Tom De Kesel picked a perfect Pokémon for a LEGO tribute. Ninetales, mystical spirit already arrives with built-in elegance, folklore, and fan affection, and those qualities make it an especially rich subject for a sculptural MOC. Ninetales is not just another monster with elemental powers. It carries that kitsune-inspired aura of beauty, age, and quiet danger, which gives a builder a lot more to work with than just “make the creature recognizable.”
What I really like here is the personal connection behind the build. Tom says Ninetales has always been one of his favorites, and that kind of affection usually shows. It tends to make builders care more about posture, expression, and the little intangibles that push a model from accurate to evocative. For a Pokémon like this, that matters a lot. The grace has to come through. The mysticism has to come through. If the tails read with the right sense of flow and the pose has that poised, slightly supernatural calm, then the build is already doing something special.
The Japanese folklore influence is also a lovely touch to foreground, because that is what gives Ninetales its lasting flavor beyond nostalgia. It is a Pokémon, yes, but also a fox spirit archetype with real mythic texture. That makes this feel like more than just fan art. It feels like a character study in brick form.
Build by tom.dekesel on Flickr.
