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.

Beginner’s Guide to Adventuring – Always bring your harpoon

I let LEGO phenom Bart De Dobbelaer title this passage. I merely copy/pasted it from his Flickr page because sometimes the builder’s own idea is by far better than whatever silliness I had in mind. Building bizarre alien worlds is not bizarre for Bart. It’s kinda his thing. But each time I’m enthralled with the level of imagination and storytelling. To further copy/paste from Bart (Is it good journalism or just laziness? You decide!) “Dear diary, today I went treasure hunting at the old temple ruin. Luckily I brought my harpoon with me as the place was swarming with crustaceans. I guess I’m having shrimp cocktail this evening. Pete.” But Bart-or-um-Pete, I have a question. Are they still called shrimp if they’re the size of a city bus?

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Steam on!

“In a world of floating islands, Elias . . . knew every lever, every pipe, and every sound it made. But his eyes often wandered atop the workshop, where his air balloon stood, waiting to lift off.” That’s how Gus (aka Faëbricks) begins the tale surrounding this tall vignette called “Sogno di Volare,” and personally, he had me at “floating islands.” The model has clear industrial, steampunk vibes from the brick foundation to the moored airship—and speaking of that airship, how cute is that thing? It’s a compact, one-seater model perfect for gallivanting around those floating islands.

As Gus continues: “One day, he promised himself, he’d set his balloon free, leaving the steam and noise behind, and float into the wide, open sky.” Here’s hoping our little engineer gets his chance.

LEGO spaces, with a lowercase S

For me, one of the hallmarks of a great LEGO builder is their ability to create a space. And not just any space, but one with detail, purpose, and a story. Alex Eylar shows their skill in the medium with this great pair of brick-build “rooms.” First up, we have an almost-liminal hallway scene, absolutely intended to give the viewer a case of the spooks. Something about the abandoned flashlight and the burnt-out fluorescent send chills up my spine.

Next up, and far less creepy, this den acts more as a carefully constructed ode to it’s owner, Gregory. From the décor, it’s easy to peer into the life of this sophisticated gentleman: one of billiards, music, and relaxation.

Shaggy, Scooby and all that is spooky

For some, spooky season starts in October. But for others, seeking out the spooks is a round-the-clock endeavour – as there’s usually some nefarious scheme behind them! And for LEGO builder Bousker, it’s the perfect opportunity to immortalise two brave ghost-hunters. Brave? Well, perhaps that’s not the best description… But if you can promise some Scooby-snacks, these two will face down any scare. Even within this small space, there’s evidence of some mysteries at hand: an eerie head on the shelf, a curious lock, and a knight with a mace who will surely come to life at some point. Not to mention all the knick-knacks on the marvelously-built table. The only thing that isn’t a mystery is just how well-put-together this vignette is!

“Hold on to your potatoes, Dr. Jones!”

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a big, loud, and utterly extra adventure film, yet somehow LEGO builder adotnamedstud captures all of that excitement on a tiny 8×10 vignette. There’s so much kinetic energy on display, from the mine car tipping forward to Shortround’s cap to the tunnel supports leaning back. Moody lighting for the photograph and LEDs in the base add extra cinematic impact. The builder shows that it doesn’t take a ton of bricks to find fortune and glory.

LEGO big cats take Broadway

I’ve seen practical, dramatical, pragmatical, and fanatical cats take the stage. Gumbie cats and railway cats. But until this day I’ve never seen LEGO cats give ’em the old razzle-dazzle. This is actually an encore scene from Caleb Huet assembling a trio of big cats in top hats to command the stage. First built on a whim five years ago, Caleb revisits the concept to show how he’s grown as a builder. The voluminous curtains look great, and the plush chairs look like a cozy place to book a seat. There is an undeniably theatrical flare to the big cat figures standing up, with those outstretched arms making jazz paws. True Jellicles.

When all you have is a hammer...

If you need to nail down how much great building you can fit into a little vignette, look no further than this fantasy LEGO scene by Cora! Lets start with the real main character of this build: hammers. Cora has created an deeply authentic piece of brickwork out of enough hammers to make Thor drool! As for character design, Cora has kit-bashed a great minifigure out of parts from a bunch of different action lines. And with all that heavy equipment, I do wonder whether the crocodile has delved deep to find this treasure, or if it’s the reason it’s lying there in the first place?

These (probably) are the droids you’re looking for

Here’s a quick LEGO Star Wars vignette that features neat build techniques and super original droid designs. Tim Goddard tells us that the low-ranking Jostoc has been tasked with climbing into the underbelly of some ship somewhere to catalog the wild and weird droids that have been occupying that space unsupervised and unhinged for some time now. Sounds like the start of a good sci-fi/horror adventure!

Don’t bug me with your PC problems!

There’s two things I love in this world: great LEGO builds, and word-play. Philippe Moisan‘s latest build has both in spades! You might think it looks like an insect’s apartment – but in fact, this is a computer. Don’t believe me? Well for starters, there’s a literal computer – i.e. an object to compute or calculate – in form of an abacus. There’s a bunch of hard discs on the walls; a deck of (expansion) cards on the shelves; a mother (surf) board; some (integrated) chips; and of course the fan. But front and centre of it all is a problem. This PC’s got a bug! But as long as they still let you access The Brothers Brick, I think we can let them stay…

Miniature LEGO agent makes a spectacular getaway

LEGO boxes often portray the finished model in action scenes, but the Agents theme took that to another level that Tom Cruise would be proud of. In this microscale scene by Bousker they have recreated the iconic box from LEGO Agents 8634 Mission 5 with amazing detail for such a small scale. The precarious cliff on either side is masterfully crafted in sections, and the gates blasted off their hinges by the agent’s escape still look like a movie. Those sculpted rocks in dark sand and light nougat are the winners for me. The only thing that would make this picture perfect are some action lines.

Maybe this wonderful wall will be the one that saves you

Walls were an essential part of medieval life. You could send your protagonist there to defend from the coming winter, you can blow raspberries and throw chickens from them, and they offered great views of the moat. In a pinch, they could even hold off invading armies. This LEGO medieval wall from builder n.o.l.d.o.r is a beautiful bit of brickwork, it would be a shame to see it besieged. I’m in awe of the subtle textures on the brickwork, where slightly recessed sections of wall allow SNOT tiles to stay flush. The tall wooden parapets are gorgeous. Even the patch of landscaping is a masterclass on subtle shaping.

n.o.l.d.o.r continues the wall’s story on the other side, with even more impressive brickwork. The green and black banner again uses the trick of recessed bricks to create the illusion of a thin surface. The mix of minifigs adds drama and hints at a larger fantasy world of goblins and elves co-existing with humans. Those halberds with ice skates as axe blades are truly wicked designs.

Hitting the slopes in LEGO – literally

The end of August (and summer) signals the start of many countdowns. Some will be eagerly awaiting spooky season, while others will already be counting down the days until LEGO sets are wrapped under the Christmas tree. But just like Ciamosław Ciamek, I, too, am looking forward to winter – but not for the festive season (which shouldn’t start until December anyway, if you ask me). Winter brings snow, and snow means the ski season starts again! But Ciamosław’s build presents us with a cautionary tale. Even if skiing is a bit like riding a bike, it’s always worth giving yourself an easy slope first up to dust off the cobwebs. Don’t go straight for the double-black-diamond. Otherwise, you could end up making an unintended intrusion into someone’s piste-side cabin….