We’ve already looked at one alternate build of LEGO set 43247 Young Simba the Lion King, but how about we look at another, this time of the Pokémon variety? Builder The Frenchy Bricks has assembled the bright yellow-orange parts of our favorite Disney lion into quite the expressive Psyduck. With posable limbs and the perfect thousand-mile stare, here’s hoping it’s no headache to recreate my own copy.
Want to start a heated debate among people of a certain age? Ask them what the best first-generation Pokémon starter is. Some will choose Charmander; personally, I say Squirtle. But judging by his adorable LEGO model, Nick Jensen is more of a Bulbasaur kind of guy! This build is a deceptively small one; I have to keep looking at the parts used in that wonderfully crafted face to remind myself of its true size. The Pokéball base is a nice touch too. It’s so well done, that I would almost consider swapping my allegiance to the grass-type starter team… Almost. (Psst, Nick – do Squirtle next!)
In the world of Pokémon, there are few stories as sad as that of Cubone. And LEGO builder Redverse has poured all that lonely energy into a beautiful build of this pocket monster. Sporting a helm of bone, and a club of the same, Cubone is ready to unleash its infamous Bone Club attack. The Magnemite of Route 10 had better watch out!
A wildly good Haunter appears courtesy of LEGO Pokémon master Zane Houston. Just thinking about making a huge ball in LEGO using just an uncommon color like magenta would make a Sobble (#816) cry, but Zane makes it work with a deft jigsawing of wedge plates. Haunter’s floating hands grasp its special Shadow Ball attack. Creating this erratic form must have made for a bumpy ride, especially considering every non-white surface is covered in studs. The erratic shaping of the energy ripples framed by purples is brilliant and hearkens back to Zane’s electrifying Pikachu model from last year. During the build process, Zane experimented with brick-built eyes, but his solution of using T pieces for the tiny pupils perfectly captures Haunter’s ghostly gaze.
Bringing a 2-D trading card into the third dimension certainly feels like a job made for LEGO. And Takamichi Irie puts those bricks to work, moving the Pokémon Chikorita into the active position. The ‘Mon is an impressive recreation, extending a mushroom to the “camera” using one of its vines. And the terrain is downright astounding, brimming with vegetation and crags in front of a gradient pixelated background. But the features that take this build from astounding to jaw-droppingly awesome are all the references to items from the game surrounding the card: Master Ball, Rare Candy, Pokédex, Potion, Full Heal, and PlusPower. Even the kanji at the top of the card spells out the Japanese name of this particular pocket monster.
One more thing before attaching a Grass Energy and going in for the attack. As with all trading cards, there’s always a second side to consider. And Takamichi didn’t skimp on the details when flipping the model around. Mimicking the back of the Japanese card to a T with some dynamite lettering and the 7 circles representing the 7 different Pokémon types in the card game, it’s just as impressive as the build’s front.
Ivysaur, Squirtle, and Charizard, the starting trio of the Kanto region in various states of evolution, are some of the most iconic and beloved of the 151 1025 monsters in the Pokédex. They’re also the swappable characters used by Pokémon Trainer in Supers Smash Brothers Ultimate. LEGO Builder Zane Houston pays tribute to this fighting tag team with a Miniland scale ensemble. Zane does a phenomenal job capturing each character’s colors and personality in the Miniland aesthetic that celebrates bricks and studs. My favorite has to be Ivysaur with leaves built from green cheese slopes and the judicious use of whips as the only non-brick element. This isn’t Zane’s first Pokémon or Nintendo tribute. We loved his shocking Pikachu model, and his clever twist on the Nintendo Switch hardware still makes us smile. For more LEGO pocket monsters, catch ’em all in our Pokémon archives.
In my household there is only one batch of laundry to do on laundry day; darks. Why bother with pretty pastels when your soul is as dark as a raven’s wing? That’s why I was so attracted to this LEGO Darkrei Pokémon built by Dan V. This shadow figure is known to infiltrate your dreams and turn them into nightmares, but not in any kind of malicious way. It doesn’t try to do that; it just does so because that is its nature. It has claw-like hands and skinny protuberances for legs and hair that cover one blue eye and leave the other exposed to peer into your soul. Everything I described above also can be said for the lead singer of my favorite Goth band so…there’s that.
Take some asteroids, throw in a pinch of alien viruses, stir it all up with a laser beam, and what do you get? Deoxys the Pokemon! Add some plastic to the mix and you get this fantastic LEGO model by Dylan Mievis. This Pokemon’s signature loopy DNA arms are made of 45-degree elbow bricks. I really love the exciting chunkiness of this models face, made with a pair of orange 1×3 arches and 4 curved corners
I love it when a great LEGO collaboration comes together! A group of friends built the Pokémon Ultra Beasts and the end result is pure gold. Take Aidan Hayward’s Celesteela, for example. This is one of the dangerous UBs, (that’s Ultra Beasts) high energy readings can be detected coming from both of its huge arms.
From my childhood days spent playing Pokémon Red and my countless hours in front of the TV watching Ash Ketchum fulfill his quest to be a Pokémon master, there has been nothing more indicative of that great video game franchise than the electric-type pocket monster known as Pikachu. And here LEGO builder Zane Houston has captured the little, yellow ‘mon using its signature move, thunderbolt. The powerful blast of electricity emitting from Pikachu’s red cheeks is captured with an interesting studs-out technique, layering white plates vertically on a column of medium azure bricks. Pikachu’s body is similarly built with studs facing outward, away from the center of the character. It helps to give the Pokémon almost a fuzzy, static-y kind of look, quite befitting given its current attack.
For a franchise that’s squarely aimed at kids, Pokémon can get really quite dark sometimes. Consider Cubone, ably built here by Joey Klusnick. Adorable, right? Well, according to various Pokédex entries, the skull it wears as a helmet is from a deceased parent. Moreover, the ‘dex entries also mention crying a lot. How tragic — this is a kids’ game, remember! Thankfully Joey’s creation is so well-built I think we can focus on how cute this little guy is otherwise. That Bram sphere tummy in particular makes it look very huggable. After reading all the lore on Cubone I (and it, probably) could do with a hug…
Eevee, in almost all instances, is adorable beyond measure. This LEGO portrait from Tim and Dannii (who you may know from LEGO Masters Australia) continues in the tradition. Right away, I’m super glad Dannii allows Eevee’s ears to spill out over the frame! Eevee has beautiful ears that get to shine rather than being clipped by the boundaries of the frame. The building technique at work here, the brick-built 3D character, gives the portrait the feeling of a window. It’s like Eevee is taking a peek at us from the Pokémon world! Definitely a great choice over doing a flat studs-only picture. This way Eevee seems more alive, which is exactly what we all want with Pokémon.
