The microscale throwbacks just keep coming. This time, John Tooker has created a miniature version of set 6048 Majisto’s Magical Workshop. John has captured all the details I remember from childhood – the ladder leading upstairs, the pot brewing something over the fire, and he’s even included a tiny Majisto and a Dragon Knight. It’s abra-kadorable.
No one sets a LEGO scene quite like Victor van den Berg! I mean, check out the old-school laboratory he’s brewed up! Each flask and beaker are carefully placed on the table, drawers overflowing with ingredients, and a wall of shelves loaded with tinctures and concentrates adorn this gorgeous room. Brown arches and pillars carve paths through the dark tan bricks, above a floor tiled to complement the multicolored bottled spread throughout the lab. Add all that to the lived-in touches of the workspace like the armchair in the corner or the cord of wood in a crate next to the wrought iron fireplace, and the space radiates a homey charm.
But nothing adds warmth to this workspace like Victor’s excellent use of light. From the fireplace, the hanging lanterns, and especially the windows to the rear of the space, light illuminates the build in an uneven and realistic manner. But the focal point has got to be the sunlight pouring in through the skylight. It highlights all the detailed instruments and vials on the central table, best viewed in the photo below. As someone who’s put in a couple of years standing at the lab bench and read a few too many books on the history of science, the equipment here is spot-on for that of the age. Nothing like determining the index of refraction the old-fashioned way!
Independence Day has already passed here in the US but that doesn’t mean we can’t be smitten by Rocco Buttliere’s stunning new LEGO creation. Independence Hall played a crucial role in the founding of the United States, as its storied assembly rooms witnessed the signing of both the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the Constitution in 1787. I’m loving the trees and the impressive Colonial Georgian Architecture. Rocco’s signature on the handsome, well-appointed base is a nice touch indeed. While microscale, this smallish (for Rocco) creation doesn’t diminish the grand setting of Philadelphia’s old city center. That is this builder’s specialty, really; building absolutely grand things on a small scale. Please check out our Rocco Buttliere archives to see what I mean.
The answer to the question posed in the title is demonstrated in this fascinating creation, built by Ryan Z. The model has an elongated form and is adapted for human use by having a carrier section on its back. The face has an interesting design with two large angled slopes placed together sideways with a green snowboard representing the tongue of the creature. The carrier section features a control tower overlooking a short runway where fighters can launch from. It could be quite the bumpy ride for those in the tower section, especially if this beast moves in a lizard like motion.
I’m going to be completely honest with you: the noises that came out of my mouth when I first saw Nannan Zhang‘s LEGO microscale Fort Legoredo were mostly unintelligible. I mean, it’s just so flippin’ CUTE! I love the horse designs in this scale, as well as the care put into the microfig design. Even with only a few bricks, it’s unreal how I can clearly identify each of the three bandits from this theme. The use of grill pieces to emulate the log profile bricks from the original is inspired, and Nannan has effectively recreated the big rock pieces using light-gray plates and tile embedded in the walls.
Here’s a peek at the interior of the fort’s back wall. The printed tiles chosen to replicate the original model’s shutters are spot-on, as is the teensy jail cell below. There’s even a pair of binoculars subbed in for the fort’s chimney from the original set. And don’t forget the fort’s iconic blue sign, held by a pair of clips to the red roof. The whole thing is a welcome bit of nostalgia for me!
Everyone builds at their own pace. Some builders crank out builds every day, others will go months or sometimes years between creations – which, to be clear, is completely fine! In the case of Drew Hamilton (Wami Delthorn), it’s been over a year since he last posted one of his spectacular spaceship designs. It’s been worth the wait though, as he has reinvented one of his older Classic Space designs into this LL-528 Rapier MkII. It has all the hallmarks of what is now known as Neo Classic Space: clean lines of blue and light grey, with plenty of texturing and the signature black-and-yellow bumblebee stripes.
The design itself is very cool. With starships, it’s often tempting to make them sleek, speedy-looking machines. And with a name like Rapier, you’d be forgiven for thinking this would look the same. But I love how bulky it is! The rear of the vessel is dominated by that great hulking thruster, which blends nicely into the stubby wings thanks to some neat use of angles. It’s all broken up with subtle asymmetric panel detailing to give it quite a realistic feel.
