First-ever mass-produced LEGO set by a Pole makes high street debut
The first-ever LEGO set designed by a Pole for mass production has officially made its debut.
The creation by Jan Woźnica entitled "Tales of the Space Age," is now available for purchase, captivating fans with its minimalist allure and a nostalgic nod to the iconic 1980s poster aesthetic.
The 688-piece set came about after Woźnica entered his designs in the LEGO Ideas competition, which allows fans to design their own set and share it online.
Woźnica said he was inspired by classic sci-fi posters and retro book covers and had Lego aficionados in mind rather than budding builders.
If there is enough interest in a project, there is a chance that it will become an official Lego product with mass production and distribution.
Woźnica uploaded his design in November 2021 and garnered the 10,000 votes in March. Three times a year, ideas that have received 10,000 votes from Internet users are evaluated.
In October last year, Lego finally gave the greenlight to Woźnica’s set.
The box retailing in Poland at PLN 249 contains bricks to build four postcard-size flat cosmic images with scenes featuring a comet, Mars, a rocket blasting into space and Saturn.
After that, the design had to go through a lengthy review process by Lego staff, after which the product hit the shelves earlier this month.
By day, Woźnica is an IT specialist, but in his spare time he loves building with the classic plastic blocks.
He showcases his designs on Instagram under the name john.carter.creations.
The Lego website includes the following blurb: "Show your passion for space with new LEGO® Ideas Tales of the Space Age – an out-of-this-world set of connectable brick-built 3D postcards inspired by 1980s sci-fi myths, films, books and posters."
One model that he is particularly proud of is a model of a flying island chained to Earth.
When creating the Tales of the Space Age project, he was inspired by classic sci-fi posters and retro book covers and had Lego aficionados in mind rather than budding builders.
In an interview with Polish media he explained that he never dreamed that his design would ever go on sale.
One fan, leaving a five-star review on the Lego website, wrote: "Had an amazing time putting this together, looks fantastic and the fact there's numerous ways to display the 4 scenes is so cool."
He said: “I built these models as a shelf decoration for my room, especially the first one. It wasn't until I already had three that I decided they were good enough.”
He added that he made his first attempt at the design using bricks that he already had at home. Later, he used the Studio application published by the BrickLink platform, which allows designers to build using virtually using all the bricks in the vast Lego catalogue.
When he had perfected the first of the four designs, he ordered all the bricks he needed online for around PLN 100.
The 688-piece set came about after Woźnica entered his designs in the LEGO Ideas competition, which allows fans to design their own set and share it online.
The box retailing in Poland at PLN 249 contains bricks to build four postcard-size flat cosmic images with scenes featuring a comet, Mars, a rocket blasting into space and Saturn.
The Lego website includes the following blurb: "Show your passion for space with new LEGO® Ideas Tales of the Space Age – an out-of-this-world set of connectable brick-built 3D postcards inspired by 1980s sci-fi myths, films, books and posters."
One fan, leaving a five-star review on the Lego website, wrote: "Had an amazing time putting this together, looks fantastic and the fact there's numerous ways to display the 4 scenes is so cool."
Last year, a Lego cottage modelled on the rustic cabins of Podlasie wowed the Lego-loving world in the same Lego Ideas competition and the design also gained 10,000 votes, raising hopes that one day it too could go into production.
Though Woźnica’s design is the first that Lego has been put into full production, it is not the first set designed by a Pole that has captured wide-scale attention.
Last year, a Lego cottage modelled on the rustic cabins of Podlasie wowed the Lego-loving world in the same Lego Ideas competition and the design also gained 10,000 votes, raising hopes that one day it too could go into production.
Also, back in 1996, Polish artist Zbigniew Libera created a controversial artwork named LEGO Concentration Camp, depicting a Nazzi German concentration camp made out of Lego bricks. The work attracted much controversy and The Lego Group even threatened legal action.
