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.

Springtime in Weydale Valley

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have four distinct seasons. We have a rainy winter and also a rainy spring. We have summer, which this year fell on a Tuesday and we have Spider Season. With that said, I may consider moving to Weydale Valley. Kevin Wu makes the place seem absolutely enchanting with this stunning LEGO layout. Everything from the bubbling brook to the Tudor-style mill just screams peace and serenity. Or rather it whispers peace and serenity. You can forgive the mix-up as spider season is coming upon us here in the Pacific Northwest and there’s a lot of screaming involved, as you can imagine. Anyway, I love the techniques used on the bridge and the roof of the mill. The deer, the chicken, even the little pig is chock full of charm and tranquility.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

An off-the-wall take on a futuristic city

If you stay in the LEGO game long enough, you’re bound to run into the problem shelf space. Specifically, the problem of not enough of it. Andrew Lee is combating that issue with Scumbag City, a multi-storied metropolis that ingeniously hangs on Andrew’s wall.

To achieve this gravity-defying effect, Andrew has built the bottom-most layer around an already existing wooden shelf. The upper layers are secured with screws placed into the wall through Technic brick holes. From there, Andrew has installed a central elevator shaft that allows the citizens to move between levels. Each level was then outfitted with storefronts and restaurants, each equipped with front facades that can be easily removed so you can see the action within.

I particularly like the way this build so clearly tells the story of life in Scumbag City. The top-level, with its large windows and gold fencing, is clearly the home of the city’s elite. The next three levels feature large railings and brightly colored shops and restaurants. The lowest levels have smaller railings, industrial areas, and businesses like a gentleman’s club. No doubt life on the lower levels is a little harder, if for no other reason than it’s probably pretty noisy living right above the engines the keep Scumbag City aloft.

Majestic LEGO castle a true king needs and deserves

With hundreds (if not thousands!) of LEGO castles featured by our team here on Brothers Brick, leaving our editors open-mouthed with a new design has become quite a feat. Somehow, Greg Dlx came up with something equally epic and unique, a fascinating medieval-themed build. Resembling some of the most famous European castles, this enormous build seems to have it all: thick walls and massive towers, detailed inner space, and even a river by the walls for extra defending. Let’s take a closer look at some of the best bits of this build.

Continue reading →

TBB Cover Photo for September 2021: A sense of peace and tranquillity

There is something special about a scene that not only tells a story but triggers your imagination to see the entire world beyond what you are looking at. Heavily understated and humbly set, this scene is masterfully staged by builder W. Navarre.

Once your mind recalls that you are looking at a LEGO creation, you will feel the need to explore further and look deeper. This is when you will notice the technicality that is cloaked by the emotional connection to the scene. The bridge that draws your focus is indeed one amazing build on its own. With parts facing in just about every angle on the protractor and the clever placement of the slopes aids the design, ensuring a great visual aesthetic to the bridge. The technical candy does not stop there! For those hungry for more, your eyes soon move beyond the bridge and over the fields… then onto the mountain range in the background. It is here that you see more creative usage of curved slope pieces to help form the chiselled yet visually pleasing features of the distant mountains. The colour choices only build this further creating a clever and realistic sense of depth.

You can see the original TBB article on this build here

Submit your LEGO creations for a chance to be featured across TBB social media for a month! Tag your submission with #TBBme. We will be watching this tag and look forward to seeing the submissions for next month. Check out the submission guidelines and share your builds today.

Keep up with The Brothers Brick by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter and Pinterest. And for extra goodies, follow us on Instagram, Flickr, and subscribe to us on YouTube, or join us on Discord.

Wall Maria is breached! The Titans have come!

“Are we the prey? No, we are the hunters!” Attack on Titan, or its original title Shingeki no Kyojin, is a tragic tale which starts out as humanity’s struggle against monsters, but evolves into an exploration of the evils of human nature, war, politics, more. Originally a Manga series that has been adapted into a high quality anime show, it has reached mainstream popularity and will now air its final season. Builder Pieter Dennison commemorates the very first episode with the town of Shiganshina being attacked by Titans.

This scene is just draws you in with the detailed buildings and uneven streets, forcing you to take a closer look at the way Pieter manipulates LEGO pieces to give this build a rough, aged feel. There is plenty of subtle use of texture and discolouration that doesn’t distract from the action that takes place. Minifigs representing townspeople flee from the Titan, which devours an unlucky soul. The soldiers of the Survey Corps swoop in from above with Spider-Man-esque manoeuvring gear to take down the grotesque monster. But can they save humanity from this mysterious threat?

This action-packed scene already got one of the opening songs stuck in my head…
“Seid ihr das Essen?
Nein, wir sind die Jäger!”

When your friends turn out to be slime. Literally.

