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!
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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!
Blue is a great color for wizards. Majisto, Disney’s Merlin, Gauntlet‘s best hero… Tolkien fancied the idea of a blue wizard so much, he made two of them! But the prize for the cutest blue wizard around goes to NikiFilik, whose LEGO mini-mage is about 90% beard, which is the ideal proportion. This build is a remake of an earlier character design from last August that NikiFilik created for the Vignweek competition. Small changes, like the new hat, cuffed sleeves, a curlier staff, and smoother boots, show how even a small build can benefit from iteration. And now you too can have a li’l wizard buddy for your desk as NikiFilik has generously made free instructions available to all.
Oscar Cederwall‘s sci-fi LEGO creations are consistently impressive, whether massive SHIPs or character-focused cyborgs. So it’s quite a treat to see the builder dabble in fantasy as part of the Brickscalibur competition. Challenged to create a party of adventurers, Oscar combines minifig heads with cleverly-constructed bodies of his own design. The Pyromancer, Druid, and Frost Mage on the right all incorporate Modulex bricks for their legs, a slick technique the builder came up with last year. An assortment of cloth elements and even Scala jewelry give the cast doll-like detail. The standout has to be the Spider Queen with her striking profile, wicked staff, and Galaxy Squad alien abdomen.
No stranger to big fantasy characters, from his Aztec shaman to this Warcraft-inspired orc bust, Steven Wayne Howard even has a Dwarven King currently residing in Billund in the Masterpiece Gallery. For his entry in the Brickscalibur Dwarf Tales category, Steven returns to the LEGO mines and digs deeper than ever to create his largest character yet. Weighing in at over 15 lbs and built from roughly 15,000 pieces, the Red Dwarf is a truly imposing figure, especially when lights are dimmed to let the integrated custom lighting shine. This monster build just looks heavy with all that brick-built chain mail and a beard made from rubber tires. Steven finds brilliant uses for a wide range of parts, from rail ties in the helmet to vintage wheels on the belt and shins, to Combo NEXO Power Shields on the belt buckle and shoulders. At this rate, Steven’s next LEGO character build is likely to be life-size!
