LEGO Ideas 21345 Polaroid OneStep SX-70 Camera comes with three picture-perfect printed Polaroids – but their original conception didn't always look like the end result.
Contained in its 516 pieces, 21345 Polaroid OneStep SX-70 Camera includes three Polaroid-style photo elements, each one capturing a different reference to someone closely related to the set. The 'photos' are incredibly thin, looking much like real-life Polaroid photos, with the signature white frame around the outside. They can actually be ejected from the brick-built camera by pressing the red shutter button, as if the camera had actually just taken a picture.
On the first pass at creating the LEGO Polaroids, LEGO Ideas designer Jordan David Scott tried using a flat tile, but it didn't work quite as he had hoped.
“It looked LEGO, it felt LEGO, but it didn’t feel like a Polaroid photo because you want it to be thin," explained Jordan in an interview with The Verge. "It also meant we couldn’t print on the back because you need the tube side. It caused a lot of issues in production because of warping."
However, one material from elsewhere in the LEGO Group was suggested as a potential solution. A thin sheet of matte plastic, known as foil, has been sparingly used a couple of times before, such as in the now-retired 80109 Lunar New Year Ice Festival to create the photo stand-in where minifigures can get their picture taken. Clearly, the foil is a handy tool for LEGO photographers.
The material is flexible enough to feel almost like a real Polaroid and can be printed on both sides, offering more flexibility than the flat tile version. While Jordan and his team did have further plans of fine-tuning a new 8x6 printed photo tile, it freed up space in the set for other recolours and new elements – a process that's closely controlled within the LEGO Group.
It's a clever use of a rarely-seen material and one that perhaps LEGO designers can start utilising more. Outside of photography-related accessories, the thin material could work for membranous wings, fabric screens and walls, and surely plenty more creative ideas besides.
LEGO Ideas 21345 Polaroid OneStep SX-70 Camera is now open for pre-orders, retailing for £69.99 / $79.99 / €79.99 and shipping from January 1, 2024.
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