LEGO Ideas reveals the story behind 21358 Vending Machine’s minifigures
The story behind 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine’s unique selection of minifigure characters has been revealed by the LEGO Ideas design team.
The LEGO Ideas theme recently released 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine, a 1,343-piece model based on fan designer Rob Vangansewinkel’s winning Minifigure Prize Machine submission.
The LEGO Ideas build comes with a whopping 16 minifigures, including a selection of four characters chosen from two classic themes by a fan vote. That same 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine character line-up has been discussed in a new interview with LEGO Creative Lead, Jordan Scott, with the designer pulling back the curtain on the creation of the set.
“The fan vote results were pretty clear,” Jordan said. “‘Krakens’ and ‘Bright Bluish Green’ were the standout fan selections. But we also saw a lot of love for ‘Griffins’ and ‘Warm Gold’ – and saw the opportunity to bring the runners up to life in the same set!”
“We know our fans love building armies of these kinds of minifigures, so providing only one felt like a little too exclusive. We used the same parts, changing the accessories and/or head to provide variety. We also aimed for a 50/50 gender balance, so both Castle factions come with a male and female. And the Space minifigures have a neutral LEGO expression, so they can be whatever you imagine!”
Jordan goes onto explain why the LEGO Classic Space and Castle themes were chosen for the model and how they both represent a good fit for 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine.
“Castle and Space were such clear choices because of how immediately recognisable they are,” Jordan elaborated. “For example, a new Classic Space colour is something that every fan can envisage, and we can provide many equal options. Similarly with Castle, we took the approach of a shield emblem, which was the same across all four factions with distinct colour palettes and iconic symbols. I would also argue that the themes we picked are two of the most iconic in LEGO history.”
When it came to the new colours of the LEGO Classic Space minifigures, the designer revealed the team’s thinking behind their selection for inclusion in 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine and why they were the ideal addition.
“The ‘Bright Bluish Green’ and ‘Warm Gold’ Space Minifigures fit into the existing line-up quite well,” said Jordan, “with teal being a nice new colour to add to the palette and gold being a little more unique, and something that feels it would come as a result of a prize machine!”
The LEGO Classic Castle minifigures in particular represent the first such new factions to have been added to the theme in over 12 years, a decision that opens up all sorts of exciting creative possibilities for fans.
“For the Castle lore, we took inspiration from real-world history to inform some of the armour, clothing choices, or their weapons and accessories,” Jordan noted. “In our heads, the ‘Krakens’ and ‘Griffins’ are rival factions that reside and battle in more coastal environments, something a bit different from your traditional castle.”
“The ‘Krakens’ represent “evil”, and the ‘Griffins’ represent “good”, but who knows? Maybe our fans think it’s the reverse? This is the beauty of The LEGO Group: you can imagine it however you want. I’m looking forward to seeing how our fans use these characters as a starting point to create new worlds!”
21358 Minifigure Vending Machine is available to order now, with the LEGO Ideas set priced at £149.99 / $179.99 / €169.99. To find out more about the model, be sure to check out our full review here.
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