LEGO Ideas has announced the results of the Twist of Nostalgia contest and the winning design is going to be released as a gift with purchase set.
6057 Sea Serpent, a classic Castle set from 1992 featuring the Black Knights, is going to be a new LEGO gift with purchase set, expected to launch late next year.
The latest LEGO Ideas challenge to wrap up, A Twist of Nostalgia, tasked builders with designing a small build based on one of their favourite, nostalgic LEGO themes. Pretty much anything was up for grabs, from Town to Power Miners. Where the twist came in was the need to modernise whichever classic theme was used. This could be simply utilising elements that didn’t exist during the theme’s run or adding a new chapter to the theme’s story. And the grand prize was well worth the effort — the promise of the winning build being made into a gift with purchase (GWP) set and a whole host of LEGO sets, including 21343 Viking Village and 10305 Lion Knights’ Castle.
More than 700 builders were up to the task, submitting just about every type of set imaginable. Finalists were chosen by the LEGO Ideas team, and the grand prize winner was left up to a fan vote, as is common with LEGO Ideas challenges. And after it all, HallowedBrick02’s 6057 Sea Serpent won the day and will become a LEGO Ideas GWP set.
Upgrade your LEGO hobby! If you take out a subscription to Blocks, the monthly LEGO magazine, you’ll get each issue first and at a discount, plus other perks including a free digital subscription and the chance to win LEGO prizes every month.
HallowedBrick02’s design was inspired by 6057 Sea Serpent, a LEGO Castle set from 1992 and part of the Black Knights faction. The original set uses just 126 pieces to create a small ship that is hard-pressed to fit all five included minifigures — so luckily two are from a rival faction and not welcome on board.
The updated design stays remarkably faithful to the 1992 set, keeping the blue and black colour scheme and maintaining the general shaping of the ship. Three decades’ worth of new elements and techniques are what set the new one apart, relying on brick-built solutions rather than the larger elements 6057 made liberal use of. That allowed for some play features to be built in, including a secret compartment for a pile of gold and a working rudder. The sail is also entirely brick-built instead of cloth, though if that remains the case for the final model remains to be seen as professional LEGO designers will adapt the fan concept.
The new Sea Serpent has only just begun its journey towards becoming the next LEGO Ideas GWP set — the model will now be passed on to the LEGO Ideas design team, who will adjust the build to be up to the LEGO Group’s high standards for stability and build experience. No exact timeframe for when the Sea Serpent GWP will be available has been announced at this time, but it will likely be released sometime next year.
As for the runners-up, LssjChole’s Power Miners: Super Mine Mech and BrikkeLasse’s M:Tron Pulsar Charging Station came in a close second and third, highlighting the strong demand for the return of a wide range of classic themes, dating back to the 1980s and all the way up to the 2010s.
HallowedBrick02’s Sea Serpent is plenty to look forward to, as it comes at a time when LEGO Castle is experiencing its own mini-resurgence with the likes of 10332 Medieval Town Square on shelves and the Krakens and Griffins joining the Castle world thanks to 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine.