Tag Archives: Characters

When you want to get excited about LEGO builds on the internet but you’re just a chill guy

There’s a chill guy who’s been making waves on our internet feeds lately. That, of course, is LEGO builder Maxx Davidson (I haven’t met him personally, but he seems pretty swell). Oh, I guess there’s that meme doing the rounds too – and funnily enough, that’s just what we have here in Maxx’s latest creation. The translation from 2D cartoon to 3D LEGO build is admirably done – everything is perfectly placed. He’s got some black sausage eyebrows and mouth, giving him a laid-back demeanour; and that grey sweater and blue jeans combination looks perfect for relaxing in. He makes it look so easy. What more is there to say? It’s literally just a chill guy.

When you get a creative block while building but it’s fine because you’re literally just a chill guy

Crash Bandicoot goes bananas for LEGO!

Sonic and Mario have shown that LEGO and video game mascots are a perfect match. While Sony Playstation doesn’t have a definitive mascot, there was a time when Crash Bandicoot nearly took the honors. DW_Builds pays tribute to the dashing hero with a model so apeeling it could only have been created for the New Elementary “Mind that Banana” contest. The builder takes advantage of the new banana colors found in the Botanicals Chrysanthemum set for Crash’s wild hair and comically gaping mouth. Jumbo macaroni tubes make up Crash’s curved torso and loping legs, while minifig arms serve as expressive eyebrows. These days Crash is more of a retro mascot than a vital part of gaming culture, but given the success of gaming IP in cinemas lately, maybe Sony will try and bring him into the live-action world with American-French actor Timothée Chalamet
providing mocap and Jack Black phoning it in as Dr. Neo Cortex.

Crash Bandicoot

A duck hunter ready for dwagon season

Dan Ko‘s dark duck knight might be deththpicable, but his clever use of unexpected parts is truly divine. Who else could have thought to build a dragon’s jaw from Lloyd’s Avatar Arcade Pod? The finger leaf fronts as the dragon’s frills are easy to identify, but did you catch the three leaves in sprues as neck segments? Daffy’s minifig head looks surprisingly menacing with the Fright Knight’s helm spun around. Using a slider disc instead of a minifig shield is an inspired accessory that accentuates the toon vibes. Dan once again shows it’s not the number of parts that count – it’s how you use them.

The Deththpicable Dark Knight

The Deththpicable Dark Knight is Dan’s entry in the “Capturing Character” category of the 2024 Brickscalibur competition, which runs until Jan 15, 2025.

What do you get when you cross knights in shining armour with the frog prince?

If you want to bring a bit of whimsy to a fantasy LEGO creation, a good place to start is making your characters animals. Oh, and giving them a massive sword. That’s the angle that Dan Ko has gone for in this charming duo. Both the frog knight and his snail steed are full of character – and clever parts use! Our knight in croaking armour has some fantastic leafy webbed feet, and the ski for a cross-guard is a neat idea for this asymmetric sword. The snail, meanwhile, has caterpillar tracks wound up to form its shell. Although I must admit – and this might be a niche reference – that with those bright yellow eyes, it reminds me of the slugs from the LEGO Rock Raiders video game. Perhaps they’re distant cousins?

Zadig & Voltaire

All the best LEGO builders are mad as a hatter

When you go chasing LEGO rabits, you never know where you’ll end up. Perhaps, like Alice, you’ll find yourself at a mad tea party, like the one created by Centuri Chan and Wendy Graham from over 80,000 bricks! This entirely bonkers display took home Best in Show and People’s Choice prizes from Christchurch Brickshow 2024, and it’s easy to see why with the incredible characters and whimsical details at such enormous scale. To get a sense of just how big this scene is, squint and you can see a minifig-scale tea party under Alice. Curiouser and curiouser!

It's always Tea Time

Uninvited Alice sits at the head of the table with yellow hair that only a very rude host would say wants cutting. If you want to ask Alice how she got that lovely powder blue dress, it took three copies of the LEGO Creator expert Vespa 125 to source the required bricks. (The builders added a cheeky tattoo tribute!) I love the use of pies tarts for buttons. Hopefully there are no knaves around to steal them.

It's always Tea Time

Click to feed your head like the Doormouse said!

Some serious “hustle and bustle” energy

You ever run into a LEGO build that just perfectly sums up your day? While my rushing today was entirely computer-oriented (and involved way too much work in Crystal Reports for my own sanity), the character in this creation by greenarj has far more of a physical speed built up. With a brilliantly-blurred background, this character creation is a stellar woman on the go. Triangle tile sunglasses and banana-curled blonde hair highlight her face. Toothy plates, a banana collar, and a minifigure skirt simulate a white blouse under her black jacket. And don’t forget the banana/bucket handle buckle on her bag, which is absolutely astounding! With all the fruit showing up, I have a sneaking suspicion this lightspeed design is for the Mind that Banana contest over on New Elementary.

