Tag Archives: diorama

Exploring the Depths: An Underwater Diorama by Thomas Jenkins

Looking at this custom creation, you may find it hard to believe that it’s made entirely out of LEGO pieces. Frequently showcased on Brothers Brick, builder Thomas Jenkins has crafted an underwater diorama that transports us to another world. Do we see a hint of ancient Roman pillars being overtaken by nature? Or perhaps this is a playful interpretation of the legendary tale of Atlantis. At first glance, you cannot help but have this build evoke thoughts of an underwater realm, blending elements from both reality and imagination. The builder mentions a desire to build with and incorporate a newly introduced, in 2023, trans-clear curved element as part of the arguably main focus, the jellyfish. I am impressed by the creator’s ability to repurpose clown hair, pom-poms, and even Thanos’ arms! Explore our Thomas Jenkins archives and discover some of his other creations.

Jellyfish

LEGO Creation of the Week (#36): “FARM” by André Pinto

Every week readers of the The Brothers Brick Telegram channel choose the Creation of the Week: one project that impressed all of us the most. Last week it all came down to a Pokemon versus a farm diorama… and the results are shocking! André Pinto grabs the award with his neat and detailed rural build. What a round!

Meanwhile, the new vote is already on! Join our Telegram channel to follow all the best LEGO creations, latest news, and, of course, vote for your favorites. See you there!

A peek behind the Wall: building a 200,000-piece LEGO Game of Thrones diorama [Guest Feature]

LEGO builder extraordinaire Anu Pehrson joins us to give an inside perspective on how she built this enormous 200,000-piece minifigure-scale diorama of the Wall from Game of Thrones. If you’re not familiar with Anu, she likes to build big. If you happen to be in Denmark soon, check out her huge model of the Greyjoy Stronghold, which has been showcased in the LEGO House for the past year. She previously gave us a behind-the-scenes look at her 20,000-piece rice plantation diorama from The LEGO Ninjago Movie, but now she’s gone ten times bigger. So read on as Anu walks us through the entire process of building the Wall from early concepts to finished model.

Building the Wall

As builders, most of us are inspired by things we encounter in our everyday lives, travels, and other interests such as books, music, etc. I immensely enjoyed reading Game of Thrones and was inspired with several ideas for building. The Wall was an obvious choice but a very daunting task and would require me to get several tens of thousands of white parts. I started the process of collecting parts specifically for this project in 2012. Nine years later, I finally started building in 2021, and it has taken me over two years to finish it. The model is 5 x 5 feet and approximately 4.5 feet tall, and in the end, I used close to 200,000 pieces.

My thought process here was that the Wall would be the central grounding factor, with several structures added to both the south side of the Wall and the area beyond the wall to the north as described in the books/show.

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Because the suburbs aren’t rural enough

Because the suburbs weren’t rural enough, I just moved to the exurbs. Out here everything runs on propane, there’s a septic system and just taking out the trash involves a vehicle that apparently isn’t my hipster Beetle. With greenhouses, windmills, sheds, and tractors much of it looks just like this LEGO diorama built by André Pinto. All my new neighbors own tractors and they tell me that I won’t survive a winter without one. While I mull over that ominous portent, I gaze over André’s diorama with its pumpkins, tomatoes, birdhouses, chickens and especially that tractor. I even checked out the tractor catalog and thought; holy schniekes, these things are expensive! Maybe I’ll just settle for buying a trucker hat; I mean, I’ve gone my whole life without tractoring so why should that change now? Maybe I can be like André and just build them in LEGO. That sounds like a plan!

FARM

This seemingly tranquil scene hints at a much larger story about to unfold

With so many things to look at in this wonderful build by Kit Nugent, it might be easy to miss the drama unfolding on the steps of this pastoral scene in the forest. While the somewhat blocky trees are stars of this build, I like the little details, like using the underside of plates as roof tiles, and the dappled light filtering through the trees to land on the face of a mysterious woman. Showing the scene at an angle, and filling in the base with black really draws your eyes to the center of the scene.

The Face Which Launched a Thousand Ships

Winter is summoned

In this imaginative LEGO scene by Malin Kylinger, a group of mages have summoned a portal to the winter realm. The whole diorama is loaded with great builds, from the trees with their densely packed foliage, to the picnic of magical equipment beside the house. The whole build rewards closer scrutiny with lots of great details lurking.

