For each issue of BrickJournal Magazine, the BrickNerd team creates instructions for a LEGO mini-model to go with the theme of the cover story. For their recent issue about landscaping, we partnered with LEGO Master Model Builder Joey Klusnick to create instructions for an upscaled LEGO pine tree.

Building the Classic Tree

Other than the 2x4 brick, perhaps no single LEGO element is as instantly recognizable as the LEGO pine tree.

At more than 50 years old, the large pine tree (also called a spruce tree) has only ever been produced in green and bright green with frosted tips—and it has only come in 150 sets.

Yet for how iconic the tree element is, it is shockingly “out of system” with an oversized circular base and no other standard connection points from top to bottom. Designing circular creations will always be a challenge, but certainly when all those half circles emanate from a central column.

Enter the Travis brick—a 1x1 SNOT brick with studs on all four sides--that forms the central core of the tree. While green versions of the Travis brick are non-production and quite expensive, they can easily be substituted for black for nearly the same effect. (Now all we have to do is wait for the 1 x 1 x 2/3rds brick in green as well so then you can substitute the 1x1 plates and run a bar through the entire length of the tree for even more stability!)

Here are the step-by-step instructions to build the upscaled LEGO pine tree:

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Enjoy building your upscaled tree, a quirky and longstanding part of LEGO’s arboreal history!

Meet the Minifigigs

Are you ready to build your dream room? You’ll have to get the most recent issue of BrickJournal to see all the minifig madness.

You can download a pdf of the instructions with a full part list that BrickJournal published here . You can also purchase a copy of the entire current issue here.

Will you build the tree with frosted tips? Let us know in the comments below!

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