The Case For LEGO Purism

Purist. It almost sounds like a dirty word, like elitist or other words that end in -ist. Yet whenever I come up with an idea for a new build I always think about how I can accomplish that with bricks that LEGO has produced themselves without altering the bricks in any shape or form.

To me, that is the essence of being a purist. It’s the love for the unaltered LEGO brick. Even when the company has encouraged altering LEGO bricks, like flex tube for example, it just hurts to cut it. It feels wrong to purposefully break something that is perfectly fine as it is. I’m probably more purist than most builders who label themselves as such (especially considering all the barely legal “purist” techniques out there). Illegal building techniques are things that give me an itch and I steer clear away from them as much as I can.

So why is it so important to me to use the bricks as intended? This is my case for LEGO purism.

Knowing Your Parts

“Hey, does that part exist in LEGO?” That is a thought that has crossed my mind often when looking at builds from other people online and in person. Sometimes this gives me a rush of inspiration when I find out that indeed, that part is Original LEGO™, but when it’s not, I quietly curse the builder who found themselves in need to use something that isn’t LEGO. I mean, honestly, why?

I think I’ve got a fairly extensive knowledge of most of the bricks and pieces LEGO has produced up until now, so when I encounter a brick I don’t know about I’m almost hesitant in researching it for fear of it not being actual LEGO. Most builders I know about do not have any problems with using parts that are not original LEGO. Be it strings or rubber bands, cutting out your own sails or capes, using third-party bricks or parts, or actually physically cutting bricks or plates to the right size. (I’m pretty sure everybody shudders when they think about cutting LEGO bricks to size… unless you’re a psychopath of some sort!)

If there is such a thing as a consensus among us AFOLs, I reckon it would be that everybody has the right to do whatever they may please with their own bricks. That’s certainly how I view the situation regarding people trying to defend their horrid ways of disfiguring their beautiful LEGO bricks.

This creation by Stephan Gofers is stunning and the especially the forced perspective with the buildings looks amazing. However, the sphere at the top uses two halves of the Star Wars planet sets. These did not align well so I know for a fact that he filed down the excess pieces to make it fit better. OF course, the result looks great, but I myself would just never have done such a thing. To me, this kind of feels like cheating and I would have looked for a different solution, but I cannot deny that it really fits well with the overall scene he is setting.

Loving Limitations

Finding the torsos for the HAradrim was challenging when building my Mûmak from Lord of the Rings, but when I saw this torso pop on BrickLink I knew it would be perfect. I also particularly like the brick-built decoration on this figure’s back. I know there is a way to buy these characters from third-party sellers, but being able to fiddle about and create this out of actual LEGO gives me so much more satisfaction with the hobby.

Still, I have received surprise or disbelief when I say that if it’s not LEGO I will not use it. Several times people have commented on events that if I had used this or that non-LEGO part it would have worked better at which point I tell them I don’t care because that is not LEGO.

When people ask me why that would matter I tell them there is mainly one reason: I first and foremost am a fan of LEGO, not just the idea of building something with interlocking construction building bricks. I like the product and the many different ways in which you can use it.

I love the limitations because they fuel my inspiration to use the parts we do have in ways people don’t expect it. Without purists we would have a lot less Nice Part Usage in amazing builds, I’m certain of that. I’m even willing to state that the term wouldn’t even have been coined in the first place.

Money and Minifigs

The quality of clone brands often leaves a lot to be desired. Some of my friends have bought me some fake LEGO (aka FLEGO) in the past and the clutch and fit are often all over the place: either too tight or not present at all. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I think less of someone who buys off-brand LEGO. I understand that cost and availability are huge factors in deciding what people are going to buy. It’s just that I am a fan of LEGO and I’d rather spend my money on that authentic product.

And trust me, being a fan of fantasy-themed LEGO, I know firsthand that spending money on official LEGO products can be rather pricey. I shudder thinking about all the Lord of the Rings minifigures I have collected over the years and the insane amount of money they are worth now, but I would not have it any other way. It does sometimes make army building a little difficult, but it does help me in being creative and encourages me to look for out-of-the-box solutions for cool minifigures.

I feel like this build perfectly encapsulates my struggles with Purism. The tusks on this Oliphaunt were very challenging to get right. it took weeks of trial and error and ordering parts on BrickLink to get the right kind of shape. I love the solution I came up with in the end and it really works well, but I could have just used existing parts and spray-painted them in the right colour. I’m so glad I didn’t though because it looks so much better this way. Also, the way I had to assemble the HAradrim forces was quite challenging as LEGO has never given us official HAradrim Minifgiures and it took quite a bit of mixing and matching to get to this result.

On The Hunt

I do understand that to accurately portray certain elements from minifigures or vehicles, certain parts do not exist in the vast diversity of LEGO bricks so it might be easier to substitute said non-existent parts with non-LEGO or even paint them, but to me that’s cheating. I especially hate (yes, hate, not strongly dislike or disapprove of, but HATE) when people use things that are easily made out of LEGO or when LEGO has the exact same piece that you could use for the same effect.

I see this mostly in custom minifigures. I love using and finding interesting minifigure torso and leg combos and making entirely unique figures in the process. I love that chase and search on BrickLink, literally scouring page after page of minifigure torsos or minifigure heads to find the perfect head for that one minifigure that looks the most like the Witcher or Joel from the Last of Us. It gives me such a rush when I find a metallic cupcake piece that looks perfectly like the end of a jet engine. It helps me think outside of the box and make thin If I wanted to modify my bricks, stick decals on my minifigure, or paint my bricks because that one piece does not exist in the right color, I would have picked model building as a hobby instead of LEGO.

To me, using custom parts feel like cheating… like LEGO is not good enough. That’s not to say third-party vendors don’t produce amazing things, but I often see things LEGO has already made or which can easily be made from LEGO if you just use it creatively. 

I think this build by Inthert is a great example of seeing an unconventional part and using it for a purpose it was totally not designed for. That is why I love working with the limitations OF official LEGO parts provided to us. I was glad to be able to talk to the builder who made this and share our love for building in a purist way, although I must admit that certain illegal techniques are still a bit too unstable for my taste, the result HOWEVER looks amazing.

But I hear you wondering, what if there is this one thing you’re just dying to build, it’s been on your wishlist for years, maybe even decades, and the only way you can build it is by using this one non-LEGO part? Easy, I won’t build it... Yet.

Inspiration to Build

LEGO pieces inspire me to build. Seeing a part that reminds me of a certain greeble of a spaceship or that one piece of headgear that looks perfect for a Haradrim warrior gives me so much joy to build and expand on my collection. To me, that is so much part of the thing I like about the hobby. It is about using the limitations to their fullest and most unique degree to portray cool LEGO builds. And I have seen so much NPU in so many builds that it is definitely possible to achieve cool things with just LEGO bricks.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that everybody LEGO builder should be a purist. I’m just saying that if you like to paint, cut or modify your own collection, you should stay the hell away from my bricks!

Best of BrickNerd — Article originally published April 12, 2023.

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