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.

Placid plastic (brick) duck simulator

One of the weirder gaming experiences I had this year was playing Placid Plastic Duck Simulator. If you haven’t played it – and I use the word ‘played’ loosely – it’s an idle game where you watch a bunch of rubber ducks floating around. Why am I telling you this? Because Eli Willsea has created an equally tranquil rubber duck simulator, but this one made of LEGO bricks. In truth, the ducks are probably the most conventional part of this build. There’s some clever parts use, including artists’ boards for lilypads and green katanas for reeds. And the most eye-catching is the use of clear 1x2x5 bricks with some lighting behind them to create the water. Is it realistic? Well, no, probably not. But is it pretty? You bet!

We love Eli’s builds at TBB. I’m going to watch more rubber duckies float around on my screen, but you should go and see what else we’ve featured from Eli over the years.

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You only get one shot (to take in this scene)

“The crunch of snow beneath my boots betrayed my presence with every step. The forest, a solemn witness to my journey, contoured the world with branches heavy under the weight of winter.” Even without those words, it’s amazing how much of a story the simple but beautiful LEGO build tells. “Prey,” by Louis Nutwood, transports you to a single moment as a solitary hunter stalks a rabbit half-hidden in the snow. Gazing at this build, the world goes still until all you can hear is the sound of your own heartbeat in your ears as you take aim. Will the shaft fly true? Or will the hunter go hungry?

Here’s one LEGO hedgehog who takes it slow

Small LEGO scenes like this make me smile. With just a few parts and a simple story, Eli Willsea crafts a fun and colorful vignette of a hedgehog taking a walk after a light rain. The chopstick element makes perfect spines, yellow rainboots are instantly recognizable, and he even has a frog friend along for the ride.

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?

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…