LEGO Around the World

Lasse Vestergard has been a busy guy!  There are 26 countries depicted here, with reliefs, micro monuments, representative minifigs, and of course, flags.  All topped by a pretty serious 62 stud diameter globe.  Scroll through his photostream to see each panel.  They're full of thoughtful details of the country's geography, culture, history, and architecture.  But I wonder, did it take him less than 80 days to complete? 

Rubber Bands Don't Just Grow On Trees, You Know

Jigsawjo continues to amaze with this clever vignette, aptly titled Christiansen Park. The most striking thing here is of course the rubber band trees and bushes which look surprisingly realistic - a very NPU style that I expect to see often in the future. I could imagine a much larger park inside of a microscale layout still looking great in this style.

Rolling in Style. . .In SPAAACE!

There seems to be a sudden wave of many amazing micro and nano scale creations in the past few months.  This miniature (yet mighty) space rover is a wonderful addition!  Builder Sad Brick has created a rover that is so unique, but incredibly realistic at the same time.  I would definitely cruise around in a full size version of this adorable little build!

Teensy Tiny Space Battle

There have been lots and lots and lots of interpretations of the iconic X-wing and TIE fighter over the years, but I don't think any quite as tiny-yet detailed as Grantmasters'. Even if there's one I'm forgetting, six and three pieces to a ship, respectively, is pretty darned impressive, and the greeble background works quite well given the small size.

Metropolis

Paul Wellington has outdone himself with this shot!  The realism and detail is quite extraordinary, and the eye-level photo makes it totally convincing.  Add to that some pretty slick photoediting, and you've got something truly special.  I wonder how much one of those waterfront condos might run?

MICROFLEET

I've kinda got this thing for rag-tag fleets, although this one isn't particularly rag-tag.  In fact ska2d2 has created a pretty cohesive style in spite of the variation in designs.  What I really like are the number of details he's packed into them, details you'd usually see in much larger ships.  I'm just waiting for him to build something with retracting flight pods. 

Mini? On!

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Great rent, but the rooms are a little small.

A while back -- ten years ago to be precise -- the short-lived Factory theme made its debut in the LEGO universe. And while it didn't last long, the mini-scale sets from that theme (three sets in all) seemingly continue to inspire AFOLs today, whether in the form of the successful Architecture line, or, as seen above, in the creations of brick artists like John Stephens, who takes this theme to new heights in his continuing Micropolis series. My favorite feature of the Riverstone Apartments is the clever and old-school use of the 1x1 headlight brick as windows, and the great design on the trees. The simplicity of it all, from the cheese slopes as awnings to the cars made of 1x2 "jumper" plates and 1x1 tiles, make John's set something special.  And the best part is, there's plenty more where this came from. The takeaway message? In a time of big $200 and $350 LEGO sets, sometimes smaller is better.

From The Depths It Came...

I keep pausing to look at this MOC by pif500, which means I should really be sharing it. It's a fine example of how to don't have to build big to build well. And how a simple photograph, well executed, elevates that build. I love the new swirly pieces as tentacles, genius!

Wee Little Houses

I appreciate a good micro build, and this one caught my eye. According to Flickr user @fgr62 it is inspired by a BBC news report about a wedding prank taken to the next level, but to tell the truth it looks exactly like the little homes on the water front in Marina del Rey. Overall, a very clean and attractive build.