Melancholic Robot

This build uses an array of techniques to depict a robot, but thanks to careful design choices infuses the character with personality

Melancholic Robot doesn’t have a formal name but some call him ‘Mel’ for short. He was designed and built for the domestic market and was originally programmed for light household chores. Mel experienced a small short circuit when emptying a dishwasher which resulted in him developing a state of emotional consciousness and a longing for companionship.

Mel has lost much of his interest in the day job he was programmed for and spends his days dreaming of a chance meeting with a like-minded robot. He dreams of long walks, theatre trips and watching romantic comedies with a special someone in his life. Until then he’ll sit and wait…

Melancholic Robot - 01 main

lego

Most of my builds tend to be in minifigure scale so this was a chance for me to try something different. I’d acquired a number of ball joints which I wanted to use in a MOC without building a mech suit – it would’ve been very tempting but I was determined to build something less obvious.

I started with the head to try and draw out the character of my Melancholic Robot using a pair of train windows which built into the head sideways using simple SNOT techniques. The mouth went through a few iterations of arch pieces to get right in terms of scale of the entire head and once I’d decided that dictated the shape of the jaw.

Melancholic Robot - 02 look up

After that the hands and the feet were the two elements which I spend most of the time on – the feet went through a number of builds and rebuilds to get right. As I did each iteration I ensured I had a matching pair, before trying something different on one of the feet until I was happy with the aesthetic.

My favourite part usage is the pink flower, which as I recall is from a Belville set which I found in a job lot I bought a while ago – there is not much use for that part usually but I love the contrast against the grey.

Enjoy.

Check out more of Justin’s builds at Flickr, where his username is justin_m_winn.

Melancholic Robot - 03 wave

Author Profile

Justin Winn
I'm long-time LEGO fan who fully emerged from my ‘dark age’ in 2014, after three children and a lot of LEGO building reignited my interest. My first love is Classic Space – they're the first sets I owned – and this passion is reflected in my creations as a recurring theme. You can see my LEGO builds on Flickr, where my handle is justin_m_winn.

Justin Winn

I'm long-time LEGO fan who fully emerged from my ‘dark age’ in 2014, after three children and a lot of LEGO building reignited my interest. My first love is Classic Space – they're the first sets I owned – and this passion is reflected in my creations as a recurring theme. You can see my LEGO builds on Flickr, where my handle is justin_m_winn.

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