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.

Monkey business is booming

Monkeys can be a public nuisance in places like India, the Caribbean, and even in Singapore.These particular monkeys however are on a mission and they’ve taken the art of robbing markets to a whole ‘nother level! Kev.the.Builder presents a LEGO scene where a monkey scout sits in the trees and reports every movement to the commander. Another monkey perches atop the stall, waiting for the order to strike. The monkey commander leads the mission, methodically planning a infallible raid sequence. Every mission has its adversities, but the result is always the same: the monkeys get the bananas! Even without the monkeys, this would be an engaging scene with great colors and textures. The Mediterranean tile roof, the thatched awning, even the caged chickens are all fantastic details. Is it wrong that I’m rooting for the monkeys?

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Star Wars outpost introduces us to the dregs of the galaxy

Star Wars’ used-universe aesthetic is a trove of inspiration for minifig diorama builders like Aubrey Breelan to mine, skilled world-builders who can populate layouts with all manner of diverse ne’er-do-wells and wannabe heroes. We recently saw Coruscant’s underbelly on Level 1313, and now we’re plunked down onto a bustling street on an unnamed outpost world.

Troopers from the Empire and Rebellion are in close proximity with normal folk, and just as Rogue One showed us on the cusp of A New Hope a violent clash feels like it could break out at any moment. Everyone here is sure to have a story, and the builder invites you to take a closer look at the motley array of characters eking out a living.

Shall we play a game?

Builder Joe is back and this time he’s built a technically and technologically impressive LEGO desktop complete with a window into a virtual world. The entire scene is a practical-built exercise in forced perspective as an off-screen player manipulates characters in the medieval game with her mouse and keyboard setup.

There are several instances of nice parts usage in this scene including minifigure legs as keys on the keyboard and balistraria. I’m also quite keen on the warm, swirling sunset built into the background. There’s also an adorable duck with brick separators for a bill.

The real treasure was the LEGO pieces we collected along the way

Caleb Saw digs deep into LEGO lore with Johnny Thunder’s mansion which is filled with more treasure than you can believe. The complete scene is a roomy, comfortable construction filled with custom warm lighting and a literal treasure trove of LEGO mementos and easter eggs from the old Adventurers line and beyond.

Click through to see a list of all Johnny Thunder’s treasures. Can you spot them all?

Suns out, buns out

We rarely have days like this in the Pacific Northwest and certainly not in early May. However, Miro Dudas either lives in a warmer climate or is dreaming of sunbathing in the tropics. The figures, with their tanned bodies and shapely buns, are cleverly constructed using minifig legs. 1×1 round plates act as their bare feet. It’s a clever trick that can only work from this vantage point; view the figures from the front and the illusion is ruined. The simple palm trees, the towel, the beach bag, and the gentle surf makes for a relaxing scene indeed.

TBB cover photo for May 2020: Seeing Double

This month’s community cover photo features a mind-bendingly detailed alchemist workshop by Markus Rollbühler. Look carefully, and you might think that he’s used Photoshop to mirror one side of the image. A cheeky way to save bricks! However, look even more carefully at the shadows and reflections and you’ll realize it’s not a digital trick, but a full LEGO creation with perfect symmetry.

The immaculate photography complements such an expertly crafted creation. I wonder if the alchemist who resides here is creating such a symmetrical scene through some kind of magic, or are they just OCD?

Want to see your own LEGO creation featured across TBB social media for a month? Then read the submission guidelines and submit your photo today. Until next time, stay well and be safe, and practice social distancing whenever possible as we need it now more than ever!

