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.

Now that’s what I call sci-fi

Although I didn’t grow up during their heyday, I’m a bit of a sucker for that retro, 70s sci-fi aesthetic. You know, original-series Star Trek, Silent Running, Alien, that sort of thing. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, Keith Goldman has perfectly encapsulated that (as he so often does) in his latest creation. The build itself is impressive, but the composition is particularly stellar. Keith says the off-kilter angle was deliberately chosen to evoke the unsettling intrigue of a comic book cover. In fact, all it needs is a title in a dramatic font, some catchy quotes, and a little ’50c’ sticker to make it look exactly like that.

The sense of scale and position is quite deceptive: initially, I thought we were looking up at some massive space cathedral, but the little white trophy ‘nanofigures’ give us our reference. This means that that skeleton in the glowing green cell, tank, pod, or whatever it’s in must be enormous. That’s what I love about this piece. No backstory, but by poring over the details you start asking questions which quickly set the imagination running. What facility is this, and where do all those tunnels go? What’s in the yellow pods? What (or who) was that skeleton? Who are the figures gathered around it? Most importantly, why is it there? Somehow, I don’t get the impression this is a zoo…

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Spiders are not the only forest creature to be wary of

LEGO nostalgia is a big thing these days — and I’m not just talking about the footprint of the colossal 10305 Lion Knight’s Castle. Sigmund Haugland has big-ified the legendary yesteryear factions of the Black Falcon knights and the Forest Guardians in this amusing scene. Our brave Falcon knight must be suffering from a bout of arachnophobia, given the way he’s pointing his spear at the poor spider. The Forest Guardian is taking advantage of the situation to lob a net over the unsuspecting soldier. Perhaps he’s in league with the spider? I’m never sure whose side they’re on. These forest dwellers sure give off some chaotic-good vibes. Either way, both protagonists in this picture are full of character. I like the use of the closed eye for the mouth on both characters – despite using the same piece, they both have very different expressions. The door handle is nicely done as well using a pair of antlers.

Baba Yaga? More like Baba Yeezys

You might have heard of Baba Yaga – a witch of eastern European folklore, who famously lived in a house that walked on chicken legs. Pan Noda has built a walking hut sporting a more modern choice of footwear — look at those sneakers! Whatever witch or wizard lives here certainly has taste. Perhaps they’re travelling long distances and don’t want their home getting sore feet. Either way, they’re certainly practically minded: The outhouse has been granted a pair of legs as well; I guess it means less plumbing to worry about. Even the mail box has walking appendages! This mobile home family is full of character, and with little context for the build we’re free to imagine our own fantastical story for them. Personally I like to think they’ve escaped from a Far Side comic strip – the whole scene is quite Larson-esque!

The brick is mightier than the sword

Everyone knows LEGO’s late-90s Adventurers theme was based loosely on Indiana Jones, and this fantastic diorama by norlego drives home the point by doing some character swapping, putting Johnny Thunder and Baron von Baron into the iconic tank scene from The Last Crusade. The build is magnificent, with the massive Hatay Heavy Tank looking straight out of the movie (which, as norlego points out, was a custom design for the film, not a real-world tank). Let’s hope Johnny doesn’t get raked over the treads!

norlego has been revisiting the Adventurers theme and giving it some much-needed love, starting with the splendid Adventurers Camp we featured last year. Check out more of norlego’s builds in TBB’s archives.

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.

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.

Beware the rings of Llyria Y9

Few LEGO builders do other-worldly creations quite like Bart de Dobbelear. His latest creation is a super bit of sci-fi workmanship, inspired by a digital piece from another artist. At first glance, I wondered if there had been some photoshop trickery at play to achieve the repetition of the rings, but on closer inspection, they are indeed four distinct rings. (I really should know better than not to expect such attention to detail from Mr de Dobbelaer!) The greebling is superb, but the real skill lies in the restrained use of pieces. In doing so, the build can show off its tremendous physical depth while keeping the look of the rings consistent. Moreover, they look simultaneously ancient and futuristic. Quite what the rings are for is unclear, and Bart says as much in his description. However, he does mention a few “mysterious disappearances”, with caution being warranted at night…

… So you’d better have your wits about you, as he has treated us to a night-time version of the build as well! The blue light wire is something Bart has used to great effect before, and understandably so – it really elevates the build to something truly alien. If we don’t hear from this TBB favourite for a while, it may well be because he got too close to the rings on Llyria Y9…

The City of Brotherly...LEGO?

Once again displaying his mastery of the microscale LEGO arts, Rocco Buttliere heads to the City of Brotherly Love. The perfectly captured Philadelphia City Hall, still the world’s tallest occupied structure without steel supports at 548 feet tall, is a desktop-sized 10 inches tall here at 1:650 scale.

Come examine the fine details with us!

A scenic path to a forest retreat

Builder Salt_city_bricks gives us a lovely LEGO retreat in a peaceful forest. Two travelers make their way home after an adventurous walk through the forest. They cross a cute little bridge that uses headlight bricks, open studs, and flex tubing for its curvature. Vibrant trees and flowers surround the house on the hill and the babbling brook. There’s not a bit of space left unused on the forest floor! It’s full of plant life, even growing up the sides of the hill to wreath around the multi-story house. The color blocking breaks the scene up into smaller areas to explore.

Take a closer look at the trees and flowers

The oldest trick in the book: a distraction

There’s a lot to love about this medieval build from Lego Fjotten. Purely speaking in LEGO terms, the two trees are wonderfully shaped, while the real eye-catcher must be the road and bridge. It uses the ‘Mjolnir’ sledgehammer piece, painstakingly lined up for a brick road look. It might have been a slightly tedious process, but the effect is well worth it! What really elevates this build, however, is the story it tells. A trio of Black Falcon knights have stopped to enjoy a sing-along with some buskers, and it looks like they’re having a whale of a time! But these buskers may well be in league with the two ruffians on the other bank – who are using this distraction to pilfer the Falcons’ gold and stash it under the bridge. I love how the story develops as you move left to right through the build!

This giant sword store has a blade for every occasion.

Combining medieval combat with big-box convenience, Jon & Catherine Stead bring us Swords ‘R’ Us, the one-stop shop for blades of every kind. And not just blades, but spears, shields, clubs, tridents. Anything you need to vanquish your enemies can be found here.

Get your list and saddle up, ’cause we’re going shopping.

You should totally Google Googie if you haven’t already

You may not know the word but you know it when you see it; an optimistic, retro-futuristic feel with upswept roofs, curvilinear, geometric shapes, and bold use of glass, steel, and neon. If it reminds you of The Jetsons, then that’s Googie! Famed LEGO artist Paul Hetherington creates the look nicely with this far-out poster depicting a retro-fab Googie eatery aptly named Comet Cafe. They boast that they have charbroiled steaks so you know that it’s going to be good! The standalone cafe would be impressive enough but Paul has integrated it into a 3-D poster. Just behind the cafe, there are hints of an entire Atomic/Space Age world complete with a hotel, a gas station, and apartments similar to what I lived in when I was single. Lest you forget the funny moniker that encompasses this type of design, Paul has built the word Googie in a funky retro-fabulous font.

This view takes us to street level where we get to hang out with everyone from this neighborhood. Like, cool Daddy-O! Be sure to click the little blue link to find out why we think Paul is one of the hippest cats around!