Building your own LEGO® minifigure is easier than you might think. Every minifigure is made of a handful of loose parts that fit together perfectly, whether they are from 1980 or from this year. Pick a head, a hairpiece, a torso and legs, put something in its hands and you have a character that exists nowhere else. In this guide you will see what a LEGO minifigure is made of, how to build one step by step, three example figures you can copy, and where to get the loose parts.
Prefer to choose everything in one place? In our minifigure builder you pick a part for each step and add them all to your cart at once.
What is a LEGO minifigure made of?
A standard minifigure has five parts, plus whatever you give it to hold:
| Part | What it is | Shop the parts |
|---|---|---|
| Head | A small cylinder with a stud on top and a printed face, often on both sides | Minifigure heads |
| Hair or headgear | Clips onto the stud on top of the head | Hair, helmets, hats and caps |
| Torso with arms and hands | The upper body, almost always printed with the outfit that tells you who the figure is | Decorated torsos |
| Legs | Hips and two legs as one part, plain or printed | Plain legs, printed legs |
| Accessories | Tools, weapons, capes and backpacks | Accessories, weapons, body wear |
Short legs for children and dwarves, and other leg shapes, are in modified minifigure legs.
How to build your own LEGO minifigure
1. Start with an idea
Who is your figure? A police officer for your own city, a knight, yourself, or a gift for someone with a particular job? A clear idea makes every choice after this much easier.
2. Pick the torso first
The print on the torso says the most about your character: a uniform, a jumper, a suit of armour or a jacket. Start here and build the rest around it.
3. Find legs that match
Pick the same colour as the torso for overalls or a suit, or a contrasting colour for trousers under a shirt. Printed legs add details such as belts, pockets or boots.
4. Choose a face
Watch the skin tone: classic minifigures have yellow heads, many newer and licensed figures have a realistic skin tone. Match the head to the hands on the torso. A head with two faces gives you two expressions in one.
5. Finish it with hair or a helmet
A hairpiece or a hat turns the same figure into someone completely different. Pick a hair colour that matches the eyebrows or beard printed on the face.
Choose hair → or choose a helmet or hat →
6. Give it something to hold
A tool, a sword, a cup of coffee or a cape completes the story.
Three example minifigures to copy
Not sure where to start? These three figures use real LEGO parts with their part numbers, so you can build them exactly or use them as a starting point.
Firefighter
- Helmet: fire helmet 3834, in red or white
- Torso: fire uniform with gold badge 973pb0300c02
- Legs: plain legs in black
- Head: any head with a determined face
Construction worker
- Helmet: construction helmet with ear protectors 18899pb01
- Torso: construction vest with pockets 973pb0263c01
- Legs: plain legs in dark blue
- Tool: pickaxe 3841
Pirate captain
- Hat: pirate tricorne 2544
- Torso: pirate captain jacket 973p36
- Legs: plain legs in blue
- Weapon: scimitar 60752
How to put a LEGO minifigure together (and take it apart)
Press the hips and legs under the torso until they click. Put the head on the neck of the torso, then clip on hair or a helmet. Taking it apart works the other way round: pull the hair or helmet straight up, twist the head off gently and pull the legs straight down off the torso. Do not lever between torso and hips with a fingernail or knife, because that cracks the plastic. Arms and hands can come off too, but they are a tight fit and wear out faster if you swap them often, so most builders leave them on.
Tips for a minifigure that looks right
- Match the colours: LEGO colours have fixed names, and two shades of grey or brown can look alike without being the same. Read more in our guide to LEGO colour names.
- Mini-dolls do not fit: LEGO Friends figures are mini-dolls with a slimmer body. Their parts do not fit a regular minifigure, and the other way round.
- Old and new do fit: a head from the eighties fits a torso from today, so you can mix vintage and modern parts.
- Check the print on used parts: heads and torsos wear first. Look at the photos when you buy used, or choose new if the figure is a gift.
Ideas for your own minifigure
- Yourself or someone else as a minifigure: choose a torso that fits a job or hobby, hair in the right colour and an accessory that belongs to that person. A fun gift for a birthday or retirement.
- Residents for your own city or MOC: builders often fill their cities with their own figures so not everyone looks the same. Read more in our guide to building your first MOC.
- Completing a figure from a set: missing a helmet, a weapon or a torso? Order just that one part.
Other ways to make a LEGO minifigure
- LEGO's Minifigure Factory: in some LEGO Stores, and online in some countries, LEGO can make a minifigure with your own print. Check lego.com to see whether it is available where you live.
- A complete minifigure as a base: start with a complete minifigure or a figure from the Collectible Minifigures series and swap parts from there.
- Watch out for fakes: custom figures from other brands can look like LEGO without being LEGO. Our guide on spotting fake LEGO minifigures shows the difference.
Order the loose parts for your minifigure
At CrocoBricks you order heads, hair, torsos, legs and accessories one by one, new or used, and only genuine LEGO. Put a whole minifigure, or ten, in one cart and pay shipping once. Order on a working day before 16:00 and we ship the same day.
Build your minifigure: heads · hair · helmets and hats · torsos · legs · accessories
Or pick all the parts step by step in the builder and add them to your cart in one go.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make a LEGO minifigure of yourself?
Yes. Choose a torso that matches your clothes or job, hair in your colour and a face that looks like you, with glasses or a beard if needed. For a figure with your own print, such as your name or a logo, check whether LEGO's Minifigure Factory is available in your country.
Which parts do you need for a LEGO minifigure?
A head, a torso with arms and hands, and a pair of legs. Hair or headgear and an accessory finish it off.
Do all LEGO minifigure parts fit together?
All standard minifigure parts fit together, old and new alike. Only mini-dolls from LEGO Friends and some special figures, such as big figures or droids, have a different format.
How do you take a LEGO minifigure apart?
Pull the hair or helmet straight up, gently twist the head off and pull the legs straight down. Do not use a knife or fingernail between torso and hips.
What is a LEGO figure called?
Officially it is a minifigure, often shortened to minifig.
