Check out Clue: The Playable Mystery Game (AKA Cluedo), the classic board game that has been transformed into a playable 3D masterpiece by RobZic! Show your support in the comments.
ABOUT YOURSELF
- What is your name?
Robert Ziccardi.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I am an accountant, currently working for a nonprofit organization that provides in-home health services.
- What hobbies do you have?
I play the trumpet in various bands, performing at restaurants, bars, and private events, as well as pit orchestras for musicals by local community theaters and schools.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
I don’t have a website, but most things I’ve built over the last four years can be seen on my Instagram page: @robzicbricks.
- Have you created any LEGO MOCs (my own creations) that you’re particularly proud of?
My favorite is a mash-up of Friends and Marvel Avengers™ called Friendsvengers. I’m proud of this because of the inclusion of Minifigures, which I feel are underrepresented in the adult LEGO® fan community.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
I was a big fan of LEGO building when I was child and, like many, started phasing that down as I got older. As an adult, I returned to the hobby when my eldest daughter turned five. I really ramped up my building as an adult in 2020, as the world adjusted and adapted to COVID-19. I focused more on LEGO bricks as a form of art.
- What does the LEGO hobby mean to you? How does it fit into your life?
LEGO building is a great outlet for creativity. I am able to bring out my creativity audibly with my music, and I can do the same visually with LEGO bricks. I love that there are no limits to what can be built. I also love the social interaction, both virtually and in-person, that being involved in the LEGO community has allowed me.
- What is your favorite official LEGO set ever? Why?
I am a big fan of seeing builds that are out of the box, where you can’t believe it’s made from LEGO bricks. For that reason, my favorite set is the Typewriter. It inspired me to build other items you would find on a desk.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
I decided that I wanted to build a board game. It’s just not something that you see often in LEGO sets, and I think a buildable LEGO board game that is also playable would be a great opportunity for families. I just needed to decide on which one… Many board games are naturally flat in their design which, in my opinion, could limit the visual effect of building with LEGO bricks. Then I thought back to my youth and how Clue™ was one of my favorite games, and one that I still play today with my wife and two daughters. I realized that Clue is simply a house, and once that realization set in, the build of the board game would be each room in the house. This allows for building furniture, wall décor, flooring – all the items that you would see in a Modular build, but in the open floorplan of the Clue game board.
- How long did the process of making the project take and what did you have to research?
The process took several months to complete, as I researched the game board. As I do with all my builds, I just sat down and started building, so that I could start to visualize the final product. During that process, I started sourcing the bricks I needed. The project evolved as I built.
- What special challenges or frustrations did you face creating the model?
The main challenge I encountered during the build process was scale. A Clue board game is 32 squares by 32 squares. Using a 2x2 LEGO tile, that would be exactly 4 baseplates of 32x32. That is large for something that’s not super tall, but I wanted to be authentic in my build, so I went with it. I also wanted to build an exterior to the mansion, so I pulled in the build 3 studs on each side, which would alter my build from the game board, but I felt it was worth that sacrifice. I figured that if there was a need to reduce the size of the build to a more manageable size, that could easily occur during future planning.
- How long did it take to complete the model?
I built my Clue board game, including sourcing the bricks needed over a period of approximately eight months. This excludes various updates and tweaks after I submitted it to LEGO Ideas. For those that submit projects to LEGO Ideas, I would say that, based on my own experience, promoting Clue took much longer than building it. But that is what makes hitting 10,000 so much more special! The time I spent speaking to LEGO fans, board game fans, attendees at several in-person events, including Building Bricks, Toy Shows and the like, well exceeded the build time. It was great to interact with so many people while promoting Clue!
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It took just under two years to achieve 10,000 votes. It was such an overwhelming feeling, seeing that so many people around the world liked what I built. I also received comments from people who said they wanted to buy this set if it was selected, which is a tremendous compliment.
But the best part of the process was when I took Clue around for in-person display. It was great to see how many kids knew of the game, and how many parents smiled when they saw it. I was able to talk with many people about it and I hope, that in doing so, I was able to inspire someone else to build their ideas into reality.
I didn’t initially build Clue to submit as a LEGO Idea product, I did it for my own enjoyment. But at a LEGO show, an attendee said I should submit it. So, while I had the pleasure of inspiring others while promoting Clue, I was inspired by someone else to submit it. That’s what I love about the LEGO community, there is just so much support for each other!
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
As I built Clue in real life and not in a design program, I don’t know the exact count. There are also sections of the build where I would use different pieces if I’d known then what I know now. I had sourced many 1x2 bricks to allow for flexibility when building that, in hindsight, I could have used 1x6 or 1x8 and cut down the number of bricks. So, I would say it is around 3,000 pieces.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
There are two that I’m most proud of. The first would be the kitchen. This was my first kitchen build, but I researched many other builders for ideas, and I think it turned out well. Also, my piano. I know that there are other piano builds in other sets, but I didn’t look at them for inspiration because I wanted to see if I could design my own at this scale.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas Product Idea?
From my own experience and from looking at all the builds that achieved the full 10,000 support, I feel a future submitter would need to consider two main things. The first is to decide on an Idea that appeals to all ages. If you focus on a specific age group only, you may be limiting your possible voters. The second is to consider that the LEGO customer base is worldwide, and something appealing in your home country may not be as well-known internationally. For example, from my research I learned that Clue is how the game is known in the United States, but in Europe and most other non-US counties, it is known as Cluedo™. Because of this, I added Cluedo to the title of my submission, so that I would be respectful of countries other than my own.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
There were many ways that I promoted Clue. I crowdsourced on my own personal social media pages and in groups on Facebook, X, Instagram and Flickr. I joined Discord groups that we related to LEGO builds. But I didn’t just limit myself to virtual advertising, I also displayed Clue at in-person events, such as LEGO AFOL and other brick-related conventions, Toy shows, and other events.
- What is your favorite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)?
There are so many LEGO Ideas that have inspired me. Since I already noted previously that the Typewriter is my favorite set of all time, I’ll focus on one of my favorites that has yet to hit 10,000 votes – the Medieval Knight by legotruman. It’s such a unique Idea and, like the Typewriter, is something that you wouldn’t expect to see as a LEGO set.
As for an Idea that could have been overlooked, one that stands out to me was Rolls-Royce Phantom 1 "Phantom of Love" by dimexart. I liked the design, and it would add an older car to the current lineup that includes the Mustang, Corvette, and 007™ Aston Martin.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
As someone who is an accountant by profession and is involved in the running of a large business, I appreciate how The LEGO Group has created a platform for fan designers, who are also their customer base, to be able to be a part of the process. It is, in my opinion, one of the best examples of crowdsourcing I’ve ever seen from a business. My advice to someone who is thinking of uploading an Idea is to remember that this is a business. So, when an Idea is reviewed, the LEGO Ideas team has to consider if it will appeal to all ages, if it will sell for an extended period of time, and if is something new and unique.
Also, you should consider the licensing aspect of the Idea. I feel fortunate that with Clue that their license is owned by Hasbro®, which The LEGO Group already has a partnership with for the recent Optimus Prime and Bumblebee sets.
- 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?
I don’t have anything specific at the moment. After spending so much time building Clue and taking it to multiple shows across the eastern United States, I want to sit back a little, recharge my batteries, and enjoy the excitement of Clue achieving 10,000 votes!
