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!

LEGO Elesh Norn is here to convert your bricks to the Machine Orthodoxy

I’m a lapsed Magic the Gathering player, but anytime the Phyrixians are around, you can count me in for a draft. Elesh Norn, the Mother of Machines, is easily one of the venerable card game’s most iconic and beloved characters, fusing Cenobite horror with the sanctity of a white deck. Canadian builder alex_mocs creates a stunning LEGO take on the Phyrexian Praetor that looks like she just stepped out of a legendary Magic card. A face/mask made from Technic fins and constraction armor pieces gorgeously contrast with the sinewy red organic body beneath. The flowing red cloth is a supple contrast to the snaking machinework behind made from an unholy number of Toa Luwa feet. It’s brilliant work from one of the best LEGO character artists around.

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LEGO doodling – following unusual parts wherever they lead [Building Techniques]

Some LEGO builds are born from a clear vision of the final model. Others are more like doodles where you improvise as you go, finding joy in the parts you use along the way. Pan Noda provides little context for this latest bizarro creation, “Trioffic Lights,” but I’m guessing it falls in the doodle camp, an extension of the builder’s rescent fascination with DUPLO tubes. Aside from the star elements, DUPLO balls with faces, Pan Noda pulls in a mix of pleasing parts and techniques, like tank treads to wrap the faces, inverted rubber tires for the joints, corner window visors, Aquazone octagonal legs, and Belville perfume bottle fingers. Despite such an ecclectic set of elements, the build keeps coherent by sticking to the three primary colors. The results walk a fine line between nightmare and whimsy, a liminal space Pan Noda is qutie familiar with.

What’s the strangest place your LEGO doodling has taken you?

Say cheese, Gromit!

It’s hard to belive 35 years (245 in dog years) have gone by since Wallace and Gromit were first molded by Nick Park’s thumbs and a great cinematic friendship was born. Now the happy couple are up for another Oscar and builder byggi_l is here to capture their special charm in LEGO. Mixel eyes are perfect for bringing life to the duo’s plasticine faces. I especially love Gromit’s brows made from inverted bake-o-lite hotdog buns.

Need a ride for your next hare-brained endeavor? Isaac Wilder made a cracking good version of your Austin A35.

[Building Techniques] How to vilify a scientist through texture

When working in LEGO, texture is everything! Case in point, check out this evil scientist by Mattia Careddu. Through the clever placement of cherries covering their head, Dr. Voltainsminz comes off as a slimy, alien-like villain bent on world domination!

LEGO MetalGreymon is digidestined to impress

While Digimon might not have the enduring popularity of their pocket monster rivals, these cyborg creatures have a fierce intensity that some fans will never forget. Especially MetalGreymon, the Ultimate form of Agumon and basically the franchise’s Pikachu. Only if Pikachu was a cyborg T-Rex with a metal claw and purple wings. Builder nobu_tary brings the beast from the digital world into LEGO and the results are digidelightful. nobu_tary excels at building chonky little dudes, which makes for a perfect fit with the Digimon design.

This LEGO Edward Scissorhands model is a cut above

Like the film that inspired it, Roland Grace’s LEGO model of Edward Scissorhands is an instant-classic. Every one of Edward’s characteristic traits is captured perfectly, from his wild hair and wary stare, to his ill-fitting borrowed clothes that betray just a glimpse of his “monstrous” true self. The build is exceptional, but the way Roldan has posed the impressive 20″+ figure is what really brings this iconic and misunderstood character to life.

It’s rare today that such a well-loved and enduring piece of 90’s pop culture has not been serialized, sequel-ized, rebooted or otherwise rehashed, and I for one hope to see this film stay that way. But speaking as Roldan’s newest fan, I will be eagerly waiting his next release.

Why so delirious?

“Where does he get those wonderful toys?” you might ask. Well, in the case of Djokson, you build them yourself from the most unusual combinations of LEGO parts imaginable. The builder’s latest character, the Feral Jester, plays with more recent elements, like the color built from a mix of blue leaves, and the antennae which stem from the latest wave of Dreamzzz sets, like Cooper’s Gaming Controller Jet. I love the mosquito-like face which, paired with those razor-sharp fingers, makes this one clown you don’t want to cross.

