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.

LEGO T-47 Snowspeeder swooshes into action

One of the most recognizable ships from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, the versatile, low altitude speeder manufactured by Incom Corporation proved effective in the battle of Hoth, despite being ill-suited for cold environments. It looks like Massimiliano Sibilia may have taken low-altitude a little too seriously in this microscale model, which features the iconic wedge-shaped speeder skimming over the surface of Hoth.

The model captures the clunky aesthetic very well, and the harpoon and grill on the rear are particularly great details on this small scale.

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Arm’ed and dangerous LEGO Star Wars vignettes

Well, I have seen a lot of different small parts used to represent minifigs at microscale. Still, I gotta hand it to CreativBricks for their genius idea to use actual Minifig arms in white to represent clones, and in tan and dark gray to represent B1 and B2 Battledroids, respectively. But the techniques used to create the vehicles go arm-in-arm with the figures. In fact, that AT-TE has some fantastic details for its scale.

This one isn’t quite on the level

In spring 2010 the Danish architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) received a commission to bring “a new residential typology” to Manhattan. They delivered 35 stories of twisty goodness in VIA 57 West. The tetrahedral shape is a pretty far cry from a typical blocky facade you might expect to see.

Builder Nicolas Carlier rendered this unique shape in LEGO, and did a solid job of not being constrained by typical building styles. Long runs of plate ascend at unexpected angles, propped up by tiles and cheese wedges. The interior’s plaza makes good use of modified 1×1 round plate and 1×1 cones to fill out the greenery.

Just like the real building, this model has a very different feeling when viewed from the other side. Even in LEGO form, you still get a good feel for how the residential needs of the building are being met. A beautiful building still needs to be functional, after all.

Microscale LEGO ISS is out of this world

Space program fans now have another amazing LEGO set inspired by real-life NASA missions and international collaboration in the recent International Space Station 21321. But what if your display space is limited? That did not stop lysanderchau for a moment, as you can see by their amazingly detailed microscale model based on the official set. There is even a space shuttle and all of the other extra vehicle modules at an even smaller scale to match.

While you’re at it, don’t miss our review of the official set.

Genius inspiration is fleet-ing

Capturing great details on a spaceship that fits in the palm of your hand is a refreshing surprise from TBB Veteran, Letranger Absurde, and this pair of spaceships, while inspired by Star Wars, stand alone as a lesson in master parts usage. Take the fighter, made from a single LEGO minifigure robot head mold from the Galaxy Squad theme, where the facial visor serves as the cockpit canopy. And the red 1×1 tile on the side of the frigate nose picks up the circle design on the sides of the fighter beautifully.

Fancier than a plate of es-cargo, and twice as tasty

While this sleek LEGO cargo ship by Guy Smiley would look perfectly at home in a scene of interstellar combat, this pair of vessels are here to get the shipping job done. The cargo ship is sporting some powerful engines, and the support craft has a manipulator arm to load and unload the containers. But my favorite part use is the door panels from a Minifig cupboard, used throughout the models, with those two tiny holes.

But every great spaceship needs a worthy stand to support it, and if you look closely at this scene, you will discover that this stand is a creation all its own, depicting an entire microscale city over which these ships are flying on their way to the port.

Check out this incredibly huge and detailed LEGO diorama of the Eternal City, Rome

It is rare for a LEGO build to make my jaw drop and leave me drooling on my keyboard, but that is just what this stunning layout of Imperial Rome by Rocco Buttliere did. I have a Master’s degree in Classics, primarily in the Latin language, and so anything and everything Roman is right up my via, but there is a lot of great information to learn in the descriptions of the photos, even for one with an advanced degree in a tangential field. In fact, I could spend hours looking through all the pictures, and have already spent the better part of one skimming through the descriptions. It is fascinating stuff. And the build! It is huge, about 1×2 meters in size, with 66,000 bricks going into its construction. And not one is wasted or superfluous. So let’s take a brief tour of the Eternal City, shall we?

