A curated collection of LEGO projects that reflect a passion for creativity and design.
Mystery Shack: A LEGO IDEAS Concept
A Collaboration between ToppleGo8 and Minibrick Productions
Where Innovation Lives
LEGO Ideas is a fan-driven platform where enthusiasts can design, create, and submit their own LEGO set concepts for consideration.
Once a set receives support from 10,000 registered users on the platform, it enters a review stage where LEGO evaluates the concept to determine whether to proceed with the project.
What if we could take advantage of this opportunity and create a set based on a fan favorite IP?
Welcome to Gravity Falls!
The Mystery Shack is the iconic main location of the Disney channel cartoon phenomenon, Gravity Falls! It’s rustic and ecclectic vibe make for a perfect icon to recreate in LEGO!
Creating the Graphics
Mystery Shack V1
The original version of the Mystery Shack took a month to complete. It was built using Mecabricks LEGO Brick system and rendered in Blender. It featured 2500+ pieces, 7 minifigures, and details on both the outside and inside for fans to enjoy.
Exploded View
It was important to us that the building had immediate access to all of the rooms. To achieve this, a dollhouse style approach was utilized.
Physical Prototype
Following the first round of renders and IDEAS submission, a physical prototype was created. While it provided a fantastic proof of concept for a set, it still lacked some defining features with size, shape and stability.
After discussion, we decided to resubmit our idea with a new build to address these issues
Mystery Shack V2
The 2nd version of the build involved a more refined build process, reduction of pieces, using only existing parts, and an overall downscale of the build
Although the 2nd version also hit the 10,000 supporter achievement, we still felt the techniques could be further refined and the model improved.
Mystery Shack V3
LEGO Collectible Minifigure Art
Freelance Design Work
Elevate Your Collection
In the secondhand market, I work as a freelance designer, specializing in creating custom prints for minifigures. I collaborate with clients who are looking to personalize their collections, bringing their ideas to life.
Mapping figures
UV maps are created for each figure to create the overall layout of the figure and decide when and where to cut prints to save cost.
Moving to Mecabricks
Using the UV map layouts, prints are applied to the faces of the pieces with Mecabricks' printing software, ensuring precise placement of each design.
After applying the prints, the designs are critiqued from various angles to assess their cohesiveness between surfaces. Adjustments are made to improve the overall flow of each figure.
Once finalized, the pieces are rendered using Mecabricks' in-house rendering engine.
Test Print Correcting
Once they are complete, prints are outsourced to online stores where the company applies the prints to real figures using an A4 flatbed UV printer.
Test prints are created to find issues with bed calibration and missing textures in the pieces. Colors are tweaked to match the ABS plastic LEGO uses.
Featured figures: The Clobberer, Visible Woman, the Extendable, and Burning Man
