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.

A month of Mark – LEGO Castle models by Mark of Falworth

I’m not sure how he does it (short of a Time-turner), but Mark of Falworth is one of the most prolific LEGO Castle builders on Flickr. Doing so is pretty normal during major contests, like the Colossal Castle Contest, for which Mark won the Master Builder title this year. But the end of the contest didn’t stop Mark from building, and he sometimes posts substantial scenes and dioramas day after day. Mark seems to have been particular busy this April.

Here’s Mark’s latest, a tall tower on a seaside cliff titled “The Battle of Drearcliff Pass.” Notice the different layers in the dirt and rock:

In reverse-chronological order, here are the other LEGO Castle builds Mark has posted so far this month.

Mark certainly didn’t start being prolific a few weeks ago, so be sure to check out his photostream on Flickr for more.

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Everyone needs a wardrobe

Books are pathways to other worlds, and far more readily available than a wardrobe opening to Narnia. Annie Corder gives us a way to have a bit of both with these lovely bookends.

Prehistoric Prowler

This fantastic dinosaur diorama by flickr user TMM seems a fitting model to blog, since I’m just about to go check out the new 3D release of Jurassic Park (can you believe it’s been 20 years?). I love the mottled reddish coloring on the fin that TMM has achieved just through simple plate stacking, and of course the shaping is spot on.

A Nighthawk by any other name

eldeem brings you a diorama inspired by the 1942 painting Nighthawks by Edward Hopper. The scene is the culminating installment of the builder’s “Hawks in the Night” series, which features some very effective camera work.

If you’re a fan of the painting, you might have missed Alex Eylar’s Nighthawks of the Living Dead, featured on this august blog back in 2010.

Building on water

How do you build a diorama without a baseplate or a solid surface underneath? Leave it to the creative geniuses Sean and Steph Mayo (Siercon and Coral) to figure out a way. This diorama is floating on water and there’s no baseplate that holds the pieces together. Each brick had to have a plate attached underneath to trap the air inside the brick. Check out the video on Flickr to see this floating wonder.

An earthly alien landscape

I’ve seen lots of alien landscapes in Lego, but this one by Nick V. (Brickthing) stood out to me for its earthly colors and the use of a textured background from the Lego Halloween Accessory Set for the swamp. Can you find the cyclops roaming these strange lands?

Alien Atmosphere Processor

Mihai Marius Mihu (mihaimariusmihu) creates a truly unique scene that portrays an alien terraforming structure and dilapidated building. I have to say that the thought of alien spores turning me into alien bio-matter in order to be harvested and turned into a hovercraft is mildly creepy while at the same time pretty neat. Yay science!

Be sure to have a click through the photostream for more views.

Mass Effect 3 Reaper

Imagine Rigney built a Reaper from Mass Effect 3 with full posability and movable faceplates that reveal a light-up laser eye. I really like this shot that shows the massive size of the Reaper towering over a microscale city. Check out MOCpages for more photos.

Running is not an option in this Walking Dead diorama

It’s actually quite hard getting LEGO ruins to look right — it’s not as simple as knocking a few bricks out of the building you’ve just made. Kyle (K.Kreations) blows a big hole in his building and shatters the windows to recreate the look of a ravaged city in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

I also like the realistic details on the buildings’ roofs, often overlooked by builders even though we usually view and photograph LEGO models from above.

See more photos on MOCPages, where pretty much everything lately is apparently an entry for the MOCathalon. (Can we just assume that now? Yes, I think so.)

Hey Becket, think fast!

James Pegrum or peggyjdb just posted a very immersive diorama called “Be careful what you wish for…” depicting the final moments in the life of Saint Thomas Becket. The setting for the recreated murder is Canterbury cathedral, which the builder has captured effectively with a variety of techniques.

James has been on a roll lately with these one shot historical scenes, former topics include: Margaret Thatcher moves into 10 Downing St., the death of Lord Nelson and a precedent setting case in English law.

Suit up for some Zero-G Classic Spaceball.

The 2013 MocAthalon is churning out some imaginative entries, like this future-sport diorama from Jon Blackford, a.k.a. Heiwa71 called “Zero-G Classic Spaceball”. Constructed for the category “No Gravity”, this impressive model features Classic Sports boilerplate like cheerleaders, goals, fans and even a machine to generate the “jump-ball”. The only thing curiously missing is a score-board, but perhaps Classic Spacemen have evolved past the need to keep score. The game appears to be a mix between soccer, basketball and the game Triad from the old Battlestar Galactica series played in either red or blue diapers. MOCpages has additional photos for your viewing pleasure.

Splintered Shield Inn

One of the MocAthalon categories this year is to build a medieval inn. Julien Andries (Julandrius) has built one full of character and detail — from the battered tile roof to the splotched walls and rough stonework.