This isn’t necessarily what the final version will look like, but if it’s anything close, it’ll be very charming. | Image: Minibrick Productions
One of Lego’s latest projects will strike at a lot of photographers’ nostalgia: a replica Polaroid OneStep SX-70 instant camera. Currently, there aren’t details about what the kit will actually look like, how much it’ll cost, or when it’ll become available, but it’s another example of a fan-made design officially going into production thanks to Lego’s Ideas platform.
The mock-up was created by Minibrick Productions and features a ton of fun, nerdy touches: it has a working viewfinder, lets you spin a gear that shoots out a “picture” from the film tray, and is “nearly to-scale,” according to the project’s description. It also includes a replica box of film, complete with Polaroid’s beautiful pentachromatic rainbow.
GIF: Minibrick Productions
Just look at it go!
It is worth noting that not all of these features will necessarily make it into the official Lego kit and that the version you can actually buy may end up looking a bit different. The pictures in this story and on Lego’s announcement blog post are from Minibrick’s submission to the Ideas program, which lets people come up with designs for Lego kits that users can vote on in hopes that they’ll become actual products.
Once an idea gets 10,000 votes, Lego will consider making it, though it’s definitely not a sure thing. While sets based on The Office and Sonic the Hedgehog are available for sale, one we really enjoyed based on Metroid got enough votes but was rejected by Lego — though the company has dabbled in reviving some rejected ideas as limited-edition crowdfunded projects.
Actually mass-producing something comes with a different set of considerations, so sets may get pared down quite a bit from the original Ideas concept. Still, it’ll be fun to see a Polaroid camera get the Lego treatment, and as someone who has a working OneStep kicking around that I occasionally use, I may consider picking the kit up so I can compare it to the real thing. Although I do kind of wish this Lego set were functional — as in, an actual camera that took pictures. I feel like the photo and build quality would end up being pretty similar to the real deal.
Making a working version would obviously be significantly more complex and expensive, and given that you can still buy real working Polaroids, perhaps it’s better to just keep it as a model. (I just hope Lego keeps the adorable mechanism that spits out a picture-shaped brick).
Lego also announced a few other Ideas submissions that are getting the official set treatment: there are some bugs, an incredibly detailed replicate of an Orient Express train (the ones of murder fame), and some beautiful space-themed Lego posters.