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.

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!

Cutlass Cove

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!

"Kraken Shadowy" _ Front

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!”

Beginner's Guide to Space Adventuring - Not everything is as it seems

*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.

Norscan War Mammoth

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!

Slice of Naboo

Darling it’s better, down where it’s wetter, and the LEGO is teal

I defy you to look at this underwater LEGO organ by Eli Willsea and not start humming the tune to “Under the Sea”. See? It’s in your head now! And you won’t forget this build in a hurry either. It centres around the cylinder pieces used as the organ’s pipes, the seed part for the current round of Iron Builder. The slits in this particular piece make it a great fit for this instrument, although there aren’t many organs I know of that are painted turquoise. But put it on the seafloor, and suddenly the teal makes perfect sense. The little crab at the keys is pretty cute as well. Presumably, it’s a homage to Sebastian from The Little Mermaid. The only other musical sea-dweller I’ve heard of is Davy Jones, and he didn’t look that friendly…

The Sound of the Sea

This round of Iron Builder is just getting started, so why not see some previous entries in our archives?

Splish splash, I was building a bath

When you think of the Victorian era, you might think of the glamour of steam trains, big mustaches, and even bigger tophats. What you might not think of is something we take for granted nowadays – the humble bathroom, still something of a luxury back then. Even the most well-to-do might only bathe once a month. And what better place to do so than in Marcin Otreba‘s stylish LEGO bathroom? The goldwork makes it look fit for royalty! Just make sure they don’t spot that two of their crowns have been used for a vase and light fitting base. The tiling could perhaps use a touch-up as well. Despite its opulent glamour, it feels lived-in, as if many a minifigure has washed here. In a way, that makes the build all the more impressive!

Victorian style bathroom????

Icy winter wonderland

One of my favorite things about the winter is the beauty of a peaceful snowy mountainside, and this LEGO build by -LittleJohn looks just the part. It took me a little while to grasp the scale of this mountain, but then I spied the castle perched up on the ledge above the glassy waterfall. The ramshackle techniques used on this build come together splendidly to create a magical moonlit river.

Winter Wonder

Fair weather and a tiny patch for your garden... in the clouds

Floating islands have even more need of a strong beacon to warn airships away from dangerous rocks. This tall beacon by Ids de Jong is more than just another lighthouse, with an industrial revolution aesthetic and a factory in the far distance giving the scene a clever bit of forced perspective. One thing this beacon keeper doesn’t have to worry about is groundskeeping, aside from a few herbs and flowers, there’s not much room for gardening

Iron Point Beacon

There’s nothing banal about this canal

Ah, Venice: a city of romance. This may not be Venice, but there’s still a lot to love about this canal-side town by Isaac Snyder! Perhaps that wonderful bridge is what made me think of Venice. The architecture in general is beautiful, with the so-called bow plate getting a lot of good use in crenellations and roof design. And how about the foliage! The brick-built lilypads were the first to catch my eye, but my favourite is behind the old white-bearded gentleman. It’s a vine made up of a whip, drawn around some plant elements. A simple yet effective solution that looks great in this setting!

Exploring Cedrica

As if babies weren’t scary enough as they are

Thought you were safe from the scary now that Hallowe’en is over? Think again! Simon Liu has collaborated with Micah Beideman to build something which, on the face of it, sounds adorable. I mean, “baby wars.” How scary can it be? As it turns out, pretty nightmare-inducing. The mechanised babies are pretty cute, to be fair, in their tanks with milk bottle cannons. The Scala baby is not a particularly disturbing piece per se, but add some tyre tentacles and you’ve created the most terrifying baby kaiju. I thought the scariest thing a baby could do was scream all the way through a flight – at least this puts that into perspective.

Baby Wars

Learning the A to Zeffo of the Jedi

The video game Jedi: Fallen Order was a real boon for those with an interest in the history of the Jedi. Ethan Tesone has created a neat diorama of the planet Bogano, one of the first locations in the game and the home of the ancient Zeffo species. The essence of Bogano is perfectly captured, alongside some of the game’s key features. Of course we have protagonist Cal Kestis, with a custom BD-1 on his shoulder. The green crate likely hides some of the game’s collectibles – a poncho, or a lightsaber hilt, perhaps. And Cal stands atop a meditation circle, which act as the save points in the game. This might be my favourite part of the build, as it’s so well integrated into the ground. But best of all – it even lights up!

Bogano - Great Divide