Classic Space Minifig
After seeing LEGO set 3723, LEGO Minifigure, I thought it would be really cool to see it in different themes. Andrew Martian had that idea as well, and he built a Black Falcon version. This inspired me to make the classic space minfig version which you see here.
I started out with the most difficult question of all: which color? The classic space minfigs came in white, red, yellow, blue, and black. I would have really like to make black, but it wouldn't have done the classic space series justice to make out of anything other than one of the original two colors: red or white.
I opted for red because those were the ones I had the most bricks for initially (I still ended up spending a lot of money at the Bricklink shops for more red bricks anyway :-).
The body was initially the easiest before putting in the logo. I had to tear apart the upper portion of the body to get the logo in to make sure it fit properly. I had to rework the logo several times to reduce the amount of details and be able to get it centered properly within the model's torso.
I made the tanks next. The nice thing about making this sculpture was I had a very small model to use for reference. :-) When I made the tanks, I had to take into consideration the weight balance so the model would not tip over. Fortunately, that only happens when you put it on carpet.
Fortunately, the arms, the head, and the hands were fairly simple to do (following an instruction guide and making modifications along the way), except for the waiting for the bricks to come in.
I found myself constantly out of parts--no matter how much I tried in the beginning to have enough. I did modify the head a bit--the classic space minifig has a solid stud head, so I had to fill in the top of the head.
The helmet came along surprisingly easy. The important thing was to make sure it was removable--just like the minifig's helmet does. I had to reduce some of the bricks in the back of the helmet so it would fit over the tanks. This also enables the head to turn a bit with the helmet and tanks on.
I think the thing that surprised me the most was how heavy this model is. I don't feel particularly thrilled with the idea of putting him on a table. I think he'll just guard on the ground for now :-)
Some stats: about 2 feet tall, heavy, very red, and over 2,000 pieces.