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.

I am the future. The Tiberian Sun has risen!

Just like LEGO builder Gregory Coquelz, I was a huge fan of Commander & Conquer: Tiberian Sun when it debuted in 1999. So as soon as I saw this excellent pair of dioramas depicting GDI and Nod forces, I knew we had to feature them. First up is GDI with an iconic ore harvester sweeping through the fields of blue Tiberium Vinifera, accompanied by a Wolverine mech and a few soldiers. The diorama is simple, but it captures the bleak wastelands of the game. A blossom tree adds some interest (as well as a renewable source of Tiberium).

Of course, no C&C creation would be complete with the insane machinations of Nod, and so Gregory has also made an iconic scene with a Hand of Nod, along with a turret, buggy, and a few more soldiers. The broken road is a great touch, with the wedge plates fitting together perfectly to create the uneven edges. Continue reading →

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Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window

While Psycho isn’t without its charms, Rear Window is my all-time favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie. I’m certain LEGO builder Mark would agree that you ought to check it out if you haven’t already. If you’re feeling a bit voyeuristic with this scene, that, dear readers, is the point. James Stewart plays a wheelchair-bound photographer with nothing better to do but to peer into his neighbor’s windows while his broken leg heals. (This was before Xbox and the internet, mind you.) While learning a lot about his Greenwich Village neighbors’ lives and habits, he is pretty certain he has also witnessed a murder. The rest of the story unfolds with a flavor of suspense and intrigue that only Alfred Hitchcock could pull off.

Mark replicates the scene nicely with vivid detail. I can just hear the talented pianist practicing in his apartment with the titillating “Miss Torso” dances in hers. And why are those flowers just a bit shorter than they used to be? The answer is a bit gruesome, and neighborhood pets ought to beware!

Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream

There are plenty of neat Batman LEGO dioramas to go around. For some reason, there’s a bit less love for Marvel’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. But Instagram user Hachiroku92 changes all that with this decidedly amazing diorama featuring Spider-Man and Sandman duking it out the only way blockbuster heroes and villains can; with lots of collateral damage. Let’s just say the company insurance paperwork for that cement mixer is going to be a sticky pickle. The scene comes to life with convoluted action and stunning photography. Sandman’s amorphous form and giant hand is nothing short of dreamy. Maybe you can construct your own Spider-Man diorama using the parts from the new Spider-Man sets. And before you comment that the old-fogey title was a missed opportunity to cite a more contemporary Metallica tune, I already had Enter Sandman stuck in my head for like a week and now it’s stuck in yours. So…you’re welcome, I guess.

TBB Cover Photo for December 2020: Into the Wintery Wild

This month’s cover photo from Andrea Lattanzio takes us back to the wild. The Magic Bus we’ve been treated with before has now been treated with snow, which makes for a lovely winter scene.

The bus remains familiar, but there have been some added details to give depth and texture to the snow. Additionally, trees that were once leaf-filled are now barren and covered with snow, the firs have been replaced with white branches, and the clever touch of icicles added to the bus windows complete the scene.

Be sure to visit Norton74’s flickr page for a bit of history on this bus that no longer resides in Alaska’s wilderness. It’s an interesting story that makes for a great scene.

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Top Secret: Roswell 1947

Aliens get a bad rap, don’t they? They’re scary, mysterious, and they’re the bane of midwestern farmers and cattle everywhere. They’re also seemingly responsible for a slew of uncanny and sometimes hilarious crop circles and plus they’ve got that whole probing thing which some folks have mixed feelings about. Andreas Lenander calls this LEGO diorama Roswell 1947. The depiction of the UFO scorching the earth does nothing to squelch the alien’s reputation but it is admittedly cool. The large saucer dishes go way back to the X-Pod line from ’04-’05. The light brick built into the landscape gives this piece that extra helping of awesomesauce. You may (ahem) probe deeper into our archives to see just how fascinated we are with Andreas’ stuff and aliens in general.

A castle diorama with all the essentials

Sometimes a simple two-toned LEGO castle can go a long way. In this diorama, Mark of Siloam brings us Huntington Castle, his largest build to date measuring at 20″ by 45″. I’m not sure how much that is converted into studs, but it sure looks grand within this lively diorama. With its solid sand green and gray brickwork, the Huntington Castle is well-fortified with guards peering out into the land. When the castle’s functioning portcullis is lifted, the drawbridge can be lowered to access the main dirt path. A neat windmill sits just across the river, next to an open field for cattle to graze. The overall composition is rich in detail, and I’m still picking out the subtle changes in landscaping throughout the build and spotting new animals in every corner.

