In our newest dive into the world of NPU (Nice Parts Usage), we will explore some interesting uses for minifigure accessories! From guitars to firehoses, pom poms to paint rollers, these small but mighty pieces unlock endless creative potential.

Doesn’t that balloon animal look like a piece of candy? is it just me?

Humble Beginnings

A minifigure accessory needs a minifig, right? Well, our favorite little plastic people hit the consumer market in 1978, and with them came our first taste of what was to come: an axe, a broom, a shovel, a pickaxe, a hairbrush, and a signal paddle.

Fun fact: That signal paddle? I always thought it was for taking pizza out of the oven. (Am I the only one?)

These tools were groundbreaking at the time, but little did we know the explosion of variety that awaited. Nowadays, it seems there’s a new accessory in every few sets. Spoons! Whisks! Boomerngs! What could be next? It’s anyone’s guess.

Sneaky Like a Ninja

LEGO designers use NPU in sets all the time, especially in Ninjago City! They have the added benefit of potentially changing the colors of a minifigure accessory to fit their needs, but some of the most brilliantly simple NPU ideas come from official LEGO sets. Let’s take a peek!

Is that a harpoon antenna? Maybe she’s gonna use it to catch the fish!

Partspamming lets you create interesting textures, like this crowbar roof. As the standard bar element adds up to 0.4 studs across, you’re able to barely jam 19 crowbars to the middle section of a Bar 12L with 1 x 2 Plate End Solid Studs and 1 x 1 Round Plate End. Then, you can shape the awning however you like because of the hinge. The whole Ninjago City series is full of NPU rooves! Look close and you may even see a few minifig megaphones hiding in the build too!

Looking up towards the top level of the same set, there’s an awesome puffer fish submodel with a little fin on the back. It’s actually a fan element that originated way back in 2011 for the Collectible Minifigure Kimono Girl. And that’s one of the more obvious examples of NPU out there.

Let’s Really Hammer It In

LEGO Ideas sets often use pieces in wacky ways, and the A-Frame Cabin is no exception! At first glance, there’s nothing too crazy… but if you shift your gaze toward the foundation, something stands out like a sore thumb. Are those Mjolnirs? How many alternate timelines worth of Thor hammers did they acquire them from? 18, to be exact!

The fan designer Andrea Lattanzio (Norton74) really had fun with that one. BrickNerd even showed how the hammers could be used to make the cabin look more rustic. But that is aside from the point. Today is all about NPU!

Now, let’s go over some minifigure accessory NPU from ther AFOL community.

The Key to NPU

BrickNerd’s very own Markus Rollbühler (he designed Ninjago City too) is an NPU expert who finds neverending uses for all these tiny tools. He’s littered this scene with wacky parts all over, especially in his build, Tour de Paris. Did you see the balcony with the ornate fence? It’s crafted from a bunch of keys still attached to the sprue!

But that’s not all. The geese in the river use a fur collar element stacked on top of a Ninjago bandana, and the Citroën 2CV uses some minifigure hands and hook hands for the front bumper. And aren’t minifigure hands the ORIGINAL accessory?

An Exo-Force To Be Reckoned With

Marius Herrmann, aka steponabrick, is another builder who knows how to think outside the brick. Known for his Sawtooth from Horizon Zero Dawn, he doesn’t always build on such a grand scale. I adore his Micro Sentai Headquarters, an itsy bitsy version of one of my favorite sets. He’s expertly used a pair of maracas as the bombs for Mecha One’s mecha.

Hidden throughout the build are minifigure hands, carrots, and even roller skates. The joy of builds like these lies in the hunt for these hidden gems. Did you manage to find them all?

Return to Sender

At BrickNerd, we have a soft spot for LEGO animals. I’ve got a feeling Michael Jasper does, too. He makes all sorts of small-scale furniture and sometimes makes them for penguins. His penguin-sized creations are nothing short of delightful. Case in point: his deckchairs crafted from boomerangs. Who knew such a simple part could create such an elegant effect?

He’s also used a watch ring around the umbrella! These small touches elevate his work and inspire us to see our LEGO collections in a whole new light. Maybe it’s time to build in penguin scale?

They Just Keep Rolling In

AFOL turned Master Model Builder turned official set designer Maxx Davidson went NPU crazy with The Elder. His totem utilizes three roller skates for eyes, pen and microphone elements for noses, and a whip for a decorative vine.

The little dude is no exception, either. He’s got puffer jacket pants, a Harry Potter wand for a staff, and a backward Dragonian Warrior helmet for his mask. It is certainly a worthy addition to the #letsbuildwith25elements challenge where every part matters!

Don’t Sit This One Out

Every once in a while, we here at BrickNerd make instructions for you guys! One of our instructions gurus, Dan Ko, created this lovely rose! With chairs and rail plates for petals, what’s not to love?

Might come in handy for valentines day, its coming around the block!

Head over here to build it yourself! With Valentines Day just around the corner, it gives you just enough time to source the pieces.

The Final Accessory

Minifigure accessory NPU proves that size doesn’t matter when it comes to creativity. From the humble signal paddle used to cook pizza to railings made of keys, these parts prove that inspiration can strike in the most unexpected places. So next time you’re digging through your LEGO minifigure bin, take a closer look at those tiny tools. You never know what NPU you might just unlock.

Have you ever used a minifigure accessory in an unusual way? Lets us know down below!

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