Serenity in LEGO
Frequently
Asked Questions
Q: Is this an official LEGO® set? When will it be on sale? Where can I buy one?
A: No, it won't, and you can't. Although I'm a huge fan of LEGO®, I don't work for them, and Serenity is just one fan's creation. As far as I know, LEGO® has no plans to pick up the license. Although I'd be thrilled if they did.
(Sadly, LEGO will NEVER make Serenity Kits. An attempt was made with the CUSCCO fan-built site, and despite having the necessary support from fans, LEGO didn't feel Serenity matched LEGO's "core values". Rumor has it that it was mainly due to Inara - can't have a kids friendly toy line that features someone in her line of work, I guess.)
Q: Can you send me the plans/partlist/building instructions so I can make my own, then?
A: I wish I could. Sadly, I just don't have the knack for the LEGO® CAD type programs out there, and I built Serenity without taking any sorts of notes beyond the photos shown in the construction area. I've thought about trying to disassemble her and document some sort of plan, but I don't think she'd survive it.
Q: Fine. Then what about this one? Will you sell me this one?
A: After
long and serious debate, I've decided to hang on to Serenity. I
mean, wouldn't you?
However, I have made a "Snack-Sized" Serenity that has both instructions
(for free) and a Kit you can buy (If you'd like to). That info will
be put on the site on 11/9/05 - after I get back in town from a wedding
I'm going to.
(Edit 9/2012 - I haven't had those SnackSize kits for sale for years. When I did, they were $60 and very difficult to source. These days I suggest you try looking for parts on Bricklink.com - you should be able to part the kit for less than $60 with the trade off of losing several hours of your life to the effort of tracking things down from the various vendors there. If you're really stuck (and spending $60 + shipping on a kit doesn't put you off) email me and I'll try and put a Snack kit together for you.)
Q: How many parts are in this?
A: I don't know for sure. I'm guessing in the neighborhood of 3,000 or so. (Based on Official LEGO® sets with similar scale.)
Q: How much did you spend in total on parts?
A: Again, not sure. I'd been building my collection of LEGO® bricks for a few years, and 95% of the parts for Serenity were parts I'd been hoarding for "just the right project". That said, I spent approximately $150 on additional bricks (mostly specialty parts) during construction. If I had to make a guess, I'd put it at about $500-$600 on parts.
Q: On a scale of 1-10, how big of a Firefly fan are you?
A: Perhaps surprisingly, I'm only at about an 8. Serenity was built at the request of a good friend of mine, who ranks somewhere between 12-15 on that scale. When I started I was only at level 6 or so, but the repeated viewings of the show reminded me of just how shiny the whole series is.
Update 9/30
Okay. Saw the movie. Now I'm a 10-out-of-10 fan.
Q: Have you seen the movie yet?
A: Yes. It's awesome. Go see it. Take your friends to see it. You won't be disapointed. And if it's too late to see it in the theater in your area, plan on buying the DVD.
Q: Don't you have a bit too much free time?
A: Perhaps. But remember Serenity was built over the course of a couple of months...mostly a hour or two during the week after work, and a few hours each weekend. Total build time on this was probably 30 hours, which isn't all that much.
Q: Don't you have a job?
A: Indeed I do. How else could I pay for all this LEGO® product?
Q: A Fat, sarcastic Star-Trek fan.You must be a devil with the ladies.
A: Is there a question in there somewhere? I'm quite happily married. The trick is to marry them before you request to set aside a room in the house as a LEGO® workshop.
Q: Just what are you getting out of this?
A: I have the enjoyment of knowing that something I made is making other folks happy, and the occasional dollar that makes it way into the tip jar. Other than that, not much, really. I'm good with the ideas, bad with the "making money on them" part of the equation. So hey - if you feel like kicking in a buck or two, the link is down below and I promise to spend it on more LEGO®.
Q: Gotten any media attention?
A: Oh, my yes. I've been Slashdotted, and got a blurb on news.com and even mentioned by Steve Jackson Games. I also received a very flattering little blurb on The Signal (Episode 9). Plus, and perhaps more satisfyingly, I've had tons of hits from various blogs and message boards. I've even started to see some hits direct from emailed links people are sending to each other. It's a giddy sensation.
(If you've seen me in the media somewhere, please let me know about it!)
Q: Can I ask you something else?
A: Sure. You can contact me right here.
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