Instructions to Build a LEGO Airship Island
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 a recent issue about things in the air, we created a LEGO airship island.
Taking to the Air
When it comes to flying vehicles, nothing captures the imagination quite like airships soaring in the sky. They instantly transport you to a realm of wonder and possibility where craggy mountains peek above the clouds and waterfalls careen to the world below.
For our LEGO airship island, we wanted to create something that felt airy with lots of negative space—an island that looks like it is balancing delicately in the sky. To achieve this, we used a strong base made from mudguards that are locked into place with SNOT bricks.
To make the build more playful, we used bright colors to be fun and eye catching. Lime green 4x4 domes are used for mounds of grass, medium azure for the water, and Minecraft Axolotl faces for some cute houses!
Here are the step-by-step instructions to build the LEGO airship island:
Lastly, we wanted to show two different kinds of flying transportation in microscale—hence a traditional airship (using minifigure shoulder pads) and a hot air balloon (using a minifigure neck ruffle and a few Ninjago masks to create the spherical shape), all held up by the new curved clear bars for a little extra magic.
So weigh anchor and start building your own airship island to take to the skies!
Ready to Fly
Are you ready to launch into the air? You’ll have to get a recent issue of BrickJournal to see all the air-related builds, including Jesse Gros’ airship, which he debuted in his guest article on BrickNerd about LEGO and AI.
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.
Best of BrickNerd - Article originally published January 8, 2025.
What microscale airship will you add to the scene? Let us know in the comments below!
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