Tag Archives: Eero Okkonen

Adding Dawson to the Circle

The music scene is filled with countless artists, so deep cuts that overlap LEGO and eclectic artists can be rare. Builder Eero Okkonen  recently completed this model of singer-songwriter Richard Dawson to update his past display of the band Circle. It’s no surprise Eero says he had an easy time going about this build, as the black uniform allowed for a great piece selection to maintain uniformity. The main issues he faced were building Richard’s face and hair, which come across delightfully in the final product. Dawson often works his voice from the top to bottom of his range in songs, so it’s wonderful that the models mouth seems to be caught mid-lyric. Other details such as the microphone, guitar, and speaker all add to the immersion of the scene. The only thing I can’t get passed are the skeleton arms as fingers because they just make me think Richard has more little hands at the fingertips. I’m disturbed but curious as to how it would help his guitar playing.

Richard Dawson

As a personal fan of Richard Dawson myself, this was a delightfully unexpected model to see. Plenty of builders have been covering famous musical artists over the last year, mostly mainstream or rock. This model has me curious about Circle, and pleased at how the process of discovering new music can be just as odd as your taste in tunes.

A character that sticks with you

I’ve absolutely fallen in love with the new adhesive 8×8 plate available in some LEGO Dots sets. And while I haven’t been able to work it into one of my own builds yet, Eero Okkonen puts the new part to work in this swinging character suspended from the underside of a bookshelf. The sturdy swing design is impressive, not once relying on an unstable stud/antistud connection for the attached chains. And the character’s winged boots are dynamite, taking full advantage of a build without a bottom. But my favorite bit of the design has got to be her flowered sleeves. Each dark pink bloom pops against the jacket’s black background.

Eithel Meristem

A computerized agglomeration of Okkonen constructions

When taking averages of quantitative values, the math is quite easy. But qualitative averaging between LEGO characters is a feat that requires a computer, for sure! So esteemed character concoctor Eero Okkonen collaborated with Looking Glass V1.4 AI to come up with this ostentatious “Admiral” design based on an array of his prior anthropomorphic builds. And I’m really digging the cyberpunk aspects of the work! The imbalance between the legs immediately draws the eye: one clad in only an elaborate shin guard, the other draped in a dark blue parachute pant leg. The gold and red highlights of the figure’s upper body really pop, coming to an apex with some dynamite headgear. But be sure not to miss the beautiful golden sword at its hip. Held in a black sheath, the design is simple, yet immediately recognizable and perfect for the digital officer.

AI Admiral

One stylish looking character with great uses of LEGO cloth pieces

This regal character, created by Eero Okkonen, has an awesome aesthetic. Several cloth pieces from the Volkswagen T2 Camper Van set, are included in this build, mainly the orange roof section (used for the turban) and the curtains (representing frills at the shoulders). The dark red and brown colours of the outfit contrast nicely against the vivid white at the gloves and legs. The top of the boots feature Belville saddle pieces which creates realistic looking textures. Eero has a wonderful talent for constructing fascinating characters with this model being another prime example of his inventive techniques.

Rinka Padmavati

The hell-ridin’ Hemogoblin within all of us

If my Instagram stream is any indicator, anyone with a plunging neckline or pimples to pop can be an internet influencer. But it takes a special kind of genius to be as influential as LEGO builder Eero Okkonen. With his amazing characters, he has most certainly influenced dozens of other builders, all without resorting to even a hint of cleavage. Here we see Hemogoblin, who hauls oxygen along the Aorta Highway on his badass dirtbike. Oh, and it turns out he lives inside each of us and is actually helpful. So, yeah. To see this genius at work, check out our Eero Okkonen archives; the guy is super-prolific and you won’t be disappointed. As for me, I haven’t built anything in a while and have to resort to cheap, lurid gimmicks to hold any shred of influence I may still have. Time for me to put on a skimpy top, pop some zits and watch the profits roll in!

Hemogoblin

A LEGO builder in his element

If there’s anyone I trust to build a spirit consisting of the five elemental forces, it’s got to be Eero Okkonen. I mean, after all, the dude writes for a LEGO blog called New Elementary, so he’s got to be an expert! And, in typical “Eero” fashion, earth, wind, fire, water, and void aren’t the only elements excellently displayed here. That bending trunk of Bionicle bits looks so organic, especially in contrast to the stone corners of the nearby lantern. And I absolutely love the plating used for the warrior’s kusazuri, as well as the shaping of their hair. It seems very similar to the design for “Wind” within the kami, strands snaking down onto armored shoulders. The largely grayscale nature of the build helps to make all the colors pop out, even more, drawing the eye to the orange of the spirit, the pink flowers of the tree, and the gold worn by the warrior.

