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.

A Star Destroyer floating ominously...

With one season of Andor out and another season somewhere on the horizon, it’s a good time to revisit the beautiful shots of Rogue One. This LEGO model by Codyaner perfectly captures the fearsome presence of the imperial hammer hanging over Jedha. Codyaner has done a great job of capturing the weathered, rocky nature of the walls and stone surrounding the city by stepping through light tan, dark tan, reddish brown, and dark brown bricks for the surrounding landscape. There’s such a huge variety of slopes in the rock that it would be impossible to list them all. I’ll shout out four here: the 2×4 wedge, the claw piece used for many a roof, and the shell and slope combo used on the right hand side. This city may be ill-fated, but if you look closely enough you’ll see the sparks of a rebellion burning in those city streets!

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Jaw-dropping model of Rome took 107,000 LEGO bricks to build!

Rocco Buttliere has been astounding us for years with his massive microscale LEGO creations. Being no stranger to rendering massive landmarks and vast ancient cities in brick form, he has just released a new expansion to his fantastic SPQR diorama of the ancient Roman capital (the right half of the build in the photo below). This new section of the Eternal City – built at 1:650 scale – took over 107,000 bricks and several thousand hours spread over two and a half years to build, but it was well worth the wait! Lets take a tour of some of the ancient landmarks, shall we?

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Less than 50 shades of grey

I love it when a LEGO build leans into an aesthetic. This build by Jessica Farrell is done completely in monochrome – like an old timey movie – and displays a crumbling landscape frozen in stone and fossilization. There’s more interesting parts in this build than I can point out, but here are some of the highlights! Sprinkled around the build you’ll see tiny flowers in flat silver. These flowers were only available from the Trolls World Tour 2020 product line, while the arching spine on the upper left is made of parts that ceased production in 2016. There’s vines climbing the ruined pillars, and gears big and small. One thing I know for certain, Charlie Chaplin has to be hiding in there somewhere!

Feel the Force of Jedha’s sacred Temple of the Whills in LEGO

A lot of people are saying that hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster. I get it. I never set foot in an Outer Rim cantina without my trusty DL-44 either. But maybe there’s something to the old stories of wizards and their laser swords. Otherwise, why would the Empire be be so afraid of a backwater moon like Jedha? LEGO builder Ryan McBryde certainly has a soft spot for the “pilgrim moon” of Jedha, home of the Guardians of the Whills, spiritual site for the Jedi, and a source of the kyber crystals used in lightsabers. For the past 8 years, Ryan has been collaborating and iterating on an epic build of Jedha’s Temple of the Guardians of the Whills and the surrounding old city in conjunction with the Star Wars Factions role-playing project. In addition to the incredibly detailed building and interiors, which expands on brief glimpses of the site in the background of Rogue One, Ryan fleshed out the stories of locals and visiting pilgrims who bring the ancient site to life (at least until Grand Moff Tarkin showed up to test his fancy new superlaser).

Ryan’s project isn’t just an incredible accomplishment in LEGO construction, but a testement to the vitality of Star Wars as a collaborate story space.

Come along for a tour of LEGO Jedha’s holiest site!

Towering stones, reddish tones, and brave clones in the Star Wars action scene

At first glance, the most show-stopping part of ARKUM ELO‘s LEGO diorama of the planet Geonosis is the stunning array of organic-looking rock formations. A second glance highlights the elite clone Delta Squad taking on a detachment of Geonosians and battle droids, the action so vivid that you can almost hear the whine of superheated plasma as both sides trade blaster bolts. But what makes this model stand out are the extra touches from the LEGO Star Wars video games: the health bars hovering over the action and the floating studs ready for collection. Good thing both parties appear to be at full health because it looks like the battle is about to get nasty.

Goats graze by a tranquil LEGO temple

For your daily dose of serenity, you should check out this LEGO temple by Andreas Lenander! There’s lots to love in this elegant and refreshing build. For starters, there are a host of animals that call this temple home; panthers, chameleons, birds, and goats oh my! In the pond on the right, Andreas has notably placed his water lilies upside down (using the power of gravity!) to mount blossoms on the stems, while the elegant temple itself is made from a selection light and dark tan bricks. I sure hope that panther is just passing through!

