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.

Lakeside Viking lodge in the snow

I’ll admit it: despite all the sci-fi that I build, my secret loves are castle and historical builds. Today Gabriel Thompson takes us out of medieval Europe, and heads north to Scandinavia and the land of the Vikings. The snow and ice in this scene are excellent, with undisturbed curves on the rocks, and studs in front of the hut to make it look a little more slushy after being stepped on. I’m also a fan of the marshy path left by the boat as it cuts through the thin ice. The only thing I don’t envy in this build are the minifigures’ short sleeves in such cold conditions.

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Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest, yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

This amazing pirate-themed collaboration between Grant Davis and Eli Willsea was built in just three weeks. The gorgeous diorama features excellent rockwork, moving features in the waterfall and the ancient stone calendar, as well as lighting inside the temple. One more very important aspect of the build, in my opinion, is the ratio between the land and sea, which adds a lot to the overall impression of the creation.

I highly recommend you check out the many closeup photos showing all of the incredible details in this build, as well as the following time-lapse video which highlights some of the moving features:

You’d better stay up in the sky till the superheroes have things sorted out

Bored with dull city dioramas where everything is awesome? Professional South Korean LEGO-building quartet OliveSeon knows how to ring the changes on the major LEGO city airport hub. How about a massive superhero battle? They’ve done some impressive work recreating one of the biggest screen brawls of the previous year, from Captain America: Civil War. And don’t be surprised: those planes and little yellow service cars are actually from official LEGO City sets, and they look simply perfect in this diorama.

What’s particularly awesome about this scene is the main airport building. I bet that perfectly planned and executed interior would make you forget there’s a battle going outside on the runway! Bonus points awarded for an extremely smart use of the tram from LEGO set 60097 City Square, which here is turned into an inter-terminal train.

And if you like this airport, also check out the incredible LEGO airport we covered in November.

Killer Croc’s victorious escape

We’ve seen the Caped Crusader get out of many tight spots when battling his enemies. But maybe this time he might actually meet his demise at the hands of the menacing Killer Croc in this LEGO diorama by Cid Hsiao. Towering over the fallen Dark Knight, the reptilian menace stands on a crushed pavement that has been shattered by his forceful weight.

Every part of this scene conveys a real sense of action in motion. I love the rock formation and imprint left in the pavement where Batman lays, where we assume he has just been hauled. The Bat-Cycle lying in pieces and that broken pavement at the feet of Killer Croc are simply perfect. The star of the show is however Killer Croc himself. Dressed in prison garb and broken shackles, the build is cleverly constructed using simple joints, giving an organic feel to the beast.

Tripods wage a war of the micro worlds

A trio of Martian walkers carve a path of destruction through Tokyo Tag Team‘s city as the sun sets. The tripods look decidedly alien with a thin organic style contrasted by the squared off cityscape, and you don’t need to see the heat rays firing off to tell that they don’t come in peace.

While the tripods are the focus of the creation, I find the smoke trails off the burning buildings particularly clever. The billowing clouds of black curved bricks add a sense of movement that a vehicle on a plate just wouldn’t be able to capture.

Lord of the Rings: Search for the One Ring

This dark creation explores a fourth instalment of LOTR that we will never see on the big screen. The question posed by Jaden Ho‘s creation is… what if the evil Nazgûl tried to go back for the One Ring? He also playfully adds Frodo’s greed to retrieve the One Ring in his attempt to fish it from the pits of Mount Doom while the Eye of Sauron watches in distress over yonder.

In collaboration with photographer Daniel Yang, Jaden gives the scene atmospheric feeling that puts some sense of gloom into the cleverly constructed boiling lava. We all take comfort in knowing that the One Ring has been destroyed forever …or has it?

The way they play the flute, it gives me chills

At a single stroke, Joerri Ridder demolishes the idea that LEGO makes so many specialised parts nowadays that it’s killing imagination. The use of a minifig flute for the tower in this minimalist winter scene is inspired, and the stripped-back scenery and restrained color scheme add a layer of bleak depth and mystery. This is simply beautiful microscale.

