The Iron Giant, the 1999 animated science fiction film, is based on the 1968 novel The Iron Man by Ted Hughes (and published in the U.S. as The Iron Giant). Although the film initially didn’t perform well in theatres due to poor marketing, it received widespread critical acclaim and numerous awards praising the story, animation, character portrayal, and voice performances. Through home video releases and television syndication, the film eventually gathered a cult following and is now widely regarded as a modern animated classic. 🙂
The film was produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation uses both traditional animation and computer animation techniques to tell the story. Set during the Cold War in 1957, the film is about a young boy named Hogarth Hughes, who discovers a giant metallic robot who fell from space. With the help of beatnik artist Dean McCoppin, they attempt to prevent the U.S. military and Kent Mansley, a paranoid federal agent, from finding and destroying the Giant.
I have seen numerous LEGO fans attempt to recreate the Iron Giant in LEGO, in fact, there are a couple of great Iron Giant projects currently posted on the LEGO Ideas platform. If they achieve 10,000 supporters, there is a chance that LEGO will make an official Iron Giant set. So, if you like them, make sure you support these projects at LEGO Ideas.
If you don’t want to wait for a possible official set, and you want to build the Iron Giant now, instructions for a fantastic LEGO version of the Iron Giant just became available at BuildBetterBricks.com. As we discussed previously (see: Custom LEGO Models by Build Better Bricks), Build Better Bricks is an online shop where you can purchase high quality custom LEGO instructions. Most of the instructions are for original custom builds, and there are also instructions for alternate models for official LEGO sets, and even some small custom kits with both parts and instructions included.
The LEGO version of the Iron Giant comes with 23 point of articulations, which makes him easy to pose in a variety of positions, as you can see on the pictures. You can also build his Superman ‘S’ sign and his laser gun arm. The model uses 818 pieces, which should cost around $80, if you don’t have any of the pieces already. Build Better Bricks designers are careful to use parts that are easily available for the standard price of around 10 cents/piece. Your mileage may vary, depending on which Bricklink sellers you use. When you purchase the instructions, you will get both a parts lists and a Stud.io file, so you can easily import the list of parts you need to Bricklink. And, of course, the full PDF instructions (115 pages – very nice quality) are included as well. Price of the instructions is $12, which is very reasonable for such a large and detailed model. If you are interested, check it out at the Build Better Bricks website, and you might want to check out the great selection of other custom models as well.
I think this model is fantastic and very faithful to the original. I especially like the super expressive face, which really brings this classic model to life. And, all that posability is awesome! If you end up building the model, feel free to share your review and thoughts in the comment section below! 😉
And you might also like to check out the following related posts:
Woa! That’s a great design! Really big too!
Very cool, and it looks like it has excellent articulation. It’s a really big model, so would require some commitment to get all the parts and build it.
Is this one also on Ideas? I like this one the best.
No, not this one, but the other two I linked to are. There are some rules that if you post on LEGO Ideas you can’t sell your model or instructions for your model for a period of time.
Not that I have /any/ intentions of ratting this person out, but I am curious… since this person is making money off of the property of Disney, Nintendo, etc, could there be at risk of copy write violation?
Most companies are fine with hobby art, although Disney is known for getting cranky if the hobbyist becomes too big and popular. LEGO customizers, MOC builders, etc. are usually fine. It’s bad PR for a company to crack down on small enthusiastic hobbyists who charge a few dollars for their craft. So, big companies usually let them be. It’s good for the big companies too, as these small hobbyists spread enthusiasm for the brand. It’s a fine line to walk, and there is a risk, but usually it’s not a problem.
That’s cool to hear. I’ve had this image of businesses with small armies of people scouring the ‘net looking for even the smallest of violators to pounce on with their lawyers. Doesn’t help when I’ve wanted to either post a short clip of of part of a DVD of an anime to show to friends on YouTube that no, not all anime is huge-chested women and loads of pantie shots but contains some really awesome story writing and character development that I think can rival the works of “The Big Mouse” himself, but Youtube says, “nope, that’s copy write material.”
Or some while back wanting to frame some awesome fan artwork and wanting to make it larger than just 8 x 11 and from a home inkjet printer and the copy place say, “nope, that’s copy write material, we can’t do that.”
Sigh. 🙁
But I do agree, it does the studios and creators a service as advertising, but eh, what’cha gonna do? 😉
Rob, you can actually post clips in YouTube videos, but there are some very specific rules about it. I’m not a YouTuber, so I don’t know all the specifics, but if I remember correctly there are some limitations of how long the clips can be, and I believe they can’t have sound.
As far as printing shops, yes, they won’t copy stuff for you that they could get in trouble for. But they are a business, so they have to cover their behind. However, you can copy things on their self-serve machines. They usually can’t print very big though. Only letter and legal size.
Many LEGO customizers have been in business for years, even decades, and nobody is bothering them. Keep your head low, don’t make waves, don’t make any of the big guns angry, and you should be good. 🙄
Yeah, I’m cool with copy places not wanting to risk their business with getting into trouble coping the wrong things. As far as YouTube goes, I have manged to get one or two items to stick, but then they tell me they can’t show it in x region. So I passed on that idea as well.
I’ll just keep towing the Lego adult fandom and let those who listen know that Lego sets aren’t just for toddlers. (No kidding, an adult I knew give me the oddest look when I told them I went to the Lego store in the mall about a year ago. You’d think I might as well have said I went to Victoria’s Secret instead! 😀 )
Oh, and thanks for always letting me ramble on your comment section. I wonder if I do that too much or post too much sometimes. 😀
You’d probably get less of a look if you said Victoria’s Secret…
(…unless you were single, and he knew about it…)
LOLOL! To be honest, it was actually a 50 – 60’s or older woman and her husband and special-needs child. So yeah, I think the Victoria Secret comment would have been worse, in that case. 🙂
You guys… I’m not even going to comment on that… 🙄
To be honest, Victoria Secret was essentially a random choice, but ironically enough when you visit the Lego store in Utah when you leave, there is a Victoria Secret across the hall. *shakes head*
That’s a thoughtful placement. Let the parents do their own shopping while living the kiddos at the LEGO store. 🙄
Hm… I have been building with LEGO all my life, and I never got weird looks. In fact, everyone I know appreciates and even envies my hobby. But I come from a very creative family, so in my circles it’s almost a given that we all have at least one very creative outlet. 😀
And you are welcome to share here at any time. From our regular readers I don’t even care if they talk about Victoria’s Secret. We are all friends here. Also, you might want to check if their is an AFOL club near you. Hanging out with other adult LEGO fans can give a big boost to your enjoyment of the hobby. 🙂
This looks really awesome. Looks similar in size to the Hulkbuster, isn’t it?
It’s hard to tell without seeing them side by side. But their feet and some other details definitely looks similar. 😀
These perspectives and poses make things a bit harder, otherwise, I guess you should be able to guesstimate the size by counting studs and such…