The first question many LEGO fans ask when looking at a new set is: how may minifigs does it have? Nearly every LEGO set is built to minifig scale, where the figures roughly equate to a human. No doubt about it, the little guys loom large in the world of LEGO fans.
It’s inevitable, therefore, that there is absolutely no way that LEGO can create enough minifig accessories to please all those rabid fans with their diverse interests. In some instances it’s a brand decision: LEGO will never create an AK-47 or M-16 for one of their models. Other times, it’s a matter of efficiency — once they create the perfect sword, they have little motivation to provide alternative swords without good reason.
That’s where companies like BrickForge come in — creating small batches of custom minifig accessories for a reasonable price.
Brickforge is operated by two of the finest minifig customizers around – RedBean & Armothe. Both independently and together they contribute much to the minifig customization community in the way of custom minifigs, designs, templates, documentation and most notably – their own brand of plastic-injected custom minifig accessories.
Injection molding is a manufacturing technique for making parts from thermoplastic material. Molten plastic is injected at high pressure into a mold, which is the inverse of the desired shape. BrickForge has chosen to use ABS plastic and base its color palette off of the same as LEGO parts (99% color match).
What if you want a more Roman theme for your castle? Good luck waiting an official set. But you don’t have to wait, get your gladius, pilum, Legionary helmet and Roman shield at BrickForge. Most elements cost about $1 or $1.50 each.
They also have elven and goblin weaponry, Halo-esque space marine armor, ‘tribal’ flint weapons, historical blades like the khopesh and macahuitl, and a lot more.
While they have some more technological items, BrickForge’s strong suit is their medieval weaponry. If you want more modern stuff, I suggest you check out BrickArms or the Little Armory.
See my BrickForge flickr set.
