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.

There goes the neighborhood

Have you ever seen abject poverty up close, where it lives? The brain almost doesn’t want to accept it: you literally cannot believe it. People can’t possibly live like this: but they do. And ironically, there is a kind of beauty there: colors that a designer would never choose, patterns that leave the eye wanting. The humanity of it cannot be contained. Shannon Sproule perfectly captures the heartbreaking chaos and vitality of economics gone horribly wrong in this wonderful vignette. And the presentation, spoofing the classist bias of the LEGO Architecture line, really hits home. Don’t expect to see this set in the next catalog.

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All your tiny space base are belong to us

Karf Oolhu does it again with his unique blend of stripped-back style and clever parts usage. The little flyers are lovely, but the highlight of the show is the pyramid structure built with old-school printed logos.

Stunning LEGO Nebulon-B Medical Frigate

Morten_Svendsen has built a massive and highly-detailed model of the famous Nebulon-B Medical Frigate, first seen in The Empire Strikes Back. Morten’s dedication to getting the angles, details, and textures just right in comparison with the model used for shooting the movies is frankly astonishing…

The overall shaping and coloring are simply spot-on, but the little touches are what sets this creation apart. Check out the medical bay window featuring the famous scene of Luke, Leia, and the droids watching the Falcon depart to begin the search for Han Solo…

See more images of this fantastic model after the jump

Alien Lilliput welcomes Space Gulliver

jsnyder002 has built a fabulous microscale alien city, whose diminutive inhabitants are about to encounter a lumbering human space explorer…

The city tower architecture looks great with a variety of designs on show but remaining within a cohesive aesthetic and color scheme. And the use of binoculars for an elevated railway is inspired.

Santa Maria del Fiore in microscale

Once, when I was in Italy, I had a chance to visit one of the cathedrals — and was rendered speechless. The massive scale and timeless beauty of these historic works of art is awesome. Each cathedral has its own history and architectural details, and the Santa Maria del Fiore (or Il Duomo, if you prefer) in Florence is a stunning example.

While the original took centuries to complete, Legorevival Lrevival‘s version is small, compact, and considerably easier to construct. He’s given this beautiful landmark the LEGO Architecture treatment, and it’s totally one I’d love to buy someday. It’s instantly recognizable.

Tiny brick-built brownstone neighborhood welcomes you home

Looking for a new place? Barton Thinks has the perfect neighborhood for you. These microscale brownstone homes are just adorable. The build is full of great detail, which can be tricky when you’re working in microscale. The easily recognizable brownstone architecture caught my eye, but check out that wonderful stoplight!

I love the roof and bay windows the building has, all packed into a small footprint. Each home sits on just 3 by 6 studs, making the whole module just 16 by 16 studs.

Microscale mech owns the lunar surface

Nick Della Mora has built a chunky microscale walking tank straddling an irregular section of lunar landscape. The tank itself is a good bit of building, with hefty firepower and a suggestion of mechanical details around the leg joints — not easy to accomplish at this scale. But what sets this model apart is the classy presentation. The landscaping and choice of black background really make the image pop.

Gotham’s Ace Chemicals in LEGO bricks

I’ve always been a Batman fan, and Joker has always been my favourite of his adversaries. However, until very recently I have never possessed a Joker minifig. As soon as I got my grubby hands on one, I knew I had to have a go at building something appropriate…

The model was designed to sit in a basin of water and I used an ultrasound fog generator to create the mist effect. It’s a bit splashy, hence some of the water droplets on the model, but I figured it looked like rain and I could get away with it. A couple of people have asked how I did the lighting. I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t do anything fancy. I cheated and did all the tinting digitally in GIMP.

I’m slightly obsessed with Ace Chemicals — it’s such a cool Gotham location, and its factory and pipework elements make it ripe for reinterpretation. As well as the minifig-scale version, I recently had a go at something a little smaller…

Visit Copenhagen – in microscale

It can take years to save up for a vacation abroad, or sometimes a vacation at home. Ulrik Hansen has taken the time for you and created a beautiful microscale rendition of Copenhagen, Denmark, for us all to enjoy. While it’s taken us a bit to find this to show you, it’s well worth your time to pore over the amazing detail packed into this city snapshot. The level of detail is just exquisite.

I invite you to explore his Flickr gallery to learn more about sites to see in Copenhagen, and there are plenty of detailed shots for you to enjoy.

Stunning LEGO Darth Vader mask cleverly hides scenes from Star Wars

LEGO builder yu chris created this gorgeous replica of Darth Vader’s iconic samurai-inspired mask, which gleams with shades of black just like the original. But it’s not just a mask — turning it around reveals three clever chibi-style scenes from Anakin’s life. The tiny little Death Star hangar filled with parading stormtroopers is definitely my favorite bit, but the relief sculptures in the backgrounds of the other two scenes are each fantastic in their own right.

In defense of Reedus

Building in microscale is difficult and I have full respect for those that can pull it off well. This little gate by Halhi141 captured the scale and subject quite well. I like the flats and details for the castle wall. That can be difficult enough on larger models, let alone models of this size. The trees and pathway are wonderful.

Casa de Weasley

For wizarding student Harry Potter, the exurban London residence of George and Petunia Dursley is merely a house. But the ramshackle countryside tower of the Weasley clan is much more than that. “It may not look like much,” says Ron, somewhat embarrassed of his family’s low status, “but it’s home.” To Harry Potter, it’s a wonderful place of camaraderie and commonplace magic, which gradually becomes more of a home to him than any place save Hogwart’s. This microscale model of the Weasley home (affectionately called the Burrow) by Markus Rollbühler is also pretty wonderful. His vignette is chock full of texture and details, right down to the light blue flying Ford Anglia parked in the drive. Brilliant!