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.

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.

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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.

Even in the future, it’s all about marketing.

Sebastian Bachórzewski shows us a glimpse of the future with this one block stretch of a cyberpunk city. Futuristic flourishes like the hover police car and the archway made from curved gear racks immediately catch the eye. But Sebastian went above and beyond by creating a working video billboard. Sebastian loaded a phone with custom advertisements made in Procreate and then slotted that into the side of the building.

When the city is all lit up, that billboard helps give this future scene an incredibly modern touch.

Hats off to this harsh landing

This hair-raising crash may have ruined Arodi Anderson’s ship but he’s survived to take revenge on those that wronged him. This scene by builder Mix the Brix makes use of some clever techniques to build a realistic desert scene on an alien world. Emerging from the wrecked starcraft, the pilot knows there’s no point looking back as the smoke rises into the barren skies above the dune sea. He’s more concerned about who shot him down.

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Merrily the hobbits roll along

Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and the newly joined Merry travel by ferry in this LEGO vignette by Thorsten Bonsch. This series from Thorsten follows the first part of The Fellowship of the Ring. Here, we see the four primary hobbits traveling across the Brandywine River into Buckland. The color palette of this build is outstanding, allowing each detail to stand on its own among the others. When it comes to the building techniques, the roofing tiles on the structure draw my eye. It’s a simple technique, but quite effective. It’s just tiles on plates, but the tiles aren’t pressed down on the raised end. The rest of the structure is cool too, with the disheveled layers and angled brown supports. This is one of those locations in a LEGO build that I would love to visit if it were a real place. I would listen to the sounds of the lapping water on the riverbank and the nocturnal sounds of nature around the river.

This scene you may recognize from the movie as well, with a Ringwraith bearing down on the hobbits. In the book, upon which this vignette is based, this scene had less pressure on it. The book takes a lot longer to get Frodo and company out of the Shire, but there’s only so long they can take with a movie runtime to consider. Either version, the wraith takes the long way over Brandywine Bridge. Silly Ringwraith, shortcuts are for hobbits!

Smooth seas don’t make good builders

I’m sure we’d all like to have LEGO collections full of pristine bricks. The reality though is that they are not infallible, and sometimes we’ll come across a broken LEGO element and think it is good for no more than the trash. But as Josh (Sergeant Chipmunk) demonstrates with this underwater scene, broken bits of LEGO do still have a use! In this case, a selection of flex tubes that have seen better days are used to represent a broken mast in a sunken ship. The rest of the scene is equally is good – the shaping of the ship’s hull is great, and the rockwork poking through the bow makes it clear it has been beneath the waves for a long time. Those waves, incidentally, are made up of tiles and clips that allow for a wavy shape that, while fragile, gives a good impression of a sea in gentle motion.

The Witcher and the anything-but-the-kitchen-sink-tree

The Witcher has been the subject of quite a lot of LEGO creations lately. When you take a closer look at this creation by Peter Revan, you can surely understand why. Peter took inspiration from the Witcher books rather than from the game or the series. That’s why Geralt might look a little bit different than what you are used to.

For the base of this creation Peteru used ball joint connections which help with all of the odd angles. I like how he used the flower stalks to keep the leaf plates in their places without actually connecting them to a stud. The tree in this creation is truly something else. Peter calls this technique Just-take-and-use-everything-you-have-under-your-hand. And it sure looks like that is exactly what he did. We can see wings, wigs, droid arms, flex tubing, steering wheels, technic parts, skeleton legs, and plenty more odd parts used in the tree trunk. If LEGO would have produced the kitchen sink in grey, it might even have been incorporated. Peter hopes to create more Witcher-themed creations in the future and so do we.

LEGO Wall-E blasts his way into our hearts

For a movie with very little dialog in the first half, the Disney movie Wall-E had a great story and even greater characters. In this scene by Martin Gebert the love-sick little garbage mashing robot with a heart of gold makes a romantic attempt to get back to Eve using a fire extinguisher for propulsion. The cloud element first seen in the LEGO Monkie Kid theme is the perfect part for the foamy burst. Combined with the lumpy ice cream pieces, they connect to larger clouds made with a variety of radar dishes and other rounded elements. Chromed dishes give Wall-E his wide-eyed expression.

When a Ringwraith comes knocking

The next LEGO build from Thorsten Bonsch in this The Lord of the Rings vignette series is here! Hamfast Gamgee, the father of the hero Samwise Gamgee, receives a peculiar traveler. Frodo and Pippin learn of this event shortly after their own frightful encounter with a Ringwraith. Sam tells the tale of his gaffer’s visitor and the feeling of dread his father felt. Here, Thorsten paints the scene with greater detail than Sam in his own telling. Check out that thatch work on the roof of the hobbit home! The layering of grille tiles gives the roof a wonderful straw-like texture. Minifigure hands and droid arms stand in for disheveled bits of straw sticking out at the ends. This is a delight to see rendered in LEGO, as some thatch work can look too tidy without it. Another example of great texture layering is the plates and tiles making up the brickwork in the house’s structure. Also, be sure to check out that wheelbarrow!

Continuing in the tradition established in the previous builds in the series, this vignette depicts the moment from the The Fellowship of the Ring book. The movie version does this scene with Farmer Maggot. In fact, Hamfast is only in the extended version of The Fellowship of the Ring film. Here, Hamfast gets his due! Personally, I’m really enjoying this series, as the books often get overshadowed by the movies in artwork depictions. Can’t wait to see what’s next in this ongoing vignette series!