As Hasbro’s TRANSFORMERS turns 40, LEGO Icons Bumblebee designer Samuel Johnson reveals his creative process

Fantastic to welcome you to Brands Untapped, Samuel. You’re the designer of the LEGO Icons TRANSFORMERS Bumblebee set… THAT is a work of art! Tell me about that… Where did you start?
Thank you! It was a process unlike any other I’d worked with before… I had a well-made vehicle that a colleague built to the scale of the LEGO Icons Optimus Prime set, which we released in 2022. I decided to design the robot first and worry about how to get from A to B later—that was a problem for ‘Future Sam’.

Ha! And after the initial stages, what happened next?
After getting initial approval for the vehicle and robot designs, I began working on the conversion. If you remember the original TRANSFORMERS Bumblebee toy from the 1980s, it was a tiny little thing. I wanted the LEGO Bumblebee to be as grand as the LEGO Optimus Prime. I started by drawing the car on paper and figuring out how to slice and dice it to create the robot parts.

You made that sound easy! But that bit alone is mind-boggling… And then what? How do you start looking for bricks?
Transitioning from that to building it with LEGO bricks was quite complicated, but worth it in the end. As you can imagine, building with LEGO bricks means being limited to a specific scale and set of elements. So I explored all available options for hinges and moving parts. Then I began developing transformation mechanisms. I even designed a new element concept to make the conversion possible, which features in the final set.

What was the biggest challenge designing a model that’s both a great-looking car and a great-looking robot?
The biggest challenge was ensuring that both the vehicle and robot modes stayed true to the source material. I referenced my original toy and conducted extensive research into other Bumblebee-related products. I also watched a lot of cartoons – mostly for the joy of it!

Ha! “It’s research!”
Ha! But you know, Bumblebee has a very distinct look – especially his head and face… I wanted to capture those perfectly. I also aimed for him to look great on display – cocky and ready for action. I really like the character of Bumblebee, and I hope that comes through in the final LEGO set.

It absolutely does, Samuel. And in terms of solving that problem… How did you overcome it?
Well, Bumblebee needs Sam. And Sam needs Bumblebee… Together we transformed the build ready to roll out.

Fair enough! So tell me: what makes the TRANSFORMERS franchise a great licence for LEGO, do you think?
The TRANSFORMERS is a classic tale of good versus evil, featuring Optimus Prime and the Autobots battling against Megatron and the Decepticons for Cybertron and the universe. The story unfolds through visually striking characters with relatable personalities that appeal to every kid. Whether it’s a truck, car, jet, microscope, or cassette recorder… TRANSFORMERS can be anything.

Yes, very versatile…
Exactly. And this versatility captivated children in the mid-80s and continues to do so today. As Autobots – representing ultimate good – you could imagine toppling the forces of evil. As Decepticons, you could create all kinds of mischief. There are countless ways to play and create stories with these characters, much like with LEGO play.

Great answer, thank you. Now! I consider myself quite a discerning LEGO buyer… And it turns out I’ve gravitated toward several of your sets! Ship in a Bottle, Central Perk, Steamboat Willie, the typewriter. In creative terms, what are the biggest differences between designing for a licensed set and an unlicensed one?
Ah yes, LEGO Ideas. I’ve loved seeing that theme grow. I worked on the LEGO sets you mentioned with some extremely talented designers. One of the biggest differences between building for a licensed product versus a non-licensed product is how things start out…

How so?
Intellectual properties require some knowledge to execute a design. I like to watch the show or movie to understand the stories being told, and then I try to put myself in the shoes of the target audience. That’s because they may have specific needs and desires. When designing for a non-IP LEGO set, I feel the need to dive into the bricks and create what feels right. The target audience is still there, but the freedom to create opens up endless possibilities.

Oh, wow. Terrific answer. And how did you come to be working at LEGO in the first place, Samuel?
As a graduate of the University of Derby in 2010, I started my career as a Junior Designer with the LEGO CITY team. Since then, I’ve worked as a product designer for great LEGO themes such as Harry Potter, Jurassic World, Ninjago, Legends of Chima and Nexo Knights. In my time at the LEGO Group, I’ve been a part of creating over 90 products that’ve made it to market as either retail products or promotional items.

Heavens above! I don’t know how you keep track! And more recently?
More recently, I worked in the Adults assortment as Design Manager on the LEGO Ideas products we discussed – plus a few more. I even designed a LEGO Art set, 31210 – Modern Art. And, of course, a LEGO Icons set: 10338 – TRANSFORMERS Bumblebee. Today, I work as Creative Lead in the ‘Family’ category with a team exploring new fun ways for the entire family to experience LEGO building. I’ve been a part of LEGO Design for 14 years.

Absolutely amazing. We do need to start wrapping this up, Samuel, but I’m dying to ask this: what’s the one thing about the Bumblebee set about which you would have loved to have spoken today?
I think we put in a tremendous effort to make the conversion aspect of this set as clear as possible. I hope people will appreciate it…

I love this! What would you have said about it?
To start, I really wanted this LEGO set to be “More Than Meets the Eye.” Since TRANSFORMERS characters are ‘robots in disguise’, I reversed the building techniques used in the earlier set. When you build Bumblebee, you start by constructing the vehicle. It’s only in the final steps that you’re prompted to convert him into robot mode – don’t forget the sound effect!

Don’t think I’m not doing it in my head every time one of us says TRANSFORMERS! Ha!
Right?! Ha! But to make the conversion as user-friendly as possible, we created video content where I, along with Optimus Prime, demonstrate the steps to transform from vehicle to robot and back again. I aimed to include this from the beginning to help people who might not have the building instructions. This has been a massive team effort from our own group of Autobot heroes, and I’m grateful for all their support. Also, my son was so excited during the development of the LEGO set that he named our dog Bumblebee!

Well, we’re not going to top that, Samuel! Thank you so much for joining me; I can’t tell you how incredible that Design is. Brilliant.