Perfect Pieces: Steampunk

[vynsane]

I thought it would be a good idea to create a series of topics in this area for the best go-to pieces for certain building themes, things that really work well within that certain niche be they minifigure pieces or standard bricks. I thought Steampunk would be a good first theme to tackle.

While I've not yet built any Steampunk MOCs, I plan to - it's such a rich "world" with so much flexibility yet features a highly distinct aesthetic. Victorian era sensibilities mixed with modern or even futuristic technology that runs on steam power - how could that NOT be cool?

For some inspiration or, for the uninitiated, for an idea of what Steampunk is, here are some prime examples:


Dampf-Renner by captainsmog, on Flickr



The Chair of Ultimate Power by 2 Much Caffeine, on Flickr



Aether traveler by captainsmog, on Flickr


In terms of minifigure pieces that seem to fit well in this aesthetic, two official themes come to mind: Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean. A lot of the torso prints in both have a certain old-world flair to them. Those that spring to mind from HP are:

Gilderoy Lockhart


Argus Filch


Professor Flitwick


Fred/George Weasley



Two heads that, to me, give off that Steampunk vibe are

Professor Hooch


Luna Lovegood


Luna's spectrespecs especially have that Jules Verne quality to them.


Minifigure images from Brickset. See all the images in the Harry Potter Minifigure Gallery.

[vynsane]

In terms of general colors, the aesthetic tends to lean towards earth tones - brown, tan, and dark red with accents in gold and sometimes silver.

[lukeskywalker]

I like this theme of building.

[unclephn]

The Chair of Ultimate Power looks pretty awesome. I wish I had my own life-size version to sit in!

Star Wars would be a good place to find that 'Republic Red' coloured bricks. PoP for some tan colours.

Vynsane, this is a great idea for a series of threads. A newbie like will learn a lot from them!

[vynsane]

Vynsane, this is a great idea for a series of threads. A newbie like will learn a lot from them!

I hope they will be very informational/inspirational.

Star Wars would be a good place to find that 'Republic Red' coloured bricks. PoP for some tan colours.

Thanks for the input, I had neglected to mention - it would be a great help for everyone to mention sets that some of these pieces come in.

You're right, PoP is excellent for gold, browns and tans. Pharaoh's Quest is, too - PQ even has dark red in most sets.

[vynsane]

Often times the most indicative feature of a Steampunk MOC is... steam! The two most prevalent ways of indicating steam exhaust are using the 'ice cream scoops' piece:


Steamobile - side view by captainsmog, on Flickr

Or a mish-mosh of 2x2 plates in a rather randomized pattern to indicate movement:


Japan expo Comic con Freelug creations by nabeule1, on Flickr

White is generally the best color to go with, as anything else makes the exhaust look a bit more 'dirty' and modern.

[Pilotdude]

Do they make the "ivy" peices in white? Those might could be used effectively as steam.

[danutsta]

nice, i love steampunk. never would have thought to do it with lego.

[Neo]

Really cool looking ...

[StClair]

thanks for posting these. They have inspired me. I now find myself looking at ALL minifigures to see if hair or torso might be useful for different genres. I'm not most focused on figure parts that may lend themself to Victorian era themes (Steampunk or not) for future MOCs. I can't wait until I finally finish grad school so that I actually build.

I've noticed that the torso of Bilbo Baggins may be a great torso for creating new minifigures. I'm sure some of us have more than one since he is in so many sets. Its a nice torso with jacket and tie (or is scarf) and no flesh color showing around the neck. I was disappointed that Frodo's torso had flesh showing on the neck

[Tiffany9292]

wow really awesome designs, wondering how much time would it take to finish 1 model...

[deafpilotboy]

Awesome creation, you should post them on LEGO IDEA!