LEGO Minecraft has offered many fantastic minifigures through the years – here are some of the best skins that the theme has offered.
First released in 2009, Minecraft was an instant hit and went on to be officially published in November 2011. The video game was (and still is) so popular that it soon went on to become the best-selling video game of all time. The block based sandbox game, designed by Swedish developer Mojang Studios, has gone through multiple iterations since its release. Over a decade later the latest edition of Minecraft has built massively upon the simple, original concept.
Naturally, with its blocky aesthetic, Minecraft was a great match for the LEGO System and it didn’t take long before LEGO fans were recreating their Minecraft builds with LEGO bricks. The LEGO Group responded when fans demanded the game be adapted, releasing a small line of Minecraft ‘Micro World’ sets in 2013 off the back of a successful CUUSOO campaign. In those sets, a 1×1 LEGO brick represents one Minecraft block. These micro sets whilst nice looking, are fairly limited and the LEGO Group quickly made the switch to full minifigure scale Minecraft sets. 2014 saw the release of 21113 The Cave, which features a small cave build, a brick-built spider, a zombie minifigure, and of course, a Steve minifigure.
Whilst the character Steve is Minecraft’s default player model, the video game also enables gamers to create their own custom player skins. This has given LEGO model designers a huge amount of creativity and options when designing minifigures for LEGO Minecraft sets.
Here is a look back through at some of the best LEGO Minecraft skins…
2014 – Steve
Simple and classic. The first LEGO Minecraft minifigure, of course, was Steve. This minifigure first appeared in 2014 in 21113 The Cave and has gone on to appear in a plethora of sets. At the start Steve was the only player character minifigure that was available, but the LEGO Group has gone on to design a host of different skin designs.
If you’re looking for a classic Minecraft set that really captures the video game’s essence then look no further than 21115 The First Night. Like The Cave, The First Night features the iconic blue Steve minifigure. Also included in the 408 piece set is a brick-built pig and creeper. Originally retailing for £39.99 in 2014, this set recreates a player’s modest, first Minecraft house.
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2018 – Skull Arena Player 2
By 2018, the LEGO Group had changed it up and was offering more than the basic Steve minifigure. As the name implies, Skull Arena Player 2 is one of two minifigures to come in 21145 The Skull Arena.
This small set, released in 2018, only comprises of 198 pieces but retailed for £19.99. Considering the low piece count, the main selling point of The Skull Arena was of course the two minifigures. Both are great and the pixel based printing helps the minifigures stand the test of time.
2020 – Kai
Moving on to 2020, LEGO fans received several new Minecraft sets, including 21160 The Illager Raid. Originally retailing at £59.99, this set includes 562 pieces and five minifigures – including Kai.
This minifigure is a ninja clad in red and is clearly a reference to Kai from long-running LEGO theme NINJAGO. Whilst the crossover might seem odd, it’s actually very in line with the Minecraft video game. Since players can create their own custom skins, it isn’t unusual to see popular characters recreated in pixel form.
2021 – Beekeeper
Moving forward a year sees the release of 21165 The Bee Farm, which includes the Beekeeper minifigure. Alongside the Beekeeper is a baby sheep, a villager and a whole swarm of bees. The set is made up of 238 pieces, including several clear elements that are cleverly user to make the bees appear to be flying.
The Beekeeper minifigure also comes equipped with elytra wings which when worn in game, allow the player to glide through the sky. A very apt accessory to finish off the bee-themed set.
2022 – Llama Knight
A year after the Beekeeper, 21188 The Llama Village launched with the Llama Knight. The purple, silver and grey go together incredibly well, giving the impression of a royal knight. The Llama Knight comes equipped with a diamond sword accessory and no wearable armour, despite the LEGO Group already selling sets with armour. Perhaps he doesn’t want to cover up his cool skin.
The Llama Village is on the larger end of LEGO Minecraft sets, coming in at 1,252 pieces and originally retailing for £114.99. Alongside the Llama knight is a Llama herder (player) minifigure who helps protect the village, and its Llama and Villager inhabitants, from the two attacking Illager minifigures.
2023 – Arbalest Knight
Back in 2022 Mojang added the Warden boss into Minecraft as part of the Wild update. This monster is an incredibly tough enemy that detects the players through sound. 21246 The Deep Dark Battle (released in 2023) was the first time LEGO and Minecraft fans saw the new Warden in brick form. Released alongside the new Warden was the Netherite Knight minifigure and the Arbalest Knight minifigure (above).
These intrepid adventurers have clearly been too heavy footed and summoned the Warden. 584 pieces come together to make one of Minecraft’s most challenging locations – The Deep Dark biome.
2024 – Ender Knight
Finally, in 2024 one of the most unique LEGO Minecraft minifigures launched – the Ender Knight. 21264 The Ender Dragon and End Ship comprises of 657 pieces and recreates one of the end-game locations in Minecraft, namely the End. This dimension is dotted with purple End Ships which provide high quality loot to players advanced enough to access them.
What makes the Ender Knight so unique is the minifigure’s head piece. The figure shuns the traditional blocky face, and instead sports a type of helmet with a big ender-eye at the front. The figure also comes with elytra wings and a firework rocket – vital tools for navigating the expansive End dimension.