Participating in the Iron Forge requires serious commitment to building throughout January. For some builders, once is enough, but for others it’s a tradition – a way to welcome the new year with a burst of LEGO creativity! Harry (@by_h_proj) knows a thing or two about LEGO competitions, having earned the runner-up spot in LEGO Masters New Zealand back in 2023. Since then, he’s been an Iron Forge regular, always impressing with a mix of technical complexity and excellent photography. Will the third time be the charm with judges? You can see Harry’s knack for a well-composed shot with this undersea scene. The Engine seed part is most prominent as a Hammerhead mouth and also appears throughout the reef in a mix of colors. My favorite of Harry’s entries this year is this kitchen scene that brilliantly uses the engine intakes as oven vents. The moc mirrors this incredible scene from...

While we wait for the official LEGO Pokémon sets to be released, Japanese builder vaiohalcas put together a stunningly impressive model of the Water/Dark-type Greninja. While I chose Fennekin and ultimately ended up with Delphox on my playthrough of the Gen VI games, this build almost makes me regret it. There’s great attention to detail throughout the build, like the ‘webbing’ between the ninja frog’s appendages. The tongue makes excellent use of my favorite piece, the 2×2 round elbow brick (part #65473). This was in a beautiful color that I hadn’t seen that part in before, and looks like it’s because it only appeared in one Trolls World Tour set! With a few quick adjustments, Vaiohalcas shows off this posable build and customizable tongue to put Greninja in its attack stance. The post Hold your tongue around Greninja appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jarrett Gercken

You need to be made of stern stuff to succeed in the LEGO Iron Builder competition. Over three intense rounds, a narrowing pool of builders has to show off their skills by showcasing a different seed part. With the final round of the Iron Forge wrapped, we’re taking a look at the octet of builders in the running to win it all. Next up, Margits_MOCs, who created an impressive 13 builds featuring the seed part: engine block! The Brothers Brick is a familiar stomping ground for Margit’s creations – she even made our shortlist for 2025 Builder of the Year. And speaking of stomping, what an immaculately well-timed build this was, using the engine intake as a sturdy shoe sole. LEGO Crocs, eat your heart out. In such a heated competition, it’s little surprise that some competition makes it into the participants’ builds, too. But neither frog nor fish seem to...

The Iron Forge competition attracts many familiar faces from the afol community, but not all talented builders have an online presence. Peter is one such creator who made it to the top 8 with a mix of builds that impress with color and range. This confectionery treat from round 2 uses the eggshell seed part as a springboard for sweet LEGO delights. If you’re more in the mood for savory, Peter has you covered with this sushi assembly station where a multitude of minifig chairs act as fish scales, bones, and nori wrappers. For round 3, Peter finds an elegant tessellated pattern in the engine block seed part. As we previously featured in our Round 2 coverage, Peter turned the eggshell seed part into a chess set that is classic and clean. Cowabunga? This turtle, featuring many a minifig chair, is trying his best to be a radical dude, but I’m...

During the month of February, LEGO Space fans celebrate by building rovers – wheeled vehicles for exploring alien worlds. It’s a great excuse to dig out those old Classic Space elements for a retro look, or your chance to reinvent the wheel with bold new designs. You can share your builds on Flickr, or use the #febrovery2026 hashtag on Instagram. Check out our roundups from last year for inspiration (part 1, part 2). We ring in this year’s event with the first build from Ids de Jong, a Febrovery legend who builds a new rover every day, with a side helping of story and charming paper landscapes. Ids gets things started with Spaceman Alan and this upgraded version of the Strata Scooter, a mini classic from 1987. But what is that spider-drone watching them, and where will their adventure lead next? We’ll be back in two weeks with a mid-month round-up...

In my opinion, LEGO never feels more like a warm hug than when you’re viewing a Neo Fabuland construction. The blend of modern techniques with the limited, but bright color palette and those old animal figures makes everything feel like a Richard Scarry drawing. And I think that point is perfectly illustrated in this fire station creation by Dale Harris. The scene looks simple at first, but notice how the fire station is tilted on the baseplate. Zoom in on those doors, and see how many plates are at work in odd angles and at various depths. It’s a super complex construction of a simple scene that makes us tip our hats. The post In Fabuland, the stakes are higher when a cat is up a tree appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Norm Harper

Every year, the Iron Forge lets LEGO builders join in a tournament to see whose techniques and creativity will reign supreme, with the winner getting the chance to battle an Iron Builder 1-on-1. The final round just wrapped, during which participants were tasked with making creations featuring the air scoop engine element over two weeks. While the judges evaluate entries and select this year’s champion, we’re giving each of the eight final builders a spotlight, starting with Xiheng Xu (@little_monk_mocs). The builder only joined the afol community a few months ago, but in that short time has made an incredible impression with builds spanning a range of themes and styles. And in the Iron Forge, Xiheng demonstrated both incredible speed and nimbleness, presenting 18 builds, many of which are in dialogue with other participants. Let’s have a look at them all! Xiheng brings out the emotive quality of the intake engines,...

Take another look, because this is no ordinary angler fish. Piotr Przytuła has encased a microscale world inside of it. The small structure in the fish’s lure is easy to spot, but take a peak past all those ravenous teeth and you’ll spot a bubble encasing a larger structure. I don’t know who lives there, but I hope they’re not expecting company. The fish itself would be a build worth talking about. The fins constructed from the trans-clear rods are a masterstroke. And the glow-in-the-dark elements used for the eyes pay perfect tribute to this creature’s real-life habitat deep beneath the sea, where light can barely penetrate. The post A city hidden in the jaws of the deep appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Norm Harper

We’re just a couple weeks away from the start of the Year of the Fire Horse, and Jin Chen is ringing it in with this festive build. We’re in love with the way he’s sculpted such a lively animal bust from parts that might traditionally be considered for tech-style builds. And the excellent use of mini doll hair gives the front of the mane the perfect shaping. Plus, it’s all propped up beautifully on a small pedestal that pops with violet hues. Happy new year, one and all! The post Here’s to good fortune in the new year appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Norm Harper

Like a LEGO Victor Frankenstein, artist_davs is a mad scientist of bricks who takes apart minifigures and splices in other elements to amazing effect. This time, an Intellect Devourer from the D&D minifig line becomes an exposed brain in a mass of wires and dark metal. As the artist explains it, “Its structure suggests a fusion of organism and machine, but there are no seams, no points of assembly—only growth.” An intelligence with no apparent purpose but to observe. The frame of bars and tubes, reinforced with a few and Technic plates, evokes a skeleton, while the tripod legs and clear tanks on the back push into uncanny territory. The Watcher might be harmless, but it’s still the stuff of nightmares!   It was discovered standing where no signals reached. No tracks. No heat signature. No aggression. Its structure suggests a fusion of organism and machine, but there are no seams, no...