Blizzard Entertainment develops many of my favorite games — games in the WarCraft, StarCraft and Diablo “universes.” Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been working on minifigs based on Diablo II:
This week, I also added Terran units from StarCraft:
To be honest, I’ve seen better Terran Marines and Firebats on Brickshelf, but all of them use bricks instead of minifig parts. This is my attempt to build StarCraft minifigs using “normal” minifig parts.
I enjoy creating minifig versions of the bands and musicians I like, but the only instruments I’d given them so far were very basic guitars. To remedy that, I’ve created what I think is one of my best non-minifig creations in a very long time — an electric piano:
The piano has keys, a music stand, foot pedals, and three legs:
The black keys are hinge pieces and the white keys are 1×1 plates (the latter my wife’s idea). I particularly like how the legs look as though they have casters.
A few months back, I created a minifigure of Conan O’Brian:
Earlier today, Hman over on FBTB Forums posted his version, complete with the beginnings of a very nice set:
I really like the head he used, and the guest chair is fantastic! I’d love to see a version with a smaller desk and a full backdrop. Keep up the good work, Hman! (Click the image above for more pictures — don’t miss Conan interviewing a Stormtrooper.)
Each minifigure you get in a LEGO set usually consists of six components:
Arms, hands, and the torso always ship as one piece, as do the leg and hip parts. LEGO usually also includes headgear of some sort — a hat, helmet, hair, bandanna — something to cover that little bald stud! Finally, no minifig would be complete without accessories — tools, weapons, and so on. The old construction worker from the 1980’s is an excellent example:
But by taking apart the “default” minifig, you can do nearly anything. Here’s one of my recent favorites:
That’s Cloud Strife from the game Final Fantasy VII, as he appears in Kingdom Hearts. To create Cloud, I used Gilderoy Lockhart’s hair, Draco Malfoy’s head, and a purple cape from the Harry Potter line; Han Solo’s legs and Bib Fortuna’s torso from the Star Wars line (with Bib’s arms replaced with yellow arms and brown hands); a custom wing assembly I borrowed from my own flying Fury design; and a Buster Sword I created using three very basic parts.
Here’s the game art I used as the basis for my design:
I was fairly pleased.
Well, I’ve been online since 1993, and I work in the Engineering department at a software development company — I’m even a technical writer! — but I seem to be a fairly late adopter when it comes to blogs. Oh well…
This blog, or “blocklog,” will be all about those beloved plastic building blocks we all know and love — LEGO! My personal specialty is minifigs that use only out-of-the-box parts. Although I have a few pieces I’ve painted, cut, or otherwise mutilated, I’ve recently decided that’s something I’m going to avoid in the future.
So without further ado, here’s a link to my Brickshelf gallery.
I frequently post on FBTB Forums and Classic-Castle Forums, so post a comment here, or say “Hi!” over there.
Oh, and like the subject says, welcome. ;-)