LEGO bricks are remarkably versatile. A single 1×1 brick can be anything from an eye to an entire skyscraper — it all depends on what scale you choose to build at. But what are the different scales of LEGO building?
When the LEGO brick first entered the market in 1958, the official sets were mostly centred around little plastic models — whether those be matchbox cars or small trees and other decorations typically used in a model railroad display. But as the company gradually moved away from this style of product, the size and shape of official sets shifted.
No longer were they restricted to making models that had to work alongside other plastic toys; the brick was free to build whatever it wanted. With the advent of the minifigure in 1978, the sets naturally grew to accommodate their new blocky friends. But they didn’t stop there. Sets kept getting bigger, some growing so large that som became too big to comfortably hold a minifigure. And it’s minifigure compatibility that has come to define the five scales of LEGO building popular today. Be sure to put on your hardhats, as Blocks, the monthly LEGO magazine, is heading to the construction site to inspect all the different scales of LEGO building.
Micro scale
The smallest possible scale for LEGO bricks is appropriately named — microscale encompasses some truly tiny creations. While that single 1×1 brick could certainly represent an entire skyscraper at the extremes of this scale, most builders tend to go just a bit larger, though not by much. Models at this scale are still extremely small, but they utilize some truly impressive building techniques and parts usage to achieve their look. Micro scale is infrequently used in official sets, popping up most commonly in sets like the yearly advent calendars. Early micro scale builds were barely more than a handful of the most basic bricks but have progressed into being respectable little models in their own right.
Mini scale
The distinction between micro and mini scales is admittedly a bit of a pedantic one, seeing as the words are practically synonyms. But when it comes to LEGO building, choosing mini scale significantly expands the size of a model. A micro scale TIE Fighter may use barely a dozen pieces, while a mini scale one will push that number up to around 50. Both are tiny compared to the larger scales, but mini scale dwarfs micro scale at nearly every turn. Mini scale is most often used in polybag sets, as it is substantial enough yet small enough to make a perfect pocket-sized set.
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Midi scale
Midi scale is perhaps the most interesting scale of them all. First officially popping up in 2010 with two Star Wars sets, 7778 Midi-scale Millennium Falcon and 8099 Midi-scale Imperial Star Destroyer, midi scale seemed to be the next big — or medium — thing in the LEGO world. But it fell off the map after those two sets. Sort of. Midi scale is tricky to define, since it is small enough to not reach minifigure scale, yet large enough that calling it mini doesn’t quite work, either. Thus midi scale is best looked at as builds around the scale of traditional plastic model kits — something like 21042 Statue of Liberty. The set is a great representation of this quirky scale, as it has the look of a mini scale model while standing an impressive 44cm (17in) tall. Midi scale has made a return to LEGO Star Wars in recent years with a handful of ships released as part of the 18+ line, including 75375 Millennium Falcon.
Minifigure scale
By far the most common form of LEGO building, minifigure scale is built around the minifigure. It produces sets of all sizes, ranging from small LEGO City cars to the wildness of LEGO DREAMZzz. Minifigure scale is also known as play scale, since it is most commonly used in the LEGO Group’s main sets marketed towards children. But minifigure scale is a fan-favourite of all ages, being used for many a MOC and LEGO city layout. True minifigure scale is a difficult thing to achieve thanks to the figures’ blocky proportions, so while something like 60367 Passenger Airplane may not be super accurate in its size, its compatibility with the minifigure will lead most to consider it minifigure scale.
Large scale
Large scale LEGO models are exactly what they sound like — huge builds with giant footprints and thousands of bricks. Most commonly attributed to Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series, large scale also features sets like 76240 Batmobile Tumbler and 10258 London Bus. Large scale models are obviously still much smaller than the real thing, but their immense size next to every other scale of building is what gives them their title. Adult fans tend to gravitate to large scale sets because of the extra detail afforded at this size and the undeniable ‘wow factor’ of seeing a huge LEGO build on display.
Room for debate
Just like with most things, LEGO scales aren’t all black and white. Some large scale models are actually minifigure scale, 75060 Slave 1 perhaps being the most famous example. And the lines around micro, mini and midi scales can be blurry, with sets like the Architecture skylines falling somewhere in between. Despite some questionable distinctions between them, knowing which scale you want to work at is crucial in helping your LEGO creations come together.