When 76393 Harry Potter & Hermione Granger, 6-scale versions of minifigures from the Wizarding World franchise, was released during 2021, there was hope that it might lead to a series of figures from various themes being produced. An upscaled Darth Vader, for example, would surely be very popular.
That has not yet come to pass, but a large version of another classic minifigure has just been released which builds upon the design of the first two. 40504 A Minifigure Tribute is the fourth in a series of sets that are available exclusively at the LEGO House in Denmark.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Summary
40504 A Minifigure Tribute, 1,041 pieces.
£69.99 / $84.99 / €79.99 | 6.7p / 8.2c / 7.7c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A fittting tribute to a classic minifigure and a wonderful souvenir of a visit to the LEGO House
- A perfect upscaled replica of an interesting and groundbreaking minifigure
- Coat buttons go out of alignment too easily
- Limited availabilty
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Background
As has been the case with all of the sets in the series, the original sketch model was designed LEGO House modelmaker Stuart Harris. It was then ‘turned into a set’ by super talented designer Markus Rollbühler, who did the same for the last two.
At an online unveiling of the set a few weeks ago, they explained that other classic minifigures were considered, but in the end Captain Redbeard was chosen for several reasons. Firstly, he truly is a classic and groundbreaking figure. Before the release of the first Pirates sets in 1989, all minifigures had classic smiley heads, but that all changed when the swashbuckling buccaneers entered the scene sporting stubble, moustaches, eye patches, lipstick and beards [1], changing the look of minifigures forever. He was also the first figure with anything other than regular legs and hands.
All of this, combined with his intricate printed torso, epaulettes and bicorne hat, makes him an interesting subject to model at 6-scale, and sufficiently different from the Harry Potter duo which, other than their hair, are rather plain in comparison.
He was also a favourite of every kid that had him back in the day!
[1] Not all at once!
Construction
In common with others in the series, this set includes an elaborate display stand with two printed tiles which is built first.
When the set was unveiled, Stuart and Markus explained that all the hard work of getting the torso angles right and the legs and arms attached with enough friction to hold them when posed had already been done for the Hogwarts students, so they did not reinvent the wheel. So, if you’ve built those two you’ll get a feeling of déjà vu when constructing this one.
The internals of the torso are perhaps more complicated than you might expect, incorporating a frame to position the sides at the correct angle and mechanisms to create the friction for the arm joints.
The captain’s jacket, belt and cravat are wonderfully reproduced on the torso and Markus stated that he was particularly pleased with the buckles, which use a bucket handle.
The bulk of the hip assembly is built upside down.
The legs are held in place with stiff Technic ball joints, one on the wooden leg, two on his good one. These provide sufficient friction to be able to pose the figure in a walking position.
The axles to which the arms attach are connected to friction pins via gears to enable the arms to be held in a raised position.
The blue 2×2 round plate behind the hook looks out of place, and I’m not sure why a grey one was not used but it’s a nod to the blue wristbands that visitors to the House are given.
The head is formed using four 78522 BRICK 4X6, OUTSIDE BOW W/ CUT OUT which when combined form a perfect circle. The face and the curved sloped underneath, are printed.
The shape of the bicorne is perhaps not particularly historically accurate, but it does replicate the LEGO version at a larger scale, complete with the circular piece on the right into which a feather was placed in later minifigures that wore this style of hat.
The skull and crossbones decoration is one of two stickers used on the model.
The pirate captain has a treasure map which shows a stylised representation of Denmark with X marking the spot of Billund in the middle of the Jutland peninsula. A Black Seas Barracuda, one of the sets that he came in, is sailing in the North Sea.
The sticker is attached to a 6×6 tile, which is the equivalent of a 1×1 tile at minifig scale. It should have been 12×12 to represent the 2×2 tile version, but I guess that would have looked far too big, as indeed the 2×2 does at minifig size.
The completed model
The figure itself is about 30 cm tall, or 32 cm on the stand. It looks spectacular and is a faithful upscaled replica of the original minifigure.
It can be posed to some extent, although it’s hard to get him to balance without his good foot firmly on the ground.
It can be broken down into the separate minifig components easily, with the exception of the epaulettes, which require part of the neck to be removed to enable the two sides to be joined.
Verdict
It’s a wonderful homage to a groundbreaking minifigure that’s both interesting and educational to build, and a delight to display.
There’s not much I can criticise, really, other than the jacket buttons which are held on with just one stud. That makes them susceptible to going out of alignment when handling the figure, as was the case before I took the photo below.
It costs 599DKK (~£70 / $85 / €80) and is available now exclusively from the brand store in the LEGO House in Billund, Denmark. Its existence is likely to encourage many to plan a visit, and it will make a fitting souvenir of a memorable day there. That, after all, is its raison d’etre.
Enterprising Danish locals are already selling it on secondary marketplaces so if you can’t make it to the shop in person you’ll find plenty for sale on BrickLink priced at roughly double the RRP.
How long will we have to wait before the Sith Lord and Caped Crusader join the growing line-up of 6-scale figures, I wonder…
