Brent Waller’s concept for LEGO Ideas 21369 The X-Files has been turned into an official set and Gillian Anderson – Dana Scully herself – is part of the launch campaign.
LEGO Ideas is the platform for fans to share concepts for LEGO sets and Brent Waller’s The X-Files model won a contest to celebrate the 1990s. Now, Gillian Anderson has unveiled the final version of the set that has been crafted by professional designers.
21369 The X-Files uses 1,478 pieces, is priced at £179.99 / $199.99 / €199.99 and will launch on August 1. For its first 10 days on sale, the set will come with a free bonus LEGO model – 40896 The X-Files: Scully’s Lab.
The new fan-driven set celebrates the show’s investigative aspect and of course its paranormal focus. The detailed display diorama features a U.F.O. defying gravity above a forest scene (reminiscent of the many woodland scenes shot in Vancouver), with Special Agent Fox Mulder’s crowded office beneath (one of the series’ most iconic locations).
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Eight minifigures come in the set – Dana Scully, capturing Gillian Anderson’s likeness, Fox Mulder, depicting the look of David Duchovny in the stylised LEGO way, alongside Assistant Director Walter Skinner, the Cigarette-Smoking Man, Alex Krycek, Mr. X and a Grey Alien. There’s also a nod to the ‘monster of the week’ episodes with a Flukeman minifigure.
Fans of the show will recognise references to the show hidden within the model, including a splodge of black oil, a cover for The Lone Brickman (The Lone Gunman) on the office wall, pencils in the ceiling and Mulder’s sunflower seeds on the desk.
The series’ iconic tagline, ‘The Truth is Out There’, sits on a decorated tile at the front of the diorama, while Mulder’s ‘I Want to Believe’ poster is a stickered piece. Krycek has a reversible head so that he can be portrayed as being under the control of the black oil.
Sections of the display can be taken apart and displayed alone, including the desk and the forest scene.
The freebie set, 40896 The X-Files: Scully’s Lab, includes the character in her lab coat – representing the many time the medical doctor conducted autopsies through the show’s run. The model builds the classroom lab at the FBI National Academy, but it serves as generic enough to be any lab.
So impressive was the scientific rigour of the character that the ‘Scully effect’ saw a greater number of women going into science based professions in the wake of the series, inspired by the screen depiction of an intelligent, professional woman more capable than most of those around her.
“I didn’t expect to be stepping back into Scully’s heels to investigate a LEGO set… it has been so much fun revisiting that world all these years later,” Gillain said. “This set is a wonderful celebration of The X-Files and the fans who have kept its mystery alive.
“The level of detail is brilliant – there are so many little nods that fans will absolutely recognise – and as a LEGO fan myself, I love that people can now quite literally build their own X-Files moments at home.”
The X-Files debuted in 1993 and ran for nine seasons until 2002. It followed the story of Mulder and Scully’s investigations into the paranormal, including an international conspiracy to cover up the actions of extra-terrestrial beings. Mulder was the true believer, desperate to uncover evidence of otherworldly truths, while Scully was the sceptic who could only be swayed by the hard facts. Late in the original series, John Doggett and Monica Reyes joined the investigative team.
Two spin-off movies were released in 1998 and 2008, and two revival seasons aired in 2016 and 2018. A director’s cut of The X-Files: I Want to Believe is coming to Hulu on August 14, 2026.
Created by Chris Carter, and co-helmed by Frank Spotnitz for many years, the series brought genre television to a broader audience by delivering an intelligent approach to science-fiction with compelling performances by a talented cast. David Nutter, Rob Bowman, Kim Manners and many other directors brought an elevated style to the show, which went on to inspire many other television dramas.
Brent has been pushing to create a set inspired by the show for a decade. Back in 2014, he created custom minifigures of Mulder, Scully and the Cigarette-Smoking Man, plus a build of Mulder’s office.
“I’ve been a fan since it first aired here in Australia,” he told Blocks in 2016. “The pilot had me hooked from the start – that was the beginning of a long-lasting obsession.”
More recently, he said: “I wanted to combine nostalgia, detail and storytelling to capture the atmosphere of the show – from Mulder’s office to the forest and UFO encounter. I’m thrilled to see it become an official LEGO set and hope it resonates with both long-time fans and new audiences.”
He has been successful with other Ideas products, including 21108 Ghostbusters Ecto-1 and 21328 Seinfeld, and has competed on LEGO Masters Australia.
Ideas recently announced three new sets – Kimonos, Universal Monsters and Jumanji.
21369 The X-Files will launch on August 1.
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