This awe-inspiring Clockwork Solar System Produce Idea shows off an accurate moving model of the solar system submitted by ChrisOrchard in collaboration with BrentWaller! Please help me and the rest of the team by congratulating the two creators in the comments down below.
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Chris Orchard and Brent Waller.
- Where are you from?
Chris: Brisbane, Australia.
Brent: Brisbane, Australia.
- What do you study or do for a living?
Chris: I used to work in IT, but I have been lucky enough to retire early.
Brent: I am a 3D artist, specializing in environments or “levels” for video games.
- What hobbies do you have?
Chris: Woodworking, Programming, Electronics, and, of course, LEGO.
Brent: Lately, it’s pretty much been exclusively LEGO.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
Chris: Some of my older MOCs can be found at https://brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?m=blahman. However, I usually only display at my LUG expos.
Brent: My Flickr Account or Instagram profile are probably the best places to see what I’m up to LEGO-wise.
- Have you created any LEGO MOCs (my own creations) that you’re particularly proud of? What is it, why are you proud it and do you have a photo of it?
Chris: There are two MOCs that I am very proud of: a138 feet tall, fully R/C Liebherr 1600 Crawler Crane, and fully R/C Pick and Carry crane. Not only are they both accurate – I had an owner of a Pick and Carry crane study my MOC for about 45 minutes before stating that I'd got it “spot on!” – but they are completely functional as well. Configured for maximum lift, the Liebherr model has lifted 22 pounds. I'm also proud of the black “Mech,” which is fully articulated and yet free-standing.
Brent: I’ve done a few I’m proud of, but my most recent one, a Mosaic of Baby Yoda for my son’s birthday is probably my favorite. I wasn’t sure if the idea of a greebled mosaic would work, but I’m happy with how it turned out.
- How and when did your interest for LEGO come about?
Chris: I started very early with LEGO, maybe when I was 3 or 4 years old. I became fascinated with Technic models by age 7.
Brent: I was obsessed with it as a child, up until the age of about 14. As an adult, I got back into it at about 28 and was equally obsessed after being reintroduced to it via the LEGO Star Wars video games.
- What is LEGO for you? What does it mean for you? How does it fit in your life? E.g. build, display, meetups, play the games, or 'just' watch the cartoons.
Chris: For me, LEGO is a way of releasing both inquisitive curiosity and pure sculptural creativity. I also like interacting with the public at our LUG expos. It’s a great feeling when someone else “connects” with your model in a way that seems a little lacking online. I also like to help others in my LUG on all things Technic and have made a few Beginners Guides.
Brent: LEGO is an outlet for my creativity. Working in a creative industry, I found that I still wanted to make things when I got home from work but didn’t want to sit in front of a computer. LEGO is perfect for that, as there’s no need for special equipment, or cleaning up a bunch of sawdust or paint like with other creative hobbies.
- What is your favorite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
Chris: Technic would be my favorite theme. I love mechanisms and how they work. Technic really allows you to explore that in depth. Creator Expert has probably influenced how I build MOCs now. I guess for me, the perfect model is a blend of both form and function.
Brent: Lately it’s been Ideas and the 18+ range. It’s great to see sets come out targeted specifically for my tastes, and while not all of them are things I’m interested in, there’s enough continually coming out that I can’t even keep up.
- What is your favorite official LEGO set ever? Why?
Chris: The 8860 Car Chassis blew my 9-year-old mind! But as an adult, the 8275 PF Bulldozer was awesome, because you know, tracks! That said, I don't really have a single favorite set. I like sets that push my building skills and teach me new techniques, so a lot of the sets I buy aren't even Technic ones.
Brent: I saw a picture of the original Monster Fighters Haunted House recently, and it brought back fond memories and makes me want to build it again. It was such a great set.
- What is your favorite LEGO element? Why?
Chris: Oh boy! My take is that each element is like a tool that lets you build in a particular way. For example, you need a saw, chisel, hammer, and screwdriver to build a house, but it's only when you use them in combination with other elements that you can build something special.
Brent: The one I’ve been looking for and finally find after several long minutes!
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
Chris: Sariel from Poland is one of my favorite builders. His creations are great, and he mixes form and function beautifully. Not only that, but he also shares his knowledge and that resonates with me.
