Lego is working on a whole new kind of minifig customization.
For the last two years, designer Jens Hjorth has been working on a top-secret project. The reveal finally happened. Hjorth’s creation: the minifigure factory.
The machine doesn’t create minifigs from scratch. What it does do is print customized designs onto minifig torsos, and this is no pokey, one-at-a-time printer. Lego blog The Brothers Brick reports that it’s capable of printing on batches of 40 minifigures in one go.
Hjorth’s minifig machine utilizes a Roland LEF UV printer. That’s the same kind of printer that many shops have been using to pump out their own custom minifig creations.
To make a custom minifig, you simply step up to the touchscreen kiosk. There you can choose from a number of stock design elements — like different types of clothing and shapes — and adjust colors to your liking.
You’re also free to add custom text to your designs. The minifigure machine can even print on both sides of your minifig’s torso. A large, bright display lets customers know when their minifig is finished printing.
Right now there’s only one minifig machine. If you want to try it out in, you’ll have to take a quick trip over to Denmark and visit the Lego Store in Copenhagen.
The machine costs around $25,000 per printer but when you’re a multi-billion-dollar business and the world’s largest toymaker this price is just not that steep.