Polaroid Camera officially revealed!
Posted by CapnRex101,
After 21345 Polaroid OneStep SX-70 Camera was announced early by a retailer, we now have the press release:
21345 Polaroid OneStep SX-70 Camera
516 pieces, rated 18+
$79.99 / €79.99 / £69.99
Available from 1st January at LEGO.com
The LEGO Group and Polaroid launch the new LEGO IDEAS: Polaroid OneStep Camera for photography aficionados and LEGO builders everywhere!
The LEGO Group and Polaroid have today unveiled the new LEGO IDEAS: Polaroid OneStep SX-70 Camera. Originally conceived by LEGO fan Marc a.k.a. Minibrick Productions (@minibrickYT), bringing Polaroid’s iconic camera to life in LEGO brick form.
Launching on January 1st, 2024, the LEGO IDEAS: Polaroid OneStep Camera set brings a true icon of photography to the LEGO IDEAS range and is the 53rd product from the fan-sourced platform.
The model is made up of 516 pieces and includes many of the design features that made the original OneStep Camera so popular among fans, captured in a unique display model with functional features. Also included alongside the camera is a buildable Polaroid Time-Zero Land Film pack and three LEGO Polaroid illustrated ‘photos’.
The camera features a working viewfinder, the iconic Colour Spectrum, an exposure compensation dial, and a shutter button, so you can load and eject the illustrated photos.
Talking about his inspiration for the design, Marc a.k.a. Minibrick Productions said: “The OneStep took a little over a month from design to completion. I actually started designing it while on holiday in France since I couldn’t wait to build it […] I’ve always loved the design of the Polaroid OneStep. It’s incredibly iconic and shows up everywhere!”
To mark the launch of the LEGO IDEAS: Polaroid OneStep Camera, the LEGO Group created an unconventional marketing campaign that highlights the one key feature the product lacks: functionality. This photography-led campaign for a non-functioning camera includes a ‘NOT SHOT ON LEGO Polaroid Camera’ sticker being slapped across photos in surprising places – subtly making every photo ever taken a part of the campaign.
The original Polaroid OneStep Camera was released in 1977 and quickly became a huge hit with photographers. The camera brought instant photography to many households across the world, allowing people to develop photographs from their very hands.
The LEGO IDEAS: Polaroid OneStep Camera will be available to pre-order from December 15 and in stores globally from January 1 at the recommended retail price of $79.99 / €79.99 / £69.99.
Additional images are available on the set details page.
What do you think of the Polaroid Camera? Let us know in the comments.
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49 comments on this article
Looks like way overpriced , even compared to other Licensed IDEAS.
Hear me out: kids are fascinated by older tech for some reason.
Polaroid-style cameras made a comeback a few years ago. My daughter really, really wanted one and happily ran around for a long time taking mini-photos on the spot.
I showed this Ideas model to her and she actually dug it. And she's very much into antiques and older tech. I dunno, maybe I have the one weird kid. She might like this if I can find it on sale after release.
This is a set that looks good, seems intriguing, but feels a little overpriced for what you appear to get. I will look forward to reading some reviews before I make up my mind whether or not to purchase.
I still want this, but I am dreading putting the sticker on that knob.
$80 US is a lot for this. I'll wait until I find it on sale.
Thank goodness for the stickers. Otherwise they couldn't label this as a Polaroid. ;)
Just because you can make a thing out of Lego and sell it doesn't mean you should.
I was looking forward to this thinking it would land around $50. $80 is way too much. That's $10 for each picture. Such a bummer Lego priced it this way.
Fairly sure there will 20-30% discounts on this, just like with the Atari.
@guachi said:
"Just because you can make a thing out of Lego and sell it doesn't mean you should."
You sure you're not interested in 3000 pieces LEGO™ IDEAS™ Toilet? It has a realistic flushing action and perfectly complements a barely furnished modern loft apartment, as seen on the press release images. Relive your favorite bathroom moments while building this iconic piece.
@TeriXeri said:
"Looks like way overpriced , even compared to other Licensed IDEAS."
I can't wait (truthfully I can) until I get this at %50.
It's listed on the Canadian online store as $99CDN... but on the Australian online store as $89AUD. I'm a bit baffled as to how Lego determines the different country prices since the Ideas Insect collection is also $99CDN, but $124.99AUD!
50€ to 60€ is the absolute maximum I'd pay for it, so this is a hard pass unless I find it with a hefty discount. Nice looking set though!
Wow how much is Polaroid charging for their licence? Correct me if I'm wrong but is this the highest price/piece ratio of an ideas set?
it's way overpriced for a set like this
60 is still high, but more reasonable
One day in the not too distant future this will be found at 40% off directly from LEGO Shop at Home.
