Lego Minifigure USB Flash Drive

by KerryW

9.2K19414

Intro: Lego Minifigure USB Flash Drive

I LOVE Lego. I love the little Minifigure flash drives you can get. But you don't get to choose the character, and they aren't USB 3, and they don't have enough storage... it is quick and easy to make your own! I made one using this dashing Lego Star Wars stormtrooper, combining two of my favourite loves in one little package :-) Beyond the minifigure and the USB itself, tools and materials required are minimal! You will need:

  • the Lego minifigure of your choice
  • A nano USB flash drive
  • A screw-in eyelet bail (optional if making a keyring)
  • A keychain (optional if making a keyring)
  • Superglue
  • Craft or Stanley Knife
  • Pliers
  • Drill with 1mm drill bit (not essential, but preferred)
  • File

STEP 1: Minor Minifigure Surgery

First, detatch the legs. You won't need these again.

Next, use a craft or Stanley knife to carefully slit down the inside walls of the minifigure. The goal is to detach the flins that hold the legs in place. Once you have slit them away from the minifigure torso, use a pair of pliers to gently ease them out. Don't pull too hard, as you may disturb the structure of the arms higher up!

STEP 2: Add a Keyring

Fix the screw-in eyelet bail to the top of the minifigure's head. If you have a 1mm drillbit, it is best to drill the hole first - carefully, as the drill will produce more than enough heat to melt the plastic in seconds - but if not, you can, carefully, screw the bail straight in. Gently slide the two sides of the jumpring apart with pliers and attach to the bail.

Adding a keyring is optional, but handy!

STEP 3: File Down the Flash Drive

The flash drive will be too big to fit into the minifigure as-is. Gently use a metal file to file it down to size. A word of warning - different flash drives will have circuitry in different places. I cannot be held responsible if you accidentally file through it! I use Sandisk, and they seem to survive the process just fine.

STEP 4: Fix Flash Drive in Place

Once you can fit the flash drive into the minifigure, glue into place using superglue. It will hold fast almost immediately and can burn the plastic and decals, so do this part carefully!

STEP 5: Fix Head and Torso

Next, use a drop of superglue to fix the head and hair/hat/headpiece in place. Not compulsory, but far less annoying than losing them... or, if you added a keyring, losing your flash drive and being left with just the head!

STEP 6: File Down the Cover

The last step is to file down the USB cover slightly so that it fits snugly on the end again. This step is optional - USB flash drives are actually pretty sturdy and don't really require a cover - but I just think it finishes things off nicely.

Sit back and enjoy the awesomeness you have created!

I really hope you enjoy this Instructable, these flash drives are some of my favourite things in the world to make ;-)

14 Comments

RoxytheFoxy256 8 years ago

My dad will LOVE this he's a BIG fan of Star Wars

IltizamSpeed 8 years ago

this looks awesome, maybe i should try this later

KerryW 8 years ago

Please do! And show us here once you have!

ImanuelEzra82 8 years ago

So Awesome! Love this project so much! Thank you for sharing!

KerryW 8 years ago

Thank you :-)

JohnE12 8 years ago

Hey; thats pretty cool. I like lego and lots of storage too ... I once though my 1Gb flash was huge, now it is creaking, along with my 8Gb... Thanks for a great project. I'll have to find out my old lego...

ashervivi88 8 years ago

awesome project! I'm a huge lego fan and will be sure to try!

KerryW 8 years ago

thank you :-) I hope you enjoy making one!

rpotts2 8 years ago

Nicely done! You can use a hobby knife for quicker work on reducing the size of the black plastic. I made some Christmas gifts for my daughter's with marvel characters. one thing you can do is make a config file that will point to an icon of the character on the lego.

for instance, I used a Loki and Thor picture for those USB sticks I made. plug Thor in and the windows filesystem pops ups with thor.

KerryW 8 years ago

Thanks :-) I find for some brands a hobby knife works well, but the ones I use currently are harder to cut. Nice idea about the config file! I usually change the name but not the icon.

Panda_Creeper12 8 years ago

Very nice! Where can I buy the eyelet thing that attaches the keychain to the head?

KerryW 8 years ago

They can be tricky to find in shops, I usually buy mine of ebay - they are very cheap! Just search there fore screw eye bail and you will find them :-)