 | |
| Subject | Brick-built portraits |
|---|---|
| Licensed from | The Lego Group |
| Availability | June 2020–Present |
| Total sets | 8 [1] |
| Official website | |
Lego Brick Sketches (stylized as LEGO BRICK SKETCHES) is a Lego theme that recreates iconic characters as stylised portraits. It was first introduced in June 2020. Following the launch of Lego DOTS, a theme mainly targeted towards children, the Lego Brick Sketches theme is the first bas-relief portraits concept to be launched by the Lego Group. [2]
The product line focuses on brick-built portraits. Each set measures over 5 inches (13 cm) high, 3 inches (9 cm) wide and 1 inch (3 cm) deep and contains at least 170 pieces. Built upon 12 × 16 baseplates, each portrait is formed using either round 1 × 1 tiles or round 1 × 1 plates. It also includes a retractable stand for desktop display and a 2 × 2 inch coupling plate to hang the sketch on a wall to support the portraits. [3] Each set was designed by Lego model designer Chris McVeigh, who was hired by the Lego Group after posting numerous brick sketches to Flickr. [2] [4] [5]
McVeigh was inspired to create brick sketches by the marker sketches of pop culture characters produced by his artist friends. He designs brick sketches using Lego Digital Designer, a free consumer-level CAD program. He restricts himself to a brick canvas of 12 x 16 inches, roughly the same size as his friends' ink sketches. He then assembles the piece by hand. McVeigh explained that the process is more restrictive than with markers as "it's always a challenge to find just the right combination of plates to represent a specific character," and "not all parts are available in all colors, and worse yet, I may not have all the parts on hand." [6]
McVeigh explained how he turns his own designs into official Lego products: "The challenge of Brick Sketches is getting as many details into that small 12 by 16 studs canvas as possible. This was always a really fun thing to do, and I would lose myself for hours trying to rearrange parts and trying to fit more details on that small canvas. Obviously, once I joined the company, this is not something that I could really pursue anymore." [7]
McVeigh said that a core aspect of the design is that most characters have shoulders and noted that "it's always been necessary with a character like Batman who doesn't really exist without the cowl". He said this was continued for other characters, such as the Joker, the First Order Stormtrooper and BB-8 with his "ball body". He said that the coloured backgrounds were changed from plates to tiles to give some texture variation. [8] He also said that one of the earliest decisions was that the backgrounds would remain with cut corners because "that was part of the DNA of Brick Sketches". [9]
Lego Brick Sketches was launched in June 2020. As part of the marketing campaign, the Lego Group released four construction sets. [10] [11] Two sets were released in 2021 and based on Disney cartoon characters. [12] Another two sets will be released in 2022 and based on the fictional Marvel Comics superheroes. [13]
According to Bricklink, the Lego Group released a total of eight Lego sets as part of the Lego Brick Sketches theme. [1]
Released on 1 June 2020, Batman (set number: 40386) is based on the fictional DC Comics superhero, Batman. It consists of 115 pieces and can be displayed standing up on desks or hung by its built-in hook on a wall. [10] [11] [14] [15]
Released on 1 June 2020, First Order Stormtrooper (set number: 40391) is based on the fictional soldier of Star Wars, First Order Stormtrooper. It consists of 151 pieces and can be displayed standing up on desks or hung by its built-in hook on a wall. [10] [11] [14] [15] In August 2021, The Lego Group announced the First Order Stormtrooper (set number: 40391) was retired on 31 December 2021. [16]
Released on 1 June 2020, The Joker (set number: 40428) is based on the fictional DC Comics supervillain, The Joker. It consists of 170 pieces and can be displayed standing up on desks or hung by its built-in hook on a wall. [10] [11] [14] [15] [17] In August 2021, The Lego Group announced The Joker (set number: 40428) was retired on 31 December 2021. [16]
Released on 1 June 2020, BB-8 (set number: 40431) is based on the fictional droid of Star Wars, BB-8. It consists of 171 pieces and can be displayed standing up on desks or hung by its built-in hook on a wall. [10] [11] [14] [15] In August 2021, The Lego Group announced the BB-8 (set number: 40431) was retired on 31 December 2021. [16]
Released on 1 March 2021, Mickey Mouse (set number: 40456) is based on the Disney cartoon character of Mickey Mouse. It consists of 118 pieces and can be displayed standing up on desks or hung by its built-in hook on a wall. [12] [18]
Released on 1 March 2021, Minnie Mouse (set number: 40457) is based on the Disney cartoon character of Minnie Mouse. It consists of 140 pieces and can be displayed standing up on desks or hung by its built-in hook on a wall. [12] [18]
Released on 1 April 2022, Iron Man (set number: 40535) is based on the fictional Marvel Comics superhero, Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise. It consists of 200 pieces and can be displayed standing up on desks or hung by its built-in hook on a wall. [13] [19] The initial original design of Iron Man Brick Sketches model created by Chris McVeigh which posted to Flickr in August 2013. In nine years later, the original design has been upgraded and became an official set. [20] [21] [22]
Released on 1 April 2022, Miles Morales (set number: 40536) is based on the fictional Marvel Comics superhero, Miles Morales. It consists of 214 pieces and can be displayed standing up on desks or hung by its built-in hook on a wall. [13] [19] [22]
A Lego minifigure, often simply referred to as a Lego figure or a minifig, is a small plastic articulated figurine made of special Lego bricks produced by Danish building toy manufacturer The Lego Group. They were first produced in 1978 and have been a success, with over 4 billion produced worldwide as of 2020. Minifigures are usually found within Lego sets, although they are also sold separately as collectables in blind bags, or can be custom-built in Lego stores and on lego.com. While some are named as specific characters, either licensed from already existing franchises or of Lego's own creation, many are unnamed and are designed simply to fit within a certain theme. They are highly customizable, and parts from different figures can be mixed and matched, resulting in many combinations.