Very festive! POLARoid camera! Just in time for christmas!
It's a really cool model with a neat function, but the price tag seems too high unfortunately.
It looks like such a great set that’s an interesting build with a nice design…but I have no interest in it because after I assemble it I have no idea what I’d do with it. It might be nice to display if I had worked for Polaroid, founded Instagram, or had a photo studio…but this is never going to fly off the shelves.
This looks neat! The price is maybe 10 or 20 bucks more than it should be, but I like it.
Just imagine it takes real pictures...
@ResIpsaLoquitur said:
"Hear me out: kids are fascinated by older tech for some reason.
Polaroid-style cameras made a comeback a few years ago. My daughter really, really wanted one and happily ran around for a long time taking mini-photos on the spot.
I showed this Ideas model to her and she actually dug it. And she's very much into antiques and older tech. I dunno, maybe I have the one weird kid. She might like this if I can find it on sale after release."
There’s something satisfying about being able to print out a photo instantly. You snap and pic with your phone, and it usually stays on a digital device. Having it right then and there is more special.
Day one purchase, or at least Day 1 when there's a nice GWP. Obviously having one in the seventies makes a huge difference to its appeal.
Champagne corks popping in the Lego office.
"Hey guys, the Brickset Commenter Kiddies hate it ... Looks like we've got another success on our hands" :-)
This looks really cool, I have no idea why it costs $80.
Even the photos don't justify the $30 upcharge.
Love most ideas sets and concepts. This one is a dud. Nice build though. Fun to see once maybe in an exhibit or display. But not enough to purchase compared to myriad of other choices at price point.
This will join the "30% off shortly after release" gang
Even when I have never used a Polaroid camera (the closest I got was a Polaroid Pogo printer...), I do still quite like this. And I think the designers did a pretty good job on this, especially considering the mechanism. And I am curious about those pictures, looks like thick plastic?
But that price....no, just no. And to add insult to injury, there's the stickers. Come on Lego, at that price point, would a few more prints really be too much to ask? It is a shame, because this could easily have been a great set, if not for the penny pinchers at TLG.
I do want it, but I'll wait for at least a 30-40% discount.
can't fathom the negativity here - i'm a huge LEGO and Polaroid fan so this set looks great to me, and i'm certain i'm not the only one for whom these interests overlap. The Verge just published a great behind the scenes article that i would highly recommend and it seems like the current CEO of Polaroid is also a LEGO fan. the amount of detail they packed in along with the photo ejection function makes this one a must-buy for me.
@fakejsf said:
"can't fathom the negativity here - i'm a huge LEGO and Polaroid fan so this set looks great to me, and i'm certain i'm not the only one for whom these interests overlap."
Well, for a start, when I was a kid in the Eighties, Polaroid over here was a synonym for "crappy quality photograph". The price was high, the images were small, always blurry and the colours washed out. The only people I knew who had Polaroid cameras got rid of them really quickly.
Compared to the standard of the time, which was the typical 24 or 36 image reversal film stock like Kodachrome, Agfacolor or Fujifilm, Polaroid just didn't stand a chance. Sure, you got the images almost instantly, but the quality was so abysmal that you would rather wait for your normal film to be developed. Plus with normal film you could have additional copies made, different sizes or even prints as puzzles, on T-shirts or what have you. Try that with a Polaroid.
I can't imagine many people here having fond memories of Polaroid cameras, hence I doubt this set will be a big seller. Perhaps in the US this was different, but why should it? Did you get some miracle Polaroid film stock that actually made good quality images?
This a good model and for some people it’s their thing. As I’ve already said it’s no different than making a model of a building (e.g. 76419) or a train (76495).
For fans of retro chic, this link up with Polaroid could be right up their street, and the execution looks great.
If LEGO is looking to tempt waverers, one look at the price though will send them packing.
What are the photos made of? Stickers on an 8x8 tile? I don’t recall a tile that size, only 8x16. Or is it 6x6?
@MrKoshka said:
"What are the photos made of? Stickers on an 8x8 tile? I don’t recall a tile that size, only 8x16. Or is it 6x6?"
According to the Verge article, it's a thin printed plastic card, similar as used in 80109 . Even when that's not a "true" Lego piece, I think in this case it's a better choice than a much thicker tile.
https://www.theverge.com/c/23991049/lego-ideas-polaroid-onestep-behind-the-scenes-price
@AustinPowers said:
"I can't imagine many people here having fond memories of Polaroid cameras, hence I doubt this set will be a big seller. Perhaps in the US this was different, but why should it? Did you get some miracle Polaroid film stock that actually made good quality images? "
Polaroid has been and currently is hugely popular in the US, to the point that a 3rd party company started creating new cameras and film for vintage cams and then was able to actually purchase the Polaroid name outright. My dad had 3 Polaroid cameras from the late 70s-early 80s that he used regularly at the time and still work today. I don't think that "cheap" was the general consensus on the brand, just "fast."
