DuckTales: The Money Bin

In today's update, I will show you a video interview I did with my good friend @Apollo Exconde.

We talk of how the Money Bin project was born, the difficulties I encountered during launch, and why this project means so much to me. I also show the real life version of the model.

Plus, you can make fun of my heavy italian accent 😁.

It's a pretty long video, so if you want to jump straight to the where i show the model, you can go to 10.57, but I think it's worth to watch it all

Apollo is an UK based MRI technician, and a 10k Club Member . His creation (a LEGO MRI scan) was built with the intent to help kids to get confidence with the machine and don't be afraid of it (claustrophobia is a serious issue). What a clever and kind idea!

Sadly it wasn't approved, but Apollo is not the kind of guy who gives up (just like Scrooge and me):

his new goal is to make a LEGO give away for hospitalized or unwell kids.

To do so he needs to reach 1000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, in order to monetize the videos and fund his campaign.

I think it's a very noble and kind idea, so be sure to subscribe once you watched the video... and of course, support the Money Bin too 😉

289 days. That's how long it took to reach this magical number.

Thank you so much to every single one of you ❤️.

It means a lot. In fact, I might have shed more than one tear of joy 😢.

Psicologically it's a fantastic boost to know that half (more than half as I'm writing) of the job is done.

This weekend I will attend Model Expo Italy in Verona, the biggest LEGO event in Italy.

It will be the chance to meet some friends, hopefully make some new ones, and give them my special custom brick "Money Bin $upporter" (or "The Money Brick" , as I like to call it 😁).

As you can see, adding just a few pieces it becomes a miniature sized Money Bin 😜.

I printed 100 of them, every 1000 supporter I pick 10 very special supporters to give one (because, you know, we are determined to reach 10k).

I wish I had 10.000 to give one to each of you cause you are all awesome, but unfortunately I have no Scrooge McDuck's money 😅

I'll keep you updated soon 😉

Thanks a lot again ❤️❤️❤️

Are you guys ready for something truly mindblowing? Have a full 3D video tour of the Money Bin and explore its interiors from the point of view of a minifig 🤩🤩.

This wizardry was possible thanks to the talent of Lego Ideas user Nachapon Lego LoopPinball who knows a couple of cool tricks about 3D models and how to import them into Unreal Engine 5.

Consider supporting his amazing creations, such as TRIPLE DECKER SIX FLIPPERS PINBALL

And of course, the Money Bin 😉

Are you guys ready for something truly mindblowing ? Check the video below for a full 3D tour of the Money Bin from the perspective of a minifig.

The 5k milestone is getting closer and closer (-350 now) and my LEGO Duckburg city is ready to celebrate with a new building.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm glad to present you... DONALD DUCK'S HOUSE.

This is just a small preview (on my socials you can see more pictures: like the Money Bin, it has fully decorated interiors, a modular design to open it, and a lot of play features).

It was meant to be uploaded here on Ideas and hopefully give more visibility to the Money Bin, but due to licence issues I couldn't upload it 😢.

I might try again in the near future.

Anyway, hope you like it and..

keep supporting and sharing the Money Bin 😜

We made it to 4000 supporters, Yeeee!

It was over a week ago, I should have made this update earlier 😅. 

I thank again all of you wonderful people who believe in this project, but this time I want to do something more and publicly thank the man I owe my passion for Uncle $crooge to: Keno Don Rosa

If Carl Barks is the father of Scrooge, Don Rosa can be considered his official biographer. 

He's the author of the masterpiece The Life And Times of $crooge McDuck. 

Probably the best book I ever read (BOOK: not comic).

If you never heard of it, do yourself a favor and buy a copy right now. It is truly something that I would make mandatory to read in every school, worldwide. I'm not joking.

But don't think for a second that is a book for children: adults will enjoy it just as much. 

