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.

We eat ham and jam and Spam a lot

Camelot — it is a silly place. At least it is if you pay any attention to Monty Python. But there’s nothing daft about TheRoyalBrick‘s LEGO microscale version of Arthur’s mythical castle. This creation accomplishes the magic trick of all the best microscale — providing enough structure and detail for the viewer’s imagination to fill in the rest, making the model initially appear much larger than it really is. Those two tone grey walls offer a smart contrast to the chilly winter landscaping and the tower roofs provide a wonderful pop of colour.

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Spongebob’s street looks great in microscale

Simon Liu has created this wonderful LEGO interpretation of the classic neighbourhood from SpongeBob SquarePants. The individual houses have been cleverly constructed, each with their own unique features and techniques. Starting from the left, Patrick’s rock house is represented by a domed part from the Star Wars planet series. The house in the middle belongs to everyone’s favourite grouch, Squidward, and has shaping accurate to the original design, thanks to the application of the large wedges which are sunken into the sand. Spongebob’s pineapple house uses small wedges to represent the segments of the fruit with blue rubber bands imitating foliage surrounding the home. There are even microscale versions of the characters outside of their respective houses. All these details result in a display which is easily recognisable and accurate to the original source material.

How to build your own pocket-sized Taj Mahal [Instructions]

LEGO currently has two display models of the iconic Taj Mahal available to buy. One that is massive and expensive, and new one that is smaller and more affordable. If you’re like me, poor and easily scared by any number over the £50 price tag, you start wishing for LEGO to produce more and more small microscale builds. Luckily, Luis Peña built a tiny Taj Mahal consisting of just 80 pieces, and small enough to fit in your pocket!

Click to see the instructions

A micro monastery nestled in the rocks

There’s a lot more to this tiny build than a monastery on some rocks. In fact, the building isn’t its best feature! Talented LEGO builder Roanoke Handybuck did a great job at interlacing those light bluish grey elements to form the rocky outcropping. The pink flowers attached to reddish brown horns and minifigure hands are a superb fit too. But perhaps the most clever aspect is the use of only 3 pieces – two crowbars and a hotdog element – to try and recreate a Japanese torii archway.

If you like this, you should stick around and see more of Roanoke’s Handybuck’s handy-work.

Microscale Gothic Revival on the Danube

Architecture and LEGO have gone together for a long time. From Modulex in the 1970s to the more recent LEGO Architecture series, the LEGO group has given us plenty of iconic buildings and skylines. This microscale model of the Hungarian Parliament Building, created by Chris Elliott as a gift for his mother, makes use of various elements to emulate the Gothic Revival style of the original. The spires and arches are achieved with bull horns, claws, and inverted fang plates, while cones and bars are used as towers. The ornate central dome’s features are creatively modeled using an eight-side modified hinge plate with fangs held by bar clips. The symmetrical front façade looks out from the eastern bank of the Danube, which Chris has captured with blue plates and clear tiles running the length of the model.

The north and south lawns frame the western side that houses the official main entrance. As on the other side, inverted fang and teeth plates are used to capture the curved details of the original building’s architecture. Grill bricks are partially recessed below the ground line, creating the effect of lancet windows of different sizes around the building.

I think it is quite touching and inspiring that Chris made this for his mother, an immigrant from Hungary to the United States before the iron curtain fell. I’m sure it was a gift that she cherishes. Feel free to check out some more incredible architecture-inspired builds we’ve covered in the past.

A not-quite fortress of solitude

Sometimes we all need a quiet place to rest and recharge from our hectic lives. LEGO builder Louis of Nutwood has imagined and built just such a place. With a cottage by the river and a nearby windmill to help with the chores, I can’t think of a better place to lay down under a tree and read a good book until you drift off to dreamland. Smoke billowing gently from the chimney is a sure sign of a warm hearth, maybe some freshly baked rolls, or a tasty pie are waiting for you. The detailed rock work and the outward-facing transparent tiles and plates round out this lovely little scene.

A wand-erfully whimsical scene in an island storm

A book can be a welcome escape in times of stress, or, for Eli Willsea, a book can also be a roof for an island hut. However, considering the gusts of wind bending those chunky trees, this roof might not make it through the night. And speaking of trees, I love the cartoonish look of these trees made from cones and gnarled trunks. The hut is held aloft as if by magic by four wands, and the nearby boat puts the plastic sprue that comes with another pair of wands to good use as a mast, demonstrating that even parts LEGO themselves consider waste can be put to good use in builds.

Monster murals under a microscale urban jungle

Architects of tomorrow see solutions to many problems facing society today and modern concrete jungles often lack the greenery that people need to escape. One solution exemplified here in the sixth microscale architectural model by builder F@bz is elevated green spaces and this one seems to be thriving. The bright green vines lifted from Friends sets and the myriad of leaf pieces create overgrown foliage that contrasts the dark grey, tan, and black of the city structure below.

The slanted supports for the sky park give way to exposed bits of railway leading out from underpasses and tunnels through the metropolis. Thankfully, the dark colors of the city are accented by playful bits of graffiti achieved by using various printed bricks. The expressions and colors that F@bz used for the art work well with the textures of the walls. Tiny details of brown and sand yellow make up the area around the lower train tracks with bright red fencing along one side and a smaller guard wall at the base of the graffiti wall. The little trains work wonderfully with the scene. I wish I could sit back in one of the top seats and take in the view of the rising cityscape above me.

This LEGO microscale sanctuary is full of surprising details

Astounding us again, Eli Willsea shares another vibrant build, this time in the form of a peaceful-looking sanctuary. The model is entered in this year’s Summer Joust competition and perfectly suits the medieval theme of the contest. An interesting colour palette has been applied to the build, with the soft tones of light grey, bright green and tan contrasting nicely against red.

Several unusual techniques have been used in the model. One of the most striking is the use of a car cabin piece as part of the main building. A few of the trees appear to be minfigure helmets, with the open sections turned away from the camera. You can also just see handle pieces placed sideways in the main courtyard, which represents pillars at the entrance to the inner building. Eli has truly succeeded in creating an enchanting scene with a tranquil aesthetic.

Microscale Wall-e watches the skies waiting for a shooting star to wish upon [Instructions]

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

Microscale city scene mixes traditional architecture with fantastical flair

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.

LEGO microscale Razor Crest from Star Wars: The Mandalorian [Instructions]

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