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LEGO Ideas: Doctor Who & WALL-E coming!

A few days ago exciting news was posted on the LEGO Ideas blog: the LEGO Ideas review team had made their decision and have chosen the next LEGO Ideas set from eligible candidates. And there is more great news! 🙂

LEGO Ideas WALL-E

You may remember that in the previous review announcement it was indicated that LEGO was still evaluating the two LEGO Doctor Who projects that reached 10,000 votes in that period. Decision has been made on those as well. This brings the number of models chosen from the November 2014 review up to three: LEGO Ideas #9 Bird Project (already have been released as #21301 LEGO Ideas Birds), LEGO Ideas #10 The Big Bang Theory (still no update on this project although it has been selected), and LEGO Ideas #12 Doctor Who and Companions. And from this review period we can welcome LEGO Ideas #11 WALL-E! See video-announcement and other details below!

“Over the past months, the LEGO Ideas Review Board has been evaluating eight spectacular projects. In the end, only one outstanding design made it through this review and will become an official LEGO product. We are happy to welcome the following concept into the LEGO Ideas product family: Big congratulations to Angus MacLane who created this blocky version of everyone’s favorite hopelessly romantic robot. MacLane is a Pixar animator and director, who actually worked on the WALL-E film. He created the model during the WALL-E production, and submitted it to LEGO Ideas in hopes of it becoming a set. Your hopes and dreams for WALL-E have come true, as the creation will become the next LEGO Ideas product.”

LEGO Ideas Doctor Who

“During our last review announcement in November 2014, we indicated that we were still evaluating two timey-wimey projects: “Doctor Who and Companions” and a project simply named “Doctor Who.” After much consideration the LEGO Review Board has come to a decision about these two projects: YES! The LEGO Group will produce a “Doctor Who”-themed project and the LEGO Review Board has chosen the “Doctor Who and Companions” project by LEGO Ideas member AndrewClark2. Andy Clark is an artist at a gaming company by day, and a LEGO builder and pretend run-away Time Lord by night. For those following closely, this makes Doctor Who and Companions the third project from the First 2014 LEGO Review period to become an official LEGO set! We are absolutely thrilled to share this news with you, and we only wish there were a real TARDIS so we could transport you straight to the set’s release date. We’re still working out the final product design, pricing and availably for both the WALL-E and Dr. Who and Companions LEGO sets, so check back on LEGO Ideas later this year for details.”

LEGO Ideas Projects

“The LEGO Review Board has evaluated each project according to our decision criteria. We’ve decided that all other concepts in the Second 2014 review period will unfortunately not be produced as LEGO sets. This decision, however, does in no way take away from the incredible talent put into these projects or the passion supporters have shown. Getting 10,000 votes on a project is an extraordinary accomplishment in and of itself but it’s really just the beginning of a journey. After reaching 10,000 votes the project will enter the LEGO Review stage. During the LEGO Review, a team of specialists within The LEGO Group – including LEGO set designers, marketing and business representatives, and other relevant team members – investigate and evaluate the project to determine its potential as a LEGO set. This involves analyzing the votes and information you give us about your project as well as looking at things like playability, safety, and fit within the LEGO brand. This takes a while and the timing varies because of all the different factors involved in the decision process. Every potential LEGO product, including those developed internally, goes through a process like this and must meet the same standards. The LEGO Review Board makes all final decisions on which new sets the LEGO Group will release based on LEGO Ideas projects.”

LEGO Ideas Upcoming Projects

“The third 2014 LEGO Review is well underway, and you can expect results late spring/early summer. Remember we have updated our review schedule to three times per year. We’re very excited about bringing you both the WALL-E and Doctor Who And Companions sets and look forward to considering more of the amazing projects reaching 10,000 supporters and thereby qualifying for the LEGO Review.”

I was pretty sure that the LEGO WALL-E project was going to be chosen. It is a perfect fit for LEGO, in line with previous LEGO Ideas sets, and is just a winning model overall. As far as the LEGO Doctor Who set, I know many LEGO fans are very happy! I have also heard rumors that there may be other LEGO Doctor Who sets in the future, even besides the one that was approved for LEGO Ideas. Kind of like the expansion of LEGO Minecraft, which also originally came out of LEGO Ideas (then LEGO CUUSOO).

LEGO Ideas The Big Bang Theory

I’m a little concerned that there has been no updates on the LEGO Ideas Big Bang Theory sets that was approved in the previous review period. It is a project that requires a license, so perhaps that’s where the holdup is. Or maybe they are holding off the set until the next review announcement, as I don’t really see any projects in that period that will likely get approved; some have already been made into LEGO sets (LEGO Helicarrier, and LEGO Jurassic Park), some are too large, and some just unlikely. Although I would like to see the LEGO Lord of the Rings Minas Tirith project made into an official LEGO set, I’m not holding my breath…

So what do you think? Are you looking forward to the LEGO WALL-E and LEGO Doctor Who sets? Which one are you planning to get, if any? And which one of the upcoming projects do you think will make it through the next review period? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below! Also, if you would like to see the currently available LEGO Ideas sets, visit the Online LEGO Shop.

