Tag Archives: Characters

We love builds with character! Creating characters from LEGO elements, whether traditional System bricks or using elements from Bionicle and Constraction themes, is an amazing way to showcase your building skills. Brining out emotion and personality in bricks is an art!

Thomas the Tank Engine cheerfully chugs along

The popular steam engine has been brought to life in this clever build. However, many find Thomas the Tank Engine creepy, possibly due to his strange humanoid face. I’m sure we can all still appreciate the interesting techniques employed by Vakaisme in this model. At the front, the bumpers are represented by cap pieces and moving to the face, sausage pieces portray Thomas’ eyebrows. Tires have been used as segments of the steam chimney. The “1” symbol is cleverly wedged into place through placing bricks sideways. The playful build is instantly recognisable with its bright colours and accurate portrayal.

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Check out this movie-accurate version of a classic Bionicle villain

Back in 2004, LEGO released the second Bionicle movie, Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui. The character designs in the film were quite different to the LEGO sets, so it is great to see that ibukkey00 has created this movie-accurate interpretation of the villainous character, Krekka. In the official LEGO set, Krekka had spindly arms with a thick torso, however in this build the proportions of the character are more evenly distributed. The design is reminiscent of a powerful gorilla, conveyed by the broad wrists and wide shoulders. An armour piece perfectly portrays Krekka’s long, pointed face. This is a great model that bridges the gap between the LEGO set and movie version of the character.

Mysterious shapes swirl in the mask of Rorschach from Watchmen

“Rorschach’s Journal. December 3rd 2021. There is a foul stench in the city tonight. Crime oozes out of shady alleyways. But I take comfort in one thing. Pistash has built me in LEGO form. Gives me hope. Now I have to go eat some beans.”

In Watchmen, the patterns of Rorschach’s mask change due to the application of an ink which reacts to heat, causing the style to alter. Pistash has accurately created these strange shapes by using of circular quarter tiles. Rounded angled pieces portray the details of the coat, such as the turned out collar. But the ultimate question is, what do you see in the peculiar patterns of Rorschach’s mask?

Beware the servants of the Goblin King

Busts have become ever-popular, and with them have come a wealth of fun ideas. Builders trying their hand at sculpting a character’s features with bricks are forced to try new things and innovate. This Goblin bust by builder Jnj_bricks was such a foray that was definitely successful. Texturing really helped this character come through, from the spikey, short hair to the boats used in his jacket. The knobbly, green skin translates well as a Goblin, as do the bright orange eyes which hold a mischievous light. The gold earrings and jutting jaw with sharp teeth add that extra bit of character emblematic of this trickster species in lore, old and new.

Quite a few techniques were used to achieve all the interesting angles and textures of this build. Though Jnj_bricks says this is a very different style for him, it’s clear it wasn’t too far out of his range.

Your package has been shipped and will be delivered by one of our dogs on a hover bike

As you eagerly anticipate the arrival of your Bionicle Krana masks, this might not be the delivery person you expect! Tino Poutiainen has constructed this inventive looking build where a dog on a hoverbike zips through the air with a rabbit in tow. The rabbit desperately clings onto the parcel shelf which is represented by an old card holder piece. The dog has an adorable expression with its puffed-out cheeks and lolling tongue. There are also quite a few interesting printed studs and stickers used on the bike, such as an Exo-Force sticker at the front of the vehicle.

These LEGO Animaniacs are zany to the max

Warner Brothers’ quirky animated series the Animaniacs may be one of the most popular cartoons that is loved by more adults than kids, especially since many of the jokes are a bit, shall we say, unconventional. Whatever the reason, this irreverent cartoon is in the middle of a revival, starting the second re-booted season on Hulu. To celebrate the new season, PaulvilleMOCs has built these loveable characters in LEGO form. I love their long and scraggly ears, which are a perfect match with their on-screen inspirations, and of course, those big clown noses.

Check out more pics of these colorful characters

Beelzebub says never mind the bollocks

What happens when you’re a demon from Hades but still love Dead Kennedys, The Buzzcocks, and The Sex Pistols? Well, that makes you a punk rock devil and that is precisely what Steven Wayne Howard has built with LEGO. The eyes are eyeball-printed minifigure heads situated within space helmets and are bricked upsidedown. It makes for some great expressions! This builder has dazzled us before with some neat build techniques including one recently. Check out what I mean in our archives.