To learn more about the builder’s process, inspirations, and LEGO history, check out our interview with Djokson from last year.

Phone in your One Piece fandom with a LEGO Den Den Mushi

Tired: snail mail. Wired: snail phone. In the crazy pirate world of One Piece (coming soon as official LEGO sets) den den mushi are a species of telepathic snails who function as phones letting Marines and captains communicate across the vast Grand Line. Anime enthusiast and character builder Rokan Cheung imagines what one of these useful critters would look like as a LEGO build, and the results are just as charming and weird as Eiichiro Oda’s original design. Now I just need to know if we’ll see a den den mushi at minifig scale in the upcoming sets.

Is the legendary Carrotana a Hare-tori Hanzo sword?

Over the past two years, Nathan Don (Woomy World) has become one of the most exciting builders around with a talent for color, shaping, and unlocking the potential in every piece from LEGO’s deep history of parts. The builder leaps into the new year with a new character: Tobu, a Japanese-inspired rabbit swordsman. The face is quite expressive, with parts like minifig casts in the lips giving the character a fluffy intensity. The featured part here is definitely the new leaf mold in magenta from Pretty Pink Flower Bouquet, used for Tobu’s ears and for a dynamic ring of leaves around the model, and which anchor the color scheme. As Nathan explains on his blog, parts in retired colors, like the Scala table used for the figure’s base, can unlock new color combinations when mixed with modern elements.

Should you find yourself in Billund, several of Nathan’s characters can now be seen at the LEGO House Masterpiece Gallery.

The worm turns- terror, beauty, and reincarnation in LEGO

The twisting mass of teeth and bone called Yamikamikusari is the incarnation of a portable shrine that governs reincarnation. This incredible LEGO model also represents a reincarnation of sorts for its creator, Pan Noda, a builder of immense talent and steady reinvention. Pan seems to have found a new muse in the shape of the DUPLO ball tube, featured here in red and used in two other amazing builds late last year. It’s such an un-LEGO piece, curved and studless, defying connection to a bigger build. But Pan manages to tame the tubes, finding the perfect way to nest rings of 2×1 round plates inside to turn an innocent preschool toy into a nightmarish maw. Pan’s shrine construction is also beautiful, incorporating chains, nets, and Modulex elements to create a structure that seems carved from wood, not built of blocks.

With such talent and imagination, it’s no wonder Pan Noda made our shortlist for Builder of the Year.

2025 goal? Gains like this Colossal Titan!

We’ve seen some amazing Attack on Titan LEGO creations in the years since the hit anime took off, but this latest take of the Colossal Titan from builder Sakiya Watanabe is hands down the most… sinewy? Amazing parts usage for the muscles is on full display, such as what I believe are Hero Factory fists wrapped in rubber bands for the abs, crowbars for the trapezius, and oh so many tails for the pecs. Bruh is totally ripped. Must be all the protein in Survey Corps soldiers.

Craving more anime builds? We also loved the builder’s amazing LEGO Angel from Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Micro Miyazaki: Teto and Porco Rosso in LEGO

While there might not be any official LEGO sets based on Studio Ghibli films (yet?), the fantastical worlds of Hayao Miyazaki continue to inspire builders witch creations big and small. Today we’re presenting a couple of builds on the small side, like something Arriety might build. First up is a tiny Teto, the fox-squirrel from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, built from around 20 elements from mini character maestro Qin. The mix of parts is ingenious, especially a pair of minidoll belt bags for the face and head.

Next up is a tiny flying ace from a builder known for his larger character builds, Eero Okkonen. This pipsqueak Porco Rosso with a tan binocular nose fits nicely into the cockpit of the Savoia S-21. Eero offers a detailed look at the plane and writes about why Porco Rosso is his favorite film over at Cyclopic Bricks.

Which Miyazaki film is your favorite? Why not have a look at our Miyazaki archive for inspiration!

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