Tag Archives: Vignettes

Vignettes are like the haiku of the LEGO world. Usually built on a base 8 studs wide by 8 studs deep, vignettes show a little scene or a moment in time. But like written poetry, there’s plenty of variation on the basic theme.

You dirty swine, I’ll have you sweating like a pig!

Sometimes you come across a LEGO build and it hits everything you look for in a build; fun, story, and some great part usage. Here, MySnailEatsPizza has put together a fantastic vignette of a lie detector test, except with Pigs as the characters in this amusing scene. Injecting a spot of the absurd into the scene and why not? The characterization and emotion in this scene are told through the fantastic positioning of four half-eye tiles capturing so much through nothing more than perfect placement.

There’s some excellent detail that has been added to this build from the lie detector to the pig’s wonderful construction and the subjects sweat evident around his chair.
I could wax lyrical all day about this build but sometimes you just need to pull up a chair and enjoy the scene (but maybe not these chairs!)

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A breath of wild air in the land of Hyrule

Link travels through the wetlands of the Lanayru region of Hyrule in this LEGO vignette from builder Peter Hart. The scene is simple, but illustrates much in the hero’s journey from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Exposed studs and varying levels of plates capture the rough texture of the ground beneath Link’s feet. Transparent plates show the movement of the water, the little waves lapping around land and plant life. The pine trees stand tall over Link, their needle laden branches showing off a good use of those flower stalk parts.

From this additional angle we can get a better view of that nice boulder Link is passing by. It features sharp edges from all angles thanks to the use of strategically placed slopes. Also from this angle the ground and plants around Link can be seen a little better. The ground curves excellently down to the waters flowing by. This little vignette captures a snapshot of the game’s presence and atmosphere for this region from the game. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and boot up my Switch…

An inspired basilisk

This little LEGO creation by KitKat1414 may sit on a tiny base but it packs a huge amount of skill. KitKat says this fantasy build is based on the ruins of St Andrew’s Cathedral, and the mottled stonework is excellently sculpted to portray the decaying Gothic architecture using a wide variety of grey elements. The green basilisk is wonderfully articulated circling the spire, and the face is a masterwork of brick techniques, of which the best might be the two baby dragons that combine to form the nose.

Excellent Excalibur in a stone with a secret

Dicken Liu has added another life-sized weapon to their collection, following on from the lightsaber that we featured a few weeks ago. While this one still comes from a long time ago, though, it does come from a galaxy that isn’t so far, far away, even if it exists mainly in legend. In fact, you could be forgiven for thinking this is just your average very good LEGO sword. But since it’s embedded in a rock, there’s no mistaking it: this is the legendary Excalibur. As a piece, this looks excellent – the gold highlights and green foliage add some visual interest to the black and greys of the rest. But hang on… There do some to be a few holes in this particular stone… What’s going on here?

Let’s see what happens when we pull the sword from the stone…

A pub with a particular palette

For Summer Joust, Metarix Builds had to create a build limited to a single-color gradient. The result is this wonderful tavern with all manner of browns and tans, but nothing else. Even the pub patrons stick to the rule. But there’s no loss of detail or interest because of the limitation. In particular, the Studs Not on Top construction of the floor has an effective ramshackle wood vibe. I’d love to grab a pint in a place like this. Definitely a darker beer, like an amber or a brown ale.

I only paint in black... Or very, very, dark grey

Confession time. I know Paint It Black by the Rolling Stones is one of the most well-known rock anthems ever, but… I prefer the cover that pop singer Vanessa Carlton did. (She’s just an incredible artist, OK?) Before you accuse me of blasphemy, let’s take a look at this creation by another incredible artist, Woomy World. This build is inspired by the lyrics from the song (“I see a red door and I want it painted black”), with the black rose rising from the door forming the title of the piece. The rose looks fantastic, using everything from macaroni tubes to a dragon wing to give an ethereal, almost other-worldly feel to it.

It sits in contrast with the other everyday elements of the build, but they are no less impressive for it. I love the umbrellas representing drips of paint from the bucket. The painter would also be worthy of a feature on his own! The suit jacket uses Technic panel pieces which are an inspired choice and look fantastic. The hair is where I keep getting drawn to though: there are so many different pieces but they all seem so carefully placed. I can see flintlock pistols, a minifigure satchel and at least one minifigure arm. The Rolling Stones might be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but this creation surely belongs in an art gallery!

