Boost your sci-fi collection with this life-sized Darth Vader bust

If you’re a big fan of Lego or sci-fi classics, we can bet you've got a collection of memorabilia going to honour them. However, if you ever get tired of posters, CDs, and other run-of-the-mill collectables, you'll know the need for a unique object to make your stock truly stand out. Here's the perfect solution!

Bricker Builds recently introduced a life-sized Darth Vader bust to blow away Star Wars and Lego enthusiasts alike. Let’s see what makes this one-of-a-kind creation so special.

What is Bricker Builds?

Bricker Builds is a small team of artists and designers who design never-before-seen creations using Lego bricks. Its team often builds the models itself and makes them available to others. Although it's not affiliated with Lego, it is devoted to the brand and wants to add value to this thriving community.

Bricker Builds' founder, Christopher Gearhart, launched it back in 2020. Its website lets you download instructions to build life-sized replicas of your favourite characters. Each model is designed and sculpted by talented artists to ensure accuracy, structural quality, and affordability.

A genius proprietary tool enables Bricker Builds to create buildable models you can assemble on your own. It automatically chooses low-cost parts for you, too, so you don’t burn a hole in your pocket finding the right pieces.

Here’s how the process generally works:

• Choose a model from the store.
• Buy a complete kit, including the bricks and instructions, from Bricker Builds to order all the necessary items in one go. 
• Alternatively, buy just the instructions, download the parts list and XML file. Upload the XML file to bricklink.com to order them from independent sellers.

Bricker Builds provides easy-to-follow instructions with each product, including the life-sized Darth Vader Bust.

What's the life-sized Darth Vader Bust?

If you’re ready to come to the dark side, prove your commitment with this life-sized Darth Vader Bust. It’s one of the most impressive-looking Lego models ever designed, of one of the most fearsome villains ever.

The bust is a whopping 20.5 inches tall and consists of nearly 3,000 bricks. It's a perfect and sizeable addition to any Lego collection, let alone a Star Wars haul. 

What makes this project superior to other Darth Vader models is that it’s a bust, not just a helmet as so many other designs feature. Bricker Builds went a step further, constructing a part of Darth Vader’s torso. This includes the chain holding up his sweeping cape, to hint at a lot more of this iconic character.

You’ll also appreciate the size of this beast. On average, it’s 10 times larger than Darth Vader helmets. Even if you show it to a non-Star Wars fan, their jaw will drop.

As you rotate the bust, you’ll see a perfectly-calculated amount of sloping in the helmet to help mimic the legendary Darth Vader's look. Naturally, most of the figure is black, but there are canny details in the forms of metallic touches and more.

Anyone who knows Star Wars well will be aware that Vader's eyes are actually red-tinted, not just black, as showcased way back in A New Hope. It's this sort of attention to detail that makes Vader seem like he’s ready to launch an assault at any moment.

Bricker Builds went out of its way to seamlessly combine translucent black bricks with red sections to replicate this small detail, and that's a marker of how much love and attention has gone into its design.

The mouthpiece, the source of those insanely memorable breathing sounds, is another incredibly well-designed component. It’s a triangular part with several bricks inside to show Darth Vader’s breathing apparatus. Once you construct it, you'll almost be able to hear the air pump that works as his life support system.

Furthermore, Bricker Builds came up with a nice, stable construction. The biggest thing that stands out about the build is that the manufacturers didn’t use technic pieces – it’s 100% Lego Bricks. It results in an extremely sturdy model with nothing but bricks, which is almost unprecedented.

The weight distribution is spot on. Nothing in the front or back feels too heavy, making the bust extremely well-balanced. You won’t waste time trying to balance the model on the stand or your table. It’s designed to sit firmly without any support, eliminating the risk of breakage due to instability.

You might think assembling the bust could be monotonous because most of it it’s black, but that’s not the case. There are plenty of red and white bricks to break up the overall black motif and make for an enjoyable build experience.

Besides the bust, you also get well-written instructions. They show you how to construct Vader in easy steps using the same process official Lego builders utilize to build convention displays. As a result, you shouldn’t have trouble assembling this mesmerizing sculpture, even if you’re a beginner.

Tips for putting the bust together

The life-sized Darth Vader bust comes with detailed instructions, but assembling the model can be daunting if you’ve never used Lego before. What should you do to make the process easier?

The first step is to check if you have all the parts. Discovering a piece or two is missing midway through the assembly can be frustrating. Hence, make sure you have everything you need before you start.

Next, organize your parts. Put the white and red bricks on one side and the black bricks on the other to visualize the end result better.

With all parts in front of you, open your instructions and start building. Consider setting aside the components necessary for each step before assembling what’s on the page. If you assemble each sub-model correctly, it’ll slide into place like a jigsaw puzzle. When placing individual bricks, press them down firmly so the studs are securely in place and don’t wobble.

But even if a part doesn’t fit, no worries – go back to the instructions and be sure you've got the right brick.

Finally, there’s no need to use super glue with any Bricker Builds model, including this Darth Vader bust. They lock into place and are extremely stable as is.

Make heads turn with a realistic bust

Nothing says "die-hard Star Wars and Lego fan" like this life-sized Darth Vader bust. It looks amazing and is exceptionally well-made. The bricks complement each other perfectly to maximize stability.

So, don’t hesitate to add it to your collection! Click this link, and you can get a $10 discount, making it an even better deal.