The Enchanters of the Portal Have Answerd the Queens Summons

But the real standout is the magic circle at the center, a fantastic use of cheese-slope mosaic-making to craft a pattern that’s almost quilt-like, and at the center is a perfect use for the rare Belville crown element.

The Enchanters of the Portal Have Answerd the Queens Summons

The tree of knowledge

LEGO builder Ted Andes brings us a more upbeat take on the dystopian cyberpunk future with a gorgeous sculpture he calls the Shrine of the Cyber Tree. The tree is made of stacked Vahki head elements from Bionicle, and their angular lines and matte finish creates a striking use for that rarely used piece. The sculpture is surrounded by a simple but elegant stone garden wall, which has great details like one broken egg post cap. 

Shrine of the Cyber Tree

Not exactly a LEGO Rivendell...

Titled “Temptation” and haunted by an enormous black monster, Ben Cossy‘s latest LEGO diorama feels like it’s set in an alternate Middle Earth where our heroes face down their worst desires made manifest, rather than struggling quietly against the thrall of the One Ring. Ben shares that he’s glad to build something in the fantasy/castle theme that doesn’t require quite so much green (or gray, for that matter). The autumnal color palette of the trees contrasts beautifully with the white architecture.

Temptation

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This Viking build tells its own story

Ross Fisher continues his LEGO Viking tale in his latest build, in which Viking raiders are repelled, leaving the survivors to take stock in the pouring rain. And let’s take a look at that rain; It’s rare to see the clear aerial used to such great effect as it is here, with the heavy rain adding an extra layer to both the landscape and emotion of the scene.

Legacy chapter 3: a soon parting

The minifigures are displayed under the shadow of a giant’s skull, adding a foreboding presence to the build. The giant’s helm is wonderfully constructed too, taking its shape from a hull piece that effortlessly presents the Viking-style helmet we’re all familiar with. The whole build is then presented on a hovercraft base, adding a nice display to this build.

I always enjoy seeing the inventive use of LEGO parts that Ross employs, and I’m looking forward to seeing where he takes this adventure next!

A hole lot of construction going on

There is so much going on in this LEGO construction scene assembled by Kashim K, and I’m not just talking about the well-posed minifigures. Everywhere I look, there are delightful uses of texture and color blocking to communicate different features in the build. Whether it’s the mechanics on the arm of the excavator, the patches of clay visible in the dirt, or the studs-out texturing on the white building, each surface offers a new tactile or visual experience that keeps the build dynamic. Even the transition from smooth wood slats to rough concrete walls in the pit hits the mark perfectly. But my favorite feature is below the road on the left side of Kashim’s creation. The pipes/tubes (visible in the ground thanks to the cutaway at the edge of the scene) are a strong reminder for those of us in the US to dial 811 before we undertake a project like this.

City-Scenery with a constructionsite

Eyes right for an interesting Villa build

In this LEGO build,  Ayrlego takes us back in time with this Colonial scene of patrolling troops passing a white-washed villa. I enjoy learning from other people’s builds, and there’s some nice take-aways in the composition of this scene. We’re treated to some lush vegetation framing the building, and the palms are really well-executed, bookending the build. In addition to the palms, the undergrowth to the front and sides are great examples of adding fauna to any scene.

Campaign Planning, Port Woodhouse

There are some really nice touches to be found in the building itself too — some I’m sure to use myself in the future! I’m particularly fond of the aged white bricks used amongst the newer white pieces with other subtle details such as the white profile brick. The Micro Figure nestled into the wall, suggestive of a shrine, and the logs that serve to hold the upper level really elevate this whole scene. I think you’ll agree that Ayrlego has done his homework in constructing this one.

Raiders of the lost nest

As usual, Bart De Dobbelaer brings us a treat of a scene with this detailed LEGO diorama portraying a pair of would-be poachers about to face off with their worst nightmare: a mother. While the monstrous creature is fascinating with its bright plumage and—are those all eyes?—it’s the scenery itself that really draws my attention as a builder, because the thick bushes are splendidly done, especially for how simple they are, combining two types of leaf elements stacked around a flower stem element.

Beginner's Guide to Adventuring - Nest raiders