You’re gun-gonna love this Star Wars vignette

The Star Wars Prequel trilogy is old enough now that the original target audience’s nostalgia has begun a full-scale reevaluation of how those films are perceived in the culture. And Okay Yaramanoglu has taken full advantage of that to give us this microscale rendition of Otoh Gunga, the underwater city that is home to Jar Jar Binks and his fellow Gungans. While my own perception of Episode 1 hasn’t changed much in the last couple of decades, I’m in love with this build in part because it’s a refreshing change of pace for Star Wars builds. Don’t get us wrong, we here at The Brother’s Brick will never tire of Star Wars content. But, that said, sometimes all the shades of gray in the spaceships or the hues of tan in yet another desert landscape can start to feel a little monotonous. Here, Okay has broken that pattern to capture the unique bubble design of the city and even paired it with the departing Bongo sub, taking a couple of Jedi to Theed to see the queen.

This butcher stand brings home the bacon

Dan Ko has packed a lot of detail into this 12×12 vignette of a medieval butcher’s stand. Inverting the tiles in the awning lets the anti-studs add a pop of texture, and the use of a few 1×1 round plates amongst the round tiles on the ground help give a sense of rough and uneven cobblestone. But the most interesting technique is the way the minifigure roller skates are holding the bars in the underside crevices of the 10×2 brick being used as the butcher’s workspace. It’s details like that which can pack a small build with a smorgasbord of visual intrigue.

Celebrating Pride with a small vignette that speaks volumes

As part of LEGO’s AtoZofAwesome campaign, Dave Schefcik constructed a 16×16 vignette to celebrate the letter C, for Coming Out. Dave’s done a lot of impressive building in this small space, from angling the house, to the framing of the whole scene in a variety of plants offering up a rainbow of blooms. And the selection of minifigure pieces perfectly captures the feelings Dave was looking for.

“Discovering your identity is a lifelong process, and coming out can be a defining moment. In this build, I’ve tried to capture the feeling of coming out–the moment of tranquility when I finally accepted who I was. To me, coming out represents a new beginning to a beautiful journey, stepping forward into a more colorful world full of possibilities.” – Dave, New York

Surely you joust

Sometimes a LEGO build can take you to unexpected places. Clemens Schneider initially found inspiration for this scene from the Horse and Groom from the Series 22 Collectible Minifigures, but eventually decided on a brick-built horse. I like how the theme is a little ambiguous — sure, these could “just” be cleverly built microscale knights, but don’t they also look a bit like robots? In my head canon, this is a scene from one of those alternate universes where technology and magic comingle — but it looks like these robo-knights need to decide if their wagon is a bit too heavy for the road. Those wheels are clearly embedded in the muck. Maybe walk a bit until you’re back on pavement, lads.

Castles are cool. We all know that. But you know what’s even cooler, and coincidently in our archives? LEGO castles.

From Star Wars: Visions comes a duel in motion

Star Wars: Visions is a testament to what imaginative and unbridled creativity can do with Star Wars storytelling. This LEGO build by ABrickDreamer continues in this same spirit of creativity. The scene, from the short film The Duel, focuses on the two duelists–Ronin and the Sith Bandit Leader. Both wield their crimson blades with skill while perched upon a log headed for a waterfall. The Sith Bandit Leader deflects a rocket meant to destroy her while one of her bandits watches from the riverbank. This build is all about motion! There’s a flow from the tree in the back to the waterfall in the front, near the Ronin’s side of the log. The water’s movement is achieved through alternating how the transparent clear and blue pieces are positioned. The flower petals in the water also help show the river’s flow.

The log’s shape comes from a pretty cool method–there are flex tubes linked together at the log’s core. The sides and top are clipped on the core, creating the stage for the epic duel. The riverbanks have some nice variations of green in with the greys to capture mossy river stones. A cool little Easter egg is the little brown piece floating in the water behind the log. It’s actually from a broken reddish-brown plate! Above it is some fire dripping from where the log was cut by a lightsaber. The wonderful piece used is from the minfigure blast effects pack, same for the explosion splash by the Sith Bandit Leader. If you want to take a closer look at this LEGO creation, check out this video where ABrickDreamer talks about the build and how it’s constructed:

An Avengers vignette that leaves an impact

Can you believe Marvel’s The Avengers just turned 10 years-old? To celebrate the momentous occasion, Okay Yaramanoglu has crafted a vignette replicating the Battle of New York from the film’s third act. Everyone’s here, from Cap to Hulk, keeping the city safe from the Chitauri. (And if you look closely, you’ll even spot a cameo by a certain scribe of super heroic shenanigans, True Believer!)

But my favorite detail is the pavement that’s been cratered in by a good ol’ fashioned Hulk-stomping.

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