How to Build a LEGO Pikachu MOC: Round Body, Ears and Tail
The thing that makes or breaks a brick-built Pikachu is roundness. Build the body as a sphere from curved bricks and slopes, keep yellow above 80% of the parts, add red at the ear tips and cheeks, and shape the tail into a lightning bolt. Get those four points right and 300-500 parts will give you a 15 cm tall Pikachu.
1. Color: yellow is the star
Use bright yellow for the main body and let it account for 80-85% of the build. Dark brown and red handle the ear tips and the cheeks, while black covers the eyes and mouth and should stay under 10% of the total. Yellow bricks vary noticeably between production batches, so buy them all in one go. Mix batches and you will end up with a patchwork-faced Pikachu.
2. The body: a sphere in four steps
Step 1 - Base. Start with a 4x4 plate as the chassis, leaving a 2x2 opening in the middle for the leg joints.
Step 2 - Curved layers. Work upward with 1x2 curved bricks, expanding outward and then drawing back in layer by layer to form the round belly. Offset every layer by half a stud; the half-stud stagger is what breaks up the grid and gives you a smooth spherical surface instead of visible steps.
Step 3 - Close the shoulders. Switch to 1x1 slope bricks at shoulder height and angle them inward to get the rounded shoulder line.
Step 4 - Cap it. Build the head and body as one piece, but leave a 1x2 slot at the neck so the head can turn.
3. Ears and tail: the character is here
Ears. A 2x2 curved brick forms the base of each ear, and a 1x1 dark brown brick caps the tip. Tilt the ears forward 15-20 degrees - that angle is what makes Pikachu look alert instead of droopy.
Tail. Stack three layers of 1x2 plates, then bend the stack to create the lightning-bolt shape. Connect the base of the tail with a hinge piece so it can swing up and down.
4. Face and details
Use 1x1 black round bricks for the eyes. Set a 1x1 dark brown brick at an angle at the corner of the mouth to draw the smile curve. The red cheeks are 1x1 red round bricks placed on both sides, two studs diagonally below the eyes - that spacing gives the friendliest proportions.
5. Instructions and build time
brickplan.cn provides step-by-step instructions and a parts list for this Pikachu MOC. A beginner following the plans will need roughly 2-3 hours, and the loose parts run about 150-250 RMB. If you want a challenge, rework it into a sitting pose - the part count climbs to around 600.
FAQ
Q: How many parts does a Pikachu MOC need?
A: About 300-500 for the standing version and around 600 for the sitting version. Curved bricks and slope bricks make up 40% of the parts, and yellow accounts for more than 80%. Bought against the brickplan.cn parts list, the loose parts cost 150-250 RMB.
Q: How do I get Pikachu's body to look round?
A: The core technique is stacking curved bricks layer by layer with a half-stud offset, expanding outward first and then drawing back in to form a sphere. Never force the shape with square-corner bricks - that gives you a boxy Pikachu and the roundness suffers badly.
Q: What if my yellow bricks are different shades?
A: Yellow varies a lot from batch to batch, so try to buy everything at once. If you already have a mixed lot, use the older bricks on the back and underside of the body and the newer ones on the front and face - visually the difference disappears.
Q: Is this Pikachu MOC suitable for beginners?
A: Yes. At 300-500 parts the build is a manageable size, and following the step-by-step instructions takes 2-3 hours. It is a good entry point for anime MOCs. Build it once from the brickplan.cn instructions, then go back and change the expression and the pose.