Tag Archives: Dan Ko

The spineless worm got what he deserved

Most of the time, when a lone warrior faces off against a dragon—well, it doesn’t end so well for the warrior. Not so with this strong and stalwart fellow by Dan Ko, who looks like he got the better of this fell beast without breaking a sweat. This small-scale build has some mighty sweet part usage, from the brow of the dragon’s head made from the front part of a mech torso to the long and twisted spine made from robot arms and teeth. But I think my favorite part has got to be the large beard made from the hair of a Minifig.

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A face as pretty as a song

At first glance this build by Dan Ko is interesting enough. The LEGO Space Police Logo draws you in, and maybe if you’re a child of the 80’s you’ll recognize that red beast as a Mantisaur from the He-Man universe. Or maybe you’ll just dig the Mantiasur’s cool part usage like hotdogs for eye ridges, feet, and claws. Or the 1×1 round plate “teeth” that remind me of another creepy build from Dan. But then you look closer at the rider and you can’t help but think….”Hold on. That dude has a guitar for a head.”

How do you feel about this character? Do you want to be his friend or do you want to pull a Hendrix and remove this being from our reality entirely? I admit to being slightly torn, myself. Anyway. If you want to return to the noble past (future?) of the Space Police, I suggest you view some of our previously featured builds!

The most interesting prom date you’re going to find.

Leave it to Dan Ko to create a creature that takes interesting part usage to a whole new galaxy. Titled “The CandyDate“, this depiction of alien student Dor Zinoir incorporates underused parts like a crab for a hand, Dimensions game pieces for foot-pods, and what appear to be minifigure fishing rods for the spindly legs. There are also minifigure arms, disembodied hands, and Unikitty tails in the mix. That nose is throwing me, though. It looks like a minifigure head/helmet, but I can’t place it.

Take a closer look after the break

This Alien Queen is Thicc

If you’re a fan of the LEGO Art theme, odds are you’ve acquired at least one “Thicc Separator”, the wide, black version of the classic brick separator tool. I know they seem to be multiplying rapidly in our household. Dan Ko may have figured out why. Using a Thicc Separator as a base, they’ve revealed the tool’s true form – that of an Alien Queen. And if you look close, you might even spot some black hot dogs. I’m not sure that’s related, but it sure is creepy.

Want more alien goodness? Check out our Xenomorph tag!

A microscale build you’ll want to check twice.

What do you get for the LEGO fan who has everything? How about a custom creation. Even a small build can bring large amounts of holiday cheer, as Dan Ko demonstrates here. As part of a Secret Santa gift exchange, Dan called upon his excellent microscale skills to create this LEGO ornament featuring Santa Claus soaring through the air in a sleigh pulled by a single reindeer. Good microscale is about creative part use, and there’s lots of that at work here. The formal minifigure collar as Santa’s beard is a particularly nice touch.

Small first step for man

Space is not my theme. There I’ve said it. But this little LEGO space build by Dan Ko is so cute that I can not not write about it. The LEGO baby got released in 2016 and redesigned in 2017. The little baby is displayed in the center of this lovely build but it is not the highlight of this creation for me. The use of the Vidiyo handle strapV is what sets this creation apart in my honest opinion. Sure the use of the toy winder key as treads is quite ingenious. I am, however, always amazed when a builder manages to use a LEGO part that is not directly compatible with the system bricks. It goes along great with the 6×6 dish with handlebars to create a round cabin for the little space rover. Making the cabin almost completely see-through sounds like an amazing plan when you want to discover your surroundings.

Phone home and tell them about this great parts usage

My first thought when looking at this build was that LEGO already makes an E.T. that would scale perfectly. But it turns out that using the official E.T. pieces wasn’t in the cards for builder Dan Ko, as this is his first creation for an Iron Builder competition. The seed element is the toy winder key in dark orange, which explains why it’s subbing in for the titular alien in this box art recreation. It’s an out-of-this-world repurposing of the part. And we have to award bonus points for the video game controller acting as Elliot’s hair.

