For 2-dimensional cartoon characters, there's lots of 2d reference material, but not many 3d references!
He stands at around 40 studs tall, 24 studs wide, and 15 studs deep. The mouth and cheeks were the jumping-off-point, as they were the most important things to get right. Part 6044 - Slope 53 3 x 1 x 3 1/3 with Studs on Slope is the only SNOT brick in existence that allows for SNOT at a 53 degree angle without any hinge elements. It does come in white - but not since 1998. Outdated elements making a return isn't completely alien to LEGO, and think of the SNOT possibilities! I was pleased with how well the eyes turned out with the teasaucer elements, and getting the right length of whiskers with the antenna piece was very satisfying too! It would be fun to see how this would work as a UCS set like the Simba and Bowser large scale figures, or the Black Panther bust.
I have used SNOT techniques to strengthen the connection between the panel that forms the back of the head and the 'spine' of the head. More deconstruction shows how the 'cheeks' sit at an angle on hinge bricks to achieve the iconic mouth shape. Double snot bricks hold the pink ear slopes in place and the older technic plates with holes are slotted into studs, with 'log' slopes for the ears.
Marvin the Martian (Looney Tunes) (2025)
I absolutely LOVE Looney Tunes, and I was thrilled when LEGO produced their own line of Looney Tunes Collectible Minifigures. Marvin the Martian was always a really memorable character for me. Taking inspiration from some of the large scale characters, such as Chewbacca, C3PO and Simba, I set out to create my own interpretation of this iconic character. The head is where most of the weight is in the model, but I've taken steps towards making him stable, as you can see in the screenshots below. For instance, i've used bars threaded through the base of the head, and using a stud-to-Technic-axle-hole connection, which is very strong. He also has a hole at the back of his shoes that can be placed on an axle which protrudes from the base! In future I might scale down my Raygun design, as he was always seen in the cartoon with some sort of gun!
Feathers McGraw (Wallace and Gromit) (2025)
Normally when AFOLS showcase their character/movie MOCS, they open the caption with a quote.
Not the case with Feathers McGraw. One of the best silent movie villains, period. The new 2x2 curved quarter slopes and 3 x 3 round bricks made this a much less challenging build!
Bugfinder Gerald (Original Character) (2025)
The idea for this bug-obsessed kid started with the minifig size magnifying glass piece - but it wasn't big enough. I looked at how I could scale it up - a thin pulley wheel tyre and a clip bar with technic connectors seemed to do the trick. Then i needed to make the boy to scale. The magnified eye is a 3 stud wide radar dish, where the other eye is only 2 studs wide, creating a sort of optical illusion. Lining up the shot to create the illusion was challenging but fun! The hero factory plate armor makes for a perfect bug shell! Friends have said he looks a little bit like an Aardman character and I totally agree with that sentiment.