LEGO busts: a potted history, mostly in Star Wars and Marvel
More LEGO busts are about to launch, bringing the collection back to its origins while sticking to the same themes it has been in for 25 years.
LEGO bust sculptures are not a new concept, but they’re not nearly as common as statues or sculptures of helmets and heads in the portfolio. A pair of new busts were recently revealed for LEGO Star Wars, launching 25 years after the first LEGO bust model, which also happened to be a Star Wars set.
We’ve prepared a closer look at the comprehensive history of LEGO busts for the 25th anniversary of this unusual build collection, and you’ll notice a pattern throughout the report. Read on for a trip through LEGO bust history.
2001: 10018 Darth Maul
LEGO busts started in 2001 with 10018 Darth Maul. The Star Wars set was part of the early explorations of LEGO Star Wars sculptures, opting for a near-life-size recreation of the Sith’s head and shoulders. Every other LEGO bust in history has been much smaller than this, save for one experimental build in another theme.
2018: 75997 Ant-Man and the Wasp
The convention-exclusive 75997 Ant-Man and the Wasp from 2018 is one of the most adaptable LEGO busts to date. The model is primarily intended to depict Ant-Man submerged in water, with his shoulders and head sticking out of the waves. This is why the Wasp minifigure is included for scale. When displayed independently, though, this is the first LEGO Marvel bust. Notably, recent bust builds have gone back to including minifigures, too.
2019: Sith Trooper and Darth Vader busts
More limited-edition models available only at conventions include a duo of models from 2019. These depict a Sith Trooper and Darth Vader and are explicitly labelled as busts, too. While Darth Vader has since returned to the LEGO bust collection, the Sith Trooper has yet to make a comeback, both in LEGO Star Wars and the franchise itself.
76215 Black Panther
The only other truly massive LEGO bust to be released aside from 10018 Darth Maul was launched in 2022, 21 years after that original set. 76215 Black Panther paid tribute to the titular character across over 3,000 pieces, adding the gauntlets from his outfit to the usual head and shoulders. Big LEGO busts are more of an outlier in the collection, especially in the last few years.
2025: Spider-Man and Iron Man busts
Last year’s additions to the LEGO busts range continued the Marvel representation with new depictions of Iron Man and Spider-Man. The latter character’s appearance is based on his iron outfit from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, specifically.
These were the first LEGO busts to introduce the concept of adding a minifigure version of that character, and that concept has continued since. The overall idea of pairing a minifigure with a bigger LEGO bust also started in Marvel in 2018.
2026: Yoda and Darth Vader busts
2026’s LEGO busts bring the collection back to Star Wars across 75438 Yoda Bust and 75439 Darth Vader Bust. Darth Vader is a familiar member of the bust range, but Yoda is new and stands out for including his arms, as well as a lightsaber. These two sets are available to pre-order now, launching on April 26.
Honourable mention: minifigure-scale busts
LEGO busts aren’t limited to bigger brick-built models, though. There have been several minifigure-scale busts across various sets, all using a common design. Such busts have appeared everywhere from Marvel and Disney to the BrickLink Designer Program. It’s interesting to see that LEGO busts have mostly appeared in Disney-owned themes, though they’re not quite exclusive to the likes of Marvel and Star Wars.
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