GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
Megathrusters are go as LEGO approves Pinoy-designed Voltron toys
Megathrusters are definitely a go for LEGO Voltron, submitted by Filipino software architect Leandro Tayag (len_d69) to LEGO Ideas.
Tayag's submission received 10,000 votes and, after a review, LEGO announced on August 3 that "Voltron: Defender of the Universe" will be part of the official LEGO Ideas lineup.
"We’re really excited to be able to introduce Leandro’s Voltron - Defender of the Universe set. Leandro’s project sets itself apart for its creative way to build with LEGO bricks," the company shared in a statement.
LEGO Ideas welcomes toy set submission from creators from across the globe.
Reply to this tweet & let us know what you think the 3rd 2016 Review Results will be. We’ll pick 1 random winner from the right guesses 2/3 pic.twitter.com/tQFmiaeh28
— LEGO® Ideas (@LEGOIdeas) August 2, 2017
Tayag, who is based in Malaysia, shared in an official interview with LEGO that he has always been a fan of '70s and '80s super robots.
"My parents bought a Voltron toy for me when I was a child and I have been hooked on it ever since," he revealed.
He started working on this design two years ago, but set it aside because he couldn't get it right. He picked up work again March of this year and worked on it two hours every day for three weeks.
"The challenging part was getting the details right. I can’t remember how many times I redesigned the lion heads trying to make them look as close as possible to how they were in the anime/cartoon," he shared. "The lion legs were also a pain since I had to make sure they are able to fold nicely when combined as Voltron as well as look good enough in their lion forms."
Tayag's final model is made with over 2,100 bricks and weighs about a kilo.
Tayag in a brief exchange with GMA News Online via Facebook chat on Friday said that the success hasn't sunk in.
"It feels surreal that it is actually happening. This really means a lot to me. It's a great honor so many thanks to LEGO Ideas, Voltron license holders and all the supporters," he said.
For the youngins, "Voltron: Defender of the Universe" is an animated series that ran from 1984 to 1985. It's adapted from the Japanese series " Beast King GoLion" and features a team of astronauts piloting a giant robot to protect the planet Arus. — AT, GMA News
