Tag Archives: Microscale

Some say “Go big or go home!” but it takes real talent to compress something down to just a few studs and still keep it recognizable. Of course, many of the micro models we feature here aren’t so small after all, whether it’s a vast cityscape or starship.

A microscale build you’ll want to check twice.

What do you get for the LEGO fan who has everything? How about a custom creation. Even a small build can bring large amounts of holiday cheer, as Dan Ko demonstrates here. As part of a Secret Santa gift exchange, Dan called upon his excellent microscale skills to create this LEGO ornament featuring Santa Claus soaring through the air in a sleigh pulled by a single reindeer. Good microscale is about creative part use, and there’s lots of that at work here. The formal minifigure collar as Santa’s beard is a particularly nice touch.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Iris escorts solving pirate problems

When it comes to me and LEGO, no one could doubt that I love spaceships, especially micro-scale ones like this. Full of miniaturized details, this carrier is a creation of Flickr builder Sunder_59. Various building techniques allow for an engaging structure throughout the ship. Lattice pillars in grey make up the central core of the cargo area in the middle of this Iris-class Ersatz escort carrier. Delightful micro-scale fighters sit attached, waiting to be deployed to defend from pirate attacks in the Outer Worlds. These Iris class ships were created for this purpose but weren’t built for full-on combat scenarios. In fact, this style of ship was originally a simple cargo ship until the pirate issues increased. After some power-ups, this class of ship was issued out to deter or intercept attacks. Just check out those fighters. Their different styles and clever but simple designs really suit the scale.

Continue reading →

Studio Ghibli fans will love this incredible build from Howl’s Moving Castle

This amazing LEGO model perfectly captures the mismatched style of the mechanical castle from the anime film Howl’s Moving Castle. In the film, the castle walks on spindly legs, spluttering and puffing out smoke as it goes along, as indicated by the clouds of smoke rising from the various chimneys. You can tell that the model’s creator, Marcin Otręba, has carefully studied the original design as all the strange contraptions protruding out of the castle have been faithfully recreated in this small scale. In order to portray the circular brickwork under the domed turrets, rounded 1×2 plates have been angled to form ringlike patterns.

See more of this incredible model, including the interior

A mini copy of the giant model of a nano iron crystal

The latest landmark build by Ben Vijle is a peculiar LEGO creation. You see, it’s a 1:600 copy of the world-famous Atomium located in Brussels, Belgium. And while the Atomium itself is an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times, Ben’s model is roughly 275 million times larger than an actual crystal. I bet this is the biggest LEGO iron molecule you’ve ever seen!

And it’s not just remarkable for its scale; it is also full of brilliant building techniques. The whole venue is an excellent example of how to decorate and present a LEGO architecture creation. Obviously, Ben had tons of fun devising all the various trees along the alley, and I’m applauding the genius use of minifigure hair brushed in green. It’s such a neat build, and I wish we got something similar one day as an official LEGO set.

One spaceship built in two different scales.

This is an interesting challenge of a kind that I hadn’t seen before – the same spaceship, built at two different scales, by two different builders. Oscar Cederwall got inspired by the train light prism, and used two of them to create the cockpit of an original microscale spaceship. The Hornbill Deep Space Reconnaissance Frigate has an upright stance that might remind you of Boba Fett’s trademark ship, but it’s got plenty of its own flair. It may be small, but this is no mere advent calendar creation. The multiple offset angles show there’s a lot of technique at work in this tiny space.

And here’s where it gets even more fun – in a challenge worthy of a LEGO Masters episode, Nicolas van Grootveld was tasked with recreating the Hornbill in minifigure scale. And, boy, did he deliver. This larger Hornbill translates all the angles and colors of its little brother, but with plenty of embellishment worthy of its larger scale. I especially love how you can see how certain individual pieces translated, like the microscale ship’s dark grey 1×3 inverted slope at the very bottom.

A peaceful floating temple in miniature

Floating islands are a popular inspiration for many LEGO builders, and it is easy to see why. They are mysterious and fantastical, and they can provide a great challenge to build them in a way that both supports the model and hides that support to enhance the magical appearance of the finished scene. Nathan Hake does a masterful job of using falling water to provide the support for this microscale floating island with a temple nestled between the trees.

