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Sets designed by Robert Heim
Featured BrickList Compiled by rheim. Updated 24 May 2024. Contains 40 sets.A list with all the sets I worked on since I started at LEGO in late 2013.41 out of 41 people thought this BrickList was helpful.
60404: Burger Truck
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jan 2024 - {t.b.a}
- Bricklist notes
- My 16th LEGO CITY Set. An interesting and novel feature of this food truck is the fact, that the big 'burger ' can be removed and works as a stand, while the truck can also be used on its own. But the idea came from the newly revised guidelines we have of how to design sets for 5-year-olds. At the LEGO Group we constantly test our products and building instructions with kids, to see how can we give them the best experience possible. The outcome helps us to make the right decisions in terms of how many elements we use, which typ of elements and the building techniques. These constraints can be quite challenging to work with, but make you more creative of how to achieve the desired model with less. :-) With that said, I'm definitely quite happy with the result. All the awesome new graphics were designed by my colleague Cristina.
60431: Space Explorer Rover and Alien Life
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jan 2024 - {t.b.a}
- Bricklist notes
- This is my 17th CITY set and finally a Space Rover! Since the last two space launches I wanted to design the rover, but always got to work on the big sets with the rocket, which was cool too. But it was worth the wait, as for this space launch we were tasked to go more Sci-Fi! Actually the design of this rover comes from my colleague Luis, who did the sketch model of it and also designed the big rover and the mech. He also came up with the awesome color scheme for that wave of sets. As I really loved Luis’ design of the rover, I tried to not change it too much. I basically just improved the build, added the front axle suspension and incorporated the new hull pieces, we mainly use on airplanes and such. Using the new end piece with the hatch also made the rover slightly longer and allowed me to optimize the interior space so it fits both included astronauts and a small wheeled robot. For the aliens we held a small boost and the whole city team came up with lots of funny designs. My contribution to this was the head. Using the LEGO Minifigure head, instead of a more specialized piece, allowed for more fun, as the aliens are now able to wear all the head gear and wig pieces we have. All the awesome new graphics for this set were designed by Austin.
60409: Mobile Construction Crane
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jun 2024 - {t.b.a}
- Bricklist notes
- This is my 18th LEGO CITY set and I call it my master piece. Mainly because mobile cranes are my favourite vehicles, so I put a lot of hard work into the model to make it work and also designed two new elements for it. It was an awesome challenge to find the right balance between authenticity and being a toy. I also tried to improve it in some areas over the previous crane I designed: 60324.
But this big crane actually started as an experiment quite some years ago. I just wanted to see, whether it is possible to build a gigantic mobile crane in our LEGO CITY scale. I struggled big times, finding a stiff construction for the outriggers and a working way of erecting the boom, back then. But that didn’t stop our CITY Lead team to decide that my half baked concept model should become a real product! :-D
A bit scared I started working on the crane boom elements. I wanted to use the worm gear element, which I successfully proposed some years ago, for extending the boom. I wanted to show the potential this element has. So I designed many different versions of the boom element and a few for the receiver plate. I got help from one of our talented CITY element designers, Morten, who finished the elements off.
Next I started working on the most crucial section of the model: the turn table + outriggers. The challenge here was to find a compact, but very stiff construction, that can handle the forces coming from the crane boom. First I thought the big LEGO Technic turntable is the solution, but it was not possible for me to join it well with SYSTEM bricks. So I ended up using a big ball joint for it and it works quite well. One of the biggest issues I had, were the rams that erect the crane boom. Once again I started with a Technic element, the linear actuators, because that’s what I used successfully on the previous crane I designed. But the bigger linear actuators are insanely slow without an electric motor. Even when geared up. And then the force needed to erect the boom was too high. A test with the target audience (kids) confirmed it. So I had to drop that idea, too. But I’m actually way more happy with the solution I found afterwards.
Another handy solution I found, was using the new mini ball cup element for the weight distribution plates for the outriggers. It’s an element I designed as a fifth wheel for our LEGO City Semi Trucks. It allows to connect the trailer by reversing the truck like in real life and makes that process much easier and enjoyable.
One last thing I want to mention are the 1x1 and 2x2 Tiles with the red and white warning stribes, that I’m also quite proud of. Because they are so versatile. The square format allows you to rotate the tiles 90 degrees to change the orientation of the stribes, so they go either to the left or to the right. So only one element is needed instead of a left and right version, which would be really annoying to find and to distinguish in the LEGO bin. Usually we achieved the left and right orientation with the help of stickers. Our Graphic Design Master Austin made the tiles a reality and was also responsible for the great new construction worker minifigures and the stickers for this set. Jean-Marc created the really good building instructions for this very complex CITY model, so it can still be build by kids 9 years and up.
