Minifigure Customization 2: Why Live in the Box?

Why live in the box? Populate your world with any alien, superhero, historical, action, horror, or science-fiction figure you can “Just imagine.” Minifigure Customization 2: Why Live in the Box? takes an advanced look at the hobby, introducing more complex techniques to alter the lovable LEGO minifigure, and building on the techniques introduced in the first book. It features tutorials on virtual customization, designing decals and advanced decal application, custom part modification and creation, including 3-D printing, advanced painting techniques, lighting figures with LEDs or EL wire, tips on minifigure displays, and digital photography tips to capture your custom figures in the best light. Essential tools used to create custom figures are identified and updated, and a Gallery of custom minifigures from top customizers is included, where they share their favorite tips and tricks.

Author Biography

After a long day of helping pursue a cure for cancer, Jared Burks, Ph.D., relaxes by custom crafting his own LEGO minifigures. Known online as Kaminoan, he has created thousands of custom minifigs over the last two decades. An assistant professor in Leukemia and co-director of the Flow Cytometry and Cellular Imaging Core facility, Burks oversees expensive equipment shared by researchers around MD Anderson which allow researchers to see, sort and analyze thousands, or even millions, of a person’s cells very quickly. But at the end of the day, his idea of relaxing is focusing on something bigger than a cell, like a light saber the size of a toothpick, oOr a pair of goggles smaller than a thumb tack. He’s a regular contributor to BrickJournal, the magazine for LEGO® enthusiasts.