Brothers Brick LEGO Creation of the Year 2016 [News]

Getting to a shortlist of the best LEGO creations of 2016 was hard enough, but narrowing it down to a single best model was a nightmare. However, after much deliberation, the Brothers Brick is delighted to highlight Paul Hetherington‘s Batman scene as our LEGO Creation of the Year for 2016…

This stunning model features a beautiful Art Deco-style building, fantastic action, fun motorised elements, an incredible background city skyline, and to top it all, a fabulous brick-built Batman logo. Check out Paul’s video showcasing his creation…

See more of this incredible creation after the jump

A snow fort, but made out of wood

Who doesn’t love a good wooden castle? Now, this fort by Jsnyder002 is not a new concept, but that doesn’t detract from the execution. The snow effects are realistic and the thatched roofing is just spot on. The most eye-catching part of the build must be the splash of water in the corner with a well-crafted dock. We recently featured a samurai’s house and woodland cottage by the same builder that were, like this one, built for the Colossal Castle Contest XIV.

Cruising for a bruising

Stumbling across a pair of 48×48 baseplates in his collection, Joshua Brooks realized a bay for his Viceroy-class battlecruiser the IFS ILLIES (221) would look awesome. The ILLIES looks quite at home in this brilliantly detailed landing bay, getting re-armed by the loading crane. Under the watchful eye of the control tower, the ILLIES looms over the general hustle and bustle of the hanger floor. The multi-storeyed building, parked cars, small space-craft, and truck making a turn on the road give you a sense of the gigantic scale of the vessel.

Armed to the teeth with an assortment of cannons, lasers, and turrets, this ship looks like a sleek and precision-engineered instrument of brute force. And with its own mini docking bay and fleet of small fighters, it seems ready to take on any hostile targets.

Check out Joshua’s previously featured Shallow Water Assault Patrol Enforce and AH8-Raptor.

To the manor born

With just over a week to go, the Classic Castle Competition keeps bringing out the hits with this compact creative build by David Leest. He says “Built as a gift for a Lion Knight War Hero, the manor stands proudly above the waterfall”. This towering manor does stand very proud indeed! The battlement is crafted using a stepped technique, with subtle patched brickwork that makes great use of yellowed bricks (usually the curse of many a LEGO fan). The beautifully detailed textured roof and wooden entrance also use a variety of techniques to give the whole model an authentic lived-in feel. The armed guard, standing among the flowers and wild grasses, serves to give the model a sense of scale – it’s bigger than you first realize.

The main feature of this castle is the stunning archway over the river and the balcony where the hero stands with his fair maiden. Another armed guard looks on, while the maiden’s father takes in the view. The techniques David has used to create the different trees, the variety of foliage and the bubbling churning rapids, are wonderful. A home fit for a hero!

Within the swamps, terror and fear grow

For lack of a better term, I find the “evil castle” subtheme to be the most under-represented among historical LEGO builders. I certainly love the sight of a LEGO castle situated upon a hill, surrounded by green trees and happy-looking peasants as much as anybody. But there is a special character to builds which take a darker and more fantasy-inspired direction, such as this ominous creation by ZCerberus:

A master of big, evil castles (such as these twin towers we covered a while ago), the builder brings us this wonderfully eerie scene that takes many turns from the usual castle build. Particular highlights are the battered castle walls, the exposed wooden structures and the keep, which looms high above as if to impose its master’s will upon all below. The choice of lime green for the swamp works really well, and I can’t help but wonder what foul creatures live within it. The black, gnarled trees and the circling wyverns evoke further mystery and trepidation. Overall, the color scheme portrays very well the darker tones the builder chose to express here.

This delightfully creepy castle is part of a collaboration between the builder and myself to launch the next chapter of the Guilds of Historica collaborative roleplaying project on Eurobricks, which is sure to promote some fantastic building and storytelling in the coming weeks. If you’re interested, check out this list of our other collaborative castle builds, including stories and additional pictures, made for the new chapter.