Behold! Busy bibliophiles blissfully browsing

If you’re the sort who lives to read, chances are you’ve dreamed of having a gigantic library filled with every book your heart desires. Consider that wish granted, even if it’s in tiny LEGO brick form. The “Scriptorium,” an eye-popping build by Paweł Michalak (Kris Kelvin), has everything a book lover might want. Cozy reading chairs! Cool quasi-medieval ambiance! And of course, enough books to keep Albus Dumbledore (spotted on the fourth floor) or William Shakespeare (on his way to the third-level floor terrace) occupied with ample reading material. Said books come in different thicknesses and heights; along with actual minifig book elements, I can spot 1×2 plates with a slide thingy, stacked 1×1 slopes, ingot bricks, and even candle pieces (to represent scrolls), to name a few. (Who cares if you can’t actually read any of these books? They look darn good on the shelf.)

A tiny kingdom of towering LEGO trees

A vertical kingdom of stone surrouned by towering pines overlooks a pale blue lake in Eli Willsea‘s stunning LEGO diorama titled Heart of the Kingdom. The whimsical architecture, lovely colors, and striking verticality are reminiscent of the Monument Valley games, but the details are utterly original and evocative. This build marks Eli’s return after a busy 2023 when he competed in three heats of the Iron Builder competition and is a clear reminder of why he’s a NPU (Nice Parts Usage) star. How to pick a favorite detail? The elegantly angled tooth bars serving as micro stairs? The grey roller skates adding a decorative touch to the 1×1 towers? The wands still on their sprue for the portcullis? I have to go with the grey popsicles flanking the cave beneath the castle. Even though there is nary a stud to be seen, with its right angles and clean lines, Eli’s model celebrates the aesthetic of the brick.

A glimpse of the traveler’s journey through Middle Earth

From the LEGO builder Caleb Huet, we have a diorama titled ‘The Traveler.’ It’s a safe assumption that this scene intends to transport our imagination to somewhere in Middle Earth. Inspired by Jordi Escamilla’s ‘Waterfall,’ the builder has transformed inspiration from 2D art into the third dimension. Intricately crafted rockwork, lifelike tree builds, and mesmerizing water effects cover the piece, with each element of this diorama standing as a testament to the builder’s creativity and skill. Together, they create a scene that leaves us marveling at the potential of simple plastic elements to evoke such depth and beauty.

Have a closer look at the carriage centered over the bridge, and note the build techniques utilized in the bridge itself. Partially-connected bricks form the underside arch spanning between abutments in a great bit of brick ingenuity. The world of LEGO creations has been enriched by the vast and captivating content of The Lord of the Rings, so be sure check out some of the other LotR creations featured on TBB.

Whichever way you look, a new world awaits

The best LEGO builds tell a story. Take this one by Carter Witz, which begins with a simple premise: what if a magic portal separated a land of summer from a world of winter? What happened to divide these two realms? And what will it take to bring them together again? While you’re pondering those answers, be sure to appreciate the rich combination of plates, tiles, sloped bricks, and plant elements to achieve the textured greenery. Same with the variation of elements that make up the ancient, weathered stone wall. (I count at least twelve different kinds of brick in that wall.)

Here’s a better view of the opposite side, where winter still reigns. Rather than simply duplicate the topography of the summer half, Carter added mysterious ruined columns topped with drifts of snow. Enchanting!

The stage is on fire in this heavenly KISS concert build

You don’t have to be a member of the KISS Army to lick up this sizzling concert scene from virtuoso LEGO builder Paul Hetherington. In this fantasy staging, The Starchild, The Demon, and The Spaceman shred on pedestals above lava, while The Catman owns the drums from atop a flame-spewing podium flanked by metallic demon dogs and backed by a deafening wall of speakers while Detroit Rock City burns in the background. Doesn’t get more rock and roll than that! Paul artfully blends flat typography and graphic design with a minifig vignette to create this popping poster. (It’s a technique he’s used before, including in this TBB favorite golden age batman masterpiece). I find the use of color particularly striking, with flame shafts and geometric brick-built lava matching the KISS logo. While there are few visible LEGO studs on the stage itself, Paul uses an enviable amount of silver-grey elements to mimic the band’s studded leather look in the design. The custom minifigs come courtesy of Big Kid Brix. And is that a Bionicle Kanoka Disk hiding behind The Catman? If you love your LEGO loud, you’ve got nothin’ to lose revisiting Paul’s classic black diamond builds.

This AT-TE does whatever a spider can

How’s this for a classic Star Wars moment captured in LEGO diorama form? It’s 2008, and you’re watching The Clone Wars, surely the last Star Wars movie you’ll ever see in theaters (haha, right?) when suddenly, a normal-looking All-Terran Tactical Enforcer starts climbing a frickin’ purple cliff like some sort of fat metal spider. Tim Goddard uses unevenly layered sloped bricks and tiles laid out in SNOT (studs not on top) fashion to achieve the irregular surface of the cliff. The AT-TE looks great in midi-scale—all the way down to the tiny clone trooper sitting at the turret.