Star Wars celebrated its fortieth birthday last year, which was when this beautiful forced perspective by Jme Wheeler was built, within a 40-part series of builds for the Blocks magazine, telling the whole story of A New Hope.
I love the colours in the sky and the micro version of Mos Eisley is beautiful in its simplicity. The angle on the Millennium Falcon flying away is very expressive, with stormtroopers looking up at it, completing the scene.
We’re used to seeing towering skyscrapers and other massive creations in Micropolis layouts. But sometimes, the most eye-catching city block in a layout is the smallest one. Tammo S. demonstrates this truth with his most recent LEGO build, a micro go-kart racing facility. Utilizing the new macaroni tiles for twisty roads, roller skates for karts, and half-sunken grille tiles for a chain-link fence, Tammo has created an adorable place for thrill-seekers of all ages.
The first steps on the surface of Mars will be those of explorers and scientists. But how long until there are soldiers stomping around on the red planet? That’s the question put by David Zambito with his latest microscale LEGO scene. David has tackled the colonisation of Mars in the brick previously, but this neat model sees the addition of a pair of appropriately sleek-and-sinister-looking fighter craft (fashioned from minifigure ice skates no less). The little fighters might grab the initial attention, but don’t miss the excellent landscaping within the compact footprint, and the use of a minifigure helmet as a cool biodome structure.
Hot on the heels of their last isometric LEGO scene, simply bricking it is at it again. Here’s a hot little number — an erupting volcano spilling lava down the side of a hill, with the deadly streams of boiling rock somehow avoiding all the tiny dwellings. The colour scheme here is wonderful — this feels like a retro 70s-era eruption with all that brown and orange — and the lava flows have a genuine sense of downhill movement. All this volcanic action might be superhot, but this model is supercool.
Can’t afford the enormous LEGO Disney Castle set? That’s okay, why not use an entirely smaller selection of bricks to create your own tiny version like minimal-brick has done? This is a lovely microscale model, featuring some excellent detailing, particularly around the gatehouse and turret-tops. Check out the use of cog pieces around the model — adding texture to the turrets and as the clock above the entranceway. The relatively large base is nice and the trees and coloured paving break it up nicely. Disney geeks might quibble about the lack of a couple of the taller towers which sprout from the real castle’s rear, but that’s nitpicking at an otherwise great creation.
LEGO creations often begin with the completed appearance in mind, but sometimes a particular part can stimulate the creative process. In the case of this microscale scene by David Zambito, it was the dark tan leg parts (either from the luggabeast in 75148 Encounter on Jakku or from Rhino in 76099 Rhino Face-Off by the Mine) that were the starting point for his build. The desert temple has a futuristic, ‘other world’ feel. The use of the legs to give shape to the terrain and temple structure is inspired, but I love the entrance made with a minifigure open backpack part.
With microscale building, a simple part choice can make all the difference. This church by Jens Ohrndorf is a great example of just the right detail; from the gold pyramids at the edge of the roof, to the repeated dome designs of the belltower. The gray trim is made by offset tiles, and the lovely curved roof details are a nice touch. Speaking of the roof, the different slope parts used for shingles give the model a weathered look.
The Sagrada Familia is a famous Catholic church located in Barcelona. It was designed by a Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi. Sagrada Familia is a huge architectural project with colourful, mathematical design elements, and Gaudi knew it would not be completed within his lifetime. Construction began in 1882 and it is anticipated that completion will actually be around 2026! Koen has built a microscale LEGO model of the completed Sagrada Familia that looks like an official LEGO Architecture series model. The use of inverted ice-cream cones is inspired.
A view from another angle shows another feature I particularly like, Koen uses the scroll brick as a nice decorative component of the doorway. Koen has cleverly managed to balance the simplicity required in microscale with the hugely complex design of this particular structure.
LEGO builders can sometimes overcomplicate things, perhaps ignoring simple techniques because they feel obvious, regardless of how effective they might be. However, this microscale Lego church by Jens Ohrndorf goes to show you don’t need a thousand pieces and complex techniques to create something excellent. We’ve seen it before, but the minifigure hairpieces make for perfect treetops, and then there’s the use of the 1×2 brick with groove as the side windows — a simple yet effective parts choice.
Looking for ideas for your latest spaceman minifigure? robiwan_kenobi has a few great ideas featured in this excellent spacecraft. There are many clever parts used in this microscale model worth noting. The rotors come from Speed Champions hubcaps, and the fuselage uses the mechanical arm from Agents, a mini-fig torso and helmet! Plus any chance to use a ‘one ring’ element form Lord of the Rings is precioussss. The crew is composed of trophy size figures from the LEGO Ideas Saturn V rocket.
The landing craft goes with a larger ground vehicle which features another spaceman torso and helmet at the front.
January might not be waterpark weather up here in the chilly northern hemisphere, but simply bricking it aims to bring a splash of fun in the summer sun to your life with this brilliant microscale LEGO creation. The “tanscaping” on display here is beautiful — the tan tile pieces creating a smart colour contrast with the teal waters. But, as with all the best microscale, it’s the little details that make this pop — the use of the recently-reborn “macaroni quarter pipe” pieces to create a spiral flume tube, and the brown 1×2 bow slopes as diving boards are particular highlights. This makes me want to dive into some microscale building of my own.
If you still want to make a gingerbread house before the holiday season officially ends, Jonas Kramm has perhaps the smallest way to make one that’s still loaded with details. He’s created this minuscule candy home with some very clever parts usage. Red crowbars for candy canes, tooth pieces for the frosting piping, and just enough coloured studs to represent whatever kind of sweets you can imagine.
