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.

The tiny city of Acrine

Most builders will admit that it’s much more difficult to build a small scene than a large one. But soccersnyderi makes it look quite easy with his 12 x 16 stud microscale castle. With an eye for detail, soccersnyderi has eliminated repetition in the building styles of his castle walls, houses, and foliage. The tiny waterfall even flows into a pool that gradates from choppy white waters to calm blue ones with the help of the always handy cheese slope.

And if you like this build, then you’re in luck! It’s up for grabs as one of the many prizes of this year’s Colossal Castle Contest.

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Go small or go home

Looking like the miniature twin of Devid VII’s hot rod, this nifty little road machine by Grantmasters proves that even a few pieces are enough. Look closely, and you can spy some unusual parts in play, namely a minifig book and bucket handles.

Oscar Niemeyer’s Metropolitan Cathedral of Brasilia

Earlier this year I visited MoMA in New York City, where I saw a wonderful exhibit titled “Latin America in Construction: Architecture 1955-1980.” I was particularly impressed by the architecture of Brasilia, the new capital of Brazil built in a lightning blitz of construction between 1956 and 1960. Daniel Stoeffler has built a microscale LEGO version of the Metropolitan Cathedral, designed (as were most buildings in the city) by architect Oscar Niemeyer. I’d love to see Daniel extend this LEGO series with the dome and bowl of the National Congress Building, the president’s residence, and so on.

Microscale basilica

This microscale basilica by Jens Ohrndorf is adorned with details. I love the creative use of the Death Star part for the dome as well as a lug wrench for the cross. Check out this edited photo of the creation, which could pass off as an actual basilica to those not familiar with Lego bricks.

6276: Eldorado Fortress in Microscale

Back in 1989, LEGO released 6276: Eldorado Fortress. This set originally sold for $66; now, a sealed set will set you back $849 (a used set will set you back $160 or so). Bangoo H presents this adorable microscale version, complete with 6274: Caribbean Clipper.

“Holy interplanetary yardsticks, Batman!”

Movie-centric builder SPARKART! has put together a pretty thorough LEGO history of the Batmobile, from 1966 to the present day. The mandatory tumblers are in there of course. But being an old fart, my favorite has to be the original TV version! I like the scale chosen for these, and also the inclusion of matching figurines. (Hey LEGO company, *this* is what that exclusive Comic Con batmobile set should have looked like!)

I can’t cedar wood fur the trees

In order to create all the amazing stuff you see here every day, LEGO builders have to do what all artists do: (a) learn a variety of strange techniques, and (b) endlessly steal from one another. And now fans of Microscale dioramas have a chance to kill two birds with one stone! Serbian builder Milan Sekiz has used a relatively new sloped piece (lovingly nicknamed the baby bow) to come up with three different microscale tree designs. Change the colors of the bows to represent different seasons.

The long haul to LV-426

Over the years, we’ve featured a number of great LEGO vehicles from the Alien franchise, from the ever-popular Cheyenne dropship & APC to the Sulaco and Nostromo. But I think Grantmasters is the first builder I’m aware of to tackle the massive ore refinery that the Nostromo is designed to haul through deep space. At this scale, the famous freighter is built from only eight pieces, but is still quite recognizable.

Week of Wonders: Letranger Absurde [Tuesday]

Our second find from the hoard of Letranger Absurde is this cunningly crafted microscale homage to the book that first introduced the world to the concept of the alien invasion story, H. G. Well’s The War of the Worlds.

From the builder: “I’ve always been a fan of H. G. Wells’ fiction (one of the very first builds was a Time Machine / Star Wars crossover; it’s a complete mess, but that’s a different story!). So building this was always on my list. The dumbbell choice of part in Iron Builder was just the inspiration I needed to finally go ahead with it. I chose to take a more personal approach to the scene and not base it directly on any adaptation, but still wanted to keep a rather retro aesthetic for the tripod… unfortunately I’ve only had enough parts to make one.”

That’s one classy Dame

The name Notre Dame may be most widely associated with a certain cathedral in Paris, France. But the cathedral of Notre Dame is Strasbourg (also in France) is actually more than twice as tall. In fact for over two centuries it was the tallest building in the world – taller even than the Great Pyramid of Giza – eventually being surpassed in the Victorian era by such behemoths as the Eiffel Tower and the Washington Monument. But it still remains one of the finest surviving examples of late Gothic architecture, and is nicely captured here in microscale LEGO form by Daniel Stoeffler.

Rio de Janeiro’s Cristo Redentor statue in LEGO

Looking like something right out of LEGO’s own Architecture series, this microscale model of the iconic statue of Christ The Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro is the work of German builder Jens Ohrndorf. Proportioning, detail and texture are hard to get right at this scale (especially with a human figure) but Jens nails it, and the result is immediately recognizable.

Steering his oar-swept ship across the wine-dark sea...

Disproving my assertion last week that LEGO models inspired by Classical literature are rare, the talented and prolific Letranger Absurde has just posted a microscale scene from the Iliad in which Greek ships stand offshore as their horse rolls up to the gates of Troy. While one’s eye is drawn to the red-roofed temple, don’t miss the Greek ships, whose bows and sterns are chocolate frogs! The whole scene is set on sideways bricks, enabling the builder to create some excellent waves with white wedge plates.