Body Battlers: A "New LEGO Theme" of MOCs

[Nuju Metru]

Hey everyone!

This is the topic for my all-new "theme" of MOCs, a series of creations designed to emulate LEGO's official set style. I'm excited because it represents quite a stylistic/genre shift from my last project like this, Dragon Lands, which was a fantasy series.

Welcome to "Body Battlers," a retro-futuristic sci-fi adventure set inside the human body! Two 1950s teens—Roy and Tara—have been shrunk down to microscopic size to help a body's white blood cells fight off a dangerous infection, led by the evil disease Infekto. In this (openly pseudo-scientific) imagination of the fight that occurs constantly inside all of us, germs and antibodies are armed for battle, piloting cool machines and bouncing from one organ system to the next in their struggle. It's all ray-guns, pulse lasers, and niftyness!

I really enjoyed playing around in a new genre, exploring the intersection between 1950s pop culture, retro-futurism, and human biology. MOCing in vibrant/"rare" colors, trying to create curved lines and distinctive silhouettes, and coming up with satisfactory set concepts were my most engaging challenges.

Clicking the pictures below will link you to their larger versions. If you'd like to also see play feature videos, check out my Flickr stream.

52016 Gastro’s Diner

712 Pieces

Resist the evil Infekto at Gastro’s Diner! In his wicked quest to sicken everything, Infekto has decided to corrupt the stomach, so he and Symnella have attacked Gastro’s diner, where honest cells go to get their glucose. They’ve taken the joint hostage, and have even coerced Tara into waitressing… But Tara has learned some of the old diner’s secrets! Can she and the Antibody Officer save Gastro’s and free the stomach? Includes 5 minifigures.

• Includes 5 minifigures: Tara, Gastro, an Antibody Officer, Infekto, and Symnella.
• Features a 1950s-style diner complete with tiled floors, padded vinyl seating, a jukebox, a sleek counter, and a fully stocked kitchen.
• Also includes a viral spore cannon and a stylized roadside sign.
• Change the marquis on top of the diner from neon print to a working six-shot defense cannon.
• Hide weapons inside the jukebox and the fuse box.
• Send the booth and table tumbling by pressing the lever.
• Shoot the viral spore cannon at the diner.
• Cover the diner in infection, or remove the infection bits.
• Open up the diner to change from rectangular to linear orientation.
• Weapons and accessories include two double-barrel pulse pistols, a Sanitize Launcher, a viral spore launcher, an electric drill, a nausea zapper, a sniper laser, a serving tray, two milkshakes, and two plates of glucose.
• Diner measures more than 14” (36cm) wide, 5” (14cm) deep, and 6” (15cm) tall.  

52015 DNA Defense

458 Pieces

Defend the DNA from capture! The wicked Infekto has donned a gargantuan suit of robot armor, intent on stealing the body’s very blueprints, its DNA. If Infekto takes the DNA, antibody cell production will become corrupted… and the W.B.C. aren’t about to let that happen! Armed to the teeth with jetpacks, sanitize snipers, and an experimental new weapon—the “Cure Blaster”—Captain Vaccius, Antibonnie, and Roy have come ready for a final battle. Will they be able to put a stop to Infekto? Includes 4 minifigures.

• Includes 4 minifigures: Roy, Antibonnie, Vaccius, and Infekto.
• Features a giant suit of robot battle armor, featuring retro-stylized design, hefty weapon arms, and an opening pilot area.
• Also includes a large DNA protection bubble, a DNA observation bubble, and a mitosis facilitator.
• Launch the giant infection ball from the robot’s projectile arm.
• Fire off viral spores from the robot’s projectile arm.
• Turn the bar to make the robot’s fierce drill activate.
• Store Infekto’s pistols and arms on the robot while he operates its controls.
• Robot armor is fully poseable, with 11 points of articulation including a turning waist.
• Turn the knob at the DNA protection bubble’s base to make the genetic material inside rotate.
• Weapons and accessories include the Cure Blaster, two double-barrel pulse pistols, an electric drill, a nausea zapper, two sniper lasers, two jetpacks, and a cell undergoing mitosis.
• Robot measures more than 8” (21cm) tall, 7” (19cm) wide, and 3” (8cm) deep.
• DNA protection bubble measures more than 4” (11cm) tall, 3” (7cm) wide, and 4” (11cm) deep.  

