Tag Archives: Dioramas

There’s nothing like a massive LEGO diorama to prove that you’ve arrived as a LEGO builder. The LEGO dioramas we feature here span everything from realistic medieval castles to scenes from World War II, and more than a few post-apocalyptic wastelands.

Pixel-perfect Sonic tribute brings Green Hill Zone to life with 30,000 LEGO bricks

Over the last three years, builder and video creator Jason (JustBeardy) has been working on a massive motorized LEGO tribute to Sonic the Hedgehog’s Green Hill Zone. Built from roughly 30,000 bricks, the diorama draws on specific gameplay elements of the iconic level, all lovingly rendered in the 16-bit style of the classic SEGA Genesis game.

While the front view of the level is slick and studless with every pixel in its place, a look behind the Technic scaffolding reveals how much mechanical wizardry went into making the scene come alive. Jason would have been done sooner, but needed a new drive train to power so many motorized elements.

Of course, a project like this is meant to be seen in motion, so it’s best to watch the reveal video to appreciate Jason’s most ambitious work to date. And if you’re interested in how the builder solved all the elaborate mechanical functions, there’s a series of 34 behind-the-scenes videos showing the build process from the beginning. Feeling nostalgic for classic Sonic? Jason shares free instructions for Dr. Robotnik’s Egg Wrecker as seen in the diorama.

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Beware of brick Clickers in Boston in LEGO Last of Us tribute

HBO’s The Last of Us just wrapped season 2, but if you’re not ready to let go of a run-down world filled with murderous mushroom zombies, Greg the Gungan has your back. In this towering diorama, Greg returns to the first game/season with Joel and Ellie traversing a crumbling Boston. Greg finds the perfect balance between urban decay and nature taking root, creating a world that is so beautiful that you might risk a cordyceps bite to take it all in. True to the source, the decrepit office building hides many dangers that Greg also built in bricks.

MOCs of the LEGO Masters: Sisters bricks prepare to cast a spell

Niki has been working her way through the Harry Potter series with cinematic dioramas built in LEGO. My favorite is this twisty recreation from the first film with Ron trapped by the Devil’s Snare plant. The scale of the vines as they stretch across the enormous cobblestone floor makes for a striking contrast of chaos and ordered angles. For her next journey, Niki leans on a bond stronger than those forged at Hogwarts – the bond of sisterhood! – as she enters LEGO Masters Season 5 with her sister Brittain. As Dumbledore always says, may the odds be ever in your favor.

This is part of our series on MOCs of the Masters where we preview the work of the newest batch of LEGO Master contestants. Have a look at creations from other builders in the lineup.

Iced brickaccino for, uh, Jeff Vader?

Here’s a fun bit of AFOL lore for you, readers. One of my very first interactions with the online LEGO community – and indeed YouTube – was a brick-film of Suzy Eddie Izzard’s famous Death Star Canteen sketch. (It’s still online to this day, and having looked at the upload date I now feel terribly old.) I have to wonder if that might have formed the inspiration for Kelly Bartlett‘s fantastic Death Star cafeteria! It’s part of a collaborative display at this week’s Bricks Cascade event in Portland, OR: the Death Star Village. As the name suggests, it’s all the Death Star amenities we never got to see in the films. And Kelly has shown she has a knack for brand marketing… I mean come on, Death Starbucks?! It’s almost meant to be!

The barista droid has taken your order – why not take a look around while you wait?

The Second-Best Restaurant at the End of the Universe

If the Restaurant at the End of the Universe is fully booked, don’t sweat it- You can always find a welcoming booth at Milo’s Diner. This intergalactic waystation, built in LEGO by Terra Ender, is built on the remains of an irradiated asteroid that definitely isn’t hiding any secrets beneath the spacedust crust. No, at Milo’s you’re always welcomed with a smile, whether you’re Space Police, hard-working M-Tron miner, or totally-above-board Blacktron accountant. They even serve droids!

T.E. is previewing this impressive installation before displaying it at Brickworld Chicago next month. For those who won’t be warping into the Windy City, we have all the details here. Order up!

Grab a booth at Milo’s, where the soup of the day is always the soup du jour

A bridge over tranquil waters

When I’m feeling weary and small, sometimes all it takes is seeing bricks laid down to ease my mind. And what’s more comforting than a bridge over ~~troubled~~ tranquil waters in the countryside? As chairman of the Zbudujmy.to! (Polish for Let’sBuild.It!) LEGO community, Paweł Michalak (aka Kris Kelvin) has contributed to and coordinated many amazing and immersive builds that celebrate the buildings and landscape of Poland. Paweł’s latest piece features a bridge, but it’s the scenery that sweeps you away. The weeping willow, made from dozens of green whips, is a clever design that transports you right to the riverbank. The three swans, gracefully swooping under the bridge, let the scene soar.

Where are the swans headed? Probably one of the builder’s scene castles, gardens, or hobbit holes!

The sun sets on Revenge of the Fifth

In Revenge of the Sith, we witness the twilight of the Jedi in the glow of lasers, lightsabers, and lava. Sam (dewback_bricks) brings cinematic lighting to Anakin’s fall in a LEGO diorama that infuses excellent brickwork with a powerful air of tragedy. The floor design is brilliantly done, as is the forced perspective through the tall window. (And no doubt many builders are envious of those sand red columns!)