Kami of the Five Elements

A lighthouse that warns of more than rocks

I think it would be best to admire this beautiful LEGO BioCup 2022 build by Eero Okkonen from afar. After all, kaiju can be very dangerous up-close. The moth monster is absolutely the star of the show here, with so much intricate feathering on its legs, abdomen, and antennae. But the lighthouse is no slouch either, with brilliant details like the little gray staircase leading up to its door. I also especially like the use of the Constraction torso pieces in white as rocks at the base of the structure.

A Bright Light over the Dark Sea Attracts More Than Ships Looking for a Safe Passage

A personified plant ponders piece potential

Builder Eero Okkonen taps into something that I think most LEGO fans can relate to: looking for a new way to use an old piece. Where Eero might differ from those of you reading this is in depicting that struggle as a tree. But this wonderful self-portrait turns a few pieces upside down to deliver a wonderful image of an Ent-like being confounded by a gear. It’s no surprise Eero’s self-portrait would be a fantasy creature looking for new parts usage. Check out our Eero Okkonen archives for a look at his past builds, and you’ll know what I mean.

Self-Portrait as a Wooden Man

Agra Sunstriker, Beat Wizard

Back at it again with another fantastic figure, Builder Eero Okkonen makes use of some interesting parts from Monkie Kid’s new Galactic Explorer. After watching the Moon Knight finale, this seems like an ancient Egyptian hero in the modern era. Just imagine him strutting up to a bad guy, dropping that boom box, hitting play, and kicking butt in step with the power of the gods.

Agra Sunstriker

Drop the beat

Check out this colourful cyber samurai

This is one to watch out for on the battlefield! Eero Okkonen has taken inspiration from the Monkie Kid sets with the vibrant colours featured in this build. Yellow curved tubes (AKA macaroni) form part of the character’s wide helmet with red claws portraying horns. The fingers are actually skeleton arms and the windscreens in dark turquoise are perfect for creating the samurai’s armour skirting. The futuristic design is completed by the use of trans red at the knees, arm shields and in the sword. It’s an eye-catching model where you can tell Eero has taken time to analyse parts from the Monkie Kid theme in order to apply the pieces in inventive ways.

Polymer Samurai

A Super Smash hit of a build

When it comes to large-scale LEGO character builds, few do it better than Eero Okkonen. This time he has outdone even himself with this scene taken from Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate game, which he says is his biggest scene build so far. The terrain and background are excellent, and very well shaped, but naturally, the stars of the show are Palutena and Wario. Palutena’s dynamic pose looks excellent in Eero’s signature style, with perfectly lifelike features. The gold trimmings look great, fashioned out of a smorgasbord of pieces that includes wings, wheel rims, and a saxophone.

Super Smash Bros.

With that said, I think Wario is the real highlight of the build and frankly would have been worthy of a feature on his own! He is wonderfully expressive, his angular facial features perfectly captured and set against his – *ahem* – rotund figure. The exaggerated pointed finger is faithful to his “Down Tilt” move, although it can be replaced with the more conventional white-gloved hand. I can almost hear his distinctive Wa-Ho in the distance…

Wario

Check out more of Eero’s collection of colourful characters here!

Taking nice part usage a bridge too far

Eero Okkonen isn’t a stranger when it comes to using LEGO parts in an interesting way. For this episode of LEGO nice parts usage the star is the rope bridge. A part first used in 1989 that only appeared in 13 sets. In this case, Eero used the rope bridge as an architectural detail over a gateway. Using trans clear 2×2 slopes for windows is a really smart little detail. We often see trans bricks used for windows but never slopes. Mostly because the side of the slope that is placed at an angle isn’t as clear as the rest of the brick due to its texture. Also, the tube in the middle of the brick is quite noticeable. Something you do not want if you are looking for a piece to represent glass. But not all glass is transparent and smooth. Sometimes glass is textured and semi-transparent or decorated in one way or another. The brown tower rooftop looks like an absolute hell to construct and it is nice to see how it matches the other little turrets with its sand green tip. I can not finish this article without mentioning the ingot bars used for brickwork.

Mesilinna