cross-guard is a neat idea for this asymmetric sword. The snail, meanwhile, has caterpillar tracks wound up to form its shell. Although I must admit – and this might be a niche reference – that with those bright yellow eyes, it reminds me of the slugs from the LEGO Rock Raiders video game. Perhaps they’re distant cousins? The post What do you get when you cross knights in shining armour with the frog prince?...