The goblins are roughly humanoid in form and proportion, so I use the
minifig torso when building them. I have no intentions of altering this
design, I think brick-built torsos would be a waste of time, and I have
never found a reasonable substitute for the minifig arms, I refuse to use
the space claw-arm-thing for a minifig.
While other brick-only monsters and demi-humans look fine, such as
dragons and nagas, human-like monsters require more detail, and I do my
best to strike a critical balance when building them...
and therefore I use and will continue to use whatever piece I feel best
displays the idea I am trying to convey...I am however, always open to
suggestions, and I will take the brick-built minifig torso idea into
consideration when building other monsters...
Thank you.