I designed this version of the eponymous character from James Cameron’s landmark movie The Terminator (1984) in collaboration with Build Better Bricks (B3). When B3 initially approached me about recreating the famous cyborg in bricks, I’d actually never seen any of the Terminator franchise films… and, embarrassed as I am to admit it, I still haven’t seen the original movie all the way through!

Read more to learn about all the design choices I made on this model.

However, I didn’t have to watch more than a few clips of the original T-800 Terminator to refresh myself on just how iconic of a design I was dealing with. Of course, I already knew Arnold Schwarzenegger’s accented catchphrase from the movie, “I’ll be back,” and would’ve recognized the Terminator’s distinctive metallic endoskeleton anywhere. But there’s something beyond just fame that sets this character apart and captures the imagination. Its menace, its strength, its doggedness, its humanoid teeth… The Terminator is just intimidating, no question about that!