Designer insight: George Gilliatt
Posted by Huwbot,
Many LEGO set designers use our BrickLists feature to maintain a list of the sets they've worked on and often provide interesting insights about their involvement.
Once a week we publish an entry from one of their lists on the home page to increase awareness of this information and to encourage more designers to create them.
George Gilliatt wrote this about their work on 40518 High-Speed Train:
As a big fan of trains all my life, it was a great pleasure to design my first official LEGO Train product! This model was created to offer a train-building experience at a much lower price-point than what is typically seen in the LEGO portfolio, resulting in a train that is very close in scale to H0/00 model trains.
FUN FACT:
- As a very train-obsessed child, I would be frustrated with high-speed train toys that only had one-directional connectors on the back, meaning you couldn't accurately connect two train "heads" back-to-back for reverse travel. Consequently, I made sure to include an additional connector that can be swapped out (as well as extra carriage number stickers!) so that builders can create a full 4 car trainset with reversed heads :)
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18 comments on this article
Really like the technique at the nose where the triangle slopes line up with the curved brick.
I love four wide trains! I prefer using tiles below the windows so the studs don't show. It's what I used on my TGV MOCs :)
I really like this cute little HST, and did indeed get a couple to go back-to-back, as mentioned.
Now, I wonder if the repeat of his brilliant Mystic Witch is on the way, as rumoured. I don't really need a third one, but as it's a 3-in-1 it would be rude not to!
As someone who has a 4 long set in the train room, I genuinely appreciate that detail
I hadn't really been planning to get $40518, but this might just have changed my mind. If I do get it, I'll just get the one, but including the extra pieces and stickers was very considerate on George's part.
Fun fact: This set is tagged as a Creator Expert set on the lego website.
I still don't really see who this set is aimed at. Considering there's no track, it's only half a train and it's not minifig scale it doesn't seem like a good play set to me, but the fact that it's not based on an actual train and lacks a stand very much limits the appeal to collectors too.
In itself it does look quite nice, and had this been based on actual trains (or at least an iconic Lego train from the past), I think this could have been the start of a nice collectible series. I mean, Nanoblock does have similar sets of Japanese trains, that even can be motorized for N-gauge tracks. I'd love to see something like that from Lego!
As for a play set, if they could make something that works on Brio tracks, I think that could be a hit too. But Lego doesn't seem to do things like that, they rather stick to their own system.
@WizardOfOss said:
"I still don't really see who this set is aimed at. Considering there's no track, it's only half a train and it's not minifig scale it doesn't seem like a good play set to me, but the fact that it's not based on an actual train and lacks a stand very much limits the appeal to collectors too.
In itself it does look quite nice, and had this been based on actual trains (or at least an iconic Lego train from the past), I think this could have been the start of a nice collectible series. I mean, Nanoblock does have similar sets of Japanese trains, that even can be motorized for N-gauge tracks. I'd love to see something like that from Lego!
As for a play set, if they could make something that works on Brio tracks, I think that could be a hit too. But Lego doesn't seem to do things like that, they rather stick to their own system."
Kids. It’s a toy for kids
@WizardOfOss said:
"I still don't really see who this set is aimed at. Considering there's no track, it's only half a train and it's not minifig scale it doesn't seem like a good play set to me, but the fact that it's not based on an actual train and lacks a stand very much limits the appeal to collectors too."
I think kids are generally more than happy to push a train around even if there's no track for it (just as they don't have a problem pushing cars or trucks around even without roads). Their imagination can fill in the gaps.
@WizardOfOss said:
"I still don't really see who this set is aimed at."
Me. It's for me. I have two of them. They sit on a shelf in my train room. When I see them it makes me happy cause they form a cute little train and it releases serotonin. They are also a big hit with my nieces/nephews/friends' younger kids/toddlers, who like to push this little train around on the floor while older siblings play with the big trains on the table
@Sandinista said:
"Kids. It’s a toy for kids "
I get that, but does it make a particularly good toy for kids? I Mean, most 7+ year old kids I know are well beyond aimlessly pushing around a vehicle on the floor. And that's the one and only play feature this set offers. At the same time, from what I've seen building this set would be quite the challenge for a 4 or 5 year old, an age the play feature is more in line with.
It gives me a similar feeling as those bigger Technic 10+ pullback cars. No kid that age still cares about pullback toys. But would a 7 or 8 year old be able to build those? My youngest nephew wants the Mustang for his 8th birthday, but I already know who's gonna build it ;-)
I think it looks great!
I think there needs to be more models released at this scale, as well as a track system developed for it. Not everyone can go out and buy a $200 powered train set, but I think this would set a good price point, and take sales from things like Brio and the smaller Thomas diecast/plastic.
@WizardOfOss said:
"I still don't really see who this set is aimed at."
It looks good and it's made out of Lego. Further analysis only leads to confusion!
LCC-HLC, LEGO City Central to Heart Lake City perhaps?
@scottd said:
"LCC-HLC, LEGO City Central to Heart Lake City perhaps?"
Crossovers are awesome! Another example: If you look at map and departure board for 2020 set 60262 , you'll see that besides Heartlake City, the plane in the set is also heading to Voya Nui from the Bionicle 2006 storyline!
@WizardOfOss said:
"I still don't really see who this set is aimed at."
Go to the product's page on Lego website. Look at the 5th photo. It's part of a "Creator" sub-theme of a collection of mini-scale vehicles. You can see it next 40220, 40517 and more of that series. There are people who collect this theme, and the train is aimed at them, among others.
@elangab said:
"You can see it next 40220, 40517 and more of that series."
Now I definitely have to get it, as I have both of those.
My son (age 5) loves trains and we have two of 40518. He runs it on straight roller coaster track that I ordered from Pick A Brick. Our only complaint (or maybe mine) is that the train cannot turn at all, so it's impossible to have it go around a curve. I haven't looked into doing a mod to fix that, but it is a serious down side to that train. If it could turn, it would be an absolutely wonderful little set.