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We recently had a chat with the dream team of Mark and Darren Hallbury about their passion for Danger Mouse and their recent submission to LEGO Ideas. Here's some of what we discussed. “Good grief, Penfold, shush look at this a Lego Ideas Danger Mouse submission” Hello there and welcome to our Lego Ideas submission based the iconic 80’s British cartoon Danger Mouse from the legendry creative duo of Mark Hall & Brian Cosgrove formerly known as Cosgrove Hall Films. Danger Mouse aired for six years from 1981 – 1987 before receiving a reboot and makeover in 2015 gaining a whole new generation of followers. The TV show in its original 6-year airing was nominated on no less than 11 occasions at the BAFTA Awards – British Academy of Film & Television Arts. Danger Mouse and Penfold was at the heart of our teatime after school TV viewing, out-witting their archenemy Baron Silas Greenback and his ever-faithful henchman Stiletto while under instruction from the legendry and stiff upper lipped Colonel’K. Having aired originally in 1981, the TV show celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021, so with this in mind and our love for cartoons from our childhood, we decided that we would celebrate and attempt to recreate all the classic characters, vehicles and an iconic location:
This Lego Ideas build contains 1200+ pieces, allowing you to build and as always play some epic Danger Mouse adventure’s or simply have it as a classic display piece. It consists of five mini figures, two vehicles and an office. Challenges: We firstly had to decide on the scale and if we wanted to include the Frog’s Head Hopper and because of the enormity of the the Hopper in comparison to the Danger Car we felt best that we stayed with mini figure scale then came the hard part like any other mini figure scale build is including or excluding the smaller details like dashboard and centre console in the car. Then we had to go about designing and learning how to do custom decals (which we later had to omit from the submitted design to Lego as classed as custom parts and not allowed). We have also customised mini figures again same Lego rules applied and were classed as customised thus not allowed in submission. None of this stopped us, we went with Stud.io and yet again another obstacle we used both a Mickey Mouse Head and a Lego – Friends body to create Danger Mouse for real however these parts were not available in Stud.io. Having the ability to build this submission set for real we could take liberties and go custom, which would emphasise to the general public when they see it exactly how it could be completely possible with current pieces and not require any new moulds so no hacksaws or gluing involved lol. So now we have the set built and customised with a paint job including custom decals that we can take around the UK throughout 2022 at various Lego shows. Dreams: We want this to become a Lego Ideas set as we have seen other iterations on Lego Ideas but they are older and the choice of pieces back then was very limited and now with the huge range of parts it has made it possible and we think we have done it justice and also not of the previous Lego Ideas submissions have ever included the Frog’s head Hopper, 5 mini figures or looked at having alternative builds which we have done so hopefully we can follow hot on the tails of sets like Flintstone, Back to the future and Sonic the Hedgehog. Lego Ideas submission link: HERE If you'd like to see the actual build itself then check out the list of upcoming events HERE
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We recently had a chat with Ben Alder, the creator of the LEGO Ideas Winnie the Pooh set about his latest project and here's what he had to say My most recent Lego project has been to create a Farm. I have a young family and we love going to local farms and I thought that making our own Lego one would be fun! I made the little truck a while back and have now expanded the theme into a larger farm build. My favourite part to create, was the barn as it posed a number of challenges. I really wanted a working hoist, but my initial ideas just didn’t look right. I also found it interesting trying to create such a large curved roof. I also really enjoyed designing the rear of the truck as it folds out to allow the rear crate to be lowered to the floor. Deciding on what animals to put in was tricky as I would love to add all the farm animals, but I’ve always loved the cow mould so that one had to be added. My kids love to feed there Nanny’s chickens so they had to be added. Another addition I would love to add is a duck pond as feeding the ducks is another favourite past time of ours. My whole family is Lego mad so each of the figures is a representation of us in Lego. My farm is now on Lego ideas with the hope that one day it might reach the magic 10k. LEGO IDEAS - Farm Life Thank you Ben  We recently had a chat with friend of the LUG Andrea Lattanzio, aka Norton74, about his latest LEGO Ideas project 'Santa's Cottage' and this is what he had to tell us about it. Christmas, the most awaited day by AFOLs We all know that Christmas is not only the most awaited day by all children in the world, but it is also the most awaited day by all AFOLs. To me too, Christmas has a special meaning, linked in a very strong way to the LEGO world. December 25 was the day on which the much coveted set during the year was punctually, or almost punctually, found under the tree. Really good memories and unforgettable emotions. It was assumed that even as an adult builder I would test myself at building themed MOCs. In fact, in recent years I have always reserved the first days of December to release a creation dedicated to the festivity par excellence, the day that brings everyone together. And this year too I have pop out a new "snowy" diorama, let's take a look and discover all its secrets. Santa's Cottage, the MOC for the 2021 winter holidays My Christmas creation this year is called Santa's Cottage and joins the series of rural houses that I have built in the past couple of years and which have had so much response in the international AFOL community. If you look carefully you can recognize that it is a reinterpretation of my Blue Cottage built early this year. The basic structure, sizes and general layout are the same as those of the Blue Cottage; colors, characters and settings are different. The little house is red and white, and it couldn't be otherwise, with a black roof and black and white windows. Note the circular shape of the door and windows, as in the houses of the Hobbits; to recreate them I used the new “Tile, Round Corner” of two different sizes. Rim covers from the Dodge Challenger in the Speed Champion series find new function inside the windows, making the thickness of the portholes circumferences appear smaller and giving the window look a more pleasant, general appeal. The door, on the other hand, has as a texture some simple inverted 2X1 light bluish gray plates, and the outcome is excellent. The base, as in many of my previous dioramas, is made up of multiple layers of "wedge plate" on a brick base, all in total white, the snow effect is guaranteed! Snow and ice are also on the roof, on the surfaces and objects in the MOC. Don’t miss the Trans-Clear Electric, Train Light Prism 1 x 3 used as a piece of ice dripping from the eaves, I think no one has ever used it before, it is a forgotten piece that has fallen into oblivion. The roof is asymmetrical and very sloping on one side: on the left under it there are logs and wooden blocks recreated using the round tiles with the cookies and waffles pattern. To reach the somewhat battered staircase made of tile 1 x 4 with Wood Grain, you pass a pavement consisting of some gray slopes between which I have inserted white tiles to simulate the porphyry effect. I used this technique in my Magda's Garden Shed. Featured in my previous A-frame Cabin, the dry-stone wall is comprised of many Thor’s hammers, a clever technique I borrowed from the very talented builder Letranger Absurde. On the right, the white/red off-road vehicle is parked and this time there is a spare wheel on the roof, you never know! The vehicle is based on my very popular Chevrolet Blazer that first appeared in Sheriff Hopper's cabin, inspired by the TV series Stranger Things. It’s a truly ‘chameleonic’ vehicle that lends itself well to various customisations. The diorama presents some "features" already appeared in previous works and other small hidden details, have fun finding them! Santa’s Cottage is on LEGO IDEAS! If you like the bizarre Santa's Cottage you have the chance to support it on LEGO IDEAS. Click the link below, on the QR code or straight on the photo, to land on the project page, support it and maybe leave a comment. Thanks! https://bit.ly/Santas-Cottage-Norton74  |
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