Tag Archives: Microscale

Some say “Go big or go home!” but it takes real talent to compress something down to just a few studs and still keep it recognizable. Of course, many of the micro models we feature here aren’t so small after all, whether it’s a vast cityscape or starship.

Teamwork makes the LEGO spaceship dream work

I’m really liking this Swordfish frigate by Stijn van der Laan (you might know him better as Red Spacecat – after all, he’s been here before). It’s part-submarine, part-aircraft carrier, part-Mass Effect, even part-Halo, perhaps. It’s inspired by a piece of concept art, but Stijn has applied a hefty dose of artistic license to make it his own. And he’s called in some big guns to help him do so, too. If you’re going to solicit advice from a fellow LEGO spaceship builder, then there are few better people to ask than Nick Trotta! Again, our archives will show you why. In this case, Nick apparently provided some guidance on the tapered nose, capping off Stijn’s great work. What a formidable pairing these two talented builders make!

Swordfish class frigate "Valion"

Jaw-dropping model of Rome took 107,000 LEGO bricks to build!

Rocco Buttliere has been astounding us for years with his massive microscale LEGO creations. Being no stranger to rendering massive landmarks and vast ancient cities in brick form, he has just released a new expansion to his fantastic SPQR diorama of the ancient Roman capital (the right half of the build in the photo below). This new section of the Eternal City – built at 1:650 scale – took over 107,000 bricks and several thousand hours spread over two and a half years to build, but it was well worth the wait! Lets take a tour of some of the ancient landmarks, shall we?

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Micro Barad-Dûr menaces a tiny middle earth!

If the price tag on the newly announced Lord of the Rings Barad-Dûr LEGO set is making your wallet feel like Viggo Mortensen’s toe, you should check out this micro-scale tower by Joe! From this mini monument to malevolent majesty, you can keep an eye on the hobbits with the DREAMZzz eye tile. With just a few pieces, Joe has captured the evil essence of the dark tower. The two outer towers are captured by a hilt and a plate with a bar, while all the spiky decorative business is made out of a few grills and a gear. I do wonder if Sauron will need a microscope to find the one ring at this scale!

This LEGO Schloss is definitely boss!

While it’s hard not to fall in love with the LEGO Icons 10305 Lion Knights Castle, it still has its roots in imagined lore. But what about a real castle? An honest-to-goodness fortification built in 1882 by a German baron, Schloss Drachenburg has had quite the history through several owners, two world wars, near-demolition, and finally attaining “monument” status in 1986. Builder -Brixe brings the castle to life in this stunning LEGO model, featuring a combination of microscale techniques of the verdant and architectural varieties. I particularly like the ingenious use of a dark orange 2×2 brick with grooves on all sides. You can see its underside under one of the dark nougat arches in the build. Original architects for the project Leo von Abbema, Bernhard Tüshaus, and Wilhelm Hoffmann would be proud!

Schloss Drachenburg

A tiny kingdom of towering LEGO trees

A vertical kingdom of stone surrouned by towering pines overlooks a pale blue lake in Eli Willsea‘s stunning LEGO diorama titled Heart of the Kingdom. The whimsical architecture, lovely colors, and striking verticality are reminiscent of the Monument Valley games, but the details are utterly original and evocative. This build marks Eli’s return after a busy 2023 when he competed in three heats of the Iron Builder competition and is a clear reminder of why he’s a NPU (Nice Parts Usage) star. How to pick a favorite detail? The elegantly angled tooth bars serving as micro stairs? The grey roller skates adding a decorative touch to the 1×1 towers? The wands still on their sprue for the portcullis? I have to go with the grey popsicles flanking the cave beneath the castle. Even though there is nary a stud to be seen, with its right angles and clean lines, Eli’s model celebrates the aesthetic of the brick.

Heart of the Kingdom

Taking the micro out of microscale

This here is a microscale LEGO CN Tower, as built by Flickr user q_159. Now microscale builds are usually small, right? It is in the name after all. And this is built to a miniscule 1:400 scale, which makes the cars at its base barely two studs long. But the thing you need to remember about the CN Tower is that it’s really frickin’ tall – over half a kilometre. And as a result, this tiny LEGO model is not that tiny at all, clocking in at 3,000 pieces and nearly 1.4 m (four-and-a-half feet)! Small but mighty, indeed.

CN Tower 2

Miniature architecture for the discerning multi-millionaire

Are you the owner of a successful tech conglomerate looking for somewhere to live? Do you have a penchant for being a superhero in your spare time? And are you barely more than a LEGO plate in height? Then ABrickDreamer has just built exactly what you may be looking for! It’s a stylish architectural piece, featuring excellent use of flex cables to accentuate the Avengers’ tower’s curves. Everything the discerning millionaire – nay, billionaire – superhero could need is there, from city views from the penthouse to parking for your tiny Quinjet. And all it costs is a few LEGO pieces!

Avengers Tower

Prefer something a little less ‘only-exists-in-comic-books’? Then lucky you, this builder has you sorted there too! This is a microscale rendition of the Interlace condo in Singapore. Check out those trees! I doff my cap to you, ABrickDreamer, and then I can put it on one of your trees.

Interlace

Terribly Terrorizing Tiny Dragon

The word “dragon” should naturally conjure an image of a fire-breathing, terrorizing great lizard, its eyes filled with the promise of impending doom. Now, envision that same image but on a much smaller scale. The dragon crafted by creator Bart Marable, though diminutive, manages to capture the essence of this mythical beast. It depicts a dark creature exhaling flames upon what appears to be a tranquil island village, where residents live out their days in peace. In this compact creation, the creator has paid meticulous attention to detail, from the water supporting the island to the tip of the cathedral’s cross, leaving nothing to be desired.

Microscale castle with dragon

Tasty little LEGO Star Wars fighters leave you wanting more

LEGO Star Wars advent calendars have some pretty neat microscale ships, but it’s hard to get many good details at such a small size. Tim Goddard has no such trouble with these four microscale fighters, packing these pint-sized ships with a ton of great details and ace part usage, like screwdrivers for cannons. The iconic Y-wing and A-wing are fantastic, but the angled noses of the X-Wing and E-Wing are simple but especially effective.

Micro Star Wars

A tiny LEGO home to evoke cozy feelings

What makes a house a home? Mostly the people living in it, I’d argue. But if the house is too small to actually fit people inside it, outstanding architecture – like that found in Geneva Durand’s microscale LEGO home – will suffice. I’m particularly drawn to the use of various flat bricks in dark orange, dark red, and two shades of brown to evoke the rougher brickwork at the front of the house. I’m a little concerned about those dogs though; I estimate they may be over 6 feet tall. They’re liable to eat you out of house and home!

House

A city with its head in the clouds

Once you get above 300,000 ft in the atmosphere, there’s nothing around to cloud your vision. Thus, the views from this micro LEGO city by Redverse must be outstanding. With micro building, the choice of parts makes all the difference. I particularly like the use of paint rollers to suspend the outer ring, and the bush with foil connector used on the front-and-center tower. I wonder what the stars look like from that highest height?

Sky City

Putting the vest in vestibule

This collection of towers proves you don’t need a towering collection to produce memorable LEGO creations, and that a little expert part usage goes a long way. Flickr user Cab ~ shows us how it’s done, by repurposing some well-known minifigure accessories, saying they “felt bad for the parts that never get any use”. At first glance I questioned whether the rocket-to-rodent connection was legitimate, thinking there might be some photo trickery at play or perhaps a gravity fit (that’d be some feat of balancing), but it checks out! So, no matter where you stand on such techniques, these Lilliputian landmarks can be enjoyed by all.

Little Castles