The results of the latest LEGO Ideas review are in and at least two fan-built projects will soon be official LEGO sets. The ornithology-focused LEGO Birds Project and a set based on The Big Bang Theory are coming, but the real exciting news is that the board is still considering two different Doctor Who sets for release.
LEGO Ideas is aplace where LEGO fans can submit their creations to be considered for official production. Once an idea is submitted, it has to gain at least 10,000 supporters in order to go before the board. The board evaluates a number of supported projects each round, one of which becomes an official product. That killer Ghostbusters 30th anniversary set when through the same process.
This time around the board is changing things up, selecting two of the supported projects for production.
DeTomaso's LEGO Birds Project aims to teach families about our feather friends through LEGO bricks. The project focuses on three birds — the hummingbird, robin red-breast and blue jay. The models DeTomaso submitted are wonderful — hopefully not much will change by the time they reach production.
And then there's this thing.
A collaborative work by Alatariel and GlenBricker, this Big Bang Theory set actually captures the look and feel of the show quite well. I'm not a big fan of the way it portrays geek culture, but my parents love it, and that's good for something.
Lovely news, but then LEGO Ideas team member Peter Espersen drops a time bomb:
This review period featured two Doctor Who concepts, and the LEGO Review Board is evaluating them. We'll let you know when we decide whether or not one will be produced as a LEGO set.
That's almost as good as a yes right there. That LEGO is consider two sets based off of the longest-running science fiction television show in history would indicate that any lingering licensing issues — one of the biggest obstacles for many LEGO Ideas projects — aren't going to be a problem. It sounds like they're just trying to pick one — or at least that's how I am choosing to interpret it, because I want them.
The first of the two, simply titled Doctor Who, is another GlenBricker piece.
The second, Doctor Who and Companions, comes from AndrewClark2.
Both sets lean heavily on the more recent Doctors, but both leave a lot of room for different Doctor/companion combinations. Honestly it's very hard to choose, though I'm leaning towards AndrewClark2 if only because GlenBricker's Big Bang Theory is already headed into production.
Ultimately I'll just be happy with an empty box with both the LEGO and Doctor Who logos printed on the front. Here's hoping the LEGO Ideas team solidifies plans soon.