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Taking social distancing to the extreme

Some folks are handling this whole social distancing thing better than others. Some dislike it so much that they’ve picketed outside of empty statehouses in large groups with guns and misspelled signs demanding the end to all this safety lockdown hoopla. While you’re mulling over that sound logic, allow me to present a guy who has no problems with social distancing. Harold, the hermit, has lived peacefully atop a rocky island for many years. He’s been doing this for so long, LEGO builder valerius_maximus goes on to say, that the rock supporting his little home has just about eroded away. Soon he’ll have to find another ramshackle hideaway or risk toppling ass-over-tea-kettle into the drink. (As they say in New England.) But for now, the fishing is good, the carrots look like they’re just about ready for harvesting, and Harold has all the friends he needs. Seagulls are friends, right?

Ilum, home to Kyber crystals and Imperials

Poland’s Jan T. has built an icy LEGO recreation of Ilum from Star Wars: Fallen Order and it’s an action-packed stage with a story to tell!

I have to admit I’ve never played the game but this model caught my eye for its boundary-breaking snowy clumps hanging off the edge of the edges of the scene. The stark gray face of the Imperial lair utilizes interesting paneling and some absolutely gorgeous cutaways reveal piping running through the walls. I also love the probe droid floating menacingly nearby.

Not content with only half the action, Jan has also included a backside to the stout Imperial fortress wall complete with an adorable little BD-1 hacking into a security droid.

Need more BD-1 in your life? We shared instructions from one of our favorite builders hachokoru24!

A city balancing light and dark

Malaysian Sit Tat Wai is a newcomer to the pages of The Brothers Brick, with a debut that’s equally inspiring by day or night.

Click here to continue reading…

The chief forms of beauty are order and symmetry

Symmetry in art is a funny thing. It is the cause of much disagreement. Some find it fascinating and perfect, while others see it as unnatural and repetitive. I fall squarely in the first camp. I find symmetry and the attention to it in art to be fascinating. Two of my favorite directors, Wes Anderson and Stanley Kubrick, deal heavily in symmetry to great effect. Builder Markus Rollbühler taps into this form with great aplomb and gives us a LEGO creation that is quite beautiful and fascinating to examine.

At first, I thought perhaps there was some visual tricky going on here, but closer examination reveals this to be a fully realized, symmetrical model brimming with detail. There is some really fun parts usage, like Minnie Mouse’s skirt for the planters in the front and those beautiful purple potion bottles. The treasure chests as table legs are another nice touch. It should also be noted that those brick walls aren’t just stacked bricks! They are actually tiles placed on SNOT (Studs Not On top) pieces, providing a much more dimensional and realistic look to the walls. Now, if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go stare at this photo some more and revel in the perfect symmetry of the world between those walls.

Level 1313, the OTHER Star Wars hive of scum and villainy

Minnesotan Hypolite Bricks gritty Coruscant Level 1313 diorama exhibits his penchant for dynamic, textured LEGO dioramas.

For those not familiar, Star Wars 1313 was a promising but ill-fated video game focused on the darker underworld of the Galaxy Far Far Away’s capital planet Coruscant. The concept has recently been revived on the final season of The Clone Wars. This model appropriately features Imperials, aliens, droids, Quarren and Twilek artwork (ads or graffiti?), and -of course- death sticks. There are some neat greebling and detritus strewn about, and you can imagine the sort of shady dealings going on in each alcove.

Check out prior featured works from Hypolite Bricks like the N1 starfighter in Rebellion hangar, and the bounty hunter attack on Republic senators. In all models, you can really feel the hustle and bustle of the “used universe” that is so instrumentally Star Wars.

Out, into the dark, with a precious cargo of plants

If we can find an Earth-like planet within a reasonable distance, or perhaps terraform one of our closer neighbours, then we’re going to need to transport a bunch of plants to its surface. In this LEGO space scene, Sam Malmberg imagines how the interior of a seedling transport ship might look. There’s an impressive variety of plant-life on display, within an equally smart selection of vivarium equipment. The viewport and the wall panelling brings the styling of the Nostromo to mind, but thankfully there are no terrifying aliens threatening the crew. I love the inclusion of a microscale companion vessel, visible through the window, creating the sense of a convoy of intrepid colonists heading out together for a new world.