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.

The everblue trees in the everglow forest

Here in Finland, many of the forests (and there are a lot of forests) are made up of evergreen trees, which stay green all year round. Eli Willsea has created a LEGO scene that could well be in one of the Nordic countries: a reindeer wandering through a peaceful Everglow forest. Wait, everglow? I guess the trees aren’t very green here… And that’s intentional. Eli says this was a LUG challenge to build things in unusual colours. So we have lavender water, light green rocks, dark orange forest floor, dark blue leaves, and a pink frog. It all looks quite mystical, underlined by the glowing fruit in the trees that, presumably, give the forest its name.

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A distressed badger badgers the Mouse Guard for help

A builder who goes by the name of Evancelt Lego presents a diorama that is called Redwall: A Visitor to Loamhedge. From their Flickr page; “After receiving the distressed badger and hearing his tale, Abbot Gersey sends warrior mice out to aid in his search for his daughter. Weasels had been spotted near Loamhedge a fortnight earlier and the abbot has his suspicions they were behind the badgermaid’s disappearance.” They go on to say that this started as a chance to play around with light lime alongside yellowish green and lime in the base, which incidentally, was the very thing that attracted me to this build. Those of us in the know about such things understand that these colors are as scientifically different as pink and orange and can look pretty neat when presented together.

A brush with the Rebellion

I’ve seen a lot of Star Wars LEGO creations over the ten-plus years I’ve been writing for The Brothers Brick, and after awhile many of them start to blur together. This little diorama by Abe Fortier caught my eye though, and not because of the urban industrial architecture (which is well done) or the carefully textured base (which is also well done). Instead, it’s the graffiti that covers the walls of this Imperial base on Lothal. The brick-built portraits of a Rebel pilot and bloody stormtrooper are perfect pieces of Rebel propaganda that are so rarely seen on screen.

Video killed the... Humans?

At first glance, I thought this LEGO TV mecha by Sebastien Racicot looked rather charming. Bright colours on the screen, big expressive eyes, and generally a neat idea for a robot-mecha-thing. But that was before I noticed the wasteland that it’s walking around in. And the ominous caption, which simply reads “LEGO robot TV domination”. Suddenly those big red eyes and grabbing claws look a lot more menacing. It makes you wonder if he might have listened to the Buggles one time too many, and killed a little more than the radio star. Although I’ve just remembered a ‘minifigure’ called Tee-Vee from the Alpha Team sets, so maybe this is just that character’s bigger sibling looking for him? Yeah, let’s go with that. That sounds much less scary!

Some LEGO icons – but not as you know them

As far as motor races go, they don’t come much more iconic than the Monaco Grand Prix, made in LEGO here by alex_bricks. Not content with choosing an iconic circuit, he’s chosen an iconic race as well: the 1988 edition. As a result, one of the most dominant cars in F1 history also makes an appearance in the form of the red-and-white McLaren MP4/4. And driven by the legendary Ayrton Senna, no less. There’s more LEGO icons here than in a LEGO store! While the immersive setting is superb, I’m most impressed by the cars. LEGO F1 cars are sometimes prone to being either oversized relative to minifigures, or looking too bulky. Alex has absolutely nailed the design here though. The sleek noses are expertly crafted with some wedge slopes and angled tiles, which look just perfect at this scale. That the cars are so recognisable without any custom decals is a testament to the quality of this build!

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.

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A seaside dwelling perfect for hermits and crabs

Josh (Sergeant Chipmunk) seems to be going on a bit of a waterside-abode-with-trees-growing-out-the-top kick lately. After his magical-looking tree house, we have another one in slightly rougher waters. Speaking of which, the way the waves are done here is really neat – it certainly gives the impression of a wind-swept rock by the sea. Such a house could surely only be lived in by a grizzly retired sea captain, right? No doubt they have come here for some peace and quiet after a busy life braving the high seas. They just need to contend with the local wildlife. How many different critters can you spot kicking about?

