LEGO Ideas Twilight set references not-approved project

The LEGO Ideas 21354 Twilight The Cullen House once again references a not-approved project as its fan designer tribute, continuing a tradition.

In a LEGO Ideas blog interview with fan designer Nick Micheels – who brought us the project that inspired 21354 Twilight The Cullen House – has revealed how the upcoming set pays tribute to them and what it was like working with the LEGO Ideas designers.

LEGO Ideas sets are unique from other builds in that they are an inherently collaborative effort between official designers and fans and it's common for models to reference the fan designers in some way. Whether through a minifigure, a sticker or a hidden flag, it's a touching tribute tradition that the Twilight set continues. The LEGO Ideas process has been detailed in the new interview as well, explaining how the set came to be and how involved Nick was from start to finish.

“I was honestly surprised by the level of involvement I was afforded for the project,” explains Nick. “I assumed I would be more of a spectator to the process, but my interactions with the LEGO designer team – Laura Perron, Jordan Scott, and Ashwin Visser,?as well as other LEGO Ideas team members – were extremely positive from the very beginning.

"I had the pleasure of attending monthly development meetings and received messages throughout. I could tell that this team was passionate about the project and cared about my thoughts and input as a collaborator."

“It was so much fun to dive into the details with Nick," added designer Laura Perron. "Both of us being hardcore fans meant that no detail was too obscure and we were on the same page about which Easter eggs to include. I often needed to extend our online calls because we would talk over the scheduled time – we were both just so excited!”

Easter eggs in a set with as specific a source material as 21354 Twilight The Cullen House are important for fellow fans to recognise, but thankfully space was made for the usual fan tribute too.

“Some requests of mine that I am very proud made it into the final build include the sticker of the Loch Ness Monster and a reference to Bella’s 18th birthday scene from The Twilight Saga: New Moon in which she receives perhaps the most pivotal papercut in cinematic history," continued Nick.

“Ashwin was even able to include a nod to a previous LEGO Ideas submission of mine (The Landscape Photographer) by creating a sticker of a black and white landscape photo coffee table book. I could not be more happy with the final build as the fan designer, as a fan of The Twilight Saga, and as a LEGO fan!”

The Landscape Photographer is another of Nick Micheels' submissions that was unfortunately not approved for an official set and allowing this project to be represented officially in some way is arguably one of the best ways to pay tribute to the fan designers in any LEGO Ideas set. That's especially true when you consider that this isn't the first time the LEGO Ideas team has employed such a tactic, but it remains rare.

21338 A-Frame Cabin also references a not-approved LEGO Ideas project and the home-centric aspect of both builds creates a pair of distinct links between it and 21354 Twilight The Cullen House. Both are located in a forest too, making them a surprisingly perfect pair.

This sticker is a touching tribute to the fan designer and it's good to know that LEGO Ideas' important tradition continues. Pre-order 21354 Twilight The Cullen House right now for £189.99 in the UK, $219.99 in the US and €219.99 in Europe ahead of its release on February 1. Click here to find out more about the build from its design team.

Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by buying your LEGO sets using our affiliate links. Thanks!