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.

LEGO scenes from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

First, we were blown away with tiny scenes from The Sorcerer’s Stone, then with vignettes from The Chamber of Secrets. And now (you guessed it) we have a series of wonderful LEGO scenes from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. This time around, the master builder behind the month-long madness was Kevin Wollert. In total, Kevin built 23 amazing Potter-themed vignettes. Each of the scenes took me back to the first time I read the book (the best one in the series if you ask me). I especially appreciate how Kevin was able to capture the dark tones of this story.

009 - Quidditch

002 - Waiting for the Knight Bus 011 - Harrys Godfather

Click here to see the full set

Slimes: they make a popping sound when they burst

Slimes. What are they good for? Nothing. They’re purple and oozy and maybe a little bit cute, but they get into everything and multiply like there’s no tomorrow. Sometimes, you just have to take a the drastic option, and that means grabbing the biggest hammer you can find. SPLAT! Well, that’s one fewer slime to worry about. I feel like this hilarious little vignette by Letranger Absurde was inspired entirely by the purple splat piece, aka Toy Story Stretch’s octopus arms, and I don’t think I’ve seen a better use for that piece yet.

Slime Buster

Down the rabbit hole

Since the release of the Collectible Disney Minigures earlier this year, I’ve been waiting to see the adorable Alice figure put to great use. And that’s exactly what The Knit Knight has done here! Knight built the iconic scene where Alice falls down the rabbit hole in her quest to crash the white rabbit’s party. This LEGO scene is truly complete, including excellently-built, falling furniture, striped wallpaper, sweets and fizzy drinks (presumably all labeled “eat me” and “drink me”), a miniature rabbit-sized door, and even a tiny Dinah waving goodbye to Alice from the real world.

brief

Tribute to a sunrise

There are few joys in life quite like a sunrise. I find them especially beautiful – though admittedly that may be partially due to the fact I’m a life-long night-owl. I find the colors and serenity quite beautiful.

ForlornEmpire has done their best to capture the beauty of a sunrise in LEGO. While they call it a “sorry” attempt, I’d respectfully disagree. The colors are lovely and striking, like a true sunrise. I like the forced perspective on the road, leading you to where the sun is starting to peak above the horizon.

Sun Rise

The lazy days of summer

Often it’s the small things in life that are the sweetest. Sometimes that means the mundane activities of a peaceful life, and sometimes it means the small but brilliant work of a creative mind. Or best yet, combine them both, as in this lovely vignette by Grantmasters entitled “Weekend Chores.” The lawnmower made of rebreathers, a 1×1 round plate, and a twisted rubber band is ingenious, but my favorite detail is the tire swing made of a simple minifig wrench.

Weekend Chores

The Faerie Dragon all made of crystal

At a recent LEGO convention, Ivan Angeli and Mihai Marius Mihu were watching their displays, and happened to have some brick on hand, so they set to building. Talented builders both, together they produced this breathtaking Faerie Dragon in a single afternoon. I love creations built almost entirely of transparent elements. Many of the intricate elements builders grow to rely upon for complex techniques are unavailable in transparent hues, and many unusual pieces are.

Faerie Dragon

Faerie Dragon

A medieval triptych: from affluence to affliction

Sometimes, life may be different than it appears, and comfort and fear may arise from the same space. Jonas depicts such a contradiction in the Middle Ages. His small but effective build is filled with many details and master craftmanship. The top level is occupied by a Medieval beauty enjoying her hot tub. She possesses some luxury items such as a mirror, perfumes and books which were rare for her time. She seems completely unaware of the horrifying truth happening far below. The middle floor seems to be furnished to brew homemade beers, and the arched ceiling makes the room dark and cramped. Even with the presence of mice, the room may be enjoyable for a certain type of person who wishes to craft a beverage in silence. But the big barrel hides a secret trap door which leads to misery in the lowest level. A poor man is tied to a big wheel and his screams only echo in his spinning head, which is filled with the laughter of this masochistic band. Considering the torture tools scattered around, he will suffer a lot.

Secret Door

Giant problems for LEGO knights

There’s always a pesky ogre, dragon or giant hanging around waiting for intrepid knights to ply their trade. In this magical scene by Paddy Bricksplitter, it’s not going so well for the armor-clad heroes though as they fight to defend a suddenly very short castle against an enormous giant. Even the wizard for extra firepower may not be enough.

Big Trouble

Space speeders speeding through space

This great little scene by Sad Brick depicts two speeders racing amongst unusual terrain and alien life-forms. The builder nods to a Neo Classic space theme with the choice of classic space minifigures and the classic space colouring on the lead speeder.  These speeders are lovely vehicles, but the parts that I really love are the worm-like animals in the bottom right of the scene.

Neo Classic Speeder

The builder has created a great unique terrain for his speeders with the peaked structures and the occasional eerie looking tendrils to keep you on edge. This is alien terrain so keep your eyes peeled for the unexpected.

Loki what I made!

For some fans, comic and sci-fi convention season means making a custom costume for the event: cosplay. The character in Alysa Kirkpatrick‘s vignette is taking her construction very seriously, spending countless hours in front of a vintage sewing machine. She’s going to look so cool when it’s finished.

Making Cosplay Vignette

I want to believe

Markus19840420‘s faithful recreation of Mulder’s office from The X-Files is adorned with details including numerous articles clipped on the walls and miscellaneous books and trophies. Even the pencils tacked on the ceiling made their way into the build.

An Elder Scrolls wonder

I consider some computer games to be pieces of art, and Elder Scrolls has always been one of those. You may find many great details in the stories, dialogues, characters, geography and locations, and Tava’s Beak is among those inspiring landmarks in The Elder Scrolls Online. Thorsten Bonsch is apparently very impressed with this ancient statue from an unknown civilization and decided to recreate it with LEGO parts. The result is magnificent! Almost every curve of the big rock is perfectly represented. Here’s a screenshot from the original game to compare with the LEGO version.

Tava's Beak