Cut through the competition at Cutlass Cove

A LEGO builder with the clever name of EMazingbrix has created a little diorama using six Minifig swords. Now, this is a conundrum because, for the life of me, I can only spot five. I see three trees, the serrated ridge to the far right, and the little boat sail. I’m still stumped on the sixth. There’s probably a passage in a survival manual somewhere stating that not spotting a weapon in plain sight is counterproductive in terms of longevity. Still, I’m flummoxed. OK, EMazingbrix, I give up. Where’s the sixth…(Schick!)…oooooh!

Never has a choppy sea looked so good in LEGO

Emulating nature in LEGO bricks can be tricky, particularly capturing the fluidity of water. Enter Huynh Khang and Ky Duy Phong, with some of the best brick-built water I’ve ever seen. It looks like it could be a painting in a gallery! A whopping 50,000 bricks were used to create this diorama, and not a single one has gone to waste. Tile pieces are used for the calmer bits of the sea, with clear and white studded plates used to represent the choppier parts of the water. The result is an incredibly dynamic ocean, which looks like a challenge for even the toughest sailors. Speaking of sailors, don’t let the waves overshadow the pirate ship – it’s just as impressive, using Bionicle pieces among other things to create detailed woodwork. To complete the roundup of LEGO Systems in this piece, we have a Duplo shark. It speaks to the magnitude of this piece that it doesn’t look at all out of place!

Not everything in space is as it seems

The following is an extract from Beginner’s Guide to Space Adventures, by Lunar & Extraterrerestrial Geography – Outerspace (L.E.G.O.) expert Bart de Dobbelaer.*

“When exploring space, it is important to remember that not everything is as it seems. On strange worlds, what you might think are tasty space mushrooms could be anything from energy crystals to the appendages of a colossal planet-dwelling man-eater. It is analogous, if you will, to using LEGO pieces in interesting ways. That part you thought was a space egg? It’s actually the eyeball of a space monster. Remember what we learned in the chapter on basic planetary survival: just because you can’t see the colossal planet-dwelling man-eater, does not mean it cannot see you! The chances that they have more eyes than you are extremely high. And for goodness’ sake, if you suspect it is something that could eat you, don’t try and take it home. The best tool in a space explorer’s survival kit is a brick separator, but the second best tool is caution. Always keep an eye out!”

*Not a real book. Please don’t attempt to buy one from Bart. But do check out his other work.

The only way to warmonger across the frozen steppe is by mammoth

War elephants are cool and all, but up here in the frozen Nordics, they wouldn’t stand a chance. BardJaskier has envisaged how warriors might have moved around in the last Ice Age with this imposing LEGO war mammoth. The brick-built beast looks great, featuring a neat use of a walnut-print tile for the eye. There are plenty of spikes to ward off attackers, although they’d have to be pretty brave – or foolish – to go near this thing. For one thing, they’d have to make it through the throng of angry Northmen at its side. Along with the surrounding frozen landscape, they’re a great complement to a fantastic build.

Holidays in a galaxy far, far away are closer to home than you think

The other day, I saw someone ask where the best location in Star Wars would be for a holiday. Personally I think Naboo is the best answer, and having seen Abe Fortier‘s LEGO slice of Naboo, I’m even more sure of that fact. For one thing, there’s no-one here! Jokes aside, the lack of minifigures was a deliberate choice by Abe, and while that can make large creations like this look empty, it pays off here as it gives the architecture room to breathe. Civilisation and nature co-exist nicely, the latter serving a dual purpose in the build. The vegetation creeping up the walls helps to break things up and provide visual interest, as does some excellent texturing and weathering. There’s also just enough Star Wars clutter to drive home that this is Naboo, and not somewhere here on Earth. Mind you Naboo is based on locations such as Seville, in Spain, and Lake Como in Italy… Maybe we can go on holiday there after all!