On The Run: Making Miniland Figures Come to Life

Now you know how to model miniland figures and even how to dress them in various outfits. The next step is to give them the feeling of motion or action. They can’t all just stand there at attention with their legs perfectly straight. But unlike minifigs, miniland figures have no hinges on their legs. Thus, making it appear as if they are moving or doing something is a matter of selecting elements that once again give the appearance of something that isn’t really there.

As you can see in following examples, the action being undertaken is implied by the position in which you, the builder, pose the figure.

The character shown in Figure 4-11 appears to be in motion rather than just standing still.

With her arms swinging out from her body, the woman in Figure 4-11 looks like she may be walking. Notice the 75-degree outside corner slopes that I used to create the illusion that her long dress is moving with her legs. Rearranging the elements you used to create the legs and/or substituting other pieces is all that it takes to add some life to an otherwise motionless figure.

Now take a look at the person in Figure 4-12.

This fellow is crouched down, perhaps calling to a pet dog or watching as his bowling ball rolls down the lane. What you may notice is that he’s really not all that different from the very first character you saw back in Figure 4-3. In fact, to make him bend down, you only have to change or move a few pieces. In Figure 4-13, I colored those pieces in black so you can see which ones are different than those in Figure 4-3.