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 30578 German Shepherd:
I was tasked to design a polybag dog that also offered a 3in1 experience - hard to achieve with so few pieces! With so many joints, as well as the nougat and black colours, it was obvious the B and C models should be a spider and snake, which also each of the three animals has a different number of legs!
FUN FACT:
- The dog comes with a frisbee, not only because it is a fun accessory, but because I needed a 4x4 base to build the spider off. I chose orange because this blended best with the nougat colour.
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11 comments on this article
Doggo.
I like the way with 3 in 1 sets you can see how the alternate models feed into the design of the main model. Like with the frisbee here - basically chosen to make the spider possible. Creativity flourishes when there are restrictions.
What the dog doin?
OK, I know it's a Frisbee, but sorry, it looks like a puddle of vomit to me.
I remember seeing this one in the set reveals at the end of the year before this one came out. I thought it looked quite generous for a polybag. Compare it to the dinky 30574 Cat polybag for instance.
Then it became a GWP, I believe. I think I saw it once or twice in a specialty store, but at that point I lost interest in getting it over other sets. A shame. It does look like a fun polybag, especially if you love dogs. The alternate models look distinct from it too, so overall a well-done polybag only hampered by availability if you ask me.
@MusiMus said:
"OK, I know it's a Frisbee, but sorry, it looks like a puddle of vomit to me."
Yeah, my first thoughts too.
George is easily one of the best LEGO designers right now. Pretty much every set he has produced or co-produced is a banger. This one is no exception - it's so cute!
@TheBrickPal said:
"George is easily one of the best LEGO designers right now. Pretty much every set he has produced or co-produced is a banger. This one is no exception - it's so cute!"
Some great sets for sure, but the “frisbee” that multiple people (including myself) have mistaken for vomit is not a high point. Also the wheels on 40518 that are not articulated and prevent the train from being used on curved track seems like a major oversight.
@PDelahanty said:
" @TheBrickPal said:
"George is easily one of the best LEGO designers right now. Pretty much every set he has produced or co-produced is a banger. This one is no exception - it's so cute!"
Some great sets for sure, but the “frisbee” that multiple people (including myself) have mistaken for vomit is not a high point. Also the wheels on 40518 that are not articulated and prevent the train from being used on curved track seems like a major oversight."
I concede there, the frisbee could be better, but it is only a polybag. And I like to consider that train its own thing - not being compatible with existing track doesn't bother me.
To be honest, I do think the German Shepherd looks pretty awful. But all that is forgiven as practice for the superb 31137 Adorable Dogs.
I also really like the (pair of) 40518 HSTs as a desktop ornament rather than a working train.
I love 3-in-1 polybags. With larger 3-in-1s you have to take the model apart multiple times (especially if each build consists of multiple models, as with 31137), which isn't always fun. Polybags can be taken apart very quickly. Side note: I actually replaced the pink 1x1 tile in my copy's mouth with a pink 1x1 plate, so the dog could hold the Frisbee in it's mouth.