52014 Chevrolac Cruise Convertible

454 Pieces

Patrol the bloodstream in Roy's slick Chevrolac Cruise Convertible! With oversize bubble wheels that can change between ground and flight modes, a spacious four-seat interior, and wicked cool teal paneling, this car is an ultimate vehicle for traversing the bloodstream. That's why Infekto's minion, Flooz, is so intent to take it down! Will the Chevrolac’s hidden cannon be enough to fend off the germ speeder? Includes 3 minifigures.

• Includes 3 minifigures: Roy, Tara, and Flooz.
• Features a cool 50s-style car with four-seat interior, detailed dashboard, and sleek coloring.
• Also includes a germ speeder and a bloodstream fuel pump.
• Push down the lever to convert the Chevrolac from rolling to flying, and back.
• Lift the Chevrolac’s hidden spring-loaded cannon to open the rear into battle mode.
• Open the hood to see the car's engine.
• Fire infection bolts from the germ speeder.
• Weapons and accessories include a double-barrelled pulse pistol and a raygun.
• Car measures more than 8” (20cm) long, 3” (8cm) wide and 2” (5cm) tall.

52013 Betrayal at the Ole Factory

317 Pieces

Survive a devious betrayal at the Ole Factory! Mucus Millionaire, boss of the Ole Factory smell processing plant, believes mucus profits will increase in a germ takeover… so he’s concocted a plan to betray the rest of the body! But Roy—muckraking in the truest sense—overhears the slimy plot and copies it down on his trusty typewriter. Will Roy escape to warn the others, or will Mucus Millionaire and his Minion send him to a smelly end? Includes 3 minifigures.

• Includes 3 minifigures: Roy, Mucus Millionaire, and Mucus Minion.
• Features a functional assembly line featuring industrial greebling, cilia on the ground, and a fully positional robot arm.
• Also includes a catapult disguised as a stack of discarded boxes.
• Turn the wheel to make the conveyor belts move and the blades spin.
• Scan the smells with a laser powered by a light brick.
• Move boxes along the track to receive newly processed smells.
• Launch smells, the typewriter, or even Roy from the box catapult.
• Fire sticky vials from Mucus Millionaire’s snot-thrower.
• Weapons and accessories include a ray-gun, a typewriter, a wrench, a hammer, a snot-thrower with extra vial, and four captured smells.
• Ole Factory measures more than 11” (27cm) long, 6” (14cm) wide and 4” (11cm) tall.

52012 Nervous Break-In

213 Pieces

Protect the neuron from a nervous break-in! Typhax has broken into a sensory cluster, and he’s intent on capturing a neuron, one of the body’s receptor—or is it reception?—cells. Even the resourceful Tara, armed with her best ray-gun, won’t be enough to stop him. So Tara signals for help, and Antibonnie of the W.B.C. rushes over in her nifty, decked-out patrol speeder! Can these two spiffy ladies save the neuron from Typhax’s illness? Includes 3 minifigures.

• Includes 3 minifigures: Tara, Antibonnie, and Typhax.
• Features a cool retro patrol craft with police lights, oversize engines and a bubble canopy.
• Also includes a neuron desk with telephone for signaling back to the brain, and a protected emergency button.
• Fire sanitize bolts near the patroller’s engines.
• Break off the patroller’s engines to simulate a crash or battle damage.
• Eject Antibonnie from the vehicle and engage her flying jetpack.
• Fold down the patroller’s landing gear.
• Fire the viral spores from Typhax’s laucher.
• Flip up the protective cover over the red button.
• Weapons and accessories include a viral spore launcher, a ray-gun, and a sniper laser.
• Patroller measures more than 6” (15cm) wide, 4” (11cm) long and 2” (5cm) tall.

52011 Phagebot Attack

92 Pieces

Watch out for the fearsome Phagebot’s attack! Armed with viral spore launchers and sharp spider legs, the Phagebot is an ideal machine to abet Symnella in her devious mission to infect muscle tissue. An Antibody Officer gets dispatched to the scene— will his Santize Launcher be enough to stop the germs in their tracks, or will he be imprisoned within the Phagebot and his DNA taken hostage? Includes 2 minifigures.