Shop 2015 LEGO Ideas

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

{ 28 comments… add one }
  • Strider February 9, 2015, 10:41 AM

    I’m so happy that the Lego group is choosing the companions set. I hope they make multiple Doctor incarnations though. I want Amy, Rory, 11, 10, Rose and Jack. I also want a Liz Shawl with 3, and Romana with 4, but that’s never gonna happen. (If they do any from the classic series it would probably be Ian and Barbara or Sarah Jane.) Really excited to see which characters they do, the more the better.

  • Crazybricks February 9, 2015, 10:57 AM

    The third 2014 review results I would love to see the Natural history museum, the labyrinth marble maze, Minas Tirith and, the Piano become sets even though the piano will probably be the only one to become a set in this wave of review results.

    • hippyman February 9, 2015, 11:15 AM

      What are the odds that they will choose the helicarrier, with them having an internal design of the helicarrier? I would really prefer the ideas model, but if it doesn’t get made, I don’t want to miss out.

      • BLProductions February 9, 2015, 11:27 AM

        0.00% chance of the Helicarrier becoming a set. Reasons:
        1. Another one is already being released.
        2. The ideas project is way to big to be a set.
        That second reason also applies to the AT-AT, Goonies ship, and Flying Dutchman. I leave out the Modular Museum because it fits the criteria of the Modulars, so it’s not oversized for its type.

      • admin February 9, 2015, 11:48 AM

        As others have mentioned, the odds are zero. Not just because LEGO already made it, but because the set is built of almost 23,000 pieces, which means that it would costs at least $2,500. That is way out of LEGO’s league. However as a MOC it is doable for someone who has the dough, so all you would need is the instructions to build it. I would add here though that instructions for such a huge set would have to be digital, otherwise it would have to be something like 10 big books. So yeah, that set is huge. It would have never made it as an official LEGO set, even if LEGO would have not made the Helicarrier on their own.

  • BLProductions February 9, 2015, 11:22 AM

    I’m interested to see what they’ll do to Wall-e, and who they will include with the DW set. I know there are a lot of LEGO/DW fans, so they will have to choose wisely. 😉 From the next review I’d really like to see the marble maze pass, as it is unlike all of LEGO’s current products. 🙂
    Also, although Ideas is a base for fan-made models to become sets, I think LEGO could really learn from these. I mean, look at all these excellent models that 10,000 people voted for, which in my opinion surpass most of LEGO’s own products. Though most of the sets in the next review period have no chance of becoming sets, LEGO could take those ideas, modify them, and release them as part of current product lines. (Ideas used with permission, of course. 😉 ) That would put some new ideas into the sets.

    • admin February 9, 2015, 12:07 PM

      I have heard rumors that Doctor Who may become a theme on its own with more sets and characters. In that case they won’t have to be so selective on who they include in the first set. A lot of people suspect that what you suggest is exactly what LEGO is doing; by seeing which models become popular on LEGO Ideas they can judge what fans are interested in.

  • LegoUniverse Bob February 9, 2015, 11:56 AM

    I really want the Flying Dutchman, Marble Maze, and Piano all as sets, but I only think either Piano or Marble Maze are going to get through. As you said, the FD is too large and looks way too expensive.

    • admin February 9, 2015, 12:16 PM

      The Flying Dutchman is an incredible model, but yeah, too big. The interesting thing about Marble Maze is that it has been on LEGO Ideas (and formerly CUUSOO) since at least 2012. I remember blogging it way back then. So I’m not sure how LEGO will view this set needing so long to acquire enough votes. I think it has good potential though as a stand-alone model. The issue with the piano is that it is an extremely fragile model. It would need serious redesigning. Of course this is not a big problem for LEGO’s own designers, but I’m wondering if it could actually be made sturdy enough in this scale to pass LEGO’s quality test. It looks nice, but kind of boring in my opinion.

  • Kim February 9, 2015, 12:45 PM

    I’m not a Dr Who fan, I couldn’t get in to the show really. But the sets might have some interesting pieces. For the next review period I would love to see the Goonies set and the Natural History Museum but they are both pretty big. As an aside, I wanted to let everyone know about the current Humble Bundle book bundle. You can get some digital Lego books in it along with some kid friendly programming books and stuff. You can get all 13 books for a minimum of $15. The Lego books are great and are worth well over the $15. Check it out if it interests you. https://www.humblebundle.com/books

  • David Tennant Lover February 9, 2015, 12:51 PM

    I am definitely buying the Doctor Who and Wall-E! The Wall-E set will look great on someone’s office desk, and I must have the Doctor Who set because it is my favorite TV show (I have Doctor Who bed sheets, figures, sonic screwdrivers, lots of posters, etc, so I can’t wait to get a Lego version of Doctor Who!).

