No, no. These illegal Lego building techniques won’t have you thrown in jail.
In the Lego community, illegal building techniques are simply ways to fit Lego pieces together in a way that the company never intended.
These techniques don’t follow the official building guidelines, but some creative designers have used them to make one-of-a-kind pieces. Take a look at these clever and illegal Lego builds.
A popular Lego hack.
Using a standard Lego brick and some triangular pieces, you can make a Lego brick that has studs on both sides of the brick. This is a popular hack since the extra studs can make a project’s design more versatile.
This Lego-Modulex crossover.
Modulex were Lego bricks designed for adults in the 1980s and some designers still use them to this day. They were smaller compared to traditional Lego bricks and were supposed to give a more realistic finished product.
This design uses traditional Lego and Modulex bricks to add a realistic brick pattern to a design.
Another way to double your studs.
Using a small Lego axel, here’s another way to connect two Lego bricks so that both ends have studs. Place the axel in the middle of the first brick.
Snap the second brick on top.
Now you have a custom Lego brick with studs on both ends. This way, you can create a variety of Lego bricks in different sizes to meet your building needs.
All the studs.
Using some connectors and thin tiles, you can make columns with all the studs facing out. Besides building, this would also make an interesting wheel for a design, don’t you think?
Vulture replica
One Reddit user used a few illegal builds to recreate the wings for the Marvel villain, Vulture. I am seriously impressed with how creative people can get with some of these designs.
Another way to build walls.
This is a classic illegal build since the studs and anti-studs are not locking into place. This might not give you the most structurally sound build, but if you need fast walls, it is an option.
DIY torch.
If you need to add a little fire to your design, a flame accessory piece will fit in the anti-studs of some Lego bricks. Good to know if you ever want to add a torch.
Axels to the rescue.
Small axels like this one can help you link bricks together so that the studs are facing out. When it comes to illegal builds, there are a bunch of variations on similar techniques. It all just depends on which parts you have at home.
Cobblestones.
With some creative designing and placement, you can create a cobblestone pattern using Lego bricks. I have to say, this looks much more realistic than leaving the studs exposed.
Accessory display.
If you have a medieval playset or just a lot of accessories for your minifigurines, you can build a display for their weapons and other items. This Lego display is more organized than my closet.
Add a gate.
Using the new Harry Potter wand sprues, you can add a decorative accent that looks like an iron gate.
FYI, a sprue is just the plastic mold that comes with the set to hold small pieces like the wands.
Mosaic.
By placing single bricks on an angle and filling in the spaces with triangular pieces, you can create a cool, tiled mosaic design. I’m in awe by how people come up with these designs.
Pinwheel
Often, people resort to illegal techniques when they have a custom design in mind.
The double-sided stud brick is still one of the most popular Lego hacks.
People love sharing the ways they have designed their own version.
Here’s an example of S.N.O.T.
S.N.O.T. stands for “studs not on top” and is a popular illegal build. Here, the technique was used to make a wheel.
Adding Transformer pieces.
In many cases, illegal builds incorporate pieces from other toys, like this gun made from a Transformers toy.
Raspberry beret.
Of course, adding a raspberry to make a new hairdo for your mini-figure is definitely illegal. Cute, though!
Often, you aren’t sure what an illegal build is for until you see the final result.
Illegal builds are often used to make parts for custom creations, so on their own, they don’t look like much.
There’s still a lot of debate in the Lego community over “illegal” builds.
Some builders think that there’s no such thing as an illegal build since the bricks can be used so many different ways.
The original illegal build.
Standing a brick upright between studs is basically the original Lego build. A lot of designers use this technique to create walls for their projects.
It’s actually pretty cool.
You’ll need to attach the LED to a lithium battery in order for it to light up, but I think it’s safe to say that not too many people will have seen a minifigurine like this.
LED mini-figurines.
Evil Mad Scientist discovered that small LED lights fit perfectly inside the head of Lego minifigurines.
With a sharp hobby knife, you can carve a face into your minifigurine, sort of like a Lego jack-o-lantern.
Who knew breaking Lego rules could be this fun? Try these hacks, and let your imagination run wild — just don’t blame us if you’re hooked!