Busy day

“It looks like you’re trying to build a LEGO creation...”

Keep your Siri, Alexa, and chatGPT powered agents. There’s only one digital assistant for me, and he lives exclusively in Microsoft products between 1997-2003… and in hour hearts. And now in LEGO thanks to Piotr Gierwatowski! Assembled from just a few dozen bricks, LEGO Clippy is just as adept as his digital inspiration at recognizing when you want to write a letter. Better yet, LEGO Clippy is never afraid to voice wrong-headed guesses about which pieces you might want to include  in your next creation.

Clippy

A winning woodland hero awaits a champion builder

There’s something irresistible about seeing tiny woodland creatures as brave heroes in the medieval mold, whether in books like Redwall, board games like Root, or comics like Mouse Guard, the latter captured here in LEGO by Markus Rollbühler. The blue jay riding member of the guard keeps to Markus’ unmistakable style of character build, with a strong focus on geometry and color with no eyes or mouth. The balloon panel is a clever solution for a dramatic cape. The acorns and fall leaves create a cozy stand.

Brickscalibur 2024 Trophy: The Guardian

This mouse rider isn’t just a tribute to a beloved comic. It’s also a trophy for the 2024 Brickscalibur competition, which is currently open to build submissions. One lucky builder in the “Tails from the Meadow” category will go home with this one-of-a-kind work from LEGO senior designer Markus. May the best mouse win!

Beaker the Muppet – the squeaker of the puppets

Muppets builder extraordinaire Jon-Paul Hansen has made another addition to his LEGO collection of the fuzzy puppets. This time, it’s one of my favourite characters – the appropriately-named lab assistant, Beaker! There’s some great parts use here to capture the squeaky puppet’s features. A couple of aeroplane tail fins sit either side of a dark green windscreen – first introduced in the Botanicals Poinsettia – to make for an excellent labcoat and tie, respectively. As for the fuzzy fire-red hair, that’s superbly recreated with a bunch of red bushes. And speaking of fire – I can practically hear Beaker’s frantic “mi-mi-mi-mi-mi!!”s through the screen!

LEGO Beaker

You have OneShot to appreciate this LEGO Niko

You don’t have to have played the cult hit indie game OneShot to appreciate this LEGO tribute to starring cat Niko by Dylan Mievis. It’s a great character model with a flat face in the style of chibi builds, with great shaping of the cat-kid’s oversized coat and scarf. If you’ve played the game, then you’ll know that keeping Niko safe is the player’s near-impossible duty, and Dylan captures the character’s vulnerability perfectly in brick form. Those big eyes borrowed from the Nightmare Shark Ship definitely help.

Niko

Dylan is no stranger to indie gaming builds, having shared amzing tributes to Hollow Knight and Shovel Knight. And as a shameless plug: getting back into building, I recently paid tribute to my favorite indie game of the moment, Tactical Breach Wizards!

Tricksy LEGO parts use makes for a terrifying treat

With the whiff of Hallowe’en still in the air, we’re still seeing scary LEGO builds cropping up. This one by Ari Hytti wasn’t even built for All Hallows’ Eve (it’s part of an ongoing round of Iron Builder), but it definitely fits the bill! And being an Iron Builder creation, it’s absolutely chocka with Nice Parts Use (NPU). Obviously that includes the seed part – a bright orange Unikitty tail – which you can spot in those fearsome flaming swords. But also noteworthy are the constraction armour hooves and the, ah, singular item of clothing, which I believe is a re-purposed Duplo carpet. But you need to look to the head for the best bit. Much of this Warden’s threatening demeanour comes from that toothy scowl, which is printed on a Bionicle Piraka head. It’s the perfect piece for the job, as the eyeholes double as flared nostrils!

Warden

Zoinks Scoob, I think we’re LEGO!

Crank up the Mystery Machine, the LEGO Scooby Gang – made by Magmafrost13 – are back in action! Daphne is looking chic as ever with her scarf made from a fern and don’t miss the little eyebrow detail Magma gave her. The gang is always trying to get a grip on whatever monster-of-the-week is running around, so they have hands made from little sticks! Finally I’ll draw your attention to the unique nose the builder gave each character. I think they match each character perfectly, and will certainly help Mystery Inc. sniff out some mayhem!

Scooby Gang Chibis