LEGO microscale building is quite fun and addictive. It also has several benefits; you can create an extensive LEGO diorama with much less LEGO elements, bringing down significantly the cost and the display-space needed. And smaller doesn’t mean less detailed or complex; LEGO micro-building can be just as intricate and extensive as building in minifig-scale.
LEGO microscale building can also be mixed with regular minifigure-scale; creating backgrounds to a larger diorama, or using forced perspective techniques. I will link a few articles at the end of this post to give you some ideas and inspiration. 🙂
Recently LEGO launched a series of video-tutorials by LEGO designers addressing LEGO micro-building techniques that you can learn a lot from. I will show you some of them here and will also link to all the currently available videos in the series so you can check them out. Although the videos are short and primarily focused on a kiddie audience, the techniques presented are nonetheless advanced LEGO micro-building techniques adult LEGO builders can learn from as well.
Below is the trailer for the LEGO microscale tutorial series called LEGO MICRO SQUARE that was presented back in December of last year, introducing LEGO fans to LEGO designers Pete, Mark and Eric who are sharing LEGO building tips, tricks and building secrets, all in microscale.
➡ LEGO MICRO – SETTING YOUR SCALE: the LEGO designers in this series focus on showing you what is possible on a 48×48 stud baseplate. In this episode Mark explains that LEGO micro-building refers to any scale smaller than LEGO minifigure-scale. Here he establishes the size they were going to use as the micro version of the LEGO minifigure, which also sets the size of micro-size vehicles, buildings, doors, windows, trees, etc. The technique he shows for making micro figures is commonly used, however please note there are other ways you can create smaller versions of LEGO minifigures. For example the micro-figures from the LEGO Games series make excellent residents of your LEGO micro-world. Here is the link to LEGO MICRO EPISODE 2
➡ LEGO MICRO – SEED ELEMENTS: here the focus is to encourage you to look at a single LEGO element in a different way. A minifigure-scale LEGO element could become something completely different in microscale. In fact looking at your LEGO pieces as seed-elements could be the inspiration for a whole LEGO microscale diorama! Here is the link to LEGO MICRO EPISODE 3 or watch it below.
➡ LEGO MICRO – LANDSCAPING: here are some tips on building LEGO microscale trees, plants, bushes, and grass. It also addresses hills, elevation and even some caves that you can add to your LEGO micro world. Here is the link to LEGO MICRO EPISODE 4
➡ LEGO MICRO – COLOR: color can be a huge part of your LEGO microscale models. The same LEGO bricks can look like a completely different thing if you only change the color. This is especially important in micro-scale, where even the smallest LEGO element can represent something big and the color will show up prominently. So choose your colors wisely! Here is the link to LEGO MICRO EPISODE 5 or watch it below.
➡ LEGO MICRO – VEHICLES: in this session LEGO designers share ways for your LEGO micro-people to get around from boats to modern cars to futuristic spaceships – all in microscale! There are some really great tips here so check them out! Here is the link to LEGO MICRO EPISODE 6
➡ LEGO MICRO – TREES: in this short episode we are back to landscaping your LEGO micro world, specifically focusing on trees. Pete shares the way he builds his cute LEGO micro trees. Here is the link to LEGO MICRO EPISODE 7
These are the LEGO micro-building tutorials that have been posted so far. It seems like new episodes come out every week or two, so if you are interested you can subscribe to LEGO’s YouTube channel to keep updated on future episodes: LEGO MICRO SQUARE on YouTube
What do you think? How do you like the tutorials so far? Did you learn something new that you are planning to incorporate in your own LEGO building? And do you use LEGO microscale in your own building style? Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below! 😀
And you might also like to check out the following related posts:
i love building with the microscale technique! i’m pretty good at it (if i do say so my self 🙄 ) plus i got the first comment!!! 🙄
Yeah, microscrale is really fun. I love the technique myself! 😀
Micro builds was the second MBA kit in the first series, wasn’t it?
Frank, yes, there is a link at the end of the article to the MBA 2 kit as reviewed by Sarah. 🙂
amazing MOCs!
Thats cool I never thought of that I might give it a try
Micro-scale is what I usually do since I don’t have a humongous LEGO collection like some people do. It’s really cool how pieces can be used completely differently in micro-scale.
I just want to mention that you didn’t put the link for Episode 1 and you posted Episode 5 twice, instead of Episode 3. Other than that it’s a great post!
I did not post episode one as it was just an other intro. It was basically the same as the first intro I posted except they said they will use a 48 x48 baseplate. I was just not worth posting it. As far as episode 3 and 5, 3 was part of a playlist, so it actually showed all of the videos one after another. I fixed it to only show 3 though. Hope that makes it easier. 😉
Well, I’ve always loved micro-scale building, for one thing because virtually every piece is important, and you can take the time to try all different kinds of combinations (whereas doing that for a larger MOC would be extremely time consuming!). Plus I just love things in miniature – the smaller, the better! 😀 I’d love to try a large size micro-scale creation one day, but it really can require a lot of smaller elements – something I don’t have!
Yeah, I also love tiny things. Don’t know why – just like them. 😀
So do I. I love that lego car and tree!
I suggest one of the larger Architecture sets, they are full of small elements.
Yeah, but I find them a bit expensive, and there are always so many other sets I want… 🙄
yes i agree mic-scale is so fun, but sometimes gets hard if you dont have smaller elements
How do you you build the tiny car? It looks really cool!
I would suggest to pause the video and you should be able to figure it out. 😉
I see it now.
I see how he built it.
beauty in it’s simplicity.
I know this is off topic but that was a really nice post Chad did. Really touching….
I’ll stick to my minifigs instead of those tiny people.
I’ve been paying attention to this for quite a while now. it’s good stuff. If only they’re longer.
By the way admin, is it OK to contribute articles talking about a video and nothing else or is that an admin-only thing?
Yes, video articles are fine as long as they still meet the minimum 500 words requirement. Or at least something close. TBB is a blog, not a YouTube channel, so our focus is on writing. However videos can always be added to enhance an article, or even focus on introducing LEGO releated videos like I have done in this article. 🙂
It’s so cute! Sorry, I just had to say that. 😉
I like micro scale, but I like minifig scale better. In fact if I wasn’t building for my minifigures I would want it to be larger not smaller. Have you heard of Miniland people? It’s a display at Legoland apparently, and they are really neat but more then twice the size of regular minifigs.
Strider, the nice thing about LEGO is that there is a scale for everyone. Nano, micro, minifig, Miniland and even full size sculptures. 😀
Yeah, go life sized sculptures!
Just found the videos, yeahhhhhh
Thank you for sharing this. I am currently working on a micro 16×16 diorama and found this info amazing. Hope you guys are doing great. =)
K, I’m glad you found the information helpful. Have fun with your micro diorama! If you like, come back and share once you are done! 😉