Keep reading to see more

Good things come in small bottles

How many pieces does it take to build a good model? Not many at all, if you’ve got a little ingenuity and a good imagination. This tiny build by “Big Daddy” Nelson would make as good a desk display as the official LEGO Ideas 21313 Ship in a Bottle set, especially if your desk is spacially challenged like mine. In fact, I’d love to have a whole lineup of micro sets to display. The ship itself is made of fewer than 15 elements, and the bottle is around the same. Its design is made possible thanks to the new 4×4 half-sphere elements that debuted in 76391 Hogwarts Icons Collectors’ Edition a few months ago, which form both ends of the bottle.

A place of inspiration for knowledge, culture, and innovation

Beyond the books, libraries provide a place for community building and collaboration. Builder Ben Vijle saught to commemorate ‘De Krook‘ city library in Ghent, Belgium with this 1:500 scale model. This architectural beauty uses brown grille plates to mimic the steel beam facade that stands out on the river bend. The stacked levels provide a home for the businesses and organizations which collaborated for the library initiative. Ben uses sideways building techniques to achieve the thin profile of each level without any unnecessary gaps. The builder certainly had an eye for detail when modeling this relatively recent addition to the city.

As you can see, this microscale build features the river, nearby roadway, and the various levels of greenspace integrated into the riverbanks by the library. The brown grilles continue beyond the building structure to the bike path and footbridge. A red blade, bone, and needle hidden in the walkway peak out as Ben’s version of the sculpture of a man and woman by De Krook’s entrance. The printed 1×1 crosswalk tiles from the LEGO Architecture Tokyo set and the clips as bike racks by the road are also simple but awesome little details.

Don’t miss Ben’s lovely microscale renditions of other Belgian landmarks: Ben Vilje LEGO on TBB

A LEGO Titanic that won’t break the bank, or your display shelf [Instructions]

When LEGO introduces a big, expensive, and beautiful set like the new Titanic or the Typewriter, it isn’t long before someone in the fan community takes a crack at building a microscale version. The moment I saw this instructions video by A Brick Dreamer I wanted to give it a try since there was no way I was going to be able to buy the official set.

It turned out great. The instructions even include tiny stands. You too can follow along and build the perfect miniature model of the infamous ship that will fit very nicely on your desk, or bookshelf. Check out the video instructions below:

TBB Cover Photo for October 2021: Gladiator mechs

“Are you not entertained?” Former LEGO Masters contestant Aaron Newman presents his latest creation: gladiator mechs. While similar in style, each mech is unique and distinguishable. The yellow winged “Bugbite” has insect like features and reminds me of the iconic Bumblebee. The dual wielding “Whiplash” stands tall and majestic like some of LEGO’s larger mech sets. “Pinhead” is capable of delivering heavy blows with a second set of arms. These builds may be on the smaller size, they are meant to represent massive battle bots piloted by a “trophyfig.”

With this scale established, we now have to look up at them, as Aaron’s photography and editing gets us to do. The lighting of the actual build is interesting and allows them to blend in with the custom background of a futuristic stadium that Aaron carefully crafted. This unconventional composition gives the impression of a render, or even a shot from a high budget film. Aaron has really gone above and beyond to present his amazing builds in outstanding ways.

You can see more of Aaron’s build’s here

Submit your LEGO creations for a chance to be featured across TBB social media for a month! Tag your submission with #TBBme. We will be watching this tag and look forward to seeing the submissions for next month. Check out the submission guidelines and share your builds today.

Keep up with The Brothers Brick by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter and Pinterest. And for extra goodies, follow us on Instagram, Flickr, and subscribe to us on YouTube, or join us on Discord.

These caves are several miles down, but only six studs deep.

Mystery and adventure await all those who are brave enough to ride the secret elevator to the underground boat dock in The Deep Down, by Eli Willsea. Limited to what he could fit in a carry-on suitcase for a cross-country convention trip, Eli managed to pack a mountain of detail into a microscale space. This build gets some amazing results from some deceptively simple techniques, like the boat dock made from half-pressed together plates and the roof of the house held on only by gravity.

But it isn’t only simplicity that makes this build shine. The scene includes a working elevator and lights that illuminate the underground chambers for an extra eerie atmosphere. Take a look at the video below to see all the features of the build in action and get inspired to do some exploring of your own.

Titanic ship on a tiny budget

Struggling to find the cash or time to invest in the enormous new LEGO Titanic set? Well builder POMXLEGO may have a solution — why not build your own teeny-tiny version instead? This is an excellent microscale model, managing to nicely capture the essential elements of its larger inspiration — the shaping of the hull, the colours, and the raked angle of the masts and funnels. It’s immediately recognisable without attempting to cram too much into its tiny footprint. I love the use of inverted vertical clips along the top to create texture and detail.

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!