Tag Archives: Sandro Quattrini

Black Panther? No, this is the melanistic Panthera Pardus

LEGO builder Sandro Quattrini has been knocking it out of the park with their character builds of late (check out our Sandro Quattrini archives). The newest addition to the roster is a heroic-looking black panther, although this one hails from Rome rather than Wakanda. I guess technically that means we should use its Latin name, Panthera Pardus. For a static build, it’s phenomenally dynamic thanks to the aggressive stance, roaring head, and the swaying belt tassels. (Tassels doesn’t feel like the right word for something so militaristic… Reader, answers on a postcard if you know the proper name!) These use microphones and dumbbell weights for the detailing, and this centurion’s equipment features plenty more clever highlights. The shield makes use of a Ninjago hat and — perhaps ironically — swords, while the armour chestplate is broken up with a Speed Champions hubcap and minifigure shields. Armour with shields on it? Nothing is getting through that!

Centurion Panther

If we’re going to talk about clever parts use, though, we need to talk about that head. The shaping is simply stunning! There’s loads to enjoy here, but I do like the solution for the ears, which involves a tyre squeezed over a headpiece from a Star Wars battle pack. Alongside the mean eyes and those fearsome jaws, it gives this particular panther heaps of personality.

Centurion Head

The Attack Titan is a smash hit!

Right on cue, Sandro Quattrini has come out with yet another outstanding LEGO build, this one from the Japanese manga/anime Attack on Titan. While I’ll fully admit that I’ve never watched or read any of the source material (I know, but we all have our flaws), I don’t have to be familiar with the show or books to see how impressive this build is! The Titan is caught mid-smash as it bursts through a wall, adding so much movement to a stationary build. All over the arms and chest, you can see the clever use of rods and other long, thin parts. This conveys all the raw power pouring out of this beast, tense muscles heaving forward with so much effort. Couple that bodily strain with an expertly-crafted face and the Titan’s rage seems to radiate out of the screen! Sandro has a reputation for expressive LEGO characters, but the Attack Titan’s excessively-toothed visage is some of their best work to date, in my opinion. And I can’t help but want to start on episode one of AoT thanks to this.

Attack Titan

21st century man

Just on the border of your waking mind, there lies another time, where darkness and light are one. This LEGO computer figure by Sandro Quattrini fits right into 1981 sci-fi. He’s probably got an IQ of 1001. This build is so full of great techniques and part usages and the poses it’s capable of achieving are wonderful! Some of the more interesting techniques used are the handcuffs used to replicate laces on the boots and the dots line bracelet used here as a belt. The star of the show would have to be the amazing zippered jacket using an ice skate as the zipper pull and roller skates for each side. The classic-styled computer head is phenomenal and really provides a ton of character and life to this build.

21st Century Man

Check out more facial expressions and poses below!

Introducing Cubone’s edgier cousin

I’d choose this Pokémon! Created by Sandro Quattrini, this interpretation of the elusive Cuebone has a mysterious and deadly look to it. The skull helmet is represented by a lower jaw piece, featured in a mosasaurs model from back in 2001. Cubone carries a simple bone club in the original design, however, this version turns the weapon into more of a blade. Holder clips and mechanical arms portray spiked ribs along the blade, leading to a handle formed of flat gears. The stocky rounded proportions of the character are still retained through application of sloped bricks at the main body and the legs. The model has a superb design which is still easily recognizable while having new exaggerated details.

Animal Death

A dragon that’s both sci-fi and fantasy

This blaster-wielding LEGO dragon by builder Sandro Quattrini is a glorious mix of D&D and cyberpunk. The sculpting on the figure is exquisite, as we’ve come to expect from Sandro. The visor design feels both like it belongs to Geordi La Forge and the Mouth of Sauron. I love the use of these 12-tooth gears for the dragon’s teeth. And the feather pieces making up his goatee are wonderful. Combine that grin with the attitude conveyed in the figure’s pose, and the message is clear: no one in sci-fi or fantasy tells this guy what to do!

Dragon Hunter

And before I go, we’re just going to have to talk about that blaster! Much like the figure, the gun incorporates the mechanical and biological into a single design. The use of the red Dragon Masters horse helmet is particularly nice. Of particular note is how Sandro has used minifig hands here. While on the top of the weapon, they provide a natural flow indicating a dragon’s spine. However, on the underside of the barrel, they’re used in a rigid line, in keeping with the artificial aspects of the blaster. Two sides of the same part.

Dragon Hunter's Blaster

This fly guy is a one cool samurai

It would probably not be a good idea to swat insects in front of this character! Sandro Quattrini has created this unique looking build of a humanoid fly in samurai clothing. There are some fantastic details in the design such as a statuette trophy at the centre of the chest, moustache pieces portraying defined muscles and a castle helmet at the end of the torso. Large plant pieces form the bands around the arms which are primarily made up of inversed tire pieces. The tips of the fingers and toes use minifigure hands to provide the character with an extra hairy feel. Things might be the other way around if you confronted this fly, most likely you’d be the one buzzing off!

Fly Samurai

Here comes the bloody sun!

If you like your sunshine with blood and guts then you’ve come to the right place, Damien. Here we see a seated LEGO figure built by Sandro Quattrini. At first glance, it may look like a sunny, meditative guru but upon closer inspection, you’ve got heart, lungs, intestines, all the important internal organs. The upsidedown minifig head as the heart is admittedly quite brilliant. Whether this is the workings of the builder’s crazed imagination or something inspired by a Tool album cover, I am not certain. However, it all somehow appeals to my dreary sensibilities. Upon real close inspection, it would seem that Sandro will need to send this sunny guru to the bathroom soon. Just sayin’.