LEGO Explorer magazine: exclusive interview with editor and designer
Posted by Huw,
LEGO Explorer, the new kids' magazine that was launched in mainland Europe a few months ago, is now available in the UK.
In our exclusive interview with the magazine's managing editor Paddy Kempshall and LEGO designer Nina Koopmann, we find out what makes this one different to other LEGO magazines and what's involved in designing the cover-mounted polybags.
Brickset: Paddy, please tell us about LEGO Explorer magazine
Paddy: I think there are 3 words that sum up what LEGO Explorer is all about: Discover, Design and Create.
From the very beginning we were all looking to make a magazine that helped children realise the creative power of their LEGO collection. We wanted to show how it can help them learn all sorts of things, and not only develop their skills in the STEAM subjects particularly (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths), but also to see just how incredibly satisfying and enjoyable it can be to grab some bricks, make something and play with it.
It’s the magazine I wished I had when I was 8. I had loads of LEGO bricks (well, actually I might still have a few…), but lacked the confidence and inspiration to make anything of my own from them. LEGO Explorer tries to give kids that confidence and inspiration, as well as to get them excited about a range of subjects and help them develop the skills to make what they want – whatever that is!
Under it all we’re also trying to help kids gain some important learning skills – particularly creative problem-solving and persistence. Part of being a successful learner is not being afraid to make a mistake, and so we try to show kids that even the real LEGO Designers don’t always get it right first time. If you can lose the fear of not getting it right and instead use that experience to help make your next attempt better, then you’re learning some really important skills for creative problem-solving.
Newsagents’ shelves are already overflowing with kids LEGO magazines. How does this one differ from the others?
I think this is a magazine that’s about the power of LEGO bricks as a creative and educational medium, rather than about superheroes or other licensed characters. Your LEGO collection and what you can learn and create with it are the real star.
We want any child who likes building with LEGO bricks to be able to pick this magazine up and find that there’s something in there for them. Being creative and playing with your LEGO collection is a really inclusive thing – there're no rules to say your LEGO spaceship or animal has to look a certain way. It’s totally up to you!
We hope that parents can also see there’s something valuable about their child learning to be creative and also discovering new ways to make more of their LEGO collection, rather than it just gathering dust in a box under the bed.
The first three issues focus on robots, sea life and castles. How do you pick the subjects, and can you tell us what is going to be covered in future issues?
We did a lot of research in several countries, with both parents and kids to see what sorts of subjects they were interested in and that was very helpful in working things out. The focus on STEAM subjects also means we have a good starting point, as there are subjects (like robots) that naturally fall into that category too.
Issue 4 has just been published in Europe and is about the Rainforest, so we can share that! I’d like to keep future topics a surprise though. We have some great themes coming up and I think there could even be some models with elements in that might cause a bit of interest too. Maybe not as much as the debate on what the catapult is flinging in issue 3 though!
What involvement has LEGO had with the content of it?
This magazine is a complete collaboration. During the development period we met several times with the team in Billund to discuss everything from the content, to the masthead, to the art direction and free gift models. For every issue, the team there is also heavily involved in deciding the overall subjects that we cover, as well as the details of individual features. They continue to be amazing to work with. Everything feels so creative and limitless.
We also have the involvement of actual LEGO Designers. For me that’s one of the most exciting things. They have all been so generous in offering up their time to help provide bits of insight and knowledge about the sets they’ve designed, their design process and little tips for kids on everything from how to be a better builder to what subjects they liked when they were at school!
Are there any aspects of the first few issues that you are particularly pleased with?
I’m really pleased with how everything has come together so well to celebrate the creativity of LEGO bricks on every page, as well as being full of information. I’ve certainly learned a load of stuff I never knew while working on it – it’s even helped me nail some online quizzes during lockdown!
My favourite pages are the ones where we look at how to use a particular element in different ways. It opens your eyes to how you can do anything with your bricks.
There were also some big design challenges that the Art Director, Katie, and Art Ed, Jason, had to face and I think they did an amazing job of translating my mad notions into content that actually works!
The gifts are a highpoint too. Photos don’t do justice to how they look in the flesh. They’re beautiful and Nina has done an incredible job with them. It was also a thrill when the packaging came through, and we saw that they had official set numbers.
It’s very hard to beat having yourself created as a minifigure by an official LEGO Designer though! That was very much an ‘Achievement Unlocked’ moment for me.
How can we get hold of it?
The magazine will be on sale in all good newsagents and supermarkets in the UK from today, October 21, and you can also take out a subscription. We currently have a number of offers available, which you'll find details of there, too.
It’s also available in several European and Scandinavian countries, including Germany, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Turkey, Czech, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania.
Unfortunately it's not available in the USA, but we are aware that there are a lot of fans there who would love to get their hands on it!
The other LEGO magazines for kids have foil-packed cover-mounted gifts but these are ‘proper’ LEGO polybags. How come?
