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.

Rebel against the blockade in the Rebel Blockade Runner

Are you a smuggler tired of being boarded by an Imperial cruiser? Or an Imperial politician with sympathies to the Rebellion? Or maybe you’re a starship captain looking for something that packs a punch? If you said yes to any of these questions, you need a Rebel Blockade Runner, particularly the one seen here designed by Ben Cossy.

Created to emulate the white and blue paint scheme of the CR90s from Star Wars: Rebels rather than the Tantive IV from A New Hope, everything seen here is as gorgeous as it looked on screen. This Rebel Blockade Runner incorporates the best of microscale design. I love the cockpit part of the ship by the way it fits exactly how an actual CR90 would look. The gun turrets on top, bottom and sides show that this isn’t a ship to mess with, and the use of the mechanical claw piece increases the playability of the guns.

I think the best part of this design is the smoothness of it all. Perfect angles and curves, as well as detailed hardpoints when screen accuracy is needed. I’m not sure how Ben created the angled port and starboard sections of the ship, but they look fantastic. Any Rebel commander looking to bust through an Imperial blockade would want something that looks this good.

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This tiny temple towers above the sea

As Andreas Lenander’s Temple of Qa’te demonstrates, you don’t need a ton of LEGO bricks to create a big world. Despite it’s tiny size, Andreas’ diorama has a lot of activity, from the sailing ship and waves in the sea to the temple mounted high atop a cliff. There is some clever microscale parts usage here, including white claws for the ship’s sales and plant stems with 3 leaves representing palm trees. The greenery and architectural style of the temple give off a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern vibe, making it the perfect destination for tourists escaping the winter chills.

When the ants go sailing in...I feel bad for the spiders.

My original title for this article was something along the lines of a Zoolander quote, but then, that just made me feel old. But enough about me. We’re here to talk about a few amazingly detailed pirate ships at a scale suitable for Ant-man, the Wasp, or any other shrinking superhero, built by Robert4168/Garmadon and adorned with tiny sails made from paper, I think, and dozens of hand-tied rigging, which makes me tired just thinking about… or maybe that’s just me being old again. These ships may be small, but they still strike a mighty fierce cut.

This black-sailed ship is even firing cannons, using the ice-cream cone for the cannon smoke.

A castle is a wish your heart makes

The subject of an impressive official LEGO set, Disney’s Cinderella’s Castle has also proved itself a popular building with LEGO microscale modellers. However, few of the versions we’ve seen previously have captured the detail of the original as effectively as this beautiful creation by Koen Zwanenburg. The high walls rising out of the water are nicely shaped, with some ingenious parts use (check out the hammers as supporting buttresses beneath the crenellations). The soaring towers are lovingly depicted, with a level of texture and detail which makes the model seem much bigger than it really is. And who would have thought the underside of plates would so perfectly depict the tall windows built into the Mansard roof?

This is an extensive redesign of a model Koen built a couple of years ago. It’s a great example of a builder revisiting their work and improving on it in almost every aspect. This is excellent microscale LEGO building.

What is this, a mall for ants? It has to be at least...three times bigger than this!

When laying out my list of things I would love to build someday from LEGO bricks, a shopping mall would be far down the list. Just kidding, it would not make the list. Malls are good for one thing, in my opinion, and that is serving as locations for LEGO stores. However, if a shopping mall wanted someone to build a LEGO version of it, and was paying for it, I’d be all over that. And that is what happened for architectural wizard Rocco Buttliere. He built this stunning layout of the Hawthorn Mall, showing the expansion that they are planning to do with mixed use commercial/residential units. It looks sleek and epic, and dare I say sexy, despite being a mall.

See details of the mall below

LEGO EVA Unit 02 has activated

Mathijs Dubbeldam had a goal: to build the world’s most accurate EVA Unit 02 from the anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion. The head in particular reads strikingly accurate to me, but I am also impressed with the iconic long limbs, lanky frame, and spot-on details right down to the fingernails.

See more of this intricate model, including one of the building’s interiors.

We’re...not...gonna need a bigger boat?

Disney’s iconic ship, the S.S. Willie, set sail earlier this year with a LEGO Ideas set. Sure, the boat was a little smaller than the cartoon original, but you could forgive that little bit of cost-cutting since few of us would be able to afford a bigger one. But at least LEGO didn’t go as far as alego alego did when it comes to reducing part count. Because…wow. This is one tiny version.