60374: Fire Command Truck
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jan 2023 - {t.b.a}
- Bricklist notes
- My 12th CITY set. This is the swiss army knife of a fire truck!! The brief was to make a big fire truck that basically has all the tools available to master every operation with ease and includes customisation/modularity. Quite a good challenge to make that happen. On top it also features two different extinguishing agents: Foam and water. The storage for the "ammunition" is included in the design of the truck as well.
60385: Construction Digger
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jan 2023 - 31 Dec 2023 (11m 29d)
- Value new
- ~$17.34
- Related sets
- Included in 66772-1
- Bricklist notes
- My 11th CITY set. Even though it's a fairly small set, they often come with the toughest design challenges, like how can this back hoe loader use all his tools to build something that includes solar cells!?!? Second biggest challenge: making something look cool and realistic, but keep the build as easy as possible, so 5 year olds have an enjoyable time building it. :-)
60366: Ski and Climbing Centre
✭✭✭✭✩ 4.2 22 ratings
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jun 2023 - 31 Dec 2024 (1y 7m)
- Bricklist notes
- This is my 14th LEGO City set so far, but still my very first proper building. Usually I’m more of a vehicle guy. But I’m actually quite proud of this one, for several reasons: I pitched the idea, built the concept model and designed the final set. I also pitched and prototyped the worm gear element, which is used for the elevator. Originally this element was planned to go into a different set, some years ago, but the set never happened. Then the element was further explored by the Super Mario team, but also dropped. But now it is finally here! The first set using it, was actually the 60372: Police Training Academy. The purpose of the element, is to make linear movement steerable. Especially elevators are much easier to achieve with it and a specialised elevator platform element was developed by the 4+ team, which is compatible with the worm gear. It will be used first time in 10788: Gabby's Dollhouse.
Being a friend of outdoor sports, like mountain biking and climbing myself, I originally proposed the idea of a big outdoor equipment shop. I know shops like that from Germany, where you can test all the gear either in pools, on climbing walls or in climate chambers. But to make this into a cool LEGO City set, I thought it would also need a ski slope to provide a great (action) play feature and striking architecture. At the end we transformed it more into a winter sports center and added the hint of an ice rink.
The biggest design challenge was for sure the ski slope. I wanted the model to be compatible with the rest of the City line, which means it needed to be modular and built out of chunks. On top, the ski slope/roof needed to be connected on both sides of each module for structural stability. Finding the right transition between the modules and making it buildable took a bit of time.
A slightly more hidden feature I would like to mention is, that you can easily customise the climbing wall.
All the new and awesome graphics on stickers and minifigures were designed by Austin.
Arctic Explorer Truck and Mobile Lab
©2023 LEGO Group
60378: Arctic Explorer Truck and Mobile Lab
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jun 2023 - 31 Dec 2024 (1y 7m)
- Bricklist notes
- My 13th CITY Set. And my first Explorer set. I really enjoyed playing around with the shaping of both the snow groomer an the mobile lab, to create a more modern aesthetic. The new wheel arch piece from the ICONS Landrover Defender helped me to make an interesting window design for the lab. All the new minifigure prints and stickers were created by my colleague Cristina and look wonderful! But I'm also especially happy with the box art! It looks so exciting and dramatic! And in case you haven't noticed: We have a bear cub now!
60324: Mobile Crane
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jan 2022 - 31 Dec 2023 (1y 11m 28d)
- Value new
- ~$32.36
- Value used
- ~$20.00
- Bricklist notes
- My 8th CITY Set. And it’s a mobile crane!! I love mobile cranes! So I was super excited to be able to design one and I’m pretty happy with the result. I am especially proud of the stabilizers, that actually slide out like on real cranes and are actually strong enough to support the weight of the crane. I also love the fact, that I was able to use a linear actuator from LEGO Technic. It’s probably the first System based set that uses this element. It just makes the play experience so much better in my opinion, when you are able to control the crane boom smoothly. And have you noticed the color scheme? It’s not just the standard yellow! ;-)
60351: Rocket Launch Centre
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jan 2022 - 31 Dec 2023 (1y 11m 28d)
- Value new
- ~$124.48
- Value used
- ~$90.00
- Bricklist notes
- My 9th CITY Set was a collaboration with my colleague Kike! He took care of the Launch control building, the observatory/garage and the charming light brick robot. And I worked on the rocket and the launch tower. As I designed the previous SLS-like rocket, I wanted to make this one even better. So I pitched these new cockpit elements, so we have a smooth transition from 6-wide to 4-wide and are able to fit two mini figures in it. And also to simplify the build, compared to the 8-wide crew section of the previous rocket. Now the rocket looks more like the actually SLS, is more stable and easier to build. The final element design was done by Yoel. Other improvements on the rocket are the truster area on the main stage and the hidden octan fuel tank ;-) But the trickiest part for me was the launch tower. Making an elevator that works without jamming (especially on the way down) isn’t that easy. The graphics of this set and all the new exciting minifigures were once again designed by Austin! :-)
60336: Freight Train
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jun 2022 - 31 Dec 2024 (2y 7m)
- Bricklist notes
- My 10th CITY Set: a train! Really loved working on this one. The concept model was build by Corvin, which defined the rough direction: modern european train engine and double decker car transporter. I especially enjoyed designing the mechanisms like the the one on the car tranporter, the reach stacker and the locking mechanism on the container car. Matt was responsible for all the graphics and designed some really nice minifigure parts, like the bearded head for the ginger-haired guy and the lovely pink/purple torso.
