If you haven’t heard of The Last of Us, it’s a third-person action-adventure survival horror game set twenty years after a plague decimated civilization.  Tim Schwalfenberg has captured the tone of the game perfectly with this tribute, including anti-hero smuggler Joel, as he escorts teenager Ellie through the post-apocalyptic United States. 

Tim worked on the build for around a month, putting in well over 100 hours, He estimates he used around 20,000 bricks (although I think it may be more).  Measuring 3.5 by 2 feet (100cm x 60 cm) and featuring custom 3D printed bricks this masterpiece is a thing of decrepit beauty. 

Tim uses two different 3D-printed pieces on the exterior of the grey building in the first photo above.  They are 1×2 and 1×1 tiles that have slanted edges, similar to the ingot piece that LEGO produces.  When used together in large quantities, they give a great brick-like texture. 

I love how everything is in disarray, which is hard to achieve with LEGO.  Broken furniture and debris litter the highly detailed interiors.  Shelves are empty, fixtures in chaos, and beautiful broken glass scatters the light through the windows adding to the ambiance. 

LEGO bricks not fully “clutched” normally tweaks my OCD, however in this case it captures perfectly the eerie ruinous feel of the game.  In search of resistance group the Fireflies, Joel and Ellie use firearms, stealth, improvised weapons and things from the environment to fight off hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures. 

Flora creeps into the delapitated buildings, as floors sag and furniture rots after 20 years of disuse.  I could talk about all the little features like the rifle behind the bar and the use of minifig capes as torn curtains.  Instead, I encourage you to spend some time looking closely at all the incredible details and see how many things you can spot!