Not lucky enough to have caught Coldplay on their world tour? With his COLDPLAY MUSIC OF THE SPHERES WORLD TOUR DIORAMA, MIKEYDENDEN has brought the band’s performance to life for all music fans. Show him you believe in love (and LEGO builds!) by commenting below.
ABOUT YOURSELF
What is your name?
Michael Dennis.
Where are you from?
Bristol, United Kingdom.
How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
My earliest memory of LEGO bricks was my dad coming home from a business trip with LEGO Star Wars Bounty Hunter Pursuit (7133) as a present. The set blew my mind as a 5-year-old, and since then I have been obsessed with LEGO building. Every year, as most kids do, I would beg my parents for LEGO sets for my birthday and Christmas!
What does the LEGO hobby mean to you?
As an adult, LEGO building means a lot to me as it brings out my inner child by channelling that sense of tactile creativity everyone needs. At the moment, I collect LEGO sets to build and display. However, when I eventually get a big enough house, I intend to work on building my own LEGO city, combining official sets and personal creations.
What is your favorite LEGO theme (current or past)?
My current favorite theme is the LEGO Mario line, specifically the 18+ sets. But when I was a kid, it was definitely LEGO Star Wars! The Icons line has taught me a lot about different building techniques, such as SNOT (studs not on top), which I used to build the stage in my design to help me get the desired round shaping.
What is your favorite official LEGO set ever? Why?
It has to be the Mario Question Mark Block (71395). It’s one of my favorite things to show guests in my house! On the outside, it just looks like a simple build. However, watching people's reactions when you open it is always fun, as the build is actually very technical!
What is your favorite LEGO element? Why?
It has to be the cheese slope, because I love cheese! But also, because it’s a very small, versatile piece that is great for adding detail and has a lot of use when sculpting anything.
Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
It has to be Mathew Ashton. I know he designed the LEGO Everyone is Awesome set (40516), which speaks to me as a member of the community that the set celebrates. Watching his interview about the set was lovely, seeing the passion he has for both LEGO building and the LGBTQ+ community.
Is there one or more particular LEGO websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
Bricklink is a website I use regularly to do research into LEGO pieces and sets. I also used their Design Studio software to design my set.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
Coldplay has been a huge part of my life since 2011, although my earliest memory growing up is of my dad playing their songs “The Scientist” and “I Ran Away” when driving in the car. I have now seen the band play live seven times, including four times on this current tour, which is what inspired my design. Coldplay preaches nothing but love and acceptance for everyone, in the same way I feel the “Everyone is Awesome” LEGO set did (the name of the set sounds like something Chris Martin himself would say!), and that is something I think the whole world needs to hear.
How long did the process of making the project take and what did you have to research?
The process took about 3-4 weeks, working for a couple of hours each evening. I had to research a lot about the clothes of the band, and the decals on the instruments. I had a vague idea from memory, but needed some clearer images to try and get some of the decals correct. I went through three main design stages. Stage one was the main build, the screen, stage and instruments. Stage two was the prints, colors, clothes, etc. Stage three was the finer details, the fireworks, confetti and the addition of the C-stage. From there, it was all about getting the renders correct for submission.
What special challenges did you face creating the model?
I knew I wanted the set to have fireworks, which I thought would be straightforward. However, that was probably the bit that went though the most iterations, as I just couldn’t find a design I liked, and it got frustrating. As this was my first time using Bricklink Designer Studio, I also had a lot of frustration trying to get the flexible pieces to flex in the way I wanted. After about two hours of trial and error, I got there!
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?
Try not to overthink anything. It’s easy to get caught up trying to be a perfectionist, but the charm and fun of LEGO builds is that sometimes you won’t have the perfect piece for the job, and you just have to work your way round it!
How long did it take to complete the model and for your Product Idea to reach 10,000 supporters?
I would say about 30-40 hours of work as a rough estimate. For a relatively small build, I feel it took me a long time, mostly because it was my first time using the software. The time promoting it was probably about the same as the time building.
How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes?
I was ecstatic! I was just in awe of the support from the fan communities and Coldplay themselves in helping me reach 10,000. It only took us 12 days to reach the magic number!
Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
675.
What is your favorite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
My favorite part of the build is the fireworks! Though my favorite building technique used was the SNOT technique for the stage. I’m not exactly a seasoned designer, so I don't know too many complicated techniques!
If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I used Bricklink Parts Designer for the custom printed pieces.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas Product Idea?
All I can say is make something fun, and something you feel will speak or resonate with people. Also, campaigning for support is difficult and takes a lot of time, so be aware the fun doesn’t stop once you’ve made your design!
What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
Instagram, X, Facebook Groups, and Reddit! I used groups related to both LEGO fans and Coldplay fans on those platforms to spread the word of my project. I was also lucky enough to have gained social media support from Coldplay across all platforms. This gave me a huge boost!
What is your favorite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
It has to be the Saturn V rocket (92176)! That set sat proudly on top of my bookcase.
I think the Thunderbirds are GO set by Andrew Clark was an overlooked set. The amount of nostalgia Thunderbird 2 brings to me is insane!
What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
Quite simply the variety of Ideas and seeing how people interpret different objects and intellectual properties. I love it! My advice would be to just roll with it. Show the world what you have, and, as long as you put passion into it, I’m sure you will find people who your idea clicks with!
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 am working on some Ideas at the moment, but for now you will have to wait!
