New designer BrickLists
Posted by Huw,
As you may know our BrickLists feature is used by many LEGO set designers to record the sets they've worked on and to provide interesting information about their involvement.
Over 70 designers have now created them, and most keep them updated as the sets they've worked on are released.
Here's a list of the recently compiled ones:
- Laura Perron (Dots)
- Corvin Stichert (City)
- David Tauzia (Friends)
- George Gilliatt (Creator)
- Theo Bonner (Ninjago)
- Jme Wheeler (Ninjago)
Another list worth pointing out is one that MPlagborg created late last year containing the sets his father Torben Plagborg designed in the 1980s and 1990s, which includes most of the initial 9v train sets.
Designers, thank you! I know many people appreciate knowing who designed what, and find the information you provide about the design process fascinating. Please encourage your colleagues that haven't yet created one to do so!
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29 comments on this article
I'm a huge 9V fan so, thank you Mr. Torben Plagborg for your influence on this particular theme! The designer of so many sets that influenced my childhood and Lego taste until today! Greatness!
The sets from Torben Plagborg are my favourites. Great story on the bricks he created, especially the Grille Tile 2412a/b. Thank you for sharing!
All 9V fans should check this article on promobricks about 4558 and prototypes done by Torben Plagborg:
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://www.promobricks.de/lego-9v-30-jahre-4558-metroliner-review/114271/
I feel that LEGO should credit the designers in the set instruction manual. I know there are many people involved in the process, but it'd be nice to at least credit the principal designer.
Thanks to all the designers who provided us with such invaluable information, and also to Brickset for this category!
I was always inspired by reading the Designers' Bricklist comments before I worked at the company. Now that I am a LEGO Designer myself, it felt great being able to make a list of my own and be able to share some interesting facts with you all! I look forward to sharing more facts as I continue to develop more sets :)
Thank you, @George_G_!
Mr Corvin should be main City designer. His designs are VERY solid and not very complicated yet they look great and set ideas are solid!
@Sammael said:
"I feel that LEGO should credit the designers in the set instruction manual. I know there are many people involved in the process, but it'd be nice to at least credit the principal designer. "
I think this would be neat
@marengho said:
"All 9V fans should check this article on promobricks about 4558 and prototypes done by Torben Plagborg:
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://www.promobricks.de/lego-9v-30-jahre-4558-metroliner-review/114271/
"
They are celebrating 30 years of 9V trains, so they are doing a whole series of classic reviews of old 9V trains sets. So check back regularly if you are into these models. :)
^ That's a great article!
Huw, Thank you for the information on who designed the 9V trains!
Irrelevant, but I just saw a Ninjago Hype advert on Youtube and I couldn't be cringing more...
A big thank you to the designers writing these lists! I love reading the comments on sets, both for the insights into the creative process, and the peek "behind the curtain" at how products are developed. And it's always fun to see when you find you have a lot of one designer's work.
We prefer to only include those created by the designers themselves to ensure 100% accuracy.
Many (relatively) new designers.
These days, do LEGO designers just "come-and-go"?
It appears to me that in the past many/most LEGO designers were with the company for decades.
Or is it that we are only aware of the "famous" long-timers?
@iriz said:
"Many (relatively) new designers.
These days, do LEGO designers just "come-and-go"?
It appears to me that in the past many/most LEGO designers were with the company for decades.
Or is it that we are only aware of the "famous" long-timers?"
With how many more sets come out now as opposed to even a decade ago, I would imagine that Lego has been hiring a ton of new designers to keep up with the workload.
I have a new hero, Torben Plagborg.
Hey thanks for the shoutout! It's been really exciting to finally read reactions and to share some of the details of the design process for the sets. I used to browse bricklists for hours, so it feels like a rite of passage to now contribute what I can!
The PromoBricks article says "But why did the change from 12V to 9V come about? Plagborg's explanation is quite simple: dust." Is my translation correct?I could think of lots of reasons - realism, simplicity, safety.
It also says that the Metroliner colours were deliberately chosen for the US market - were they not commercial/legal problems copying the Amtrac colours?.
I adore behind the scenes stuff like this. It's always fun when you can pick out the little hints of the designer's style in their works
Everyone here is doing a great job!
@DavidGraham said:
"The PromoBricks article says "But why did the change from 12V to 9V come about? Plagborg's explanation is quite simple: dust." Is my translation correct?I could think of lots of reasons - realism, simplicity, safety.
It also says that the Metroliner colours were deliberately chosen for the US market - were they not commercial/legal problems copying the Amtrac colours?. "
You're correct, it states that dust sometimes made contact support of the electronics difficult when using 12v. I lack the electronic knowledge to make sense of that, though.
@DavidBrick said:
"Colors are not a copyright."
In the case of Amtrak they aren't, but there are lots of copyrighted colors. For example Coca-Cola red, Manner pink, UPS brown, T-Mobile magenta, John Deere green etc.
@Huw. Thanks for the shout-out. I also begged Milan by PM if he could ask his colleagues in the Technic line-up to compile official bricklists. I've put a lot of effort into compiling lists for 9 designers, but they are incomplete. There used to be many Designer Workshop videos that explicitly showed who designed which set (all the sets from a wave). Very cool to watch on YT.
@Sammael - so true, I was just assembling Temple of Airjitsu where there is a section with the designers , no name included just the photo / interview...
Torben Plagborg. What can I say? Having looked at the sets he worked on, it's no surprise I own many of them! He represents a better time in Lego design, quality and price. I wish he was still working on Lego - especially Town, 9V Train etc...Many modern Lego designers, Managers etc could take a great deal of inspiration from him....I really wish Lego would go back to those classic themes and much better prices....
Thank you Torben for bringing me some joy with the sets you made. You'll be pleased to know I still own them!
@sf1378 said:
"Torben Plagborg. What can I say? Having looked at the sets he worked on, it's no surprise I own many of them! He represents a better time in Lego design, quality and price. I wish he was still working on Lego - especially Town, 9V Train etc...Many modern Lego designers, Managers etc could take a great deal of inspiration from him....I really wish Lego would go back to those classic themes and much better prices....
Thank you Torben for bringing me some joy with the sets you made. You'll be pleased to know I still own them! "
Lego was cheaper in the past? I can only assume you are making this statement because you were not paying for Lego sets yourself when Torben Plagborg was a designer.
Just looking at the 9V sets, in 1991 4558 Metroliner had an RRP of USD 135; 4563 Load N' Haul Railroad was USD 120 at the time. Adjusted for inflation, those sets were more expensive than today's sets.
@DavidBrick said:
" @R0Sch said:
" @DavidBrick said:
"Colors are not a copyright."
In the case of Amtrak they aren't, but there are lots of copyrighted colors. For example Coca-Cola red, Manner pink, UPS brown, T-Mobile magenta, John Deere green etc.
"
No. Red and brown are not copyrights. If LEGO made a brown truck or a green tractor they can. The logos are copyright, not the color itself."
There are colour combinations and specific shades which can be trademarked, including at least one example which LEGO has encountered. John Deere successfully objected to 4899 Tractor during 2009.