I honestly don't think the quality ever was an issue. There are just situations where it's nice to immediately share a picture. Especially in the film days. But even in this digital age, I have used a Polaroid Pogo printer for some years during travel. A simple and small printer that could connect to my phone (we're talking pre-smartphone era here!) with Bluetooth, or via USB with my DSLR. Quality didn't really matter, it was just fun to give people you meet while traveling a print, it never failed to amaze people. And I recently heard that a print I made in some restaurant I visited back in 2010 is still stuck at the wall there! That thing was a brilliant concept, unfortunately the execution was not nearly as great. But despite lackluster quality, I can absolutely see the fun of it.
For 99,90 CHF, sorry not.
I'm so used to the complaints when LEGO releases sets that have had similar versions submitted to Ideas that I'm surprised no one has mentioned that LEGO Masters Australia had contestants create a replica Polaroid Camera in an episode that aired before the fan designer of this Ideas project began working on it.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=uTARFOgBais
It's a different model but the concept -- build a Polaroid camera -- is the same.
That aired in May 2020 and was taped months prior. In the Verge article mentioned by @fakejsf and linked by @WizardOfOss, the fan designer said he began working on this idea after seeing a piece in a Minions set released as part of the May 2020 product wave. The Ideas project was not submitted until January 2022.
I mean no disrespect to the fan designer -- my point is to discourage immediate accusations toward LEGO of "stealing" from Ideas submissions when a similar product comes out. There are often going to be submissions similar to projects already in existence or in progress, both by official Lego designers as well as other fans.
Nice but, what about Jaws?
‘NOT SHOT ON LEGO Polaroid Camera’ has to be the dumbest marketing campaign I've ever heard of.
I found this article on theverge really interesting about the Ideas build process! https://www.theverge.com/c/23991049/lego-ideas-polaroid-onestep-behind-the-scenes-price
@fakejsf said:
"I don't think that "cheap" was the general consensus on the brand, just "fast.""
I never said cheap, on the contrary, Polaroid film was much more expensive per picture than regular film. Coupled with the bad image quality it's no wonder it never was a big success over here.
I even like the look of this set, just for the retro vibes, but a) it's ridiculously overpriced and b) even at that price still expects us to accept stickers, when mostly/only prints used to be a hallmark of the Ideas theme.
What I can't fathom is that Lego refuses to "risk it" with making some good old classic Pirates/Space/Castle/etc themes, yet keeps spewing duds like this, football table, pacman or nike shoe.
The price is definitely a turn-off. I will probably still get the set, but I'm not in a hurry for it--which I might have been at a lower price.
this is random but i feel like Lego would get way more money if they did military models like cf-18 hornets and other jets. These realistic models r alot more intriguing and interesting than unrealistic space ships in things like star wars. I know lego will never do this but i would be way more interested and by the amount of miliatry mocs there are im sure there is a huge fanbase that would love this. they r a lot more interesting than unfunctioning 80's cameras..........
just saying..............
@Arnoldos said:
"What I can't fathom is that Lego refuses to "risk it" with making some good old classic Pirates/Space/Castle/etc themes, yet keeps spewing duds like this, football table, pacman or nike shoe."
Because these new product types and licenses can potentially draw in new customers from other hobbies and interest groups. Reviving classic Lego themes would/does primarily cater to existing Lego fans who were already spending all their money on Lego anyways.
As a photographer and AFOL this set really appeals to me. I actually owen a few Polaroid cameras and love the whole instant photo vibe. I’ll definitely be getting this asap.
I suspect this and the Creator 3-in-1 camera are aimed more at non-AFOL people who are into photography than AFOL's.
As for the price, in Aus we're used to massive price hikes for Lego compared to the rest of the world, the hit from the "Australia Tax" on this one is surprisingly low.
When we live in an age where most of us carry a device in our pocket that can take instantly accessible photos, it's hard to appreciate the advantages that a Poloroid camera offered in the days of film cameras. Sure there were the downsides of price per photo and the quality etc. but it was the only way at the time you could get a photo immediately. And let's just say - how I can put this delicately - there would have been times people might have been taking photos that they wouldn't feel comfortable taking to their local photo store to be developed - and developing your own photos required a lot of equipment and expertise.
Stunned by the pricing. I was expecting $50 when I saw the photos. Another clearance set in the making?
I collect LEGO. I collect vintage cameras, even ones as 'modern' as this. But I don't think I'll be getting this one, way too expensive for what it is. I've already got a full size MOC of a slightly different model, so I might buy the sticker sheet just be convert that to purist.
GIVE ME IT