I’ve gone on record several times about my love of giving LEGO, especially when it’s a design of my own making for a specific friend or peer. And Dominique Boeynaems knows exactly what I’m taking about, with this brilliant raccoon construction that went to a friend of theirs. It’s such a tight, contained character with no part going to waste. I adore the pink hearts for its hind paws, and that ingeniously-fuzzy LEGO tail made of Technic gears.
Let’s follow this LEGO raccoon paladin by Miscellanabuilds into a world of fantasy and high adventure! The build comes to life from a roleplaying game campaign where this paladin is Miscellanabuilds’s character. Meet Procyous Loftyre, a Paladin of the World hailing from the Magic Woods. Dressed in green with a satchel and weapon, this paladin is ready for adventures across the land to help as many people as they can. Entwined flex-tubes make up the satchel’s strap, giving it a great woven and organic appearance. Speaking of great organic looks, the shapes of the raccoon paladin are lovely. The soft features of the fur balance the hard look of the paladin’s eyebrows. There’s no question this paladin is someone you want in your adventuring party.
With this taxidermist-quality replica of Procyon lotor, builder Felix Jaensch displays just how much can be done using primarily basic LEGO bricks and plates. I mean, this is the kind of shaping and contouring we’re used to seeing at LEGOLAND theme parks! The coloration here is perfect, and I especially like the pixelated fade from light to dark gray about halfway up the beast. Trying to balance a color gradient with 3D shaping can go wrong very quickly, but Felix handles it here like a pro.
Zooming in on the face, there’s the continuation of the stepped contouring from the body going down right to the end of the trash panda’s boop-able snoot. The other features added here (the eyes, ears, etc.) aren’t composed of the same basic bricks and plates as the rest of the body. Yet these features don’t feel out of place in the design. Despite introducing some slopes and curves, they don’t distract from the form, and gently draw attention to the key features of the animal.
