LEGO has done an amazing job with the LEGO Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit characters and creatures. They are particularly detailed and true to both the movies and the books. Have you ever wondered how LEGO moulds are made to create new LEGO elements based on movies? Below is an interesting video of the process of creating prototypes for the vicious Wargs, and the fancy beard pieces of the dwarves in the LEGO The Hobbit sets. 🙂
Watch as LEGO Senior Designer Gitte Thorsen shares the steps from the initial drawings, to using sculpting-clay to work out shapes, to baking the clay, to carving and refining the hardened clay to finalize the prototype, and to finally make it to finished product.
One thing Gitte hints at several times is that the new design must be compatible with current LEGO products both in style and fit. At least to me this is the most impressive aspect of the work of a LEGO artist; translating real-world (or movie-world) elements that are both accurate to the original concept and yet fit seamlessly into the already established world of LEGO.
It is also interesting to see how the tools used to make LEGO prototypes are quite simple and old-fashioned. No fancy software or high-tech equipment; just paper and clay – the time-tested tools of a true artist.
I really like such behind-the-scenes videos from LEGO. What about you? How did you like the video? Did you learn something? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below! 😉
You may also like to check out the LEGO Lord of the Rings section for more news, reviews and discussions about the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit sets. Or just select from some of the following recent posts:
i love those wargs! 😀
Cool!
awsome! i’ll give them five *****
I haven’t watched the video yet but I agree that it is amazing what they do.
Awesome!
I still can’t believe there is going to be a Saruman the White minifig, an Elrond, Arwen and Gandalf the White as well!
lots to look forwards to! 😀
I know! Pretty awesome, huh?
It’s a shame they keep trying to take away art classes in School Districts when obviously you see just how talented these artists are. It does’nt have to be in an Art Institute to be a form of art. Great job.
Steven, yeah it is happening in my area too; art and music classes getting cut back. But actually pretty much every industry needs people who are talented with their hands and creative with their minds.
I agree with you, but I don’t follow your connection? There’s a shame there aren’t art classes, when there are so many talented artists?
I guess the economic value of art is always under question, but no matter what, people will remain creative, there will be an urge to create.
In some schools in Nassau they have a lego group in engineering! They work with the Lego Mindstorms brand.
soo cool
No post today?
Yeah, on the weekends I sometimes skip a day. Regular readers are not around as much, and for first time visitors it doesn’t so much matter. Sometimes I just need time to do something else, or I just don’t have the inspiration to write. This weekend I re-did my LEGO shelves so I can display more of my MOCs in one place. They were taking over my room. 😉
To bad there aren’t any new post today. Every couple minutes I kept on checking here for a comment or something. It’s very slow today. Did I mention that they are voting to legalize gambling in the Bahamas? It’s supposed to be illegal! 😥
People are voting on it.
very interesting. I had no idea the prototypes started out at such a large scale. I wonder how they eventually get scaled down?
Eric, that’s a good question. It seems that she indicated that is done in a different department. But I would love to see too how they do it. 🙂
me too. I wonder if they can do a 3D scan of it, and then create a prototype fromt that at a smaller scale. It looks like it goes from huge, to large, and then finally to mini.
Yesssssss more of the hobbit :0
Hi, I barely speak english and I don’t understand which material she said she uses. Can anybody tell me? Thanks
Denise, she is just using sculpting clay. That’s what you are asking about?