The second half of AFOL Designer Program finalists have been revealed, bringing the total and final number of designs to 16. (Take a look at the first eight finalists here.) The initiative was launched by LEGO in cooperation with BrickLink to bring fan designs to life.
Crowdfunding for finalists will begin on February 1st, and if a set reaches its pre-sales goal, it will then be produced and shipped by BrickLink. Voting will take place on BrickLink’s AFOL Designer Program homepage, which also features more photos of each of these finalists.
Vintage Roadster | 471 parts
Piet Niederhausen, United States
Journey to the Art Deco era in your very own Vintage Roadster, which has enough room for you and a friend to experience elegance on wheels. With its classic sweeping shape, side doors, and monochromatic color scheme, no one will question your timeless sense of style. Even the sleek engine inside can be revealed simply by removing the front hood. No matter where you go with this Vintage Roadster, you will be the star of the show.
Löwenstein Castle | 2,000 parts
Dan Thiele, Germany
Every castle is home to someone, and in this Löwenstein Castle lives a knight, his family, and his animals. The animals have their own housing that can be found right behind the outermost of the two main gatehouses – the outer bailey. The inner bailey has a roofed defensive corridor to offer protection from outside threats with an overhanging toilette bay, or “thunderbox.” Cross the drawbridge to get to the Great Hall and join the family for festivities after keeping watch over the castle. End the day with hiking up the centerpiece and highest point of the complex, the donjon or keep, to absorb panoramic views of the entire Löwenstein Castle.
Wild West Saloon | 1,484 parts
Jonas Kramm, Germany
Give your horse a break from dodging tumbleweeds, and stop by the Wild West Saloon for a much needed drink. Just look for the cactus out front with a longhorn skull over the door! After settling in, order something from the Saloon’s beverage selection then hang out with other cowboys in the lantern light. If it suits you, walk up to the balcony to bathe in the setting sun while the pianist plays your favorite tunes. Now that you and your horse are well-rested, get back on the road and continue your adventure into the Wild West.
Imagine it! Build it! | 927 pieces
Paul Hetherington, Canada
So much creative potential lies within the iconic LEGO brick, and this design gives the builder a taste of the limitless ideas just waiting to burst out. At the center of the design is a poseable anime character with your choice of heads. Micro models of different themes that surround the character include a: quaint castle, cargo ship with lighthouse, futuristic skyscraper, a cute parrot, and many more! Display this design with your favorite LEGO sets in your collection to inspire creativity. If you can imagine it, you can build it!
Bikes! | 520 pieces
Maikel de Vries, Netherlands
Make your way to a bike stand where both tourists and locals alike can ride a bike to explore the city and then set it aside just about anywhere after they are done exploring. A truck driver will pick up the bikes using GPS antennas that communicate the bikes’ location to the truck’s tracking system. Furthermore, it includes a carrier tricycle, which minifigures can use to transport groceries or, of course, their children. With LEGO cities being focused mainly on motorized vehicles, add another method of transportation with Bikes!
Poseidonia | 259 pieces
Daniel Bodky, Germany
Go exploring on the island of Poseidonia after anchoring your yacht next to the small boathouse with a light blue roof. Then trek through the mountainous island and follow the staircase to the top where centuries-old buildings can be found. The main attraction here is the ancient statue of a deity who still guards the island to this day. Finally, hop back on your yacht and discover the cave that goes right through the island of Poseidonia.
Steampunk Mini Chess | 375 pieces
Cesar Uriach, Spain
Become the next grandmaster with the Steampunk Mini Chess set! But first, you must learn the basics, starting with identifying the chess pieces. Take it anywhere around the world so that you can have impromptu matches to improve your chess game. Once you’re done challenging a friend or foe, you can tuck away the pieces into the built-in drawer so that they will not get lost. Even if you’re not interested in becoming a grandmaster, this Steampunk Mini Chess set will be the topic of any conversation.
Eight Studs | 1.425 pieces
Christian Bechinie, Austria
Experience modern living using a flexible space for your minifigs with Eight Studs. One housing unit can easily attach or stack with another unit, so you can either create a 2×8 space or a two-story unit for your minifigs. The minimal design allows you organize and decorate rooms for activities such as hanging out or playing with LEGO bricks. Feel free to move things around until you find that perfect balance. Eight Studs is about making connections with LEGO, and life is too.
The first half of the AFOL Designer Program finalists were announced last week, with pre-sales of all 16 projects beginning February 1st. Successfully crowdfunded designs are planned to ship in April.
Which project are you most interested in?
The only one I think stands out above the others would be the saloon. It has the visual draw, techniques, play and display value, and feel for a good set.
Just falling a hair shy:
Imagine it! Build it! is flashy and dynamic. But all i get is energetic pop instead of the feeling of lego set.
Bikes feels like a lego production set for the European market. If I was a Dutch or Danish city builder, I would likely want that.
I guess the most probable proposals of these are the Wild West Saloon and the Steampunk Mini Chess…
I would consider buying that bike bus set if it included some bikes in new or rare colors, although it sounds quite unlikely.
So I think that Wild West Saloon, Eight Studs, Vintage Roadster, Löwenstein Castle, Science Tower, the LEGO Story, and Antique Fire Engine are all pretty decent builds, particularly from the lens of the LEGO brand philosophy, with Hot Shot Carnival, and Bikes! are close behind for me .
That said, I imagine there’s a lot more to the selection than “wow factor,” and I suspect there are a lot considerations beyond aesthetics (from an AFOL perspective) that went into the selections (wanting a range of sets sizes and types, etc.). Though I also find some of the selections quite strange. Skyline Express strikes me as a way for people to get rail and truss pieces more than anything, for example, while Viking Ship 3D Mosaic and Isle of Peril making it seem like nods more to concept than execution (though Viking Ship also might fill a set size hole in terms of getting metrics on the preorder range). I also assume the general avoidance of futuristic/sci-fi has to be super intentional, though can’t speculate on why – really most of these seem like they could sort of be in Lego Creator or Lego Classic or Lego 3-in-1 type sets.