Here’s to more castle dioramas, Mark! And as we’re heading forward, why not drop in our archives for a look at one of Mark’s past builds from 2016.

Take a visit to Elvendale in this huge, incredibly detailed LEGO model!

Despite the presence of minidolls, I think that LEGO’s Elves theme was almost universally beloved by adult fans of LEGO (and undoubtedly, many loved the dolls, too). What was there not to like? There were great re-colors of common pieces into bright pinks, blues, and purples, perfect for everything from spaceships to fantasy forest dwellings, there were new hairpieces for more elves, there were dragons, not to mention the great accessories, and perhaps most of all sets that by themselves were great, with nice value for the money, good play features, and cohesive structure. I was a fan. It seems likely that I was never as much of a fan as Ben Arkley, however, if this enormous Elvendale creation is any guide.

Click to see details of this awesome build

A little cottage in the forest

One of the best things about LEGO is the online community, which appears to be ever-growing. I really like discovering new online accounts of fans of LEGO. Yesterday I discovered a new (to me) creator and I would like to share their latest creation with you. Titled “Little cottage in the forest,” it was made by Alex Bromfield, and I have so many nice things to say about it. I like the irregularly shaped base and the use of all the headgear for the cobblestone path. And the cobblestone path isn’t even the only way Alex incorporates headgear. He also uses it to create a bird’s nest and a small bush. On the walls of the Tudor-style house, he used a mix of white, tan, and dark tan bricks to give it a more weathered look, which is further continued by adding tiles, slopes and cheese slopes to the roof. Can you believe that this creator is only 13 years old? I am telling you, this is one to keep an eye on!

A LEGO Master’s medieval masterpiece

Former Swedish LEGO Master Peter Ilmrud is known for detailed, colorful, and occasionally intricate works of art. Often times his builds feature subject matter of fantasy and bygone days. It’s hard to choose, but I think I enjoy his microscale castles best. This will be featured in a LEGO brand retail shop in Sweden, and it’s easy to see why.

The build catches the eye and takes you on an adventure from sea to castle spires. The real triumph is the parts usage in the castle itself. For the most part, the techniques aren’t new, but when they all come together the result is beautiful. I particularly like the techniques used on all the towers, especially stacking modified round plates and tiles back to back to achieve windows and the “stone” look. I also admire how the central helmet piece connected to the lantern element creates a particularly striking feature.

You can see more builds by Peter in our archives. While you’re at it, check out all the incredible previously featured builds in both the microscale and medieval categories.

Wonder what the tide will wash up today

One benefit of setting up your post-apocalyptic outpost on the beach, aside from the abundant food source of the ocean’s bounty, is the wondrous things that wash up in the surf. In this scene by Tom Loftus a lone soldier stands watch as the low tide washes in. The outpost is built from shipping containers, which are plentiful if you live near a major shipping hub. The model is part of an iron builder challenge using a dark red Minifig shield part, which you can see in the timbers of the bunker half-buried in the sand.

Dystopian novels are so 1984.

Can you judge a book by its cover? Conventional wisdom says “no,” but John Snyder may have a different opinion. The elegant book binding here is complemented by some slice-of-life details that are every bit as charming. This creation is part of the Iron Builder contest, and this round focused on the challenge of incorporating modified 2×3 plates into the build. We can see them in action in the book bindings on the cover, and in the dark red flowers. The golden carriage wheel on the cover matches the yellow centers to the flowers as well as the gold coins, but did you know that the black cloth bag there is (probably) also a LEGO element? It looks to me to be a Wolfpack Pouch. Now there’s a part you don’t see every day.

If you’re in a literary mood, why not check out our book archives? You just might learn something new!

Home, home on the range

Ah, farms. One hundred percent of us humans eat, but in the United States, less than six percent of the population is involved in growing it. Now, I’m not a farmer, but I did enjoy some tomatoes and peppers from my backyard garden this year, so I feel downright rustic as I type this article on a state-of-the-art laptop with high-speed wifi. But having grown up in the upper Midwest, part of America’s Breadbasket, I feel kinship with this rural LEGO scene by John Snyder. Do I own a tractor? No, but I kind of wish I did. Do I keep chickens? No, but my wife has been insisting that we should. Goats, too, though I don’t think city ordinances would allow them. Maybe someday I’ll have a barn and an awesome windmill to draw up water from the well. Mine probably won’t be made of LEGO shields, though.

Do you like farms and barns and livestock, too? Then check out our TBB farm archives! And don’t forget to look up John Snyder, too, and you’ll see why he’s competing for the title of Iron Builder.