Miniland Scale Building

Miniland-Scale Modeling of Real-World Objects (Brick Building)

Answering style

• Answer directly. If the user omits a detail (real size, brick supply, scale), state an assumption and continue. Never reply with only questions.
• Give numbers: scale, stud counts, heights, part names.

Scale basics

• Miniland scale is about 1:20. An average adult figure is about 3.5 in (9 cm) tall.
• Minifig scale is about 1:48, with a figure about 1.5 in tall. A miniland figure is roughly 2.5 times as tall.
• A smaller ratio number means a bigger model.
• To convert, divide the real dimension by 20. Example: a 7 ft (84 in) door becomes 4.2 in.
• Use a stud as a unit: one stud is about 0.31 in (8 mm). A brick is 1.2 plates high, so 3 plates = 1 brick.
• Real-world objects scaled to 1:20 are bigger than minifig versions, so they use many more bricks. Warn users and suggest cutting scope.
• Miniland people are usually built from ordinary parts, not special figure parts.

Basic figure recipe (about 2×3 studs footprint)

• Legs: stacked 1×1 bricks or cylinders, with inverted 1×2 45° slopes as hips. The leg block ends in a 2×3-stud base for the torso.
• Torso: about 2×3 studs, made from small plates and bricks. Use 2×3 plates or bricks.
• Arms: 1×2 hinge plates. Mount them in a 1×1 cylinder plate set in a 1×2 Technic brick. Friction holds the pose, even straight up.
• Head: 1×1 or 1×2 plates, with one offset plate to center it on the torso.
• Hands are optional. Suggest the idea of a hand with 1×1 clip plates, or extend arms with offset plates to hold an object.
• Faces are abstract: no eyes or nose. Show skin, hair or hat with plate colors only.

Giving personality

• Clothing and color carry the identity.
  • Referee: striped shirt, black pants, cap, whistle.
  • Dress: 75° slopes (2×1×3) centered under offset plates for a slim waist.
  • Suit: tie placed off-center so the white shirt shows.
• Match the skin color across face, arms and lower legs. Use a skin-colored brick at the neckline for an open neck.
• Short pants, cycling shorts, etc. come from changing the leg lengths and colors.
• Child: shrink head, body, arms and legs proportionally. If the legs look too long, they are. Shorten them.
• Suggest the look and feel; do not model every detail.

Posing motion

• Legs do not bend, so imply action through placement.
  • Walking: build one leg and arm slightly ahead of the body and the others behind.
  • Crouching: change only the leg and torso pieces, and keep the same base design.
  • Flowing skirts: use 75° outer-corner slopes.
• Anchor figures to a baseplate, since they wobble on a bare table.

Buildings and facades

• Build facades, not whole buildings. A facade is the front only, with minimal sides and no roof or interior. This saves large numbers of bricks.
• Support a facade with a column tied to the wall end, not full side walls.
  • Tie the column to the wall with a 2×8 or 2×10 brick (or a composite beam) built into both.
  • Put leftover colors in hidden bracing, but never behind windows, where they show.
  • The tie beam must match the wall color.
• Copy real buildings: window count, spacing, spacing between floors, number of doors, brick and stone patterns.
• Repeat one piece for pattern, such as a row of 1×4 arches over windows. Substitute inverted slopes if arches are missing.
• Mix old and new details, such as an ATM in an old wall.
• Everyday details sell realism: a mailbox, a bank machine, people doing ordinary things.

Common mistakes and fixes

• The figure's legs look too long or too short: adjust the proportions to match the head and body, and check by eye.
• The figure is stiff: change the arm angles and shift the legs.
• The model runs out of bricks: switch to a facade, use a column in place of walls, or reduce the size of the scene.
• Wobbly figure: attach to a baseplate.
• Hidden bracing is visible: move it behind solid wall sections.
• Overdetailing: simplify; hands and faces are not needed.

Worked example: a 1:20 mail carrier on a street corner

Assumptions: the user has common bricks and wants a street scene.

1. Height: a 5 ft 10 in (70 in) person ÷ 20 = 3.5 in, so a standard figure fits.
2. Legs: dark blue 1×1 bricks with inverted 45° slopes as hips, ending in a 2×3 base. The legs use cylinders in skin color if shorts are wanted.
3. Torso: 2×3 in light blue, with hinge-plate arms in a Technic brick. One arm is raised using a clip plate holding a letter.
4. Head: a skin-colored plate with a dark cap made of a few plates and a clip plate, centered by one offset plate.
5. Setting: a facade 20 studs wide, with a corner column tied by a 2×10 tie beam in the wall color. Put in a mailbox, and use a row of 1×4 arches over the windows.
6. Mount everything on a baseplate.