• Includes 2 minifigures: Symnella and an Antibody Officer.
• Features a sinister gigantic bacteriophage-style robot, with spiderlike legs, cool spotted patterning, and a DNA prison bubble.
• Also includes a piece of infected tissue.
• Launch the viral spores at the Phagebot’s side.
• Turn the knob at the base to reposition the spore guns.
• Capture the Antibody Officer in the DNA prison bubble.
• Fire the Sanitize Launcher.
• Weapons and accessories include a Sanitize Launcher, a high-speed drill and extra viral spores.
• Phagebot measures more than 5” (13cm) tall and 5” (14cm) wide.

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Thank you for looking! I'd love to hear any/all commentary you have.

Edited September 14, 2017 by Nuju Metru

[BrickbyBrickTechnic]

I'm mostly a Technic person (as you may see from my display name) but this is really cool. I love how you make everything seem so official. In fact, I was under the impression that this was an official LEGO series! 

The MOC/Set is really nice. I love what you did with the wheels of the car. And you added in some smaller bad guy build to pair with it, which made the seem 100% official.

The storyline is also quite interesting. I can't wait to see more.

[Digger of Bricks]

What a quirky, novel concept! I'll just say, I haven't seen a hypothetical theme topic for awhile now, at least for the time I've been a member here; but having said that, I can't wait to see what you have in store for this project! 

It's interesting to see many of these 50's sci-fi MOCs pop up on this forum all of a sudden, primarily thank to @PaddyBricksplitter. I'm sure he will also be interested in this project. 

Edit: By the way, you should share this idea on @Peppermint_M's Future Action And Adventure Themes topic, she also would love this idea!

 

Edited September 2, 2017 by Digger of Bricks

[Peppermint_M]

I am Peppermint_M and I approve this MOC!

Can't wait to see more in the series, the bright colours and the 50s styling are fantastic and the added Biological aspect is just the sort of mash-up that makes a MOC theme pop.

[-zenn]

Awesome theme concept! Reminds me of this 80's kids show I used to watch, but also of Osmosis Jones.
Love the aqua in the car, makes me think of 'oxygen', which incidentally also happens to travel the bloodstream... Though I'm missing some rollerskates on Tara, for some unexplanable reason.

[Nuju Metru]

I've just added the second set, 52011 Phagebot Attack, to the first post. Go have a look!

19 hours ago, BrickbyBrickTechnic said:

I love how you make everything seem so official. In fact, I was under the impression that this was an official LEGO series! 

I'm always so glad to hear when people mistake my MOCs in this style for real products by TLG-- means I'm capturing the look and feel properly. Thank you!

17 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

It's interesting to see many of these 50's sci-fi MOCs pop up on this forum all of a sudden, primarily thank to @PaddyBricksplitter. I'm sure he will also be interested in this project. 

I've appreciated Paddy's '50s sci-fi style stuff over on Flickr recently; it's definitely a funny coincidence that he and I decided to tackle a similar genre around the same time! When I started conceiving of this project months ago, I got attracted to the retro-futurist aesthetic for a few reasons, one of which was that I wanted to have a stronger sense of genre while making and presenting these MOCs. Generic-style sci-fi just didn't feel right for such an outlandish, zany concept as this!

11 hours ago, Peppermint_M said:

Can't wait to see more in the series, the bright colours and the 50s styling are fantastic and the added Biological aspect is just the sort of mash-up that makes a MOC theme pop.

Thank you! I'm very satisfied with the blend of ideas behind this series, so I'm glad you find them appropriate as well.

33 minutes ago, -zenn said:

Awesome theme concept! Reminds me of this 80's kids show I used to watch, but also of Osmosis Jones.
Love the aqua in the car, makes me think of 'oxygen', which incidentally also happens to travel the bloodstream... Though I'm missing some rollerskates on Tara, for some unexplanable reason.

I've never actually seen that kids show you reference, but wow, it's quite similar in some regards! I've gotten a lot of people likening this project to Osmosis Jones, and I definitely noticed parallels myself. I watched that movie, like, once when I was younger, but I guess it stuck in my brain... I like to think of Body Battlers as an "Osmosis-Jones-meets-Magic-Schoolbus-meets-1950s-pop-culture" piece.