From the beginning we wanted the gifts to be something unique and special. We also wanted them to feel like a part of the theme and integral to the content of each issue. The best way to do that was to have unique polybag models designed for us.
We were so excited to have something on each magazine which is completely exclusive and unique.
11938 Robot is the free gift with issue 1.
Tell us about your sig-fig!
Well, getting minifigs of ourselves made was just an enormous added bonus!
Very early on we were talking about Nina being the main voice of the magazine, and to have her represented as a minifigure, which you can see below.
We also wanted to have a diverse range of other minifigures in the magazine which would help kids relate to the material and guide them through each issue.
As Nina was creating a figure of herself anyway, we jokingly suggested that they might make ones of Katie (left), the Art Director, and myself too.
To our surprise, Nina agreed straight away. So we ended up having minifigures of ourselves created by a real LEGO Designer and appearing in the magazine! They even sent them to us to keep.
Brickset: Nina, please tell us about designing the cover-mounted polybag sets
Nina: After I receive the brief I usually start with a physical sketch model that then goes through several loops. During the development process, there are many various factors to take into consideration such as stability, price, age mark and packaging before we end up with a final product.
Of course there are a lot of people involved in the process to make sure the model comes to life in the best possible way and it is always a great team effort.
How does designing small sets like these differ from working on larger ones?
When designing small sets like these polybag models we have a limited number of bricks we can use to create the model, because the size of the bag is limited. That makes it both challenging and super fun for me at the same time.
I am forced to look for alternative usages of elements like using a mailbox casing 2x2 element for ED's (the robot from issue 1) main body or using the pan for the catapult in the medieval life issue 3, which is always fun.
Were you given free rein to come up with, for example, a c.50-part model of a robot, or was there more of a brief?
During this collaboration with Egmont I was lucky enough to be involved right from the start even before the individual issues were set. So in that way we were all able to give input, bounce off of each others ideas and come up with suggestions for the actual cover mounts.
Some of the early ideas we had we already had to discard right on the drawing board, either because we felt we didn't have the right bricks to make those models or because they might not work in the scale needed. So after the initial call with Egmont we already agreed on what the models should be like, and I was able to go into model building mode.
11939 Octopus is the cover-mounted gift with issue 2
In terms of colours and shapes of the actual models I was free to explore what would work best with the bricks and I then shared the initial sketch models with Egmont to get their input and feedback and worked further on the models based on that input. For some models we nailed it in the first round where others took a few loops until we were happy with it- it really varies from model to model.
Other than size, did you have to work within any other constraints?
We always try to use the elements we already have in the active assortment and not create new elements and new colours, so that sometimes is a challenge. There might be the perfect element in the assortment but the colours it comes in doesn't work for the purpose you need it for. Then that usually means going back to the sketch model and trying to redesign it until we find the right elements to use.
One more restriction in order to make a great built is the given age mark for a model. A lot of research and observation goes into what kids in certain age groups are able to build and create, so that’s where the age mark can influence how a model needs to be built up. A model marked 16+ can use other building techniques than a model for 7+ for example, so we need to consider that when designing a model so the kids get the best building experience possible.
11940 Castle comes with issue 3
Is there anything else interesting you’d like to tell us about them?
Do you know why the robot in issue 1 is called ED? The name is actually based on Ed Sheeran. At some point in the process of making this model we found out that one of the Team members at Egmont is related to Ed Sheeran and we thought that as he is a huge LEGO Fan it could be a nice Easter egg to name the model after him.
I often meet people who tell me they challenge themselves to build polybag models without opening the bag (Build-in-the-bag), so have a go and see if you can manage!
Finally, what exactly is being flung by the catapult in the Castle set?
We try to be as historically accurate as possible, so you’ll have to read issue 3 to find out!
Thanks to Paddy and Nina for answering our questions. Head on down to local newsagents today to pick up a copy.
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19 comments on this article
Are they in England on sale now, I’m 41 n well interested in that magazine, that’s not just for kids, I really want to make a robot but haven’t a clue how to build one so this magazine will be perfect for me n I like the little toys that come with it too, LEGO isn’t just for children
Oh sweet, finally a mag that's worth it beyond the pack in minifig/build. Might pick this up.
Can you subscribe to this?
Australia?
@fateyes said:
"Australia?"
Hopefully newsagents will stock it. They seem to stock the others.
I applaud the work of the editors of this magazine, my thoughts after the first two issues are exactly what Paddy said- it's the first Lego Mag that focuses on building from your own bricks, it encourages you to do so on almost every page. The added polybags are just a starting points. And that is something that is really missing from other magazines with small polybags- they usually encourage the reader to BUY other sets. Another big bonus is the price- its 13 pln in Poland, so little less than 3euro. Big thanks to the team for proper work, can't wait for future issues!
@CCC said:
" @benredstar said:
"Can you subscribe to this?"
Did you read the article?
"
Hell no ;-)
A magazine focused on MOCs , that's nice.
