File this one away under “things that are just too neat not to share”! My LEGO Ideas kit of Pixar’s lovable robot, Wall-E.

I completed this kit a long time ago now, but what got me thinking about it again is this fantastic model of Hedwig due out as a Barnes and Noble LEGO exclusive in September. Historically I am a big Harry Potter fan, though I have been a bit burned out on it for a while. (Thank you, “The Cursed Child.”) But that Hedwig is exciting! I hope to pre-order it soon.

Anyway, a few years back, my husband surprised me with a Wall-E cookie cake for my birthday. Unfortunately, I also got food poisoning from a previously-favorite-now-dead-to-me restaurant. The cake had dried out by the time I was well enough to eat sweets again, so I consoled myself by re-watching the movie, one of my favorites, for the hundredth time. At some point in this Wall-E love fest, I discovered this kit! I’ll quickly point out that, unfortunately, it is not produced any more, so you would have to scoop one up secondhand.

If you are unfamiliar with LEGO Ideas, the concept is that anyone can design and submit an original LEGO build and fans vote on their favorite designs. If your build gets enough supporters (10,000), LEGO will consider it for actual manufacture.

Besides being obviously adorable, what helps make this kit extra special is that he was designed by one of the movie’s animators, Angus MacLane, who started working on his fan model simultaneously as Wall-E was being designed for the movie. Here’s a link to an interview with him on the LEGO Ideas blog discussing his design process and the evolution of the model if you are interested.

Between feeling my Wall-E buzz and being fresh off the high of watching “The Lego Movie” again, I had to have this kit! Fast forward to Christmas and I completed him in thirty minute to an hour sessions here and there over the course of the holidays. Unfortunately he had a bit of a design flaw where his head would flop around backwards, but they did later come out with a fix for that which I completed.

I love LEGO, but Wall-E is still the only set I have completed in my adult life. This is because most of the time they release playsets, rather than large standalone items that build into one big thing, like Wall-E here, which I prefer. There have been plenty of LEGO Ideas sets I have adored, which even made it to 10,000 supporters, but then failed to pass the approval process for manufacture. For example, Stitch from “Lilo and Stitch” and most recently, the Planet Express Ship from “Futurama.” This stunning replica of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the car from the classic movie, is due for judgment in the next round this fall, so fingers crossed!

As for Wall-E, he is just hanging out on my desk. I sometimes think about motorizing him but the purist in me argues against it. If you have ever motorized a LEGO set before, please share your experience in the comments!

Hopefully Wall-E will gain a LEGO companion soon!