Lego Harry Potter is a Lego theme based on the film series of the same name and the eponymous novels by British author J. K. Rowling. It is licensed from Warner Bros. Lego models of important scenes, vehicles and characters were made for the first six films and all of the published books. The first sets appeared in 2001, to coincide with the release of the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Subsequent sets were released alongside the new films, until Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The line then went dormant for three years, with sets being released in 2010 and 2011. In 2018, it was announced that more sets based on the Harry Potter franchise would be released, including new sets based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and its sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
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Lego Toy Story is a Lego theme based on the Disney·Pixar's Toy Story film franchise. The first four sets were released on December 30, 2009, with an additional two sets being released on January 4, 2010. In May, five Lego and four Duplo sets were released under the Toy Story 3 sub-theme. For the release of Toy Story 4 there was one Duplo set based on the third film and 6 Lego sets based on the fourth film. These sets were released in March and in April 2019 this time under the Juniors line. The minifigures in the sets were also now redesigned.
Lego Minifigures are a 2010 Lego theme based on a set of collectible Lego minifigures. Each figure is an original character with new clothing and facial designs, and many contain previously unseen accessories. Each series usually contains 16 different minifigures; however, some series contain as few as 9 minifigures, while others contain up to 22. Since 2021, the number of different minifigures for a series is set to 12. In 2023, the Disney 100-anniversary series came out, bringing the total number of figures to 18, although it was once again reduced to 12 with the second Marvel series. This series also introduced paper boxes, instead of the plastic bags, making it no longer possible to feel up the pieces for each figure.
Lego Ninjago is a Lego theme that was created in 2011 and a flagship brand of The Lego Group. It is the first theme to be based on ninja since the discontinuation of the Lego Ninja theme in 2000. It was produced to coincide with the animated television series Ninjago, which was superseded in 2023 by a new series titled Ninjago: Dragons Rising.
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Lego Super Heroes is a theme and product range of the Lego construction toy, introduced in 2011, owned by The Lego Group and licensed from DC Entertainment, Marvel Entertainment, Warner Bros., The Walt Disney Company and Pixar.
Lego Speed Champions is an auto racing-inspired theme of Lego building sets first released in 2015. It features classic and modern styles from well-known car brands.
Lego Disney is a Lego theme based on the various Disney Princesses and Disney characters involved in different Disney films and television series. It is licensed from Walt Disney Pictures. The theme was first introduced in 2016 and was re-branded theme from the Lego Disney Princess line in 2017. The toy line was accompanied by several shorts and television specials based on Lego Disney.
The Lego Movie is an American media franchise based on Lego construction toys. It began with the 2014 film The Lego Movie, which was directed and written by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The success of the film led to the release of two licensed video games, a 4D film theme park attraction, two spin-off films titled The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie, which were released in 2017, Unikitty! an animated television series that also came out in the same year, and the sequel to the original film titled The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part in 2019. Plans for a third spin-off film and a sequel to The Lego Batman Movie were later shelved.
Lego Juniors was a product range of the construction toy Lego, designed for children aged 4 to 7 years old. It acted as a transition from the Duplo to the regular Lego System. Lego Juniors initial release was on February 14, 2014, with the tagline Easy to build. It was the successor to the Bricks & More line released in 2009. Unlike its predecessor, Lego Juniors offered specialized bricks to make builds look more realistic while using fewer pieces for an easier build. The product line was discontinued by the end of 2018 and rebranded as "4+".
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The Lego Movie is a Lego product line based on the 2014 film of the same name. It was licensed from The Lego Group and Warner Bros. Animation. The theme was first introduced in 2014 to coincide with the release of the film, along with The Lego Movie Video Game. Further sets were produced to coincide with the release of the second film in The Lego Movie franchise, titled The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. The product line was discontinued by the end of 2019.
The Lego Batman Movie is a discontinued product line based on The Lego Batman Movie, the second film of The Lego Movie franchise. It is licensed from The Lego Group, DC and Warner Bros. Animation Studios. The theme was first introduced in 2017 as part of a licensing and merchandising programme associated with the film. Alongside the release of the Lego sets, the programme included the release of several promotional short films and The Lego Batman Movie Game app. The product line was discontinued by the end of 2018.
The Lego Ninjago Movie was a product line based on The Lego Ninjago Movie, the third film of The Lego Movie franchise. It was licensed from The Lego Group and Warner Bros. Animation. The theme was introduced in 2017 as part of a licensing and merchandising programme associated with the film. Alongside the release of the Lego sets, the programme included the release of several promotional short films and The Lego Ninjago Movie Video Game. The product line was discontinued by the end of 2019.
Lego DOTS are a Lego theme based on multiple shapes and colourful tiles, with 1×1 elements intended to decorate the products. These include wearable wristbands and decorative room objects that can be individually customised. The theme includes over 30 mood tiles including facial expressions, a music note, a cosmic planet, star night and paw print. The theme was first introduced in March 2020. In January 2023, The Lego Group announced Lego DOTS will be discontinued in December 2023.
Lego BrickHeadz is a Lego theme that recreates iconic characters from themes like DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Star Wars and Disney as buildable characters. The theme was first introduced in 2016.