    • admin February 9, 2015, 2:21 PM

      Glad to have a Doctor Who fan around here. If we have questions we know who to ask. 😉

  • Tom February 9, 2015, 1:26 PM

    Two TARDIS sets lined up for me. Going to be supwr hard to get though – I might actually queue on release date!

    • admin February 9, 2015, 2:20 PM

      I would recommend that you do that. In fact anyone who is planning to get this set should really hone in on the first day. We don’t want to repeat the heartbreak and disappointment of the Research Institute and the Exo-Suit, do we? 🙁

      • Tom February 10, 2015, 1:13 PM

        Fortunately working and living in london I have quite a few lego stores near me so I should be able to get one (or two) 🙂

  • Ninja of Stealth February 9, 2015, 1:57 PM

    Even though I don’t watch Dr. Who, I’M GOING TO GET IT! Who could go wrong with a phone booth? 😀

    • admin February 9, 2015, 2:19 PM

      Yep, my thoughts exactly! :mrgreen:

      • Håkan February 10, 2015, 3:20 PM

        I haven’t really watched the series, but I think it’s a running joke in the later episodes that the phone booth isn’t as inconspicuous as it used to be, with actual phone booths becoming increasingly rare in this age of cell phones…

  • jjava February 9, 2015, 3:20 PM

    I am not looking forward to either of these sets. Hope they release TBBT one soon as I wasn’t interested in the birds one either. I really want them to approve the Museum one but I doubt it will happen as it is massive.

    • admin February 9, 2015, 9:09 PM

      Yes, I’m also looking forward to the TBBT set, but surprisingly there has been no additional info. 😕

  • lego ff February 9, 2015, 3:49 PM

    hey you know the new 10 episodes of ninjago are out! they’re so good!

  • DarrellBricker February 9, 2015, 4:44 PM

    I was disappointed to see that the Ghostbusters HQ was a no-go, and the X-Men Mansion, too. Ghostbusters HQ would have been a great set to include a mini-figure of Annie Potts’ Janine and maybe either Louis, Slimer, or even Sigourney Weaver’s character from the first movie. And the X-Mansion would have been a great place to include X-Men we might not otherwise get. It also seems like the X-Mansion would have been a no-brainer, since the superhero sets are pretty popular right now. Alas.
    Anyway, extremely excited for Dr. Who, though …

    • admin February 9, 2015, 9:11 PM

      The Ghostbusters HQ would have been a great set, and a nice addition for the Ecto-1. Maybe LEGO found it too big, or something. Really not sure. The X-Mansion may be a set that LEGO is already working on – at least let’s hope. 😉

  • SuperSpyX February 9, 2015, 6:31 PM

    *Starts hyperventilating* Doctor Who…set…coming…SQUEEEE!!

    I am so gonna get one…or two…and play with them while wearing my 9th doctor trench coat (which is very awesome).

  • Goku562 February 9, 2015, 9:31 PM

    I’m a little ddisappointed. I was looking forward to them choosing the Corvette Stingray.

  • Dario February 9, 2015, 10:30 PM

    And certainly being a “PIXAR animator and DIRECTOR” didn’t hurt . . .

    WALL-E came out how long ago? 5 years? Wasn’t a bad movie, but all things being equal, I would enjoy a lot more to build the Batman or the X-Men model. The AT-AT was awesome – but it would probably be too expensive . . .

    It would be nice if they would publish a bit of the criteria they’re using – like “more than 1,000 pieces – no go”, “if we need to pay royalties – no go” and so on . . .

    • Håkan February 10, 2015, 5:58 AM

      Royalties? Several sets based on licensed properties have been released already, but licensed properties aren’t equal…

  • VirtualMirage February 10, 2015, 11:59 AM

    I’m looking forward to grabbing a WALL-E set when it gets released. I’m also patiently waiting for TBBT set, whenever that comes out.

    I’m not a big DW fan, but the TARDIS looks interesting enough to may place it in my city somewhere.

    I am disappointed to see the Ghostbusters HQ didn’t make the cut. At least the instructions are posted online, but it will cost a pretty penny to get all those pieces on the open market versus if it was sold as a set. I’ve taken a peek at the instructions and there are a few things I would like to find alternatives to since I am not a fan of gluing pieces together to make it work. But it looks possible to have alternative build methods.

    As for the next set, I am hoping the museum gets some serious contention. I would love to have a museum to go with my other Creator Expert buildings.

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