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!

A face only a Sullustan could love

Some Star Wars creature designs are admittedly cool. Others, like the Aqualish, leaves us asking- is that a butt for a mouth? When I first saw Nien Nunb in Return of the Jedi, I told anyone who would listen- That looks like a [redacted by editing staff] on a [redacted by editing staff]! I was in junior high so I’m pretty sure that utterance got me suspended from school. LEGO phenom Oscar Cederwall is clearly a fan; in fact, he tells us this odd Sullustan was one of only a few Star Wars action figures he had as a kid. I have to give props for the neat build techniques at play here. Everything from his mouse-y eyes to his -uh- fleshy jowel flaps are spot on. He also piloted the Millenium Falcon alongside Lando so he garners some cool points there. But, Oscar, if you haven’t already, check out the episode of the Venture Bros. when The Order of the Triad conjure up Nien Nunb and calls him an abomination. It’s quality entertainment!

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Drac’s pack is back in bricks

The Hotel Transylvania films are a masterclass in physical comedy thanks to the stewardship of animation legend Genndy Tartakovsky. Monster bodies ooze, bend, and emote with a freedom of movement Disney/Pixar and Dreamworks rarely approach. Elias Hübner captures this madcap energy in LEGO with a tribute to the second film featuring Drac and pals piled on an entirely too-small scooter. Oversized Frank and pudgy mummy Murray are standout builds, their cartoony curves perfectly captured in bricks, and their faces so expressive from minimal parts. Hotel Transylvania could have made for some fun sets as a successor to Monster Fighters. While the animated franchise is on ice, it’s only a matter of time before it gets a live-action remake, so maybe LEGO could spook up an official set someday.

Welcome to the pawn parade

What are the advantages to being a pawn on a chessboard? Well, you’ll have a lot of friends who look just like you. According to this LEGO creation by Care Creations you can also play dress-up when you win a game and celebrate with a nice parade. These creative pawns have even disguised themselves as other chess pieces; we have a knight, a rook, a bishop and a queen. There is even a pawn painting his friend white to infiltrate the other team. Now that I think about it, this clever cosplay plan could be the reason for their victory. Check and mate!

Quechua me if you can

Last year SeigneurFett spent months backpacking throughout South America. Since coming home to his collection of LEGO, he’s been unable to forget the visions of Quechua women determinedly walking the high-altitude trails of Bolivia and Peru. Drawing on photos and memories of Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca, SeigneurFett uses LEGO bricks to depict a Quechua woman walking with her alpaca. In contrast to the sun-bleached terrain, the builder uses a mix of bright colors for the woman’s clothes, with grill plates adding texture to the petticoat fringe. An umbrella makes for a perfect hat on this large-scale character. I like the use of twine for the alapaca’s leash.

SeigneurFett’s model makes me nostalgic for walking those same trails many years ago. I wonder if he also ate pasankalla (bolivian popcorn) from a street vendor after coming back from Isla del Sol?

Stay sassy, DUPLO dog

At my last high school reunion, there were plenty of awkward moments of trying to connect the adult faces with the yearbook memories. That’s the feeling I get looking at Legonerdphoto‘s DUPLO Puppygirl. I knew her when! We played together all the time back when The Empire Strikes Back was still in theaters. But seeing her now, looking so tall and sassy, I wonder if I knew her at all.

Legonerdphotos does a brilliant job recontextualizing the DUPLO dog into a crop-topped biped, leaning into the fig’s bangs and lolling tongue for a sassy personality. I love how the pneumatic T pin turns into a kawaii pointing pose.

Virtual pop star Hatsune Miku gets idolized by LEGO character stars

March 10th is MAR10 Day, and by now, we all know what May the 4th signifies, but did you know that March 9th is Miku Day? It’s the day when fans celebrate Hatsune Miku, the vocaloid virtual diva who has taken the world by storm since her debut in 2007, spawning concerts, anime, manga, games, and especially fan works. To celebrate the day, big names in the LEGO Bionicle and character building community came together for a synchronized drop of Miku tributes. Aside from the signature blue hair, the builds couldn’t be more different in style. Each model is inspired by a song featuring Miku’s vocaloid singing. Together they show why Miku has endured as a chameleon-like idol, open to interpretation by fans.

First up is “World is Mine” Miku from alex_mocs. For Miku’s azure hair, Alex blends curvy tubes with ninjago swords. What sets this build apart is the incredible staging on that impressive stack of speakers, evoking a futuristic platform on which the holographic singer can shine.

Keep reading for more vocaloid visions in LEGO

La Catrina looking dapper in LEGO

La Catrina, the elegant lady skeleton, has been an icon of Mexican art and heritage and the face of Día de los Muertos for over a hundred years. While LEGO has depicted the figure in BrickHeadz form, surely such an important skelly deserves a grander treatment. Builder yop1172 obliges with a truly majestic take. Dressed in a marigold orange dress and posing with monarch butterflies, she’s a beautiful guide to lead spirits of ancestors back for remembrance. The bones, especially the skull, are very well done, with struts to give La Catrina extra posability. The builder first tackled the subject as a digital model before building this physical version in 2023.

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.

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.