Early this morning, the LEGO Ideas team announced the results of First 2016 Review Results, and it’s a bit of a shocker. Robert Bontenbal’s Old Fishing Store has made the cut and will be made available some time in 2017.
This was pretty surprising as Robert’s project features some stunningly intricate details and is made up of about 2000 parts. This dwarfs any other successful Ideas project in terms of piece count and the level of complexity, which is why I totally didn’t expect this to make the cut.
The Old Fishing Store sets a very interesting precedent for Ideas sets now that it’s passed the review, namely that large-scale projects CAN be turned into Ideas sets. Previously, there was a prevailing (and valid) belief that a successful Ideas set needed to be within a specific piece-count, but now that’s thrown out the window.
There have been some really impressive projects on LEGO Ideas that have been poo-poo’d by LEGO fans, not because they were bad but they were previously thought to be too ambitious and unachievable but with the success of the Old Fishing Store, this will open the door for talented and creative LEGO fans to submit larger projects.
It’s unclear at this time how much LEGO is going to alter the build to enable it to be viable commercially, and how much it will ultimately cost, but I’m extremely excited by this and this marks a resounding statement by the LEGO Ideas team that original projects and designs are still well and truly viable.
I think LEGO are taking a pretty big gamble here, as it’s one of the rare Ideas projects that does not have the automatic backing of an existing license’s fanbase, and the onus is now on the LEGO fan community to put their money where their mouth is and support the heck out of Robert Bontenbal’s Old Fishing Store when it arrives at retail.
I want to see LEGO take more risks like these, and I cannot wait to see what the final product is going to look like. It’s probably going to be quite pricey, but as a celebration of an original and creative build, I think it’s going to be worth every penny to send a signal to LEGO that original designs can be a commercial success.
Let me know what you think of this announcement and if you’re as excited about this as I am. What are going to be some of the biggest obstacles to this set when the official details are released? Price? Design? Availability? Parts selection? Let me know in the comments!
Hi Jay,
I’m actually from Sydney and visiting Melbourne in early November, where are the prime lego experiences to be had, and which Myer will most likely have a Maze in store? I think we will be going to Chadstone shopping centre at some point.
Thank again,
Manny
Ah! I haven’t gone to Chadstone in a while, but you should definitely visit the Myer store in the Emporium. One of the best toy departments in the entire country. Not sure if they’ll have the Maze in store. If you’re willing to travel a little way out, there’s a LEGO Store in Pakenham that’s pretty great – I’m Rick James Bricks.
Thanks Jay for the info. Maybe my Myer doesn’t quite have the range of others, but I’ll ask in store now that I know they have been spotted.
Thanks again,
Manny.
Hi Jay,
This is a great set and really is creative and what I think is the essence of ideas – I think it is a great pick.
Do you think this will end up in stores, or online only? Not sure if I’m looking in the wrong places, but I haven’t noticed the maze yet in any stores, which is a bit disappointing as I was hoping to pick it up on sale – do you think the maze and fishing store will turn up in local stores?
Hey Manny, LEGO Ideas sets are usually very limited release sets here in Australia, and sometimes not every retailer gets them.
I’ve seen the Maze in Myer and Toyworlds, but they seem to sell out really quickly!
“as it’s one of the rare Ideas projects that does not have the automatic backing of an existing license’s fanbase”. That’s actually not rare. Of the 14 ideas sets which have been released, 4 were totally original creations, and an additional four were based on vehicles. Only 6 ideas sets relied on an existing licence’s fanbase.
Ah from my count, I kinda only view the Maze, Research Institute and Birds as sets not based on an existing license or like you said, vehicle.
It’s pretty exciting cause this was voted purely on the merit of its design.
I’m very excited about this set and also what it means for future ideas project as well!
Like you said Jay, this will open the precedent for larger projects with potential in the future.
Looking forward to show my support with my wallet for this set!
Definitely! I also like that they’re using the Ideas platform to slot in another “large” set for the year.
…yeah alright
is all I can say
I’m guessing that this is not a big… Lure for you?
Very exciting development, as there are a plethora of modular buildings on Lego Ideas that are not much more in piece count than this one. Though I must say, this seems largely a display model which is disappointing in just my own opinion. Personally I would have jumped at the Modular Train station that was up for selection in this very same review, though at 4000+ pieces it was a lot to hope for. I may even be looking for paid Custom Instructions or an LDD file from the originally submitter of that project.
I think it being a display model is perfect for the target market, which is mostly older LEGO fans. The modular train station is pretty nice, but yeah, 4000 pieces is huge for LEGO’s standards.