PART 2: How to design the perfect mini-figure and what goes into it:
There are many aspects involved in the successful customisation of a person as a Lego® figure. The main points however can be summarised under the following two headings:
1) AVAILABILITY OF PARTS: Firstly your figures are limited to what parts you can use. These parts are limited based upon a) what you have available, b) what Lego® parts actually exist and c) what your capabilities are for producing or printing new parts .
2) VISUALISATION: Capturing someone as a Lego® figure involves perhaps most importantly the ability to see that person as a Lego® figure. This is where artistic integrity becomes relevant. The figure not only has to be genuinely representative of a person, it also has to look good. Developing a range of creative skills is essential in this respect.
AVAILABILITY OF PARTS:
Part of the key to creating successful figures here at Brick Yourself is having a large amount of parts to draw upon. The range of Lego® mini-figure parts has expanded to include a mind-boggling array of interesting pieces. Lego® themselves have been extremely creative in their production of mini-figure body parts and accessories and any good design should incorporate as many design possibilities as it can.
Apart from the gradual expansion of mini-figure related parts in their Lego® sets, the Lego® group released the first of a series of mini-figures which is now up to its 16th series as of March 2016. These mini-figure series’ have produced a treasure trove of hitherto unimagined variety of quality parts that represent almost as many interests and hobbies as there are stars in the sky.
The items are so specific that you can easily represent one interest someone has in one specific part and a corresponding interest with another. It is now not so much a question of whether you’re able to represent someone in Lego®, but rather how would you represent someone in Lego®.
For example you might want to design someone who has a love of gardening and tennis. For accessories you could use a gardening shovel and flowers, and they could be wearing a tennis outfit. In contrast you could dress them in gardening overalls and give them a tennis racket as an accessory. Other possibilities include dressing them in a style of clothing they might be particularly fond of and giving them one tennis and one gardening accessory.
This is a really exciting time for anyone interested in mini-figure customisation and design.
Of course there is a tremendous amount of research involved in learning what’s currently available, and in staying on top of the latest releases so that your ability to design figures remains as limitless as possible. A selection of which heads are currently available for example can be found @: http://www.toywiz.com/legoyellowhead.html.
And of course obtaining and storing the pieces is the last crucial step in having the parts available. Organisation is the key to this all important last phase. Parts need to be precisely organised and categorised both digitally and in actuality so that a strict inventory can be maintained and quantities can be maintained.
Sourcing parts is probably the most challenging part of all of this. Lego® itself has relatively few parts individually available and so parts need to be sourced from individual sellers online or sourced from individual sets. As it’s economically unfeasible to buy single parts from individuals, sellers need to be identified and then multiple parts can be purchased to offset exorbitant shipping prices.
Parts can of course can be made and/or printed to add extra customisability to your figures. Many sites devote themselves entirely to the manufacturing of custom made parts such as Brick Forge www.brickforge.com which specialises in custom Lego weapons and armour. 3D printing has opened the opportunities for this industry. Not only is any piece imaginable now available but new thoughts and ideas are developing that are if not completely brilliant are at least interesting and innovative such as Etsy which 3D print realistic heads for Lego® mini-figures: https://www.etsy.com/listing/254218278/custom-make-your-own-head-for-lego?ref=listing-shop-header-2.
High quality printing options are also available for Lego® parts utilising a broad range of processes including stickers, water slide decals. Brick Yourself specializes in printing parts and are able to print onto every mini-figure part including arms, legs, torsos and faces.
With access to a wide enough variation of actual Lego® parts therefore the possibilities for creating mini-figures according to imaginable is vast if not limited. When custom part designing and detailing are also optional, the design potential becomes infinitely limitless.
Brickman Dan is the founder of Brick Yourself and publishes regular articles on how LEGO® Art & Design, as well as LEGO® Investment.
In Part 3: How to visualise and create what someone will look like in Lego®..