Thanks to LED lighting and a few minor changes, the scene transforms as the Dark Side rises.

As George Lucas famously said about the prequels, “It’s like poetry. It rhymes.”

Revenge of the Fifth: Star Wars day for prequel trilogy fans

For some people, there are two Star Wars days. Yeah, yeah, we all know about May the Fourth be with you – but don’t forget Revenge of the Fifth (of May)! This year, it’s even more pertinent than ever, as Revenge of the Sith has enjoyed a mighty-successful 20th anniversary re-release. It’s also getting a re-run in our LEGO feeds, too, thanks to builders like Nicholas Goodman. I haven’t seen the re-release of Episode III, but I hear that seeing Order 66 on the big screen really hits different. I’m more than happy to settle for brick-built dioramas such as this, though. The Jedi Archives look resplendent made up of various shades of trans-blue tiles!

Hey, we’ve got some archives of our own too! Why not look through them to see what else 20 years of Episode III LEGO builds has brought us?

Take a trip to Kyoto for a postcard perfect build of the Golden Pavilion in LEGO

Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, is a jewel of Kyoto with a storied history. It burned down several times since the site became a Zen Buddhist temple in 1399, most recently in 1950, but it was always rebuilt with its top stories covered in gold leaf. Now it’s been rebuilt in LEGO as well, courtesy of Lasse Vestergård. Unlike the original, Lasse’s version isn’t just gilded but uses pearl gold bricks. With a limited range of elements in that color, the builder had to find creative solutions and work with small 1×1 and 1×2 plates to build the large structure. (Lasse has some experience with golden temples!) The temple looks incredible as it sits at an angle on a placid lake surrounded by gardens. I appreciate the brick-built hills in the distance, keeping every element on screen made from LEGO.

This isn’t the first time we’ve featured a MOC of Kinkaku-ji. 18 years ago we presented a version by Japanese LEGO legend Jumpei Mitsui.

Bridge the gap between original and sequel trilogies with this detailed Star Wars diorama

I said it in my review of LEGO’s microscale Home One, and I’ll say it again: one of my favourite Star Wars sets is 7754 Home One Mon Calamari Star Cruiser. Every now and then I’m reminded of it, and this time it’s swbuilds‘ turn to do so. As you might have guessed, this builder specialises in highly detailed Star Wars builds, with a bridge of one of the Mon Cala species’ flagship cruisers. But not (necessarily) Home One! Even though we can spot Admiral Ackbar, Leia, Nien Nunb and Lando Calrissian all gathered around the table, swbuilds states that this is layout draws more from the sequel trilogy than their original appearance in Return of the Jedi. Either way: we love it!

Johnny Thunder’s biggest tomb raid ever

Adventurers was such an amazing theme for any kid (or grown-up) who ever dreamed of seeing far-off lands and solving the mysteries of the ancient past. LEGO Masters champion Mark Erickson is certainly a fan of the theme and picked it for one of his latest 24-hour build challenges. Mark had a blast incorporating as many original parts from the theme as possible, like the printed hieroglyphs, sarcophagus, and of course, the army of minifigures, while also incorporating newer elements and build techniques. The dark orange and dark azure combo definitely wouldn’t have been possible back in 1998, but it’s the perfect color combo for a pharaoh’s haunted tomb and matches the old printings.

The diorama is packed with action from a tomb raid gone horribly wrong as Johnny Thunder and friends unleash a mummy’s curse. All the familiar characters are there, but Mark supplements the crew with minifig companions who look right at home.

If Mark said this was a labor of love built over months, it would still be impressive, but somehow the Master Builder erected this epic wonder in just 24 hours. It must be ancient magic.

Gayle Spiller’s enchanting LEGO box dioramas [Interview]

Gayle Spiller turns whimsical ideas into inspiring LEGO models packed with detail. Her builds, like the Butterfly Collector, are so dense with imaginative use of parts, you can get lost in them. In 2023, Gayle joined the exclusive group of builders to be featured at the LEGO House Masterpiece Gallery. In recent months, Gayle has been playing with a new, cozier build format – one that, like minifig habitats, could inspire builders looking to make their own MOCs from their favorite pieces who might be intimidated by larger constructions. We checked in with Gayle to talk about her latest series and life with LEGO since her invitation to Billund.

TBB: First of all, congratulations on being chosen as one of the latest builders invited to display your creations at the Masterpiece Gallery at LEGO House. What was it like to learn that your works would be displayed in Billund? What was it like meeting the other amazing builders and the LEGO team? Has anything changed in your relationship with LEGO building since your works were spotlighted?

Gayle: Thank you. Being asked to exhibit at the Lego Masterpiece Gallery 2023/24 was a complete surprise and I definitely had imposter syndrome. It was a fantastic experience and I loved meeting the other builders who I had admired online for so long. It was interesting to learn about their building methods, how for instance Zach produces some of his spectacular pieces in only 3 hours. That was a revelation and definitely inspired me to scale down and create something that would take a weekend to finish rather than some of my larger projects which have taken months.

Click to see more of Gayle’s immersive box dioramas