Well, in the Chevrolac set, Tara's body (and hair) are pulled pretty blatantly from the Waitress CMF from a few series ago (one of my favorites). That's probably why you're wondering where her skates are.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Nuju Metru

[Littleworlds]

Very unusual (and pretty cool) concept with quite charming builds and characters. I like that.  For an official set, I think TLG would consider it a bit "uncanny" though. Infections and body parts... even on a microscopic level 

[PaddyBricksplitter]

This is cool. Very believable as Lego sets. I especially like the car's action features. The whole thing is so very well presented.

Edited September 5, 2017 by PaddyBricksplitter

[Digger of Bricks]

I've checked out your work for all four waves of your Dragonlands theme; and I'll say, you've really got knack for creating some amazing playset like creations!  

By the way, how many sets do you have in store for this theme? Have they all been completed or is it currently a work in progress?

[Nuju Metru]

I just added the third set, 52012 Nervous Break-In, to the first post!

On 9/2/2017 at 11:10 PM, Digger of Bricks said:

By the way, how many sets do you have in store for this theme? Have they all been completed or is it currently a work in progress?

At this point, all the sets have been completed. There are six in total!

[Nuju Metru]

And I've also added 52013 Betrayal at the Ole Factory. Puns abound above!

[mon-o-mat]

Those look believable like real sets. I actually think that trying to do so is more of a challenge than many of the huge mocs you often see on the start-page. Why? (Not only because I try to do such a thing myself ;-) ). Because you need a huge creativity and ingenuity to create unique mocs that look good, while a kid could play with and have fun with them without breaking them apart and all that on a limited ammount of bricks.

[Lyichir]

These are amazing and feel a lot like they could work as actual sets (with the caveat that the combination of biology, sci-fi and retro aesthetic feels like it might be a bit too high-concept for kids).

I do find it amusing that you've posted this in the Sci-Fi forum, though—you know if a theme like this were actually released it'd end up in Action Themes like almost every other zany sci-fi theme that doesn't explicitly have to do with space.

[Aanchir]

I saw these on Brickly and they're fantastic! I love the creative mashup of 50s imagery in an sci-fi "human body" setting. It definitely stands out from any previous LEGO themes, although the convertible somewhat calls to mind Space Police III with its sci-fi re-imaginings of cars and trucks. I can tell you had a lot of fun naming the sets, too! Some of the play features are really brilliant, particularly the pop-up shooters on the convertible and the conveyor belt in the factory.

It's really impressive how you took a purist approach to the design of the sets and minifigures. The colorful branches take on a whole new meaning as networks of cells, as do the flowers as spore-like ammo. And your WBC and germ forces have some really striking and coherent designs and costumes, despite being pieced together from figs from so many different themes!

I agree with Lyi, though — these would almost certainly be relegated to Action/Adventure Themes forum if they were real sets! That's just the way things seem to work here on Eurobricks most of the time… if a theme overtly blends more than one genre/concept and isn't licensed or set in space, that's where it winds up.

While this wave of sets you've dreamed up is more than strong enough to stand on its own, it does get my imagination racing to wonder what direction the sets and story might go in if a theme like this were to get a second wave…

[Nuju Metru]

I've just added the next set, 52015 DNA Defense, to the first post. Have yourself a look— there's just one more set to be revealed!

On 9/7/2017 at 0:49 AM, mon-o-mat said:

Those look believable like real sets. I actually think that trying to do so is more of a challenge than many of the huge mocs you often see on the start-page. Why? (Not only because I try to do such a thing myself ;-) ). Because you need a huge creativity and ingenuity to create unique mocs that look good, while a kid could play with and have fun with them without breaking them apart and all that on a limited ammount of bricks.

Yeah, building something small and functional can often be, from my experience, harder to do than building a huge creation that might be designed to be photographed from just one angle. Adjusting the details of these MOCs to my satisfaction made them quite labor-intensive builds, in spite of their relatively small sizes!

On 9/7/2017 at 3:52 PM, Lyichir said:

I do find it amusing that you've posted this in the Sci-Fi forum, though—you know if a theme like this were actually released it'd end up in Action Themes like almost every other zany sci-fi theme that doesn't explicitly have to do with space.

