EndlessAges

Thank you! I think the octopus is the only part that should be out of production. All the rest are parts that were available for Rounds 1 & 2. Some parts were removed from the list for Round 3 since it will be a while until they were ready to pack and ship those sets, so I added them back in. And yes, it's been hard to deal with the problems from a designer end at times. What it comes down to is that BrickLink is primarily a vendor, not a product developer. The program outlined some great goals but, with no real experience in production, the BrickLink team simply didn't comprehend how ambitious they were being. Putting LEGO quality instructions together for 15 sets is already a huge commitment of time and resources. Eventually, it was recognized that creating 25 sets of instructions was too much. My set especially is has some very tricky to build areas in addition to being one of the larger sets. I kinda figured that I'd be on my own for making the instructions if it didn't get through to production, so wasn't surprised by this particular change when it was announced. BrickLink has tried to support us in developing them in other ways, but their main concern seems to be worrying about incidents like the one described above.

This is what BrickLink said we should do to sell our instructions. Originally, they were planning to produce and sell the instructions for Unrealized Designs, but they found they were unable to do so and arranged for us to be able to sell them ourselves.

As one of the designers, I wanted to mention that I've completed the instructions for Steam Powered Science and posted them on Rebrickable: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-121751 Also available is the Working Waterfall: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-117747 As well as Seasons in Time: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-117295 Thank you!

Thank you for the support. I don't know about the rest of the designs, but mine took a lot of editing. The theme of my project doesn't follow any existing LEGO theme, so there was trouble getting good colors, parts, or prints. Also, since it's covered in odd mechanisms and used all sorts of weird techniques, I'm guessing my project alone set the whole program back by at least a month.

That's correct. All parts have to be currently in production. As the program has gone on for over a year, that list has shifted and some parts went out of production as well.

I'm sorry if my word choice was poor. I was attempting to underline the difference between presumption and hope. Only 1 out of 1,000 will earn the prize, wanting it, hoping for it, and trying to obtain it are different than assuming it ought to be yours or that you are owed some form of remuneration for your efforts. Just like if you went on Jeopardy, it'd be a bit presumptuous to assume you were going to win. Having fun being on the show should be worth the trouble of flying out there and participating or else you probably shouldn't go.

I think there's a bit of a misconception about what motivates a person to post on LEGO Ideas. As of today, a total of 33,343 projects have been submitted to LEGO Ideas over time. Only 259 have reached the 10k marker and only 37 of them have been approved as LEGO Ideas sets so far. It'd be rather arrogant to create and submit a project assuming you were going to beat out the thousands of other competitors to become one of the very few who have succeeded. Less than 1% of submissions even make it to 10k and only 14% of those have been chosen. As for me, I enjoy playing with LEGOs. However, being an adult I have few ways to express that in a meaningful way that others will appreciate. Whether or not my idea will pass the approval process, I had fun designing it, I had fun rendering it, I had fun figuring out interesting mechanisms, and I was gratified by the many people who chose to show their appreciation by supporting it. It is a hobby I've managed to share with the world and the creators of a toy I've been enamored with since childhood. The financial incentive certainly helped motivate me in the creation process, but I never really believed it would reach 10k. I just wanted to make the best design I could and watch how far it could go. LEGO is a toy. It's meant to be played with and LEGO Ideas is a way to give back to the fans who most enjoy their product by giving them a chance to be a part of its creation in designing and choosing what they think is best. As for what an artist chooses to build, yes many things don't stand a chance a getting approved. However, for me, over analyzing my hobby in terms of market value kills the fun of it. Not to mention that I wouldn't be capable of creating certain types of projects. I've never made a 3rd party IP submission because it's counter to my creative process. I'm not skilled enough to make something exactly like a source image. I need to be have the freedom to alter the project at any time to suit my capabilities and style or else it starts being work rather than play. Because of this, I create only original content, despite knowing that tying into a 3rd party IP may give me a better chance at reaching my goal. Good art isn't something most people can produce on command. Perhaps what those modular designers truly enjoy is designing complex and amazing modular buildings. If doing something like that feels worth their time, the financial side is merely an added bonus.