I’ve recently become a fan of Rick and Morty, and everything alien I see triggers all instincts of another time and dimension. This frog-like humanoid alien built by Random Vector is worthy of an ally in one of those adventures. You’ve got to love those magnifying glasses turned space goggles and the armed and dangerous pose of our croaking time traveller. I still can’t figure out how that mouthpiece area is held in place, but it’s an ingenious use of a part. I will always wonder, do space frogs eat bugs too?
Tag Archives: Characters
The Detective and the Big Boy Scout
Whilst Batman and Superman have had their fractious moments in the past, this pair of cheerful LEGO models by Tony Ng seems to depict them during one of their friendlier periods. Chibi-style “super-deformed” building can often result in highly-stylised and simplified characters, but don’t miss the details here — Batman’s utility belt with its associated gizmos is great, and both of our heroes look like they’ve been hitting the gym. Nice abs boys.
I’d have loved to have seen Superman’s hair rendered in a different shade than Batsy’s trademark black. If only the appropriate bricks came in dark blue.
Cloud and Sephiroth from Final Fantasy as LEGO BrickHeadz
One of my favorite video games of all time is Final Fantasy VII, released more than 20 years ago on the Sony PlayStation console. Such iconic characters must inevitably undergo the BrickHeadz treatment, which works very well for the anime styling of character designer Tetsuya Nomura. LEGO builder Ben Fong has captured the look of the two antagonists Cloud Strife and Sephiroth as they’re depicted in the 2005 film Final Fantasy: Advent Children.
Cloud wields his enormous Buster Sword, and Ben has even included the stud in Cloud’s left ear.
Energized by the Light of the Traveler
Some gamers are celebrating the launch of action-adventure first person shooter Destiny 2 with all-nighter gaming sessions. Then there is BrickinNick, celebrating the second entry in the franchise with three LEGO Hunter-class Guardians unleashing their super abilities. Nick captured the iconic futuristic cloaked warriors well, recognizable with just a handful of pieces.
But what if it’s just some crazy guy in a clown suit?
In anticipation of the latest screen adaptation of Stephen King’s classic coulrophobia-inducing book IT, builder Tim Lydy has crafted this wonderfully creepy bust of Pennywise the dancing clown. Guess I won’t be sleeping tonight! I also love the added touch of the brick-built origami sailboat.
I think Tim might be a bit of an IT fan, as this isn’t the first time he’s rendered these characters in LEGO. Check out his “adorable” Brickheadz versions too. We all float down here. (shudder)
Not your ordinary witches
Holidays continue to creep into each other’s seasons if retail stores are any indication, but it is never too early for Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, brought to us by Eero Okkonen. These two witchy looking characters are straight out of Terry Pratchett’s brilliant mind and are part of a large cast of characters that bring Discworld to life, which Eero has been working through. We’ve already featured a number of them, such as the denizens of the Unseen University, or Lu-Tze. I absolutely love the detail that goes into the witches’ faces; you can clearly see two distinct characters despite using a small selection of parts. The black dresses are both unique to each character and have plenty of detail.
Chihiro’s journey: A LEGO tribute to Spirited Away
They say that Disney movies touch the heart, but Studio Ghibli films touch the soul. None more so than the Miyazaki classic Spirited Away. I’ve modelled the works of this legendary Japanese animator in LEGO before, but on the 15th anniversary of its US release I figured it was time to take a deeper dive into this particular masterpiece:
Spirited Away remains unrivalled for its blend of the spiritual, realistic, fantastic, and human. In balancing all of those realms, Miyazaki was the master. No surprise then that this movie won the Oscar for best animated film and remains Japan’s highest grossing movie to date.
Click to see more Spirited Away scenes
Nya, the dragon slaying warrior
In the world of LEGO Ninjago, Nya is the current Elemental Master and Ninja of Water, as well as Kai’s younger sister. Daniel Huang has crafted a large figure version of her using a mixture of Bionicle, System and Technic elements. Daniel has posed Nya slaying the Green Dragon, with her samurai sword plunged deep into the head. The clever use of tyres and tracks within her leg structure contrasts with cloth robes and some ample CCBS assets for a unique blend of styles.
Contrasting with her dragon-slaying pose, Nya also has a clear feminine side, albeit with a few weapons in tow. I particularly like her head, as it’s well constructed with her helmet, and she gives off a ton of attitude in ABS.
Deadpool and Cable break the fourth wall into the realm of BrickHeadz
Amazing fan-made BrickHeadz keep popping up, covering every conceivable screen franchise. And now Adam Dodge adds the comic pair of Deadpool and Cable to the fray. While both of these are great, the Cable is outstanding. Aside from the clever parts usage on the shoulder pads, the use of official printed pieces is a masterstroke; that’s a pair of printed piston pieces which form a belt and the use of the X-Men “X” symbol from one of the Mighty Micro sets.
Iron Man and War Machine are looking a bit blocky
Builder nobu_tary delves deeply into the blocky nature of LEGO bricks with this pair of Stark hardsuits. This building style is very distinctive and I love the exaggerated effect. There’s a ton of small details to look for such as the shades of old grey vs new grey pieces in War Machine, the use of an official Iron Man print, and a very clever slit technique for the “eyes”. All topped off with that signature mecha pose; let’s puff out those chests, boys!
All hail Megatron, leader of the Decepticons!
Builder Sam Cheng is back with his Chibi-Transformers, this time, however, defecting to the side of the Decepticons. The leader of all things against good and hoarder of Energon-cubes, Megatron is beautifully sculpted with over 40 points of articulation, and is fully transformable to its weapon form. Sometimes a good amount of tinkering is required to get things right to personal satisfaction. Sam has been at this since April and tried a dozen different methods to achieve the look he wanted. The headpiece is inspired by Moko‘s Megatron. Standing at an estimated 500 elements, the toughest part of the build is making sure that the alternate ‘gun mode’ is totally asymmetrical and in proportion.
What is my purpose?
When creating sentient life forms out of LEGO, it’s generally a good idea to give your creations the means and ability to live a long, fulfilling life. Kodiak Sanders has done just that. Ooh wee! Thanks to his handy tire treads, this little robot can zip from one end of a dining table to the other and he’s even strong enough to lift an entire stick of butter. What else could a butter-passing-robot possibly need?