Well, you're probably right! I dunno, I always saw this as a "sci-fi adventure," so this was my first impulse on where to post it.

On 9/7/2017 at 6:43 PM, Aanchir said:

I saw these on Brickly and they're fantastic! I love the creative mashup of 50s imagery in an sci-fi "human body" setting. It definitely stands out from any previous LEGO themes, although the convertible somewhat calls to mind Space Police III with its sci-fi re-imaginings of cars and trucks. I can tell you had a lot of fun naming the sets, too! Some of the play features are really brilliant, particularly the pop-up shooters on the convertible and the conveyor belt in the factory.

It's really impressive how you took a purist approach to the design of the sets and minifigures. The colorful branches take on a whole new meaning as networks of cells, as do the flowers as spore-like ammo. And your WBC and germ forces have some really striking and coherent designs and costumes, despite being pieced together from figs from so many different themes!

I agree with Lyi, though — these would almost certainly be relegated to Action/Adventure Themes forum if they were real sets! That's just the way things seem to work here on Eurobricks most of the time… if a theme overtly blends more than one genre/concept and isn't licensed or set in space, that's where it winds up.

While this wave of sets you've dreamed up is more than strong enough to stand on its own, it does get my imagination racing to wonder what direction the sets and story might go in if a theme like this were to get a second wave…

Thank you! Naming the sets and coming up with their descriptions was definitely a fun part of this exercise, like a cherry on top of getting to work on such fun builds.

I'm glad to hear you find the minifigs distinctive and cohesive. I'm also quite happy with how they turned out— aside from Tara in the waitress getup, these are all pretty much new combinations. It took some investing on BL to get all the right parts, of course...

A second wave might come in the future! You never know. There's pretty much infinite possibility in the human body for adventures to adapt.

[Digger of Bricks]

OK, that DNA Defence one is cool! There is so much to admire in the construction and aesthetic of the antagonist's mech, such as the rib cage like midsection, the skeletal upper arms, and the usage of those Technic panels nicely nestling in its pilot. I really like those varying electrical "Tesla" globes too!  

By the way, what head is the antagonist using and where is it from?

[x105Black]

This is a really interesting concept.  It reminds me of Ultra Agents meets Innerspace.  Nice work on the models, they look like the real deal.

[mon-o-mat]

Have you thought about what the flagship-set could be?

BTW, this would go really well with some sort of app, that reads the DNA. Not that I like that since in my opinion it is a hidden ad and very dangerous for children.

Edited September 9, 2017 by mon-o-mat

[Nuju Metru]

On 9/9/2017 at 8:41 PM, mon-o-mat said:

Have you thought about what the flagship-set could be?

Yes-- and I've just posted it! It's 52016 Gastro's Diner. 

On 9/9/2017 at 4:07 PM, x105Black said:

This is a really interesting concept.  It reminds me of Ultra Agents meets Innerspace.  Nice work on the models, they look like the real deal.

Thank you!

On 9/9/2017 at 2:32 PM, Digger of Bricks said:

OK, that DNA Defence one is cool! There is so much to admire in the construction and aesthetic of the antagonist's mech, such as the rib cage like midsection, the skeletal upper arms, and the usage of those Technic panels nicely nestling in its pilot. I really like those varying electrical "Tesla" globes too!  

By the way, what head is the antagonist using and where is it from?

Infekto's head is one of the Ninjago ghosts' heads. Without its mask/headgear, it's not too recognizable!

[Digger of Bricks]

Well, Gastro's Diner is certainly a fun, appropriate flagship set to conclude this wave with.  For me, the most clever part of this set is your usage of that one strange Trans. Neon Green snake part from Ninjago used for the neon signs of diner. That just works awfully well, it was the first thing that caught my eye. 

All in all, this has really been a fun, novel series of set creations! They are all great in their own respects, but your initial Chevrolac set is still the crown jewel of this wave! I should add, your Antibody officers were also a fun character addition to these sets, I kind of really liked those.

By the way, do you have plans for another wave for this theme in mind? If not, any other theme ideas in the pipeline? 

Edited September 11, 2017 by Digger of Bricks

[Henchmen4Hire]

Have to say, after scrolling through the sets without reading anything, I had no idea what the theme was. I would have guessed it was "aliens abducting '50s era people, and by the way here are some weird plants."

