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.

Microscale temple is a miniature masterpiece

When building microscale, you need to look at parts a little differently, as evidenced by the very creative collection of curved and angled parts Nannan Zhang used on this Japanese castle. Front fenders, rear spoilers, and other small black parts usually found on cars create a tiered roof that reminds me of Nagoya Castle. A trio of cheerleader pom-poms make perfect cherry blossom trees, while a hot dog is used for a small arch. Almost as interesting as the castle is the green and gray landscape it sits on.

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I have your word, now... not a scratch

When Lando promised to bring the Millenium Falcon back from the battle of Endor without a scratch, he pretty much guaranteed something would get knocked off. And sure enough, this minimalist model by Miscellanabuilds shows the Falcon barely escaping the destruction of the second death star in one piece, let alone scratchless. The model captures the details of the much larger exhaust port perfectly, while the microscale Falcon looks great, even without her signature deflector dish. The only thing missing is the enormous burst of flames that nearly cooked Lando’s goose.

I’m down with the swirl

At a quick glance, you might see this as a charming little fantasy LEGO microscale scene. And you’d be right in that assumption. But upon closer look, that is when you realized Tom Loftus has done quite the clever thing. He has used plastic dragon trim from the Raya and Sisu Dragon set to emulate swirls on the water. The two pieces are supposed to be removed from the foil along their perforated edges, but he has left the part intact in order to create the swirling river effect. I entirely overlooked the set for having pieces seemingly useless to my needs but Tom’s clever use of interesting parts has me rethinking that strategy. It just goes to show that even the most seemingly undesirable piece can be put to clever use in just the right hands. Check out all the other times Tom has dazzled us in one way or another in our archives.

Blown away by this windswept floating castle

Floating rocks have become a staple of fantasy world-building, but this floating castle, designed in LEGO by Matthias Bartsch is a standout example. The castle itself, perched upon it’s levitating rock, is nicely detailed, and successfully pulls off the twin magic tricks of looking larger than it really is, and using grey, sand green, and dark tan parts without looking like a poor man’s Hogwarts. However, what really sets this LEGO creation above and apart from similar creations is the framing architecture to either side and the decision to include autumnal trees and scattered leaves. The resulting image goes beyond the typical fantasy model, conjuring up a feeling of windswept melancholy. The scene is a digital render, but Matthias says he’s only used bricks which are available in these colour combinations — great work.

Standing out against the dark depths of space

LEGO Spaceship builder Pierre Fieschi doesn’t put together models as often as he used to, but when he does, you can be sure it’ll be something worth taking a look at. This 105-stud long starship is for “deepspace rescue and crisis response” and appears to be ready for anything, bedecked as it is with grabber arms, sensors, and drop-ships. The colour choices in this model are excellent, the accent colours really popping against the greebly detailing. I love the striping on the yellow and black carapace section — that in conjunction with the bold teal gives this a strong Chris Foss vibe, and evoking the grand-daddy of starship designers is surely a good thing in anyone’s book.

Nature reclaims elven architecture... As it should!

Elves seem to have a knack of building their dwellings harmonious with nature in most fantasy stories. Whether it is an ethereal treetop palace or a hidden valley lodging (very specific, I know), elven architecture is one with its surroundings. Books and films such as The Lord of the Rings made this trope popular – which isn’t a bad thing. However, builder Daniel Cloward shows us that sometimes this is not the case.

An elven city sits on coastal cliffs, built from the same stones, as shown by light grey LEGO elements. However, it is abandoned and has been overgrown with trees, shrubs, and other vegetation depicted by various green pieces. Only the white tree with lavender foliage remains of the original elf-nature harmony, as it seems to be part of the original city. The bright colours of that tree stand out from the grey and greens of the rest of the build. This small diorama really shows off the story of nature vs man-made (or elf-made) structures falling to ruin.

Interested in more elves and their architecture? We have some more elven creations for you.

The loneliness of the long-distance rover

Simple, striking, and evocative — Jan Woznica‘s tiny LEGO space scene is a genuine thing of beauty. I love everything about this, from the “studs as tracks” left in the cute rollerskate rover’s wake, to the twin crescent moons hanging above. But my favourite part has to be the wonderful retro colourways in that stylised sunset — it’s like something from a poster for a 70s sci-fi movie.

