Nathan Heigert – Blocks – the monthly LEGO magazine for fans

Creating LEGO Rocky and Ryland for Icons 11389 Project Hail Mary

Ryan — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Project Hail Mary might be a sci-fi film set far away in the stars, but its true focus lies on its two main characters: Rocky and Ryland. Hear from LEGO Model Designer Nathan Heigert about the importance of capturing their relationship for 11389 Project Hail Mary.

Blending LEGO System and Technic in LEGO 11389 Project Hail Mary

Ryan — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 10:38:00 +0000

Usually, LEGO designers work primarily with LEGO bricks or LEGO Technic elements. But for 11389 Project Hail Mary, Model Designer Nathan Heigert had to figure out how to blend the two systems together to create the Hail Mary's moving parts, all while keeping the aesthetics of the ship intact.

LEGO 11389 Project Hail Mary – designing for an unreleased movie

Ryan — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 06:30:00 +0000

LEGO Icons sets are typically based on well-established films and franchises like Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformers, giving designers ample source material to draw from. But when Model Designer Nathan Heigert got to work on 11389 Project Hail Mary, the film was still months away, making for a trickier design process. He explains the challenges that presents and how he overcomes them to deliver an excellent LEGO model to fans.