LEGO NPU: Clikits Edition
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What are Clikits? Well, it’s a theme near and dear to my heart. It’s a theme with wild colors, wacky pieces, bizarre connections! It’s a theme... that is unfortunately all too obscure.
For a bit of history, Clikits was a mid-2000s LEGO theme that was all about jewelry, purses and picture frames. Sounds an awful lot like Dots, right? Maybe on paper, but not in practice. Clikits pieces actually weren’t made to connect like normal elements through conventional studs or technic pins. Instead, they “clik” together using a unique protruding pin-style connection to holes in other pieces that match the same diameter as a standard LEGO stud/Technic hole. These connections don’t nestle very well into the anti-stud of a standard brick— however, the holes in Clikits pieces make fantastic anti-studs themselves.
That’s where our exploration of the connection abilities and MOC possibilities of Clickits begins! Let’s take a look at some awesome NPU (nice parts usage) using pieces that a few of us may have accidentally thrown out while sorting not knowing they were actually LEGO!
Firstly, we have this cute little fella, aptly named the Boreal Wyrm.
As per the norm for Djokson, he perfectly merges CCBS style building with system elements. But take a closer look at the Wyrm’s eyes. What's that piece? That would be a Clikits icon, specifically a heart-shaped piece, cleverly nestled against an icy Bionicle element.
Moving along, this rendition of the Stars and Stripes looks fantastic!
Credit to Bruce Lowell, who used 50 white stars! Acquiring that many of them is quite impressive!
By now, you probably have a BrickLink cart full of the icons, but you need to attach them to your builds! That’s not the easiest task. One of the most versatile pieces would be this little guy, known on BrickLink as Clikits Bead, Ring Thick Small with Hole. It doubles as a double antistud too, which is pretty cool! It even makes some sweet headlights!
1saac W. makes a bunch of vehicles using crazy techniques and elements if you need any inspiration!
My personal favorite Cikits elements are the bracelets and the rings. Both of them come in a myriad of colors, most of which unfortunately are rather difficult to get in any significant quantity. In my “Pinktron” builds, I used both elements in trans-dark pink.
This is the Telecom Array, with a shady looking astronaut scanning for power crystals. He’s been flat out of luck so far…
It may look like a powerful weapon, but Pinktron happens to be a completely peaceful faction. Anti-asteroid cannons come in handy when mining near an asteroid belt. The Clickits rings help with targeting!
So the next time you are sorting through some bulk LEGO or find an old bucket full of pieces you don’t recognize, keep an eye out for Clikits. They may just have that perfect unique piece you need that will make people exclaim “NPU!”
Have you ever used Clikits in a LEGO build? Let us know in the comments below!
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