Tonight’s the knight for love – the love of a good fight!

Return to the distant past of 2004 and the theme of Knights Kingdom II with King Crusher – a hefty brawler of a character created by djokson. The most impressive trick in this build has to be the usage of King Mathias torsos for the Crusher’s giant fists. But don’t overlook the shoulder armor that forms the chest, or the protruding jaw made from a 2×2 spoiler brick. Yeah, this is one fighter who’s earned their crown – and is ready to tackle anyone who might even dream of taking it from them.

There aren’t a ton of entries in our archives yet for Knights Kingdom themed builds, but we can only hope this creation will stir other builders into a renaissance of clever part usage and brawling armored bruisers!

Never make light of a Lizard’s bloodline

Though the Bionicle and Hero Factory lines died a while ago, plenty of fans still covet and horde the pieces that LEGO provided us during those golden ages. Nonetheless, builders hold onto the parts to provide some unique and specific detail to their character models. I had a chat with Alex_mocs about their build process for this model, Dawnpike Azaria, inspired by the Lizards in the game, Divinity: Original Sin. Alex challenged himself to sculpt a more feminine reptilian character saying that he hadn’t seen “many feminine coded dragon characters built from LEGO.” Thus, he had fun sculpting a lizard-like head with that energy in mind. He certainly did well, utilizing dragon wings, vines, and various other decorative elements to capture the frills and horns common to this character’s people. Though the color palette limited his piece choices, Alex made great use of them throughout Azaria’s figure. Her armor and jeweled necklace are wonderful details that work well to fill in the gaps that some pieces leave. Alex also found that gold hoops fit snugly around some rubber tires which made it possible for them to be stacked and hold their position. He used this technique in the neck, tail, and ankles. Meanwhile, Alex admitted to using a paperclip in the gold hose around her waist to help her chainmail skirt hold its shape.

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Did you know Geri changed the game?

Modeling characters with realistic textures and movements was a difficult task for the animators at Pixar back in the nineties. While making their first short film in 8 years, Geri’s Game, the company utilized a method to make more lifelike skin and even developed a dynamic cloth simulator to emulate clothing better. Not only did it push Pixar technologically, but it also started a tradition of shorts before feature films that continues today. Builder Deo embraced a more blocky form and used their LEGO to create his own Geri, a version with a life all its own. This wonderful idea includes the chairs, table, chess set, and (not pictured) the prized dentures.

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This LEGO Donald Duck hides a full Disney recording studio

Donald Duck, Disney’s angry but lovable waterfowl, may be a bit in the shadow of Mickey Mouse, but he’s still got plenty of fans, such as LEGO builder Ian Hou. Ian’s latest build is a huge bust of Donald sporting his iconic sailor’s uniform and cap, and it’s a lovely bit of building to get the duck’s shape down so well, even including a slight coloration to Donald’s eyes thanks to some carefully chosen aqua elements.

But turn the bust around and you’ll discover that Donald’s got a secret: a full recording studio for Disney voice actor Clarance Charles “Ducky” Nash, who voiced the duck’s mad rantings. It’s quite a feat to fit such a lovely detailed interior inside Donald’s head without compromising his looks!

Great Demon King Koopa

The marriage of LEGO and Nintendo that occurred in the last year has been a gift to nerdy builders everywhere. The Super Nintendo set blew our collective minds, and the Mario sets have given builders of all ages a fun new way to interact with the classic characters. Though the game is a cool idea for the Mario sets, the printed pieces and newer molds that LEGO provides in this line give builders a chance to do what they do best and build their own versions. Enter Bruce Lowell and his model of Bowser. At a larger scale than the official LEGO version, this build of the classic bad guy gives more definition and form to his legs and arms. The claws look awesome, and the spiked straps on his arm are an awesome detail. While the official LEGO Bowser’s proportions are a bit cartoonish, this version gives the character a more realistic feel. This is especially true in the face, which Bruce has molded with more depth and detail, abandoning the printed mouth tile and opting for a working jaw instead.

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