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.

Those that watch as cities fall

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.

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A much more affordable typewriter

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.

A temple in the sky

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.

Rocco Buttliere builds 1st-century Jerusalem in microscale from 114,000 LEGO bricks

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

TBB Cover Photo for June 2021: The Tyrandal Woodlands

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

Hold up! We want to talk to you about your wagon’s extended warranty!

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.

It was a lovely day in paradise, but it was about to go horribly wrong

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.

An industrious little steampunk town

Steampunk builds are always fun and in this LEGO model by Simon Liu we get a whole little town in micro-scale.

In this fun-looking town, life actually appears to be all work and no play; the buildings seem to be giant machines churning out the necessary widgets, you know, putting the steam in steampunk. Said steam is rendered by the 1×1 ice cream scoops element, liberally applied in multiples. A number of pearl gold LEGO pieces are also implemented in this build – necessary components to the overarching aesthetic. Perhaps my favorite portion of this build is the zeppelin transporting a dark red micro-figure around probably to his house, which might or might not be a clock.

Miniature Tom and his miniature seaport

Many LEGO fans love to build miniature LEGO cities at home, and it seems that some minifigures share this passion. Tom, as depicted by Ben Tritschler, has build a small seaside scene that any human builder would be proud of. I see so much of myself in this little builder, albeit with a better hat and hair, and altogether cooler setup. Just look at his furniture: rather than simple vertical posts, he’s crafted some much more detailed table legs from modified round tiles and bar holders. Even the legs of his smaller work tables are repurposed bucket handles.

My favourite part of Tom’s little workshop though are his simple little buildings, using 1×1 printed plates to represent small buildings with doors. Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the techinic pin perfectly representing a little watchtower.

We’re ready to receive you

LEGO custom creations that play with scale and perspective remind me of old-fashioned movie special effects. There’s something magical about matte paintings and models and perfect camera angles combining together to make the viewer believe they’re watching a vast expanse of space when it’s really all set up in a parking lot in Culver City. Mountain Hobbit has produced a little classic sci-fi Hollywood magic of his own with this Iron Builder submission. The seed part is the Crane Grab Jaw with Axle and Pin Hole, which he used to create the “teeth” on the hangar door. He’s also used orange ingots to bring a little pop of color detail to the largely gray interior. The complementary hues of color on both the spaceship and the landing bay give us a sense that they’re part of the same sci-fi universe.

And the best part is, the doors are functional.

Spindly scout walker strides along with style

There have been plenty of official LEGO AT-ST sets in all kinds of sizes over the years, but this model by Tim Goddard has got to be one of the best representations I’ve seen in a while—certainly at this size and level of detail. One of my favorite parts used is the plastic bit that comes between two shurikens—something many people consider trash—used for the grenade launcher on the left side of the photo. Connected to the base by a single point, the walker also has the perfect jaunty tilt to represent the chicken walk that gave the AT-ST its less popular name.

A gas mining colony with a view [Instructions]

For the last several years, I can’t imagine the evening of May 4th without rewatching The Empire Strikes Back. Nor the story, neither the sceneries get old. And speaking of the alluring Cloud City, this hilariously tiny rendition of the location by Luis Peña is surely a micro masterpiece. It is built with just 31 pieces, and there are even instructions available for the model.

I adore the use of LEGO cloud elements. So, in case you haven’t got the latest UCS-style 75308 R2-D2 yet, I see no reason not to build a tiny copy of the Cloud City to put on an office desk.