Modular Portal Testing Chamber

In this update I’ll be sharing my thoughts when reviewing suggestions from you, the supporters, and my ideas as well. I’ll break it into sections, starting with three big sections (Probably Not, Maybe, and Additions) to categorize ideas for future development. After that there will be a section where I talk about a few concepts currently in the pipeline. If you have questions or want to vouch for an idea on the Maybe or Probably Not lists, please do so! I’m trying to make this set as appealing as possible! :D

Probably Not

There are some other elements I am choosing not to include, such as:

• Toxic Goo/Water
• Shredders (“spinny blade walls”)
• Laser Fields
• High Energy Pellets
• Glass observation windows
• Excursion Funnels
• Hard Light Bridges
• Pistons
• Unstationary Scaffolds
• Rocket Turret (it only appears twice, but probably wouldn’t be many parts if people like it)
• GLaDOS mount (the Stalemate Resolution Button battle would be possible, but that part of the game isn’t the focus of this set)

I’m not planning to include them at this point because I feel they would not add as enough value to the set to justify the increase in parts count and price.

Maybe

There are also some elements I’ve designed concepts for but am unsure about including because of the increased parts count or other reasons. These include:

Thermal Discouragement Beams and Redirection Cubes (play would be somewhat limited by the length of the beams)

Vital Apparatus Vents (this would mean relying on a ceiling, adding many more parts) (Red means exceeds 6 by 6 size)

Atlas and P-Body (adding four more portals is a lot of parts, but just robot figures might be feasible and fun for two people to play with the set together)

Frankenturrets (possibly wouldn’t be worth the parts, as there are already a companion cube and a regular cube)

Portal Gun Station

Wheatley Monitor (I really like the design for this element, because it’s very poseable, but might not be worth the parts count, so there’s a much simpler option)

Wheatley Rail (Low parts count and very poseable rail)

These elements could of course be improved in design, if the downsides of including them are judged worth it.  

Additions

Features I’m committed to adding, in one form or another:

• Rattman Dens (little hidden areas behind the panels having radios, or perhaps cake…)
• Better surfaces (some people have said the dark gray areas aren’t as realistic as they could be)

Deadly Pits aren’t really a feature, but can definitely be achieved with the set by splitting it into sections, thanks to the modular system.

A Deadly Pit example is coming soon in the next batch of renders.

The studded version of the panel base got more votes, so that’s how I’ll render chambers and panels from now on.

In the pipeline:

• Power Functions compatibility (investigating moving crusher, button activation, and use of lights)

Every time I start designing a new element, I realize just how easy the modular system makes it! This test chamber is very customizable, so I’ll keep creating new designs that fans could create with their parts at home, even if Lego doesn’t include them in the set. This is what allowed me to quickly make the cooler Wheatley screen (video coming soon showing its functionality).

Stay tuned! And ask questions if you have them :D

This is exciting! 1,000 people are interested in this Lego idea becoming a real Lego set, and that’s staggering! Thank you for every positive comment and smiley face, it makes my day when I read how excited you all are about this set concept.

You guys have also been amazing at keeping the creative ideas for improvements flowing! I really appreciate all of the feedback and helpful tips I’ve been given on Lego Ideas, Reddit, and more. The next update will address the bulk of these ideas (the models are rendering as I compose this).

We are more than 10% of the way there! And that may not seem like a lot, but it’s great we have as many days left as we do. If we manage to gain 20 supporters per day, we should have no issue getting this project to the review stage. So please, if you know a Lego or Portal fan who hasn’t seen this project, let them know about it!

I'm continuing to work on improvements, new element concepts, and part reduction. The DosBrosComiX instagram is where unfinished, in-the-making content goes, so if you want more information about what's going on with this project that's a good place to find raw information.

Thank you for everything. :D

Reducing the total parts count is the major factor in reducing the price of a Lego set. With that said, here are some reduced parts counts:

The Modular Unit

The modular unit part count has been reduced by three pieces, which results in 90 less pieces in the set. Note that the modular unit still has parts to prevent red axles from being pushed in too far (the azure element in the exploded view).

The Panel Base

The panel base has a few possibilities at part reduction. If we want to keep the tiled surface, the parts count can be reduced by two, resulting in 54 less parts. If instead we decided a studded look is better (perhaps more accurate to the game), each panel base is reduced by seven parts, reducing the total of the set by 189 parts!

Leave a comment, which panel base do you think looks better? I like how tiles look, but the studded version is more accurate I think.

Two parts in this update:

The Cameras

The cameras I'm considering adding are very poseable while also maintaining the look of those from the game. GLaDOS uses these to monitor the test subject as they progress through the chambers. The cameras can rotate around three axes, providing full coverage of a test chamber. Plus they have that oblong shape!

The Confusion

Some supporters have been slightly confused about whether the set has minifigures, and why the cubes are blank. The set is supposed to have a minifigure, either Lego-produced Chell or Bendy. The cubes use the Lego-produced prints but with my cube design.

And yes, there's a portal gun, also Lego-produced.

Are cameras a valuable addition? Leave a comment!

Happy building! :D

Hello everyone!

I've created a promotional video about this set to make it easier to show people this project. If you know any fans of Lego or Portal, please show them this video and project! :D

Here's the video:

I've also introduced cameras (seen below), more information on that soon.

Thank you, and have an awesome day!

Wow.

I am absolutely blown away at the support the Lego and Portal communities have shown this project. 250 supporters in 2 days! You guys are really incredible, thank you for making this dream that much closer to a reality.

I’ve been working on this project ever since 2013. I came up with the panel design first, and spent some time refining it. After that came the idea of modularity, I wanted people to really control the dimensions of their test chamber. When designing the modules, I wondered if I could include a central action feature, and the crusher was created.

I think every plane ride I went on since the start of the idea I took out my laptop and refined it, made this or that more accurate, or played around with different aesthetics. Countless summer evenings on the bed were spent modeling and restructuring, to reduce parts counts.

The point is, I’ve been wanting this for many years, but I never really thought it could happen. But you, the supporters, have begun to convince me that this project might actually become a reality, and it feels really good. Thank you for everything, especially your creative ideas for improvements. I hope we keep increasing our ranks and get this pushed to the review stage!