The backstory of Rendevous at Slime Bay by Mathijs Dubbeldam (Exetrius) has the leader of the Black Spire seeking out allies from the Algus, an ancient enemy of man. Which, honestly, sounds like a pretty stupid move. But I guess if you’re the leader of something as grim sounding as “The Black Spire” it’s just another Tuesday. On the LEGO front, this build is very far from “stupid”, as it incorporates some really skillful tricks like a stone arch made with a ball-jointed infrastructure. I also love the construction on the cross at the top of that span. The water has some excellent white-top crests made from transparent cheese slopes, and there’s plenty of shades of transparent green elements to bring the goopy nature of the island to life.

If you’re looking for more immersive scenery, check out our dioramas tag!

SPACE NEWS: Rogue robot rattles researchers.

Scientists from all across the LEGO galaxy have come to United Systems to share their research and make new discoveries. But one of the prototype robots has gone haywire. Could it be sabotage by evil Blacktron and Spyrius agents? Tim Goddard is no stranger to sci-fi themed builds (in fact, he co-wrote the book on it), but this one stands out for how much character and story is brought to the scene. The collection of Space minifigures from across so many eras is great to see. Every figure has some business to attend to, which creates a feel of hustle and bustle within the complex. And the malfunctioning robot makes a great centerpiece. I’m impressed by how posable it is, particularly in the hips, thanks to a combination of round plates with a horizontal bar and the hexagonal piece from a weapons accessory pack.

A bridge too fantastic

Bridges are primarily about function. Whether it’s rope, or wood, or stone, or steel; it needs to connect point A to point B and hold your weight. If it does that, it’s a pretty great bridge, no matter how ugly it is. But Andreas Lenander doesn’t settle for anything so basic. The bridge at the centerpiece of his latest build is about function and form.

By building up two towers of 1×1 plates with vertical clips, connecting them with bars, and then bending the resulting structure, Andreas has devised a bridge that looks right at home in the serene wilderness surrounding it. And there’s some pretty clever technique in that wilderness, as well. In particular, the minifigure whips twisted together make for realistically gnarled tree trunks. All in all, it’s the kind of locale you’d want to stroll slowly through, holding a loved one’s hand. Or trek through on your way to a mystic temple. Whichever is more your speed.

This is what it sounds like when doves cry

Prince is, of course, a music legend who left us too soon. However, he’s also notable for totally nailing his passport photo. I mean, DAMN! How can he look that good? Who doesn’t resemble a crazed maniac in their passport photos? Speaking of crazed maniacs, Paul Hetherington is one of the most talented LEGO artists we know. On the stage of his newest creation, we have the inimitable Prince and the Revolution, but flanking them are Majesty and Divinity, Prince’s beloved doves. This piece also includes Prince’s signature purple piano, firepole, and bathtub.

A closer look at the band members and we see a striking resemblance to Wendy and Lisa, Doctor Fink, BobbyZ, and Brownmark, all of which were carefully crafted from existing LEGO minifigure parts. If you’re looking at Prince and thinking whoa, hang on there Sonny Jim, what is going on here? Well, he is a custom-made figure by Citizen Brick and features Crazy Arms made by Crazy Bricks. Us LEGO people get by with a little help from our friends which, I’m aware, is completely the wrong band and song reference.

If you’re loving this and are totally jonesing for all things Paul, then we got you covered. If, by chance, you want to know what it sounds like when a TBB writer cries, then remind me to show you my passport photo. Oy, what was I thinking with that face? Like a burst sofa!

Refuel, restock, reconnoitre

This vignette by Red Spacecat shows off his latest build, an unmanned combat aerial vehicle. The RQ-190 is being refueled by her crew and prepped for her next mission. This super smooth drone is actually a redesign of a remote-control plane concept that Red Spacecat recently shared. Switching the color scheme of the RC plane to all black just so happens to make the butterfly-inspired design look very similar to a military stealth drone. The angles of the wings hug tight to the curves of the main body and the snub nose lets us see the landing gear peaking out underneath. The slopes and tiles used on the wings make for a smooth, immersive model overall.

The little builds for the tool chest, bomb cart, and fire extinguisher (I assume) are great details for this vignette. The gears used on the ends of the bombs are clever and, though it might not be exactly “legal,” the cut hose used on the tip of the fire extinguisher is a perfect addition. Continue reading →

The peaceful garden temple

LEGO builds are often quite small-scale compared to minifigures, with buildings occupying the equivalent space of a car, and castles the size of houses. Here builder Andreas Lenander has flipped that script on its head with a temple gazebo scene in a garden that’s the size of many LEGO castles. Unsurprisingly for Andreas, there are lots of lovely details, too, though one of the best might be the minifigure katana holders that make the hanging lanterns on either side of the gazebo.

A duel for the ages

This epic showdown of martial prowess comes to us from Markus Rollbühler, and it’s chock full of drama, action, and enough clever parts usages to keep your eyes busy for a long while. There are so many to love, but don’t miss the minifigure armor for the torso on the left character, or the big figure arms used as legs on the right character, or even little things like the rounded end of Harry Potter wands for knobs on the dresser in the background.

In fact, we love this build so much we’ve made it our social media cover image this month! Be sure to check out how your image could be featured for a full month.