Over the last couple of years, I’ve really been stocking up on LEGO® sets that include trees. I am planning to build more landscapes in the near future, and I want a variety of different trees in them. In fact, I recently put some of my tree building techniques to the test in a commissioned MOC I built for display at a wedding. One of the trees in the scene came from a technique I’ve seen used and modified in several places over the years. Therefore, I can’t claim today’s build technique as my own… However, I can’t say who originally came up with it either, because I have no idea. In any case, here is my take on how to build a pine tree using LEGO® bricks based on a tried an true technique some of you might have seen before.
Firstly, you gather your bricks. This tutorial builds a pretty small tree. However, as you go through the build, I am sure you’ll see the pattern in the technique. Thus, you can easily expand on this design to make taller trees as you see fit with the bricks that you have. If you look closely at the image above, you’ll also note that I employed different elements in my MOC from what I describe in the tutorial below. So, use this great design as a starting point, but don’t feel like you have to color within the lines, so to speak.
LEGO® elements required for this design:
Before we delve into the actual assembly, let’s talk about the plant elements. In the image above, note that I used the six-pronged and three-pronged flower stems that fit inside a Minifigure’s hand. I did not use the older plant stems with an anti-stud base (see image below). The original video I saw once upon a time used the anti-stud flower stems. However, those parts don’t work well. The clutch power is pretty low on the old stems. I found that layering more than two resulted in the branches constantly falling off. In fact, even the double layered branch didn’t stay on as well as I’d like. I highly recommend using the flower stems seen above.
STEP 01
Take one of the modified 1×1 bricks with studs on all sides. Insert a six-pronged plant stem into every opening except the bottom anti-stud.
STEP 02
Attach one 3-pronged and 6-pronged plant stem together. Repeat that three more times. Take a new modified 1×1 brick. Place one of your assembled plant structures into each of the side studs on the brick. Leave the stud on top and the anti-stud underneath unused.
STEP 03
Attach two three-pronged plant stems together. Then, join them with a six-pronged plant stem. Repeat this three more times. Take a new modified 1×1 brick. Place one of your assembled plant structures into each of the side studs on the brick. Leave the stud on top and the anti-stud underneath unused.
STEP 04
Attach three three-pronged plant stems together. Then, join them with a six-pronged plant stem. Repeat this three more times. Take a new modified 1×1 brick. Place one of your assembled plant structures into each of the side studs on the brick. Leave the stud on top and the anti-stud underneath unused.
STEP 05
Attach the different layers of your tree together in order of increasing width (step 01 on top, step 04 on bottom). You need to place them so that the corner of a modified 1×1 brick is over the flat edge of the brick below it. This results in the branches of one layer not being directly above the branches of the layer below it. You might need to rotate some of the plant elements as you assemble your tree because the prongs will run into the prongs from the layer below. If the tree is too tight for your liking, add a 1×1 plate in between each layer. I did not feel the plate was needed in my case. Finally, add the 1×1 round brick and 2×2 jumper plate to the bottom.
And that was how to build a pine tree using LEGO® bricks! Again, this is not originally my technique. I learned it from a YouTube video a long time ago and have seen others use it since. Sadly, it has been so long that I don’t remember who made the original video that I saw. In any case, the technique works pretty well for small trees like this. The branches stay in place when you use the newer plant stems. However, I have never tried a tree much larger than this. I imagine as your branches get longer, they become more inclined to fall out. Have you tried this technique before? Or perhaps you’ll use it in the future? Let me know in the comments below or reach out on social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
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