LEGO Ideas has become even more exciting and organic as its developers announce the release of two sets, so different from each other as the future is to the present. The future has arrived in the person of, or shall we say, in the artificial person of WALL-E – the endearing robotic earth janitor from Disney Pixar’s classic feature film of the same title. Its development is interesting to say the least. Angus MacLane, a LEGO Ideas member who designed the set, also happens to be the animator behind the said hit movie. He started to build the Lego WALL-E in 2005 while its movie CGI version was also being designed digitally. Inspired by the movie’s success, MacLane pursued refining and finishing the Lego model for LEGO Ideas, in collaboration with WALL-E’s director Andrew Stanton and Lego designer Steen Sig Andersen.
This loveable animated character whose Lego version was perfected in almost a decade, features WALL-E’s distinct characteristics such as the poseable neck, adjustable head, moving arms and gripping hands, rolling tracks, and a trunk than can be opened. You can “employ” this robot janitor to help clean your side of the Earth starting this September 1, at a cost of $49.99.
Meanwhile, another breakthrough in LEGO Ideas has been released this August 1. Based on the popular American sitcom The Big Bang Theory, professional developers Steen Sig Andersen and Matthew Boyle refined the successful entry of fan builders Ellen Kooijman and Glen Bricker from Sweden and United States, respectively. The set is modelled after the core location of the TV series – the living room of characters Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter. They are joined by the 5 other characters: Penny, Howard, Raj, Amy and Bernadette, and surrounded by eyepopping authentic details that include Sheldon’s board, Green Lantern’s lantern, DNA model, Rubik’s cube tissue box, a mini Lego Death Star, and so much more – making the set a true feast for the eyes of the geeks and Lego fans alike. This masterpiece is available for $59.99. LEGO Ideas is a theme segment of The Lego Group that caters to fans’ proposed official sets. If a certain entry gets 10,000 votes, it goes from the Idea Stage to the Review Stage, wherein a LEGO Review Board composed of product managers, designers, and other key members examine the entry. They’ll build concept models and determine if the concept meets the very high standards of a Lego product based on playability and safety – the key elements that define the Lego brand, and thereby decide if the set will be officially released.
LEGO Ideas is another testament of the limitless creativity that the Lego brand offers, since it breaks borders in terms of generations, themes, and countless categories. At the same time, it empowers the consumers because they are engaged in the development of official sets, and in so doing emphasizes the treasured relationship of Lego with them that began from the time of the Big Bang, and designed to last until WALL-E’s time in the far, far future.
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Photo Credits: WALL-E (lego.gizmodo.com) Big Bang Theory (ideas.lego.com) LEGO Ideas Previous Sets (Dax McKinnon of gumtree.co.za)