The first wave of the LEGO BrickHeadz sets was released just a few days ago (see: LEGO BrickHeadz Series 1 Available Now!), and LEGO fans are already busy building their own BrickHeadz using the same building template. So let’s talk about what makes BrickHeadz so interesting, and I will also show you some of my favorite custom BrickHeadz characters. 🙂
While some people may look at LEGO BrickHeadz as just another series of collectible toys, because they are LEGO, they offer much more than just sitting pretty on a shelf. In fact, I would say that LEGO did everything right with BrickHeadz. They are similar to the very popular big-headed/small-bodied Funko Pop characters, so it is fairly certain that BrickHeadz is going to be popular with collectors.
As far as a building toy, BrickHeadz are easier to work with than the previously released LEGO CubeDudes, or the Mega Construx (formerly Mega Bloks) Kubros figures. And BrickHeadz are inexpensive. All of this means that pretty much anyone can collect and build BrickHeadz, and also copy the design to make new characters. I wouldn’t be surprised if this first series starts a BrickHeadz mania, with young and old LEGO fans feverishly building their own BrickHeadz. It is also very likely that we will see BrickHeadz competitions at LEGO events and conventions, as well as at online LEGO fan communities.
While it takes a while to wrap your head around how LEGO CubeDudes or LEGO Mixels are designed and built, building LEGO BrickHeadz is so straightforward even a small child, or someone new to LEGO, should be able to grasp the concept quickly. While there are some sideways building techniques involved, they all take advantage of the fairly new 2×2 bricks with four studs on the sides, which expands the building surface in every direction without complexity. (Image below from Brickset.)
Basically, you build the core of the body and the head with the 2×2 modified bricks, and then stick embellishments on them to create the characters. That’s pretty much it. Also, many of the finer details of the BrickHeadz characters (eyes, clothing details, special symbols, etc.) are printed pieces, so you don’t have to figure out how to recreate them with bricks, however they are not a necessity; you can always just use regular LEGO elements to decorate your BrickHeadz. If you would like to better understand the BrickHeadz design, Brickset recently published an excellent article about The Anatomy of a BrickHeadz, which I highly recommend.
In LEGO BrickHeadz Series 1, LEGO gives us twelve characters from the LEGO Marvel, LEGO DC Comics, and the LEGO Disney universe. What I particularly like about this first wave is that it gives us examples of how to build a number of different characters. We get masked superheroes (Batman, Iron Man, Captain America, Batgirl), both male and female humans with different hairstyles (Belle, The Joker, Robin, The Hulk, Black Widow), and even an animal (Beast). Using these characters as templates, it doesn’t take long to figure out how to make your own BrickHeadz.
LEGO fan CM4Sci already created over thirty different BrickHeadz designs, including characters from movies, animations, cartoons, video-games, books and even other LEGO themes. You can see more detailed views of each character in CM4Sci’s flickr gallery.
Will Kirkby also has been busy working on BrickHeadz characters, and so far shared over 100 designs! It is interesting to note that some of the models built by these two LEGO fans are based on the same characters, but they are slightly different. Visit Will’s flickr gallery for closeups.
Yet, another LEGO fan, Corey Booth also created a whole series of BrickHeadz, both in LEGO Digital Designer and with real LEGO bricks. I particularly like his cute Calvin and Hobbes design. See Corey’s flickr gallery for more pictures.
And in Sweden LEGO fan O Wingård built three series of LEGO BrickHeadz based on historic figures; the monarchs of Sweden, the leaders of World War II, and 19th century philosophers (links to flickr gallery). This is a very interesting collection that could be expanded even further. The challenge with Brickheadz based on real people is to be able to keep each person identifiable with some unique details.
Not exactly using the LEGO Brickheadz design, but inspired by it, these LEGO bobble heads by LegoJalex (Johan Alexanderson) have wobbling heads to add some fun. I guess we could call them BobbleHeadz? 🙄
Here is another design that is not exactly the same as BrickHeadz, but is quite similar – and in my opinion – cuter. These characters are built by French LEGO fan J.B.F. (Jimmy Fortel). He calls them CHIBZ.
Even LEGO copycats are catching on, and there is already a Chinese company called LOZ, that is making their own version of BrickHeadz. Interestingly, their bricks are three-quarter the size of standard LEGO elements, and for some reason they also decided to include a “driver” inside the head of each BrickHeadz, as you can see in this flickr album.
As you can see, LEGO BrickHeadz are plenty of fun. You can just collect the official characters, or if you want to get a little adventurous, you can start building your own. We can also expect that this first series will be greatly in demand down the line, just like the first series of every other popular LEGO collection. Some people catch on later, and want to go back to collect them all. It is something to consider if you want to invest in a new LEGO series. You can find all the sets under the LEGO BrickHeadz section of the Online LEGO Shop.
What do you think? How do you like LEGO BrickHeadz? Are you planning to collect them? And are you going to build some of your own? Feel free to share your thoughts and own review in the comment section below! 😉
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