[MOC] Royal Doulton Bulldog Union Jack

[Leewan]

Back in October, Lego launched a James Bond-themed contest on Ideas. I didn't initially plan on entering, but ultimately got an idea that I thought was original and interesting enough. I mostly did that because I wanted to challenge myself and to try to do something difficult, something I had never done before, and didn't care about winning a prize.

So I came up with a Lego rendition of M's bulldog statue, seen in Skyfall and Spectre :

 

Now, obviously this is the real version. Here's my build :

 

 

I initially wanted to use slopes and curved slopes to shape the flag, but it didn't look really good, so I decided to use plates instead. The studs would help erase the stairway effect created by the different layers of plates, and create a generally smoother shape. Plus, it would make the distinction between the dog and the flag clearer.

When I found out - much to my surprise - that I ended up being one of the two Runner Up Winners, I decided I couldn't let my entry stay a digital build only, so I made a few changes to the model, ordered the necessary parts, and built a physical copy of the MOC :

Most of the changes are invisible : some parts that don't exist yet have been swapped for parts that do exist (like the 1x3 jumper in red, or the 1x1-1x1 bracket in white), there's been a few structural changes to make it easier to attach the head and the chest to the body, and I've added a small pedestal that showcases the MOC better, and more importantly that helps securing the arms (otherwise they'd only be attached to the body with a single stud, and could easily fall off).

You can see how the MOC is built by checking the 3D model on Mecabricks, and if you want to build it yourself, you can get the parts list here.

[koalayummies]

Gorgeous build! Didn't even have to mention James Bond as it was instantly recognizable as M's statue. The whole build is excellent, perfect execution on the face, legs, draped flag, indeed the entire design. Well done.

[carebear]

Great Great Build!!!

Love this!!!

Greetings!

[sunhuntin]

Beautifully done. Congrats on placing the in the contest.

[jimmynick]

It's a bit of an awful piece of pottery, but you've captured its likeness well and even made it a little bit more friendly in appearance. Congratulations on the gong in the contest.

[Leewan]

@koalayummies, @carebear, @sunhuntin : Thank you. (:

 

7 hours ago, jamesn said:

It's a bit of an awful piece of pottery

Haha, to be honest it's part of why I picked this subject. James Bond is more commonly associated with nice cars, and more particularly Aston Martin, so it's something people will more naturally tend to build. Having already done that myself, this time I thought I'd go the completely opposite direction and build an ugly statue of a dog instead. 

[jimmynick]

And you did it well