The microscale throwbacks just keep coming. This time, John Tooker has created a miniature version of set 6048 Majisto’s Magical Workshop. John has captured all the details I remember from childhood – the ladder leading upstairs, the pot brewing something over the fire, and he’s even included a tiny Majisto and a Dragon Knight. It’s abra-kadorable.
Independence Day has already passed here in the US but that doesn’t mean we can’t be smitten by Rocco Buttliere’s stunning new LEGO creation. Independence Hall played a crucial role in the founding of the United States, as its storied assembly rooms witnessed the signing of both the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the Constitution in 1787. I’m loving the trees and the impressive Colonial Georgian Architecture. Rocco’s signature on the handsome, well-appointed base is a nice touch indeed. While microscale, this smallish (for Rocco) creation doesn’t diminish the grand setting of Philadelphia’s old city center. That is this builder’s specialty, really; building absolutely grand things on a small scale. Please check out our Rocco Buttliere archives to see what I mean.
I’m going to be completely honest with you: the noises that came out of my mouth when I first saw Nannan Zhang‘s LEGO microscale Fort Legoredo were mostly unintelligible. I mean, it’s just so flippin’ CUTE! I love the horse designs in this scale, as well as the care put into the microfig design. Even with only a few bricks, it’s unreal how I can clearly identify each of the three bandits from this theme. The use of grill pieces to emulate the log profile bricks from the original is inspired, and Nannan has effectively recreated the big rock pieces using light-gray plates and tile embedded in the walls.
Here’s a peek at the interior of the fort’s back wall. The printed tiles chosen to replicate the original model’s shutters are spot-on, as is the teensy jail cell below. There’s even a pair of binoculars subbed in for the fort’s chimney from the original set. And don’t forget the fort’s iconic blue sign, held by a pair of clips to the red roof. The whole thing is a welcome bit of nostalgia for me!
Building a house from LEGO can provide plenty of challenges, from aesthetic to structure. Builder Aukbricks went for both in this rendered microscale model of a canal house in Amsterdam, circa 1627. The crow-stepped gable high above the tree employs a plate stacking technique that’s repeated throughout the model to achieve an intricate pattern of stacked plates. Much like Hollywood sets, this facade is a well crafted fake propped up and properly decorated to trick the eye. Nonetheless, the resulting model employs some clever set decoration to sell the image. Stacked brown stud blasters create a textured trunk ripe with connection points for the branches above.
The builder provided a view into the structure of the building’s front. Taking out the sides and revealing the complicated means that everything is connected, Aukbricks shows us the tricks it takes to make some art. Though this building lacks a livable interior, it would still make a lovely addition to any tiny neighborhood. Honestly, I’d like to see more microscale cities with the number of trophy figures that we have out there at the moment. Then again, with interiors like this, it might just be a little more complicated to achieve than I’d assume.
The Star Wars Prequel trilogy is old enough now that the original target audience’s nostalgia has begun a full-scale reevaluation of how those films are perceived in the culture. And Okay Yaramanoglu has taken full advantage of that to give us this microscale rendition of Otoh Gunga, the underwater city that is home to Jar Jar Binks and his fellow Gungans. While my own perception of Episode 1 hasn’t changed much in the last couple of decades, I’m in love with this build in part because it’s a refreshing change of pace for Star Wars builds. Don’t get us wrong, we here at The Brother’s Brick will never tire of Star Wars content. But, that said, sometimes all the shades of gray in the spaceships or the hues of tan in yet another desert landscape can start to feel a little monotonous. Here, Okay has broken that pattern to capture the unique bubble design of the city and even paired it with the departing Bongo sub, taking a couple of Jedi to Theed to see the queen.
The on-going BioCup has seen pieces from the now-defunct Bionicle theme used in ever-more interesting ways. NateMakesMOCs has raised the bar with his latest effort in this amusingly cartoonish scene. Thinking outside the box, Nate has used a ball joint arm – or, more precisely, several of them – to create the mean-looking tornado that is the central villain of this piece. It’s an inspired choice: the analog nature of ball joints allows for a more chaotic look, which is perfect for this overgrown dust-devil. The slightly caricatured facial features are a perfect complement. The subject of this tornado’s ire? Well, it seems to be the farm below that is about to get swept up in its path. This is actually quite minimalist in style, with only a barn and some hay bales to suggest a setting for the build. Nevertheless, they both do a perfect job, and the technic gear hay bales in particular are another great use of parts!
Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro is a Studio Ghibli film which is often overlooked, so it’s great to see this fantastic build of the main structure in the film by Sandro Damiano. Created in microscale, the castle rests upon a beautifully formed lake with different shades of colour placed underneath transparent blue tiles, representing the variety of depths in the water. A long walkway links the castle to a clock tower which is placed upon a crumbling wall. The castle has been lovingly built with accurate tall blue spires and roofing details. Headlight pieces are heavily featured across the castle, portraying large windows.
Round the back you can really get a sense of how the castle is built upon a rocky surface with the use of dark grey bricks. There are also some clever uses of parts, such as the ends of grille pieces as tiny windows, and some of the arches are represented by rounded plates with bar handles. It’s a fantastic build that really captures the sense of awe and mystery surrounding the castle.
Microscale LEGO sets like the skyline architecture series proved that you don’t need a lot of parts to capture great architectural details, and fans have been building miniature versions of their favorite sets over the years with amazing results. This miniature model of the LEGO house by aido k is a fantastic example. The terraced section in the back uses small wall panel parts set on their side, and a printed tile from the DOTS theme makes the perfect accent. Overall the model is instantly recognizable and a perfect replica of the official LEGO Architecture set.
Far from Norman Greenbaum’s lyrics but still suiting the rhythm, this futuristic flying city by Builder Umbra-Manis certainly looks like a paradise all its own. A microscale aircraft sits on one side of the city’s extended air-docks, leading into a thick, walled courtyard. Trees exposed to the open air line the exterior of the platforms, using brown claws with green flower studs attached to the versatile, hexagonal NEXO Knights plates which make up the structure’s base. Nice parts usage certainly abounds in this model. Minifigure rollerskates with trans-yellow tombstone plates, as I call them, make great little courier vessels which enter the city and circle its interior. The sculpting and coloration of the buildings make me feel like I’m playing a LEGO version of a Ratchet and Clank level which is nothing to complaing about.
I love it when the Iron Builder contest rolls into town – every year we see creations that push the creative boundaries of the LEGO brick. That said, I must confess that it creeps up on me every time, much like Gandalf rocking up to Hobbiton ahead of an unexpected journey. This very event is the subject of Dan Ko‘s latest entry into his Iron Builder round, using a green minifigure hand as the seed part. They are used here at a tiny scale to convey the rolling hills and bushes of the Shire from JRR Tolkien’s Hobbit books. This is a clever enough use, but an opposing pair is also used upturned for the Baggins’ hobbit-hole. The miniature Gandalf is the cherry on the cake – the Grey Wizard is made from just three pieces! Another six (including an ingenious use of a slingshot) make up his horse and cart. The whole scene is a masterclass in microscale building!
The perfect place to prepare for a battle. Kosmas Santosa has created this wonderful build of a mechanical repair area in a microscale form. The mech has an impressive muscular shape with the nice touch of a skate used for the horn on its head. The hangar floor also has some inventive features such as gear racks representing ladders. Small vehicles use upside-down roller skates as wheels, with the stud connected to the mesh plate underneath.
There is also a great tutorial video, allowing you to build your own mech storage area. It’s definitely worth having a go at building this superb display!
I don’t think there are enough words to describe my love of the Studio Ghibli movie Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. And the same can be said for this gorgeous LEGO build by Tino Poutiainen. The vibrant coloration of all the virulent fungi fits in perfectly with the aesthetic from the film, giving off that strong “poison arrow frog” vibe. Heavy use of round disks and plates, combined with more texturally complex parts create enough nooks and crannies to trigger some serious trypophobia. The skull of a long-dead God Warrior, resting atop the pile of fungi, is spot on. I especially like the use of old and new LEGO shades of gray to add some wear to the husk. But the icing on the cake here is the micro Nausicaä herself, soaring above on her mehve. Using under ten parts, it’s a shining jewel in an already brilliant crown.