Massive LEGO Taj Mahal goes above and beyond the official sets

The Taj Mahal, the world-famous mausoleum built by Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan, has seen three official LEGO versions — one in 2008, re-released in 2017, with a new Taj Mahal set unveiled in 2021. Although the newest set is smaller, the original and its re-release are famous for being amongst the largest LEGO sets ever produced. So it should give some idea of the complexity and scale of Rocco Buttliere‘s latest architectural creation when you understand the piece count of around 17.5k parts is considerably higher than all 3 of the official sets combined. Rocco is no stranger to being featured on The Brothers Brick, being an undisputed master of microscale LEGO building. However, this model is something special, depicting not just the famous mausoleum building itself, but also the surrounding gardens and compound.

Click to see more pictures of this stunning model

A cargo SHIP that really delivers.

SHIPtember is coming to a close and we’re beginning to see the results of everyone’s hard work. My Flickr feed has been full of really amazing WIP shots for the last several weeks, but the Bay of Biscay by Pascal is the first of the final builds that I’ve seen. And it’s an incredibly impressive way to start.

The ship has a unique profile, thanks to the use of crane supports to build its outer frame. Nestled within that frame are up to 60 shipping containers, carrying essential supplies for the interplanetary colonies. These containers are delivered down to the surface thanks to a fleet of tug drones, which can dock on the main ship for the long journey between colonies. It’s always great to see the functionality of a build like this thought through to that degree. I’d call it a massive achievement in microscale construction.

This glorious microscale build portrays some famous Belgian landmarks

LEGO builder Ben Vijle has designed this incredible microscale cross-section of an area in the city of Ghent, Belgium. The model features the Belfort tower, the Stadshal canopy building and an assortment of shops. The structures are placed on a square stand with textured brick pieces representing roads and pavements while providing the implication of cobbled streets. The most prominent section of the diorama has to be the Belfort tower. The tower has an intricate appearance, thanks to the variety of tile pieces featured in the structure and printed round tiles from the Ninjago sets that serve as clock faces.

The adjoining structure to the tower was originally used as a hall to sell cloth. Claw pieces represent arched windows and adds to the building’s grandeur. Next to the cloth hall there are a variety of unique looking shops. An interesting selection of pieces are used along the street; one of the shops has an ice cream cone piece as its roof while another uses hockey sticks to create columns. Looks like there is even a sushi restaurant along the way if you get hungry.

The other landmark of this build is the Stadshal, which has a triangular design and is presented in brown. The building is used to host markets and concerts and overlooks a small park which has some nice details such as the angled grill pieces used as steps. Across from the Stadshal, there are a few more buildings; one of structures even uses handcuffs to create some of the upper details of its roof.

This is a professional-looking build and would make for a fantastic microscale set. The attention to detail and the interesting variation between the buildings make this an outstanding city scene.

Check out more of our articles on microscale LEGO builds.

Build a mobile home, and make it snappy

When building LEGO models I’ve always struggled to effectively combine Bionicle and regular System bricks, so I’m in awe of those builders who regularly do so and make it appear effortless. I’m sure this brilliant model by Patrick Biggs was anything but — it bears the hallmarks of a painstaking attention to detail in the shaping and placing of every piece. The crab alone is a smart piece of building, but the addition of a fantastical castle as the hermit’s home is a well-built stroke of genius. The colour contrasts are excellent too, popping against that grey-blue backdrop. Lovely stuff.

Living in the sky with diamonds

Building with LEGO in microscale is something you either like or you don’t. I personally do not navigate towards it but I do really appreciate it when it is done by others. Kitkat1414 is no stranger to building in a small scale. When building in this style, you have to be a lot more creative when it comes to the parts you use. Builders also have to think outside the box when it comes to the construction techniques used to keep their creations together. This specific work by Kitkat1414 contains a lot of minifigure posing stands, although none of them is showing. I also really like the use of swords for the windmill blades. Also noteworthy is the use of the roller skates for door hinges. Last but not least, the Nexo Knights spider transformed into a cobblestone well also deserves a quick mention. Now all I need is a part small enough to pass for a coin to throw into that wishing well.

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