Excuse me sir, but there is a croissant in your mustache

Scratch that, the croissant is the mustache! This stout warrior by Dan Ko makes great use of a few specialty parts like the French pastry, as well as spider webs used for a tangled web of hair that also reminds me of The Witcher‘s main character. There are also several of the new angled pipes with stud elements used for hands, and to hold the helmet’s horns… well, horn. Finally, a folded net draped across the shoulders is a nice touch.

Untold secrets of parts and pieces lay held between these aging pages...

The word greeble is well-known to any tenured builder. A technique used to add texture and detail to a model, greebling employs parts in interesting and fun ways. Depending on its purpose, adding greeble to a model can help randomize a texture, similar to The LEGO Movie logo, or to add specific detail like the engine pylons and power supplies in the iconic Y-wing. This month, some builders revived a theme from 6 years ago, “Greeble de Mayo.” A challenge for builders to greeble an 8x8x8 area during the month of May has resulted in quite a few great builds. Dan Ko finished the month with this alluring and mystic tome, magical pen, and ink well.

The fountain pen and ink well are both concise models. The pink jewel and harpoon hand give detail to the pen while the inkwell, a round tile inside of a golden dish, is a subtle but crucial partner. A great additional set to the main model!

The Book of Greebles itself is quite detailed. A dragon-headed sword hilt adorns the spine while pearl gold clips and hinges are used to detail the brown binding. Roller skates provide focal points on the top and bottom at the tips of brown, curvy cattle horns. These details frame a magenta dome, accented by matching corner studs on the cover of the book. Textured bricks provide the illusion of pages but the bit of fabric sticking out is the clincher. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what set that particular cloth comes with or which minifigure it completes. All I know is it makes me think of vellum or some old type of paper, torn and worn, scribbled on by some ancient builder wanting to share their greebly secrets. Ultimately, that level of immersion is what really matters and I have to applaud Dan Ko on his work.

I imagine this model will be enjoyed by fans of Hearthstone, Magic the Gathering, or Dungeons & Dragons. It would make a great prop or token for in-game play, especially with role-playing, so Dungeon Masters with a love for building, keep this in mind! Your players will love them too!

Building a stacked deck

We’ve seen LEGO playing cards before, but I don’t recall ever seeing them built life-size before, like this set by Dan Ko. The cards are very simple as far as the build, but there’s a lot of cleverness going on with the selection of pieces. The Clubs made with two 1×1 round plates and a lever handle are perfect, as is the Jack’s initial made from an umbrella. I don’t recall seeing a lobster on the diamond suit before, but I can roll with it, especially when it’s surrounded by a nifty thin red diamond made of a stretched rubber band.

Dan built them for a contest where he had to use 101 pieces or fewer, and he’s provided this lovely knolled image showing he used precisely 100 pieces.

A tiny dancer pirouettes in silhouette

If you ever thought to yourself while building a Batman LEGO set, these bat-a-rangs are neat and all, but they’re not much use, Dan Ko has a masterclass lesson for you in thinking about a specific part in a whole new way. This miniature ballerina made from just 30 parts, is a stunning example. The bat-a-rang slots perfectly in-between a grill, and the black gear makes an amazing dress. Considering the base makes up more than half of the parts used, the dancer is a true study in minimalist design.

But that’s not all. Dan includes the parts used, so if you are feeling brave, you can attempt to build your own version.

Fifi the Warrior Princess

Dan Ko had me searching the internet for the reference to their creation for a couple of minutes. I can’t find it so my guess is Fifi the Warrior Princess and Tatsu the Magic Whale are figures of his imagination. Which is troubling because I want more Fifi and Tatsu adventures! Tatsu looks so sweet and friendly with its big eyes and sand green fins made out of surfboards. The mudguard and shoulder pad make for a great face. But the best part has to be the round plate used as a single tooth.