See more of this masterpiece of LEGO architecture

She’s got it where it counts, kid

Is there a spaceship as universally beloved as the Millennium Falcon? Maybe the Enterprise is close, but then you get into a debate about which Enterprise is beloved, since numerous ships have held the moniker. But there is only one Falcon (even if it’s had a few changes). Maybe it’s the way it looks like a pile of garbage, or a rusty bucket of bolts, the kind of ship that leaves you saying, “Hear me, baby, hold together” whenever you hit a bump, just like the first car you bought in high school. It’s even got those stupid dice hanging from the rearview mirror, and you gotta believe Han’s got a few of those pine tree-shaped air fresheners hung up around the ship. Seeing her fly, somehow, despite being anti-aerodynamic, through the atmosphere, trailing a pretty blue jetstream – magic. Andreas Lenander captures a bit of that feel with his latest LEGO build, showing the Millennium Falcon blasting out of some hive of scum and villainy or other.

It is at a smaller scale, so naturally quite a bit of detail is lost, like the proper number and positioning of the heat exhaust vents on the back or the exposed access hatches on the front mandibles. But who cares when the glowing blue trail is so perfect? The greebles are nicely executed, with a nice assortment of parts, including handcuffs and stickers from one of the official sets. And the city down below looks appropriate for the universe without being tied down to any particular locale. I love the use of the microfighter Falcon’s cockpit cone for a building’s windows. But that LED-lit blue trail is the highlight, fit for the fastest ship in the galaxy, capable of making 0.5 past light speed.

Dangit, Alfred!

I’ve always imagined Alfred to be a very capable butler for Batman. But surely, at some point, he must have had a laundry mishap and shrunk the Bat-Tights. Maybe Batman is remembering that day as he glares down at the suddenly microscale car in front of him. But it wasn’t Alfred’s desire to wash and dry things on “hot” that caused the problem this time. No, we can lay the blame at the feet of builder alego alego for this gloriously tiny version of the UCS Batmobile.

The Batmobile is made up from some interesting parts – I’ve spotted Batarangs, robot arms, and even Star Wars blasters. To recreate the distinct shapes of the larger vehicle, the display stand is an integral part of the build. For example, the air scoops are made from inset taps with a hollow-stud 1×1 rounds attached to them. Likewise, the Batarang that makes up the front fender is supported by a 1×1 clip plate that’s attached to the base. These connections wouldn’t be possible in a free-standing model, but the smooth tiling on the base hides these tricks. To the eye, this version is just as solid as its much larger brother.

Maybe Batman can rent it out to the Atom. He’s tiny, too.

LEGO Creator Expert 10272 Old Trafford-Manchester United [Review]

Soccer fans (or football fans as they’re called everywhere else) will get a kick out of the newest Creator Expert set, 10272 Old Trafford-Manchester United, a massive 3,898-piece model based on the Old Trafford soccer stadium in Greater Manchester, England, which serves as the home of Manchester United F.C.and over 76,000 of their closest friends. The 1:600 replica model is rated for 16+, clearly targeting an adult market, and is available now directly from LEGO for US $299 | CAD $349 | UK £249.99 for V.I.P. members — just in time for the stadium’s 110th anniversary this February.

Let’s open the box and see what’s inside!

A painted city is worth a hundred thousand bricks

When talented stars collide, masterpieces arise. I hate to be so cliche, but it is what it is. This artwork is the result of a collaborative effort between Grant Davis, Eli Willsea, and Micah Biedeman. It was the product of hanging out in Grant’s home last year, 3 weeks worth of cumulative effort, and somewhere between 50,000 to 100,000 LEGO bricks (who’s got time to count when you’re oozing with inspiration and art?). Both Grant and Eli should need no introduction, as neither are new to the world of making large scale builds and focusing on a single aspect of wonder. In 2018, they walked away with The Brothers Brick Creation of the Year award, and now they’re back with another stunning creation.

See more of this amazing build, including a video of how the builders accomplished this visual feast for the eyes

Not the hero we deserve, but the hero we need.

Every now and again, the LEGO community will be overtaken with a slew of builds in a common theme. The Baby Yoda builds are slowing down a little, but you can usually count on a new take on a Batmobile to surface every week or two. That’s understandable, what with the hype around LEGO’s UCS version of the 1989 Tim Burton design. I’m no different; I love the Batmobile in all its myriad designs. I didn’t think I could bring anything particularly new or interesting to the already amazing fan-builds that we’ve seen, though. So I took things a different (some may say “wacky”) direction. It’s probably safe to say you haven’t seen a Batmobile like this one before…

Yeah, I mashed the Burton Batmobile with the Unikitty! theme. It just seemed like the right thing to do. My first intention wasn’t to build this scale. In fact I had somewhat bigger plans. But, for now, I have both a minifigure and microscale version to share.
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