When it comes to robots that warm our hearts, it’s hard to think of one more endearing than Wall-e, the hard-working, dedicated hero from the movie that bears his name. Working hard to clean up our mess while we humans cruise the galaxy in comfort and style. If you would like to have a tiny Wall-e to keep you company while you work from home, follow along with KosBrick to assemble one of your own.
Build one of your own with this instructions video
Whenever I come across a scene by Jeff Friesen I’m amazed at his uncanny ability to create such interesting stories in such a small space. His models are a wonderful blend of seemingly simple techniques combined with the perfect color combinations. In this scene depicting a sky train station with a cruise ship port, the addition of the floating tower in the foreground is such a whimsical detail. And the arches continuing through the build perfectly divide the lower level details from the upper. Gold parts are used throughout the scene for just a splash of sparkle.
The hit Star Wars series The Mandalorian premiered on Disney+ in 2019 introducing us to an instantly iconic ship, the pre-clone wars era starship known as the Razor Crest. And before you make your jokes about a microscale model of the Razor Crest really just being a pile of loose parts, I like to remember her in her prime.
Wait, what am I saying? From the very first episode, she’s been grabbed by a space walrus, scrapped by Jawas, shot at, jumped on by space spiders, dunked in the sea, shot at again, and more. But if you want to remember her as she once was, soaring through the sky over Navarro blasting TIE fighters to bits, you can follow along with these instructions for a desktop model, designed by me. It even includes a poseable stand! Click here to download the LEGO Razor Crest Instructions by Daniel Fortine
Myleth Dorei is under attack by a vicious dragon. His terrible flame breath has bisected the island, cutting off the small fishing village from the castle with a trail of charred forest. Will the islanders survive this brutal attack? Only builder Andreas Lenander knows for sure. Andreas has done an excellent job at rendering a complex story in a small space with this microscale vignette. It’s full of lots of clever details, like using some Harry Potter wands still connected to a spur as the castle gate. And the dragon is effectively rendered in very few pieces, so that it’s light enough to be suspended in the sky by the fire that its breathing. But my favorite detail is the hollow space in the center, covered with trans-clear plates that allow the light from an iPhone to shine upwards, creating a true sense of a raging inferno.
Have you ever looked at a circuit board and thought it looked a little like a futuristic cityscape? LEGO builder Adam Betts has run with that idea for this awesome microscale city, which he says is based on the idea that cities, like circuit boards, are highly interconnected and optimized for efficiency. Look closely and you’ll see that the left side of the city starts out with ambiguous structures that mimic circuitry, but then slowly move into more recognizable skyscrapers to the right, complete with a zeppelin and bustling seaport. Or is it a serial port?
Ominous beings turn their gaze upon the last city as it is swallowed by the rising sands, the rubble of ancient roads leading to and from nothingness. Otherworldly figures and a crumbling metropolis created by the laudable Tino Poutiainen inspire plenty of stories to tease our minds. Titled Trio, this mysterious group of dark figures with lantern-like heads tower over the ruins of a great city as it fades into the dunes. The construction of this scene transcends its components. This microscale model almost doesn’t even look like LEGO! Bars and bar clips attach to 2×2 plates with holes that give the figures their long legs and rounded bodies. Their lamplight heads use radar dishes with white studs or a rounded bottom plate for contrast. The tan plates and cheese wedges lead into a block of light bluish grey plates and tiles in various orientations, accented with grill tiles whose exposed sides make up the windows of the city. A fantastic model reminiscent of the post-apocalyptic world of Nausicaä and the Valley of the Wind.
Do you love the new LEGO Ideas typewriter but you don’t want to break the bank? I know how you feel. And it looks like Vant . does too, since they have built a pint-sized version of the new sand-green typewriter with an amazing amount of detail in a very small package (paper letter not included). While I love the carriage return and the curved front, my favorite detail is the ink ribbon made from lever handles.
You can see even more details from the top, like the paper guide connected with droid arms that can lift up just like the real thing. And don’t miss the letter keys made from a pair of claw elements and an unusual Bionicle part.
Builder Andreas Lenander invites us to visit a trio of magical floating islands with his latest microscale build. I’m impressed by how the opaque azure bricks blend rather seamlessly with the transparent blue to create an effective sense of continuity to the waterfalls that keep these islands suspended in the air. And the churning effect created at the base of the bottom waterfall with just a couple of transparent clear plates really completes the illusion.
Master LEGO architect Rocco Buttliere is no stranger to recreating massive landmarks in LEGO form. In the past he’s built Mount Rushmore, Vatican City, and even ancient Rome. But now he’s managed to top himself with what may be his largest project to date, a 1:650 scale city of Jerusalem as it appeared in the first century. Consisting of 114,000 pieces, this massive LEGO build is the result of over 500 hours of design time and 400 hours of build time.
This is a work you could truly get lost in, so let’s dive right into the details, starting with the Second Temple on Temple Mount in the center of the city.
Click through for a guided tour of some of the city’s highlights
Ever wanted to drift away into an enchanted world filled with mystery and wonder? There is no need to venture any further with Isaac Snyder microscale build dubbed “the Tyrandal Woodlands”. This is why we are proud to set this amazing build as our Cover Photo for June.
Click to see how you can get featured
It wasn’t always dysentery that did you in on the Oregon trail. Dmitry has created a microscale wonder in “The Road To The West”, a build full of great details and part usage. A few that caught my eye right away were the use of hubcaps for the spoked wagon wheels and the really clever combination of small parts in the horses. I also adore the slight gaps between the sections of the coach’s cover. Those allow for a wind-swept look that enhances the scene’s already great sense of motion.
This scene feels like a small part of a larger story. What happens next? Maybe Dmitry will share another build in the future that fills us in. Otherwise we’ll just have to look at some other great Western-inspired creations and make up our own legends.
If you live in the oasis city of Kaligem, safe behind the sturdy walls, nestled among white towers and golden spires you might count yourself fortunate. But your good fortune is coming to a swift end in this scene by Andreas Lenander which depicts the final moments of a city that has brought down the wrath of the gods in the form of a giant wall of sand that would give the Coriolis storms of Arrakis a run for its money.