Brent: I’ve been enjoying the work of Brick Experiment Channel on YouTube lately. I don’t know the name of the builder, but they concentrate on pushing the limits and showing the capabilities of Technic. I’m not particularly good with Technic, but I like to see what it’s capable of and hopefully take some of it on board.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
Chris: Bricklink, as I think every serious MOC builder also likes to visit. For LEGO news and reviews I often visit www.brothers-brick.com and bricknerd.com. For Australian specific things, brickingaround.com.
Brent: Apart from Bricklink and Brothers Brick, I hang around a bunch of local and global LEGO Facebook Groups and Discord servers for fans and builders, plus any groups that share cool creations.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
Chris: In an online social night, put on by our LUG (Brisbricks), Brent was talking about a project he would have liked to create but lacked the Technic skill to pull off, and so I offered to help him on it. I've looked at orreries – solar system models – before, but all the previous attempts that I had seen online looked a little flimsy. Then I had an “a-ha!” moment about using the ring gear for the planets, and then I was hooked on the idea.
Brent: The original idea came to me back in 2019 when I was making another LEGO Ideas project for the film The Dark Crystal. In that film there’s a crazy, weird orrery of a fantasy Solar System of their planet, Thra. I built a mini-fig version of that orrery for the Ideas project. It didn’t move, but it planted the seed in my head, and I thought “wouldn’t it be amazing if you could make a real working orrery of our Solar System out of LEGO and Technic?”
- How long was the process of making the project did, and what did you have to research as well. What kind of prep, research and design phases did you go through to produce your creation?
Chris: Overall, the project took 15 months to complete. We both felt that accuracy was one of the key design features, so I searched for the most accurate planet timings available and double-checked them against NASA and other official pages. From that, I made a gearing spreadsheet to help work out which ratios I would need. Then I went into prototyping mode, to design the arms and get the ring gear to turn reliably and smoothly. Meanwhile, Brent designed the look and color scheme of the base and the planets. We created both computer models and physical models, to access tolerances and fit. I think we had gone through eight major revisions and three complete redesigns before we were satisfied. The final process involved reducing the part-count to get it under our target of 3000.
Brent: It was about 15- or 16-months’ work in total. Before I mentioned the project to Chris and brought him on board, I worked out the math of the gearing on paper, not very accurately. I then spent at least a week attempting various ways of making it work, but my limited knowledge and experience with Technic and power functions meant I didn’t get very far. I’d effectively given up on the project before I mentioned it during our LUGs social night.
- What special challenges or frustrations did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
Chris: The most challenging – and rewarding! – part was getting the ring gear to move smoothly. You see, the ring gear isn't a perfect quarter circle, the ends are pinched in a tiny amount. This in-and-out difference in friction made the mechanism speed up and down, meaning that the standard LEGO spacing wasn't going to work. It took around ninety hours of prototyping to get the fractional millimeter clearance I needed.
The gearing between planets also was quite challenging. To help with that, I wrote a program that would search all possible ratios, looking for the closest one. But it still needed ordering and the insertion of idler gears to make it buildable.
Brent: Obviously, for me, it was the challenge of completing such a complex project myself, which is why Chris and I decided to collaborate. I focused mainly on the aesthetics of the orrery, concentrating on the base design and the planets themselves. We went through multiple iterations of the base to improve stability and reduce the part count. That was a challenge for me, to remain sturdy and retain the original look I had in mind, but using fewer parts.
- If you could talk to yourself before you started on this project, what would you tell him/her? What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
Chris: Don't get too emotionally committed to a design, because it might get thrown out. I think Brent's job and previous experience helped him a lot more in this regard. Designing and polishing a set that comes close to a “real” LEGO set is a lot of hard work. It takes a lot of time and effort to see it through.
Brent: There’s not a lot I would change. In fact, if I were to go back to all my previous Ideas project submissions, I’d use this one as a guide for what to do. Namely, take your time. Don’t rush it and get the concept, design, and presentation perfect the first time. Although you can update your projects later, it’s first impressions that matter.
- How long did it take to complete the model? Did you finish it fairly quickly, or did it take a long time? And how did the build time compare to the time you spent promoting your Product Idea to reach 10,000 supporters?
Chris: Overall, it took 15 months. Research and prototyping took about nine months to complete. The last month was spent polishing and reducing parts. Promoting the model was part of Brent's contribution. I am clueless when it comes to social media! Promotion was low-key to start with, just to see how it went.