The only thing I would question is the choice of co-pilot. Surely a control panel full of flashing lights is a poor mix with a space-going cat…
Nothing says 1970’s automobile like a brown paint job, does it? Legostalgie has added to their growing collection of Eastern bloc runabouts with this Wartburg 353 Tourist, in authentically drab reddish brown. The Tourist is the estate version of the East German Wartburg 353, a model which has featured in Legostalgie’s collection before. The functionality that is typical of their models is present here: bonnet, tailgate and the doors all open, and the roof comes off to access the interior as well. The boxy shape is well represented and there are some neat parts uses here in the design! The hood ornament is a boomerang, but my favourite is the headlight panel. This uses wheel axle pieces to add some detail to the front grille. Not only does it look great, since these parts typically come in small car sets, there’s something a bit meta about them being used on a larger-scale car. If you ask me, that’s the best kind of clever parts use.
It’s been a while since we covered the fourth of 8 builds from the second round of the Starfighter Telephone Game, or STG, so lets do a recap as we highlight the final build in the series. The STG-2 Beyonder, built by Simon Liu, the spaceship legend himself, made for a super strong finish for the whole game. For those not in the know, the game includes eight builders, passing along a spaceship design that they reimagine and redesign with each subsequent build. As such, the form and function can shift and change in dramatic ways from the first ship to the last. The bright green canopy surrounded by white angular canopy pieces smooth out the cockpit and compliment the triangular shaping achieved with the left and right roof tiles that Simon pulled from the Bone Demon set. Dark grey mock-wings stretch out from the green, white, and blue fuselage while gold tiling on the engines can be seen peeking out from behind the craft. Unfortunately Simon hasn’t provided much of a look at the back. Thankfully, the front is so beautifully built it’s worth appreciating on its own. The greebly, detailed interior of the cockpit feature’s many LEGO fans’ favorite frog piece as this sleek ship’s pilot.
Building a house from LEGO can provide plenty of challenges, from aesthetic to structure. Builder Aukbricks went for both in this rendered microscale model of a canal house in Amsterdam, circa 1627. The crow-stepped gable high above the tree employs a plate stacking technique that’s repeated throughout the model to achieve an intricate pattern of stacked plates. Much like Hollywood sets, this facade is a well crafted fake propped up and properly decorated to trick the eye. Nonetheless, the resulting model employs some clever set decoration to sell the image. Stacked brown stud blasters create a textured trunk ripe with connection points for the branches above.
The builder provided a view into the structure of the building’s front. Taking out the sides and revealing the complicated means that everything is connected, Aukbricks shows us the tricks it takes to make some art. Though this building lacks a livable interior, it would still make a lovely addition to any tiny neighborhood. Honestly, I’d like to see more microscale cities with the number of trophy figures that we have out there at the moment. Then again, with interiors like this, it might just be a little more complicated to achieve than I’d assume.
We’ve featured quite a few LEGO Fantastic Beast creations over at TBB and this Niffler by Jannis Mavrostomos really does deserve a feature. The greedy claws of this little critter were used by LEGO on their Dimensions Niffler, so it is nice to see these parts getting repurposed on a better brick build Niffler. The platypus like beak is achieved by merging a snowboard and a plate with tooth which sounds simple, yet it is really effective. What sells this creation to me is the beady eyes. It is cute as a button.
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Xamura might look monstrous, but never fear. This kaiju creation by Cody Avery is actually a pretty swell fella. Descending down from his home in the stars, he uses his powers to defend cities and provide them water. (We could use his help in California right now.) Xamura’s primarily black color scheme really helps his pieces blend together to create an effective organic look, with just enough visible texture and pops of color to keep it interesting. And we can practically hear the waves as the wall of water from his tail curves around the delightful microscale city at his feet.
Something slumbers in the depths beneath Shipwreck Reef, and Magmafrost13 gives it definition in LEGO form. The kaiju wakes when a massive ship of humanity’s hubris sinks and falls onto the reef. The leviathan reclaims the ship, adding its hull to its own reef encrusted exterior. Now the Crab of Shipwreck Reef comes for humanity. How cool is this build?! This cranky little kaiju features a Bionicle infrastructure with wonderful incorporation of some cool LEGO parts. Of course, what LEGO parts aren’t cool, eh? I especially like the use of the Pteranodon wings on the carapace by the face. The coloring and texture of the wings add some awesome definition. Another great usage I’m fond of is the use of the Bionicle heads for stone/part of the reef structure. There are even tiny little crabs in the reef, coming along for the ride to witness the leviathan’s retribution.
