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.

The village and its gatehouse

Gatehouses are quite a popular theme in LEGO castle builds, but this port village gatehouse by Titus Verelst still manages to bring something new to the table, surrounding the gatehouse with a village suspended on logs. It makes a nice composition with the rooftops and curved path, adding just enough minifig action to bring the scene to life, despite the bleak colour scheme. I do wish the builder had added water around the village, or at least used some clever digital tricks or blue paper as a stand in.

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Find your inner LEGO peace on the mountain summit

There is something about this mountaintop temple by David Zambito that just makes me want to be there. Climbing the mountain for days to reach it, and then meditating for just as long. The serene environment is achieved by soft, earth-tone colours and a warm background. There are many great techniques used throughout, like jet engines as bells, and hair pieces and convex tiles as cobblestone walls. I am not sure whether I am supposed to imagine a larger temple behind the scene or not, but it works either way.

The cyberpunk bar has everything for a thirsty sci-fi nerd

If you are looking for a drink or for futuristic company, the cyberpunk bar Fall by Revan New has you covered. There are many lovable details scattered all around, like hanging robot parts and technical detailing, but the cherry on the cake is the atmosphere. A few tweaks to the photo really makes you feel like part of the action. The minifig positioning helps too, bringing all of the shady characters to life.

Desert saps on poor man’s thirst

Despite its harsh nature, I would love visiting the Orange Fern Gorge, as built by W. Navarre. The jewel merchant minifigs in the scene probably do not share my sentiment, however, as their intrepid expedition might be born more of necessity than love for the scenery. And what a gorgeous scenery it is! The layers of rock are a beautiful balance of rough but clean, while the ground’s texture compliments the rocks well. A careful combination of olive and sand green accented by a few pink flowers adds just enough life to the scene to still look barren and dead, but not boring.

The bridge is quite interesting on its own – while it’s possible the model builder may have run out of string while making the bridge and added a short chain as the support on one posts, it’s also probably what the bridge’s makers would do if they had run out of rope. Finally, having the two rocky pillars presented on separate base plates adds a lot to the composition as well.

Amon Hen has the best riverside view

Of all the fantasy movie scenes out there, the Amon Hen conflict from Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring may be among the most commonly recreated in LEGO. This version by John Snyder has some of the best landscaping I have seen in a while, with subtle slopes and realistic trees, but most importantly a beautiful gravel riverbank. The landscape is so effective because of how simple and relatable it is—there are no grand rock formations or majestic trees, just a normal forest, but built perfectly.

There’s life on Mars after all

If Arsia Prime looks as good in real life as it does in the pictures, sign me up! Just like The Martian, everything about this off-world arboretum is fantastically realistic. The terrain is gorgeous, offering a stunning variety of layering, subtly blended colors, and unique rock formations. Builder Ryan Howerter describes this simply as “a relatively near-future colony on Mars.” With the daily advances of space travel, these words may not be too far from the truth.

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Sleep forever in the ocean’s cold, dark embrace

How did Captain Morgan die? Was he dragged to the depths by a loose cannon? Was he struck down by the kraken? Or did Poseidon himself drag the captain’s ship into his realm? All we know is that the last time Captain Morgan was seen, he was on the forecastle of his sinking ship, the Queen Annetta’s Revenge, according to builder Jacob Nion.

The scene was built for a story on the Eurobricks forum. The build itself is very dynamic, with excellent broken masts and just enough flotsam to represent convincing traces of a legendary battle. The ship itself is very good, with Jacob giving us an undamaged view.

Please excuse the mess – kids are making memories

Did you ever design your own “dream room” when your were a child? I did, and it looked something like this boy’s room by John Snyder. Built for the final round of the ABS builder challenge and largely inspired by César Soares‘ amazing kid’s room, John says of his latest creation “it was really enjoyable to build a modern interior for a change, something outside of minifigure scale”. The scene is stocked to the gills with toys including (but not limited to) LEGO, action figures, costumes, planes, trains and even a castle! The stand out features for me are the working bi-fold door, fish tank, and brilliant red telescope.

Sherwood Forest recreated in gigantic LEGO display

The world of everyone’s favorite thief is expertly brought to life in this breathtaking and expansive LEGO creation by Ben Pitchford. Robin Hood would be proud to call this land home, with its depiction of Nottingham Castle, Sherwood Forest, and everything in between.

Built over the course of nine months and using more than 100,000 parts, this magnificent creation spares no details from the classic tales of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. You could easily get lost exploring Sherwood Forest with its towering trees and treetop hideouts…

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Three-tiered LEGO diorama recreates every Star Wars movie

Today is the 40th anniversary of the opening day of Star Wars. To celebrate, teen builder Bryan Ng built this diorama that showcases scenes from every Star Wars movie released so far, including last year’s Rogue One. With vignettes spread across several levels and around all four sides, the setup of this diorama is reminiscent of the LEGO Death Star. It deservedly won 1st prize in a Star Wars fan build showcase held in Malaysia last week to celebrate this auspicious movie milestone.

Bryan’s Mustafar scene from Revenge of the Sith is excellent, with lava flowing beneath Obi-wan Kenobi as he battles the soon-to-be-crispy Anakin Skywalker.

Freezing temperatures and flesh-eating monsters? These minifigs might not survive the night

These two brave souls have certainly been put through the wringer by Graham Gidman. A horde of undead creatures is swarming their camp and they’ve buried two of their own. And given the lack of snow on those graves, I’d say those deaths were recent. Emotions have to be running high. In spite of the horror depicted, Graham’s LEGO scene is actually quite lovely. The texture on the bridge looks crumbly and the icy river makes my teeth chatter just looking at it.

Chateau Reloaded

Even if you hate the later Matrix movies, maybe you can acknowledge their existence for at least a moment to admire this fantastic LEGO build of the the chateau scene from the second movie. Letranger Absurde puts together some impressive architecture work with a striking curved staircase design. While the model may not be 100% accurate to the scene it’s still a great looker. Well, at least until the minifig Neo destroys most of it.