When people ask my why I build with LEGO, I often say sifting through a brick bin is my version of raking the Zen garden. Jonas Obermaier must understand something of the “LEGO building as meditation” feeling to have put together such a beautiful little Buddhist shrine.
The shrine itself, nestled in against the rock, is nicely-done. But it’s the bunting strung from the tree which does it for me — a lovely touch which elevate this simple model into something special.
jsnyder002 takes a trip East for his latest LEGO creation — a series of minarets and domed towers strewn across a rocky island chain. The architecture has a wonderful Middle-Eastern flavor, without being the stereotypical desert scene these kind of “Oriental fantasy” settings often take. I really like the two-tone rocks of the islands — it gives the impression the ocean around these outcrops might sometimes get quite rough.
There’s a nice sense of activity and bustle with the minifigs moving around the towers and docks. And don’t miss the intricate brickwork used to lend texture to the town’s walls, bridges and steps…
One of the best aspects of the LEGO Friends theme has been the selection of lovely coloured parts supplied for creative builders. Brick Art has used this colourful palate to his advantage in a diorama entitled Best Friends on vacation. This is no camping holiday, as Brick Art has supplied the friends with a fancy restaurant, a sun trap cove to build sandcastles, an ice cream cafe, plus some pony trekking and surf lessons for the energetic ladies. This diorama represents some of the best features of the Friends range in terms of colours, accessories, animals and special bricks. I love the gold ingots stacked up to form the roof of the large central building at the rear.
The pink gates from the Friends stables look great as the restaurant’s pink awnings, while this angled view allows the steep curved stone wall to be admired. There is plenty of action going on and lots of nice little details to be explored.
The classic Star Wars video game Battlefront comes to life in this enormous diorama by Markus. Markus spent 10 months assembling 250,000 bricks and LEGO Star Wars minifigs into a diorama that measures 2.5 x 1.5 meters (8.2 x 5 feet). Unlike many of the all-white Hoth dioramas we’ve featured here over the years, the patchy snow results in a bit more texture against the underlying rock.
See more of this huge LEGO Star Wars diorama
Don’t you think there are too many spaceships and interstellar fighters prowling around the international LEGO space lately? Of course, their top-class designs are undeniable, but how about taking just a day off and spending it somewhere in a calm restful rural place? This vast diorama by Piotr Machalski, a talented builder from Poland, is full of soft summer sun and serenity. Even though the actual size of the build is 25 m2, it can hardly contain a huge century-old oak and just a little bit of a field by the farm.
Hurry up to see some brilliant close-ups of the diorama as the author promises to extend his creation with new territory.
Master car-builder Andrea Lattanzio‘s latest is a brilliant hot rod. The car itself is a great little model, but — as ever — any LEGO creation looks even cooler when a builder spends quality time on presentation. Andrea’s road scene is a cracker — custom signage and telegraph poles combine with classic desert elements like a cactus and cow skull to create a quintessential Route 66 diorama. Yep, this setup is packed with cliches, but who cares when it looks this good?
Scenery aside, it’s worth taking a proper squint at the hot rod. Don’t miss the chromed exhaust pipes and the wiring around the exposed engine. Just looking at this thing makes me do vroom-vroom noises in my head.
Master of the colorful LEGO scenes Letranger Absurde (whose atomic blast we featured this summer) is at it again with this diorama featuring a merry band of buccaneers. Showing only part of the pirate ship, the real stars are the clouds hanging in the bright sky above the skull island. The door hinges are also noteworthy on the ship itself, as is the brick-built rope ladder.
We’ve previously featured Terez trz‘s ongoing project of creating a LEGO version of their own home. Now we have more images to pore over — a wonderful sitting area.
Whilst the building is cool, once again it’s the quality of Terez’s photography which elevates the models out of the ordinary. The images wouldn’t look out of place in a fancy interiors catalog. Whilst the diorama doesn’t feature any people, I think it avoids sterility with the sense of lived-in clutter created by touches like the pile of mail by the door and the organic messiness of the pot plants.
Assassin’s Creed II is a video game I consider a must-play, with its incredible interpretation of Renaissance-era Italy, fun and simple stealth gameplay, and Ezio Auditore being my favorite assassin in the series. Builders Jonas Kramm and Brick Vader met up and collaborated on one of the most incredible dioramas in LEGO I have seen — one that undoubtedly does justice to a great game. I spent plenty of time admiring just how much attention to detail these two builders have in their Venice scene, and my favorite details captured have to be the gameplay aspect of Assassin’s Creed brought to life. The facades look climbable, the black pole appears perfectly aligned for a swing into a double assassination on the guards, and of course a cart of hay that make a leap of faith from any height safe.
Even if one hasn’t played Assassin’s Creed II, one can still appreciate the iconic, beautifully constructed Venetian architecture and canals.
Nothing is true; everything is permitted.
Check out this smart LEGO space rover scene from Sad Brick. The mining vehicle itself is an excellent example of quality microscale building, creating an impression of detail and realistic function with the use of only a handful of parts. But it’s the quality landscaping in tan bricks — tanscaping, if you will — which really impresses me. Don’t miss the tracks left in the dust behind the rover’s wheels — brilliant.
Brick To The Past is a collective of British builders who specialize in large-scale historical dioramas in LEGO. We’ve covered some of their previous masterpieces, including a huge Roman camp and section of Hadrian’s Wall, and their recreation of the streets of Victorian London. We recently interviewed leading member James Pegrum about BttP’s impressive Battle of Hastings display. As if that wasn’t enough for 2016, the gang’s latest effort is this enormous diorama depicting a section of Anglo Saxon Britain in 793AD.
As you’d expect from such a large model, there are numerous areas worthy of your attention. An obvious highlight is the monastery under attack by Viking raiders…
Click here for closeups of this incredible diorama
More than a million men gave their lives in the Battle of the Somme in the late summer of 1918. It was a harrowing affair even for those who survived, as depicted in this LEGO diorama by James Pegrum. As we close out this Veteran’s Day, may their lives never be forgotten, and may we always strive for peace for all the men and women who have and still do serve.
