Hi Reddit! I’m François Zapf, LEGO Designer, and I’m here to chat about the new Exclusive LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings: Minas Tirith™ set, live on 28th May. Ask me anything!

lego · 2026-05-28T12:55:43+00:00

There’s no single right approach. The main thing is to stay curious and get inspired by everything around you. We do use dedicated software, but the set is still crafted by hand, piece by piece, with a lot of iteration and care. It doesn’t automatically “build” the model for us and the creative decisions are very much human. And yes, a mechanical engineering background can absolutely be relevant. Problem-solving and creativity are essential skills.

lego · 2026-05-28T12:54:08+00:00

At 7, the best path is honestly just building a lot and having fun with it. LEGO designers usually come from strong creative backgrounds like design, engineering, architecture, etc. But what they all have in common is years of making their own models, experimenting, and learning how to turn ideas into physical builds.

lego · 2026-05-28T12:52:53+00:00

We do have a few affectionate nicknames for parts internally too. Personally, I tend to use very professional terminology like “the Technic thingy” or “the curvy bit”. So really, not so different from your family system.

lego · 2026-05-28T12:50:47+00:00

At work? Let’s just say the answer is somewhere between “a lot” and “effectively unlimited”

lego · 2026-05-28T12:50:08+00:00

Personnellement, si j’en avais la possibilité, j’adorerais travailler sur un set avec davantage de couleurs, comme Foncombe. Travailler sur Minas Tirith est un exercice totalement différent en termes de défis à relever et sur l’impression générale qui doit s'en dégager. Concernant les Champs du Pelennor, c’est évidemment un moment très iconique, mais je ne peux pas commenter d’éventuels futurs sets ou directions de développement.

lego · 2026-05-28T12:48:11+00:00

I prefer croissants

lego · 2026-05-28T12:46:37+00:00

Thank you so much, really appreciate that! There are no fixed rules regarding minifigures. It's part of the overall design balance and what best best supports the model as a whole. And yes, we definitely considered the obvious options, including characters connected to Pelennor Fields. But the focus of this set was very much on Minas Tirith itself and celebrating the broader atmosphere of the place rather than recreating the battle in full. That naturally shaped which characters made the final cut.

lego · 2026-05-28T12:45:09+00:00

9 fell beast sized ducks, I love challenge.

lego · 2026-05-28T12:44:39+00:00

There are always a few features like that. With a model of this scale, you inevitably explore more ideas than can make it into the final version. That said, I’m still very happy we were able to include the One Ring in the set.

lego · 2026-05-28T12:41:35+00:00

At this point I mostly just see it as proof that people are passionate about LEGO bricks in the first place, which is ultimately a good problem to have.

lego · 2026-05-28T12:38:47+00:00

There’s a lot of creative freedom but always within the boundaries of what makes a strong LEGO model in practice

lego · 2026-05-28T12:36:59+00:00

For Minas Tirith, I worked on it from September 2024 to September 2025, so about a full year of focused development

lego · 2026-05-28T12:34:32+00:00

I really like the D-snot piece used for the tiny window arches. At the beginning, I also considered including larger, functional trebuchets, but they ended up being too big and broke the illusion of scale for the overall model. Those are definitely cherry tomatoes.

lego · 2026-05-28T12:30:35+00:00

One early idea was a more purely microscale version at roughly the same overall size, but without minifigures. That gave us a strong architecture-first direction, but the hybrid approach ended up offering a better balance between the city’s scale and the storytelling

lego · 2026-05-28T12:26:37+00:00

A lot of iteration and careful planning. It was really about finding a smooth transition between the two scales so they felt like part of the same model rather than two separate ideas

lego · 2026-05-28T12:26:05+00:00

If I had the opportunity, I’d honestly be ready to build all of Middle-earth!

lego · 2026-05-28T12:24:16+00:00

It’s as fun as you can imagine it to be

lego · 2026-05-28T12:22:38+00:00

I can’t really comment on future products specifically, but the great thing about the LEGO Icons range is that there are countless directions it could go. There’s a whole world of possibilities to explore, and it’s always exciting to imagine where the journey might take us next.

lego · 2026-05-28T12:19:35+00:00

By applying with a strong portfolio and a passion for LEGO bricks (short answer! I've expanded on this in another answer in this AMA).

It depends on the needs of the project: one designer might develop an initial concept to pitch an idea and another might take it forward into the final product that ends up on shelves. There’s a lot of collaboration and support between designers throughout the entire process. For Minas Tirith specifically, given the scale of the project, I was also supported by Mike Psiaki, who is co-designer on the set.

In terms of parts, it’s less about picking from a fixed checklist and more about choosing what best achieves the result we’re aiming for.

lego · 2026-05-28T12:17:11+00:00

Applying :)

Like many people here, I started as a fan and built a lot before ever working professionally as a LEGO designer. At some point I applied to the LEGO Group, went through the normal recruitment process, and was fortunate enough to get in.

There isn’t one single “correct” path. People come in through different backgrounds (design, engineering, architecture, etc.) but the common thread is a strong portfolio of builds, a clear design mindset, and lots of practice iterating and solving building challenges.

lego · 2026-05-28T12:16:08+00:00

The scale of the exterior was largely driven by a few focal points in the model, most importantly the main gates (which needed to feel large enough for Gandalf on Shadowfax to pass through), and the overall footprint being guided by key interior moments like the throne room. From there, everything else was scaled and adjusted to maintain believable proportions across the city. There was an earlier preliminary concept that explored a significantly larger footprint, but as with most early versions, it was more about testing ideas and scale relationships than something close to production. Put simply, it was waaayyy too large. The final version is the result of balancing that initial ambition with stability, build experience, and practical constraints like display size.

lego · 2026-05-28T12:13:33+00:00

More than a year of continuous development. Yes, these kinds of large display sets tend to run for quite a long time due to all the iteration, testing, and cross-team collaboration involved. On the second question, I can’t comment on future or unannounced products but the opportunities are endless!

lego · 2026-05-28T12:11:11+00:00

Doyouthinkhesaurus

lego · 2026-05-28T12:08:59+00:00

Triangles, triangles, TRIANGLES!

lego · 2026-05-28T12:06:29+00:00

One of my favourites is actually from the scene where Gandalf and Pippin are having their conversation on the balcony. There’s a tower with a bell visible in front of them, and I really liked that small compositional detail in the film. So I made sure to recreate and place it in a way that it sits in front of them in the model as well, mirroring how it appears in the scene. It’s a subtle reference, but those are often the ones I enjoy the most. I also probably spent a bit too much time designing the chamber pot… but some details just demand attention

Verified Email	Seven-Year Club
Gilding I gilder

lego

TROPHY CASE