Creating a recognizable shape at microscale takes some creative part usage, and we certainly have that here. The helm’s windows are roughed in using a single 1×1 plate with black square pattern, with the front whistles represented by a round 1×1 tile with pin holder. The star of the show, though, is the re-use of Vintage Mickey’s hat as the smokestacks.
With all the huge sets being released these days, it’s nice to see fan creations that don’t require an entire spare room to display.

Tiny house is big on charm

One of my favorite creators of LEGO modern architecture, Sarah Beyer, is equally skilled at both minifig scale and microscale, as evident in her latest tiny model, Whitesalt Villa. This modern structure is defined by the unusual use of an arch piece, which has some very interesting circles on the underside. Sarah continues this visual theme with a single brick with technic pin hole over the entrance. The angled placement of the building and the water feature have a very tranquil effect.

Behold the Argonath, the Pillars of the Kings

Gondor is the greatest kingdom of Men during the Third Age of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth. Its northern borders are marked by The Argonath, a pair of huge statues standing on the banks of the River Anduin. Jason Pyett has taken on the challenge of building a LEGO version of this dramatic location from The Lord Of The Rings, and the result is an impressive piece of microscale building.

The statues tower above the river, their left hands raised in warning to the enemies of Gondor. The choice of colours and level of detailing manage to evoke the idea of weathered stonework, and the proportions of both figures are nicely done. Fun fact: Jason has built the movie version of this monumental pair — depicting Isildur on the left, and Elendil on the right, armed with the sword Narsil. In the original description from the books, the statues depicted Isildur and his brother Anarion, and both were armed with axes.

Church of the Holy V-8

When I saw this image I said to myself-there’s something vaguely hot rod-ish about that church. Then I said, maybe I’m just a crazy car-guy instilling my crazy car-guy values into everything I see. Quit being weird and move on with your day! Because that is the kind of dialogue I have with myself. Then I read the title “Mechanical Church” and thought, “the fact that it looks kinda-sorta like a hot rod was totally Alego Alego‘s intent!” Who is crazy and weird now? Still me, probably, but at least in this case I have been validated. By using two engine cylinders and a radiator grille for a door it looks like the builder could lift the church from the grounds and install it in a hot rod, and the results would look pretty cool. If you do this Alego Alego, I suggest you call it “Holy Roller” or “Holy Roadster”. Brilliant idea or no?

LEGO version of Florence’s Santa Maria del Fiore

Good LEGO microscale buildings manage to capture the essence of their subject, but the very best also trick the eye into looking much bigger than they really are. Rocco Buttliere showcases his skills once more, this time tackling the UNESCO-listed Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence.

The real thing took 140 years to complete and is a masterpiece of Italian Gothic. Rocco’s version is a masterpiece of microscale, standing maybe only 20 bricks high, but somehow feeling much larger. That’s a testament to the level of detail packed into the model, the result of studs-in and studs-out building, and a great selection of parts, including two types of turntable bases, grille tiles, tooth bricks, Technic pins, and lightsaber hilts. Match all that with a beautifully captured dome, and a smart colour scheme, and you end up with a LEGO church which is fully worth of your praise.

Close your eyes and repeat after me: less is more

It is safe to say that most builds featured here on The Brothers Brick are large. Not all of them are massive dioramas that take up a kitchen table, but they usually require at least hundreds, if not many thousands, of pieces. This build by alego alego is an exception. I count no more than 15 or 16 elements used in the whole build! However, it perfectly captures the essence of a small hut surrounded by stony paths and grass, a water feature, bridge, and blossoming cherry tree. Nothing is out of place, nothing is extraneous. Each element is chosen for its job with precision.

The base is a shield from the Knights Kingdom II Sir Rascus constraction figure, which most builders have probably set aside in a box as unusable for any future build due to its awkward size and shape (I know I have a few of the KKII shields gathering dust somewhere, never used — picked up on a whim from BrickLink). The printing on the hut looks even better than it did as part of an ice cream cone, and the conical hat is the perfect roof; a sausage makes a lovely curved bridge, too. Leaving the flowers still on the sprue was a nice touch to give the tree a more spreading foliage. I’d love to sit by the water for a while, eyes closed, sleep–, er, “meditating”.