'My building skills were pushed so hard': LEGO Iron Man Bust put designer's skills to the test

LEGO Senior Designer Mark Stafford explained how teaming up with a new designer put his seasoned build skills to the test.

LEGO Marvel 76327 Iron Man MK4 Bust was the very first set designed by Petra Persson, within the first few months of her joining the LEGO Group. She was mentored by LEGO Senior Designer Mark Stafford, having come from a design background rather than a LEGO one.

Their teamwork not only produced 76327 Iron Man MK4 Bust but also put Mark's build skills, honed over nearly two decades at the LEGO Group and by working on more than 80 LEGO sets, to the test.

"I'd gotten stuck in a rut of 'this is how you build LEGO,'" explained Mark in an interview with LEGO YouTuber Duck Bricks. "Petra came in with designer eyes and said, 'this needs to be X much lower.'

"That's half a plate, how do I do half a plate lower?" he continued. "My building skills were pushed so hard by Petra's vision and I had so much fun doing it. Something clicked in the design process for this model of being pushed."

For LEGO fans of all levels of experience, this should stand as a lesson that you can never stop learning. As there are still areas for designers with the experience of Mark to expand upon, that's proof of the versatility of LEGO as a hobby.

Experimenting with new ways of creating is what LEGO creativity is all about. While 76327 Iron Man MK4 Bust does debut some new pieces, the all-new look for Iron Man has also been achieved by new building techniques that might not have come about if it weren't for a fresh perspective from Petra.

76327 Iron Man MK4 Bust is available to pre-order now for £54.99 / $59.99 / €59.99 ahead of its release on June 1, alongside its companion bust 76326 Iron Spider-Man Bust, which will launch in August for the same price.

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