Brent: For me, it started back in 2019, so it was nearly two years. But I didn’t spend all that time working on the project, it was little bursts of here and there. The work really started when Chris came on board. Even then, the majority of my work came in the last month or so, where I was bringing it all together, refining the visual design, and creating the pictures and video for the project. During that time, I was working on it pretty much every day.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
Chris: It was great! We achieved support in one month, which is incredible really. I think people responded well to our fusion of Creator Expert and Technic in a unique and interesting-looking model.
Brent: I still can’t believe how fast it got to 10,000 votes. I keep reloading the page to check the vote count! I’m always excited when a project reaches 10K, especially when it’s an original idea.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
Chris: Just under 3000. I believe the studio model came in at 2996 parts. There are 153 gears and over 1000 stud-length worth of axles and liftarms.
Brent: We had to refine and iterate a few times to keep the part limit down. That’s one of the reasons we ended up going with the sphere pieces for the planets, rather than brick building spheres. The other reason was to keep the weight of the planets and armatures down.
- What is your favorite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
Chris: I would say I'm most proud of design for the sides of the support tower, which combines SNOT, system, studded Technic, and stud-less Technic in a way that is both strong and elegant.
Brent: I love the dials which show each planet’s “year.” It was something that didn’t come until later. I noticed that the base I’d made has eight sides, and there were eight planets. It seems like it was designed that way, but it was just a happy accident. I wasn’t sure if we were going to be able to make that work, as well as the planets, and keep it strong and functional. But Chris managed to make it all work!
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
Chris: We used Studio to build the digital version. I think Brent used Mecabricks to import the model into Blender.
Brent: Yes, I used Mecabricks, which I then exported into Blender, where the model was rendered and animated. Chris does have a working physical prototype, too. With something this complex, we couldn’t build digitally and then expect it to just work with real bricks. We wanted to prove the concept could work in reality, and not just pitch the idea on its own.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
Chris: Brent would be the one to ask that one!
Brent: I used Photoshop for the design of the planet prints and dials, applied in Blender as textures on each piece.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas Product Idea?
Chris: Research your idea and spend a lot of effort working out your vision of it exactly. Realize that you only have one chance to impress someone to support your project – if they lose interest in the first 10 seconds, your project will struggle. Your presentation also needs to be as sharp as a LEGO presentation. Finally, if you don't have the skills, reach out to others. This project never would have happened if Brent had not asked for help
Brent: As Chris said, I really believed in the idea of this project and thought it would make an amazing LEGO set. I tried my hardest, but just couldn’t figure out how to make it work. Rather than giving up and throwing it all away, we worked together to realize the idea. We both truly believed in it.
I’ve had other projects reach 10,000 before, but none this quickly and none with so little continued promotion from me. The initial presentation and video pitched the idea so well, it gathered its own momentum that carried it to 10,000 quicker than I could have ever have thought.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
Chris: Brent would be able to answer this one better than me. I think we used Facebook, Instagram, Imagur, and X. Brent also did an interview and I put a post in Eurobricks.
Brent: Presentation is everything. If you have a great idea, a great build, and a great presentation, people will share your project without you even having to ask. I did post it in the usual websites like Facebook, Instagram, and X, but I only had to do it once in this case.
- What is your favorite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
Chris: I thought the Saturn V was the best, with the Curiosity Rover coming in a close second. But I am a space fan…
Brent: I’m a sucker for Licenses, so I still love the Winnie the Pooh and Sesame Street sets. Saturn V and Curiosity Rover were great too, but I’m really looking forward to seeing the Home Alone and Earth Globe sets when they come out.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
Chris: There are some really good ideas out there that don't really fit in with the core themes of LEGO. LEGO Ideas provides a rewarding way of making those ideas become a real set. I mean, who doesn't want that to happen? If you are thinking of posting an idea, take your time and get it right
Brent: What other company allows their fans and customers to submit ideas that might actually have a chance of being taking on board? Not only that, but the fans also get to have a say in the process if it’s selected, which is a great opportunity to be involved in something you love.
As Chris said, take your time and get it right. That doesn’t just include the design and build. Take some time to think about the idea itself, to see if it’s something you could picture sitting on a shelf in a LEGO store.
- Do you have plans to submit any other Product Ideas in the future? If yes, can you give us a hint what that might be?
Chris: I'm hoping so… I can tell you it's made of LEGO!
Brent: I have lots of ideas, but I’m not sure if some of them are the right fit for LEGO Ideas. So, I’m going to take some time to think about them some more and keep working on my MOCs in the meantime.