Doesn't seem to have a Netherlands version (yet?).
I know there are different publishers per country, as NL only seems to get 6 City magazines this year while other countries get 12.
@Westyno1 said:
"Are they in England on sale now, I’m 41 n well interested in that magazine, that’s not just for kids, I really want to make a robot but haven’t a clue how to build one so this magazine will be perfect for me n I like the little toys that come with it too, LEGO isn’t just for children "
Honestly worth getting the trial subscription- £5 for the first 3 issues posted is a bargin
Where are all the comments outraged by the region exclusiveness of these sets?
Non-US readers blew a gasket earlier in the year when those comic-con sets had limited releases but they don't seem to mind that the USA have been missing out on these magazine build for years. Even worse now that they're pseudo-official polybags.
@jaredhinton said:
"Where are all the comments outraged by the region exclusiveness of these sets?
Non-US readers blew a gasket earlier in the year when those comic-con sets had limited releases but they don't seem to mind that the USA have been missing out on these magazine build for years. Even worse now that they're pseudo-official polybags."
Personally not outraged, but disappointed, it's not simply EU vs US either, my country gets 6 City magazines this year (12 last year) , while Germany and some others seem to get 12 this year.
And this magazine has not come out in my country either.
LEGO does make the sets and parts, but ultimately the magazines are published under license by localized companies (with local translations)
Even some magazine LEGO sets have different packaging , Ninjago Legacy Magazine has Blister packs and Foil Packs, depending on country.
Same set, different packaging :
112005
112005-2
If only I was 8 and this was available in Canada...
I can see my younger self loving these as much as the LEGO Club magazine!
@Terreneflame said:
" @Westyno1 said:
"Are they in England on sale now, I’m 41 n well interested in that magazine, that’s not just for kids, I really want to make a robot but haven’t a clue how to build one so this magazine will be perfect for me n I like the little toys that come with it too, LEGO isn’t just for children "
Honestly worth getting the trial subscription- £5 for the first 3 issues posted is a bargin"
£5 for the first three issues, then automatically charged at £20 every 6 months with no explicit option to cancel. Of course, you could end the direct debit after the trial period but might be in breach of contract if you do - not that the publishers are likely to pursue you.
Great to hear that free-building is encouraged here, I know that's why I stayed interested in LEGO when I would have otherwise gone "dark ages," and possibly never returned!
@jaredhinton said:
"Where are all the comments outraged by the region exclusiveness of these sets?
Non-US readers blew a gasket earlier in the year when those comic-con sets had limited releases but they don't seem to mind that the USA have been missing out on these magazine build for years. Even worse now that they're pseudo-official polybags."
Because there aren’t any exclusive prints or minifigs. Besides, in the US, you can buy polybags directly for 5USD, however elsewhere, we can only attain polybags via threshold promos. I believe that balances out your gripe with the EU-exclusive “polybags”.
Out of all the places to complain about LEGO distribution and exclusivity, the US should come last.
All very nice, however, not avaliable anywhere I asked for it today. WHsmith, Tesco, Sainsburys Martins. Never heard of it any of them!
@TheRightP_art said:
" @jaredhinton said:
"Where are all the comments outraged by the region exclusiveness of these sets?
Non-US readers blew a gasket earlier in the year when those comic-con sets had limited releases but they don't seem to mind that the USA have been missing out on these magazine build for years. Even worse now that they're pseudo-official polybags."
Because there aren’t any exclusive prints or minifigs. Besides, in the US, you can buy polybags directly for 5USD, however elsewhere, we can only attain polybags via threshold promos. I believe that balances out your gripe with the EU-exclusive “polybags”.
Out of all the places to complain about LEGO distribution and exclusivity, the US should come last."
These magazine builds (including Star Wars, super heroes, Jurassic world, etc...) often contain MFs that are either exclusive or only available in a larger set.
Comic con sets (ignoring the Individual MFs) rarely have exclusive MFs.
And it’s not like those comic-con sets are widely available to anyone not in CA or NY. The US doesn’t get many (or any) exclusive sets outside of these limited edition promotional giveaway sets). Bricktober sets won’t be seen here either.
Not sure what you mean about the polys. You can’t buy them in toy stores in Europe? Ever? Polybag sets were only added to LEGO.com here after Covid shut all shops. I’d expect them to go again once shops reopen.
I actually don’t care about region exclusives, but I find it funny how people only care when it doesn’t go there way.
@matrox2001 said:
"All very nice, however, not avaliable anywhere I asked for it today. WHsmith, Tesco, Sainsburys Martins. Never heard of it any of them!"
I managed to pick it up in my Sainsbury’s yesterday. Perhaps give yours a day or two.
There's maybe 5 polybags available in the regular shops. The same ones that have been there for what seems like a year now.
They really are an unusual thing to find & nothing like the range available in the US.
I agree that the magazines should be available in the US. Them not being so is a publisher region exclusive rather than a LEGO one. Perhaps someone should drop Egmont a line