Tag Archives: Microbuild

“Such a large bounty for such a small package.”

With a new season of Disney’s hit streaming series The Mandalorian scheduled for this fall as well as the impending release of LEGO’s Razor Crest 75292 set, enthusiasm for the fan-favorite bounty hunter and his young green friend is not going anywhere anytime soon. Here in Dan Ko’s build that enthusiasm is scaled down, yet it still retains enough detail and gravitas to make any fan of the show absolutely delighted.

The twin engines are masterfully yet minimally recreated by combining various cylindrical elements with printed round 2 x 2 tiles that add the perfect finishing touch. Dan utilizes another round 2 x 2 printed tile for the escape pod area on the top of the iconic gunship.

Although this model is quite small, it still features the bay door in the back which opens and closes.

Overall the build is a wonderful micro-scaled version of the beloved ship and provides some eye candy for fans eagerly waiting for the return of the series to the small screen this October.

The castle with windows a-plenty

The 1×1 plate with a printed black square showed up in 2017 as an architectural element in a few different LEGO sets. It has become a popular detailing element, especially in micro builds. This castle by Luka (First Order LEGO) has used it here to give this lovely little castle windows and contrast. He also used air tanks for the gate and seep, as well as white wands on the spires. I’m not sure if it’s intended, but the icy white and grey-blue look gives me a wintery vibe. Even more so with the nifty use of the medium blue Exo-Force hair on the lone tree near the base of the castle.

White Castle

While you’re here, check out more of Luka’s excellent builds in our First Order LEGO archives.

What do paint buckets and pirates have in common?

Well, what do they have in common? Absolutely nothing! Sorry to disappoint you, but this is really more of an abstract art challenged driven by a contest to build a LEGO creation in a single color. Builder Markus Rollbühler cleverly builds a gravity-defying paint bucket and a tiny pirate ship sailing off the edges of spilt paint. So, since we’re on the topic, what’s a pirate’s favorite color? For sure it’s not yellow, but.. if you’ve not gotten it yet, it’s ARR-inge.

Paint Bucket Pirates

A tiny escape from the world

Are you looking for an escape from the day to day grind, but have only a modest LEGO budget? Maybe you can take inspiration from the Teeny tiny treehouse built by Andreas Lenander. It’s just as sweet as a large Ideas set, but at a fraction of the part count. Andreas hasn’t shared any instructions, but we can still make some guesses as to what supplies you’d want. First, you’ll want to snag a decent amount of minifigure lassos, as they form the basis of the tree. You’ll also need some cheese slopes, headlight bricks, modified 1×1 with rod plates and rounded 2×2 plates for the ladder and treehouse. Oh. And some various bits of greenery. I’m sure it’s a super easy build. I’m also sure that the last statement was a complete lie. This is some skilled and imaginative craftsmanship.

Teeny tiny treehouse

Still, if we all give it a go, we could be on the verge of a giant (albeit microscale) treehouse boom. Think of how relaxing that could be!

Two birds in hand is worth twenty bricks in total

I’m always stoked to see how much can be represented with so little. Micro builds always seem easy and gives me feeling of “Why didn’t I think of that??” but in fact, they’re a lot harder to pull off than you’d think, in getting something represented appropriately with the limited number of bricks on hand. The Lesser Adjutant is a species of the stork family found mostly in the regions of Southeast Asia, and Malaysian builder Marco Gan captures the likeness of these birds eloquently, with each made up of just ten LEGO elements.

10 pieces Lego Lesser Adjutant (秃鹳 / Burung Botak) Parit Jawa, Muar. (Make use of the crack brown plate As diorama base :p

At this research facility, the future is NOW!

Inspired by the work of Syd Mead, builder Jme Wheeler packs a lot of punch into a fairly small area, creating a sprawling, Futurist research facility in LEGO microscale form.

The builder makes great use of a limited black and blue color palette on the buildings and all light gray rocks. Restricting the colors of the structures gives the whole facility a cohesive look. It makes the green plant matter quite striking and yet doesn’t distract from the beautiful building designs. The tall, stacked building gives us some impossible architecture that somehow feels right at home in the scene and you can almost imagine workers bustling through the covered walkways between buildings. I love the use of the gray curved tiles to represent a raised road or perhaps a monorail track. The windmills are a clever addition and the tiny island with a single palm tree is a great little gem hiding in plain sight.

Sheltering Sky Research Facility

A holiday home under a dome

Builder Malin Kylinger creates a lovely little getaway ensconced in a glass dome that evokes thoughts of Victorian mantlepiece decor and vacation getaways. We’ve featured Malin’s incredible creations in the past and they never fail to wow us.

My sister's holiday home

I love a good microbuild and this one doesn’t need to be outrageous to capture our attention. Its simplicity makes me think fondly of being in the woods and the peacefulness that brings. A tiny cabin sits atop a nicely built mountain surrounded by some nice trees made from grass elements. The three-leaf element is used for the ground greenery and the pink flowers create a nice color contrast. I really like the small waterfall at the front of the house and the sand green and gold design that surrounds the bottom border. A lovely little getaway under a dome where the weather is always perfect.

A castle fit for the greek gods and goddesses

This shiny microbuild by Isaac Snyder is anything but small when it comes to character. There’s a picturesque punch packed into a small space, along with a mythical quality. The way the buildings are perfectly nestled in the rocks makes it seem like these LEGO bricks were always destined to be part of the build. With the ice cream clouds, it seems fit for a snow globe souvenir from Mt. Olympus.

CCC XVI: Castle in the Clouds

If you think this is cool, check out another picturesque LEGO castle of Isaac’s. Or perhaps you’ll enjoy Elrond’s House from the Lord of the Rings series.