Why so? Not only because is amazingly written and drawn, or incredibly funny and entertaining... but because it teaches you the importance of some key values: hard work, passion, honesty, but most of all, it's an huge inspiration to always follow your dreams, no matter how ambitious and unreachable they seem. Here are some examples of what I'm talking about.

I would have probably quit my climb on Lego Ideas long time ago if it wasn't for this wonderful source of inspiration. Given the amount of time I have to invest promoting the project and how slowly it moves on (16 votes a day on average), it is probably worth only if it goes in production.

But do I really believe in this project? Do I really think it would make thousands of Lego and/or Scrooge fans happy worldwide? Do I think I did my best in this build?

So yes, I'm gonna stick around until I reach the magical 10k supporters.

If $crooge had to wait 20 years before becoming rich, I can wait 20 months to reach 10k (calculating an average of 500 supporters per month).

Thank you guys, and thank you Don Rosa ❤️

There is no such thing as talent... Only inspiration and ambition (and mine burns white hot) 😉💪

This update (other than to celebrate the 3500 supporters, over 1/3 of the final goal 🤩) is to answer once and for all to those saying "It doesn't look at all like the Money Bin".

As you can see from the picture above, there are many different versions:

white, gray, silver, with dome, without dome, cubic, slenderer, with the dollar in front, without...

I decided to go for the blue and yellow (from Italy,but also used in many others EU countries) for two good reasons:

1) I think it's the most vibrant combination of colors: the gray one is kind of sad, the white (from DuckTales) it's a little better, but as you know white Lego tends to get old faster (due to sunlight and dust that is way more noticeable).

I tried to think like a kid, and decided that blue and yellow was the way to go.

2) Personal attachment: yes, I did grow up watching DuckTales, but I spent even more time reading the comics of Topolino. Here in Italy, the official colors are blue and yellow, so it was a no brain choice: it had to be like that.

FUN FACT: the money bin's dome is also an italian invention . It was first introduced by great Disney Master Romano Scarpa in the story "Paperino e l'aurite acuta" (12th september 1965)

I love you 3000 from your favorite billionaire.

Tony Stark? Of course not, Scrooge McDuck.

We hit the 3000 supporters mark, outstanding.

Thank you so much to all of you, you guys are the best.

Keep supporting and share the project with your dear ones 😉

❤️❤️❤️

Many of you mentioned how the beauty of the interiors was belittled by the exterior, that is just a plain cube, whilst in the comics is more curved.

I thought a lot about it, and I finally come up with a renovated design that I like a lot: less monotonous and slenderer.

It wasn't an easy task to achieve because:

On top of this, I also updated the dollar sign in the front, now 2 tiles thick, thanks to the recent add to studio of the 3x3 macaroni tile. They don't come in yellow (yet), but a man can dream, right?

All the interiors are still the same, I just had to go up of 40 pieces.

Is gonna take me a while to make all the updated renders for the animation, in the meantime, stay tuned and keep supporting...we are close to 2500, 1/4 of the final goal...

and Scrooge and I are determined to get there ;)

2000 !!! Finally. You don't know how hard it is to promote a Lego Ideas project until you don't upload one 😅.

It requires a constant promotion on social, and maybe you only get a vote every 10 likes (if you're lucky). Sooo time (and energy) consuming.

So yes, i'm really proud of you, my first 2000 supporters 🖤🖤🖤. You cared, you took a minute of your time. I take my time to reply to every comment, both here and on Facebook, because you are really making me happy, this means the world to me.

I specially want to thank the user StaleFlagoletBeans: he told me that him and his dad are checking every day how many votes I got (be patient little man, is gonna take quite a lot of time).

But most of all, he made a YouTube video to help promoting the project: -->

What can i say? I didn't expect this, and I'm really touched. And because of supporters like you, I just can't give up !!!

The numbers are growing slowly? So what? The important part is getting there. At this rate we'll make it by january 2023. I really hope it will be sooner, tho 😅

See you at 3000 guys 💪💪💪