Behind the scenes of the creation of the LEGO® Ideas Tintin® Moon Rocket set

As for the rocket, what Lego proposed to us was already very well-developed and difficult to alter, as the subtle curves of Tintin’s rocket are so hard to recreate in Lego.

So we focused on the minifigures. Between our interpretation of Hergé’s artwork and Lego’s own style, it took several rounds of feedback between Lego and our team to get the lines and shapes just right.

When selecting the pieces, such as the components of the ‘backpack’, the Lego team provided us with several design options, often in multiple versions, and we chose the one that seemed most suitable. For the famous transparent bubble helmets, we were able to use a piece created a few years ago for another set, which was a perfect fit for our astronauts. Unfortunately for Snowy, this piece is too big for him and as no other existing piece was suitable for his small size; and with several new pieces already created for our set, making an additional new piece wasn’t possible. So he’s in ‘getting ready to go’ mode instead.

The quiff, which is Tintin’s most distinctive feature, was obviously very important and gave us quite a headache. It was impossible to use an existing Lego ‘wig’, so we had to create a new one. In this particular case, each team proposed several different designs before finding the shape that captured that famous rebellious lock of hair best, whilst still meeting the constraints of a Lego wig.

As for the designs printed on the pieces (faces, clothing), Lego came up with a very consistent look right from the start; we only tweaked things here and there – the outline of Haddock’s beard, Professor Calculus’s goatee, and the Thom(p)sons’ moustaches, for example.

All in all, we’re very pleased with the result, which stays true to Hergé’s world whilst offering a beautiful Lego set that’s fun to build and will look great on a desk or shelf.