Now that I've read some of the description to get my bearings...I'm still not entirely sure what's happening, but I like it.

I especially like that vehicle that shoots the infectious green missile, it's literally a snot rocket. lol

I think the sets could use more little set pieces like the gas station pump and rotary telephone to crank up the '50s vibe, just so the sets aren't overwhelmingly sci-fi with a random greaser and waitress minifig thrown in.

Great to see new ideas popping up.

[Umbra-Manis]

Excellent overall work on the theme, it was a real pleasure watching it come together! (Albeit a few days behind since no Android Brickly yet) 

[Leonardo da Bricki]

I would definitely pick these up if they were in stores. Awesome ideas, executed very well.

Personal favorite is the "snot rocket" that comes with convertible.

[Nuju Metru]

On 9/11/2017 at 5:04 AM, Digger of Bricks said:

Well, Gastro's Diner is certainly a fun, appropriate flagship set to conclude this wave with.  For me, the most clever part of this set is your usage of that one strange Trans. Neon Green snake part from Ninjago used for the neon signs of diner. That just works awfully well, it was the first thing that caught my eye. 

All in all, this has really been a fun, novel series of set creations! They are all great in their own respects, but your initial Chevrolac set is still the crown jewel of this wave! I should add, your Antibody officers were also a fun character addition to these sets, I kind of really liked those.

By the way, do you have plans for another wave for this theme in mind? If not, any other theme ideas in the pipeline? 

Thank you! I'm quite happy with that particular part usage as well.

Personally, the Chevrolac is also my favorite. It's definitely the model I spent the longest amount of time on; getting the look, as well as the functions, perfect was a real job, tons of tinkering.

I'm not currently planning a second wave— but who knows, I had such a fun time with the concept this time around, one might be in the cards for the future!

On 9/11/2017 at 4:46 PM, Henchmen4Hire said:

Have to say, after scrolling through the sets without reading anything, I had no idea what the theme was. I would have guessed it was "aliens abducting '50s era people, and by the way here are some weird plants."

Now that I've read some of the description to get my bearings...I'm still not entirely sure what's happening, but I like it.

I especially like that vehicle that shoots the infectious green missile, it's literally a snot rocket. lol

I think the sets could use more little set pieces like the gas station pump and rotary telephone to crank up the '50s vibe, just so the sets aren't overwhelmingly sci-fi with a random greaser and waitress minifig thrown in.

Great to see new ideas popping up.

One of the greatest challenges I faced when building this project was the lack you've just pointed out: it was really tough for me to come up with enough '50s-style iconic objects and places to densely populate the series of sets. Of course, there's the car, the diner, the telephone, the typewriter, the phone, and the gas pump: but I really wanted to add more, and to make the Body Battlers world feel super-'50s.

Of course, the more sci-fi elements—like the speeders and robots and whatnot—are designed in a retro-futurist palette. I had an eye on dozens of reference images of '50s aesthetic, pulled from fiction and history, while building the vehicles of the series. I hoped that the era's visual vocabulary of rounded lines, smooth surfaces, and popping colors would be enough to ground these creations in a '50s sensibility, even if they didn't have any of the "little set pieces" you and I both wanted more of.

On 9/12/2017 at 8:31 AM, Umbra-Manis said:

Excellent overall work on the theme, it was a real pleasure watching it come together! (Albeit a few days behind since no Android Brickly yet) 

Thank you!

On 9/12/2017 at 11:40 AM, Leonardo da Bricki said:

I would definitely pick these up if they were in stores. Awesome ideas, executed very well.

Personal favorite is the "snot rocket" that comes with convertible.

It was actually an unintentional pun, the "snot rocket" thing, but I'm glad I've seemed so clever!

[weeble1688]

I've been reading this set/theme thread since it first got put in the sidebar as a new item - really cool stuff! Very 1950's/Fantastic Voyage feel to it, and I love all the little call-outs to the era, from the Chevrolac to the diner's payphone.  Please make another wave of these - or pitch it/them to Lego Ideas!  This theme could even be a fun way to teach kids about germs and the body's defenses against them - who knows? Anyway, great ideas and I would buy the whole theme if it came out in-store!