Product Idea |

The Beatle's Rooftop Concert

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The Beatles, love 'em or not into 'em yet, are the biggest band in the history of popular music, leaving behind an entire catalouge of fabulous tunes and a plethora of iconic moments, the most notable arguably being the final rooftop concert.

The set is a minaturised version of that final gig, containing the Beatles in minifigure form. Speaking of minifigures, a number of issues with the current design shown need to be addressed. First, the figures of the Beatles shown are NOT what would be in the final set. They are merely included in these images to show how minifigures look once in the set. New designs reflecting the Fab Four would need to be drawn. I will sketch possibilities and upload these later.

The second thing that needs to be addressed is the guitars. No guitars similar to those used by the Beatles are currently produced by Lego. In an ideal world, new guitar designs based on the Hofner Violin bass, the Fender Telecaster, and the Epiphone Casino would be produced. To simplify things, the Casino model could serve both Lennon and Harrison. I will produce rough sketches of these guitars later. However, should this prove too expensive for production, I have included a guitar design:

Thirdly, the bricks at the back representing part of the building would have some printing to represent the brick. I will also design this back section using thin plates, and see it that produces a satisfactory effect. Finally, the amps. This, in my eyes, is the most minor design issue. The current design is a double sided radiator with a printed panel on the top. However, one side of the radiator should ideally be plain. The easiest solution to this with current bricks takes the size of the amp from 1 x 2 x 1 1/3 to 4 x 2 x 2. At this larger size, the amps begin to look too big next to minifigures. A new design would include a new, one sided radiator brick, with a new printed panel on top. However, should the new brick design result in the model being too expensive, I would accept the current design shown.

The camera men and all assosiated extras have been excluded due to the fact that they would clutter up the playset, and take the focus off the Beatles. Also, tracking these additional people to obtain permission to use their likeness might turn out to be a gargantuan task, and there is also the possibility that they might say no. Having taken this into consideration, the rooftop was considerably reduced in size so that there was not to much wasted space. This has resulted in some details being comprimised, such as the number of chimney stacks on each side of the building.

If this product were successful, it could become the first in a whole line of such products, not limited to just the Beatles. Other iconic moments in popular music could be imortalised in Lego, provided the moments portrayed were suitable for a young market. For example, a model of Queen's appearnce at Live Aid might be a suitable candidate for Lego-isation. This might not be limited to concert appearances. To return to the Beatles for inspiration, a set could be made of them recording a notable album with George Martin in the studio, or moments from one of their films, although in the lasst scenario, the studio's permission would obviously have to be sought.

I will upload drawings of potentil new designs/pieces within the next week or so. Any comments or constructive critisism is very welcome. Thank you for reading and I hope you support this project.

Last updated 08/05/2012

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