60294: Stunt Show Truck
✭✭✭✭✩ 4.1 29 ratings
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Oct 2021 - 31 Dec 2022 (1y 2m 29d)
- Value new
- ~$39.99
- Bricklist notes
- My 7th CITY Set. I was super happy to be able to design the truck for the awesome new CITY Stuntz Line. I was also heavily involved in the element design for both stunt ramp elements. But as a truck fan I especially enjoyed designing this big, customized American Truck. It got it all: a sleeper, crazy color scheme, tall exhaust pipes, a stretched chassis, a few silver drum lacquered pieces and enough space to fit all four mini figures of the set! :-) It's a true mobile stunt show, as everything (bike, ramps, figures, accessories) fits on the truck! All the fantastic graphics and new minifigures were designed by Austin. And quite a lot of talented people were involved in developing these awesome stunt bikes. You won't believe how much time and testing was necessary to get them right!!
60287: Tractor
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jan 2021 - 31 Dec 2024 (3y 11m 29d)
- Related sets
- Included in 66772-1
- Bricklist notes
- This is my 5th City Set, that I designed so far and one, that I really like. When I proposed a concept model of a tractor to my colleague Erik, who is leading the development of the great vehicles, he smiled at me saying he already has a brief for one. Woohoo! Finally we get a tractor back to LEGO City! Erik then put my name on the brief and I finally had the chance to design the set. We even had the chance to make those new tyres for the back wheels. Another new element in the set is the 2x2 / 2-plate tall grill element. The purpose of the element is to avoid the stacking of two identical plates, because young builders often overlook the second plate. It also reduces unnecessary complexity of a model, which helps 5-year olds as well. To make the element easy to decode and different from a 2x2 plate or a 2x2 brick we had to give it some texture and also added a cross axle hole. Now the element has a grill pattern, which makes it also usable as a decorative element. The tractor model demonstrates the use of that element very well. I used it eight times. Four in black and four in tan.
You are wondering why I used that many technic elements for the arms of the frontloader and not just the same element like in 60219? It's the weight of the bucket and its load. The way it's designed now uses 4 LEGO-modules of friction to always keep the shovel up. It's much better for the play experience. :-)
60276: Police Prisoner Transport
✭✭✭✭✩ 3.5 60 ratings
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jan 2021 - 31 Dec 2022 (1y 11m 28d)
- Value new
- ~$21.16
- Value used
- ~$12.95
- Bricklist notes
- My 6th CITY Set. Quite happy with the truck and the function. Took a while to make it buildable for 5-year old kids. The vehicle for the crooks is a funny one. Got inspired buy some photos on the internet of a really tiny car being transformed into a tow truck! Added a big engine to it, so it gets a chance against the Police truck :-D
40 Years of Hands-on Learning
©2020 LEGO Group
4002020: 40 Years of Hands-on Learning
- Designers
- Carl Merriam Leon Pijnenburg Robert Heim
- Value new
- ~$149.44
- Value used
- ~$77.93
- Bricklist notes
- As every year a handful of designers build suggestions for this special set. This year Leon's great idea got chosen with the wish of integrating my idea as well: the spinning Christmas tree with the train circling around it. So I developed that part of the model (the first module) and also worked on the general structure of the modules. I'm pretty happy with the result of the Set, especially that we four designers managed to design it mainly from home, due to the pandamic. All the build through meetings happened online. :-)
60244: Police Helicopter Transport
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jan 2020 - 31 Dec 2021 (1y 11m 29d)
- Value new
- ~$36.38
- Value used
- ~$7.30
- Bricklist notes
- My fourth City set and finally my first truck! Quite happy that I managed to innovate on the City truck design. It's actually not that easy, when it needs to be buildable for 5-year olds. It got bigger wheels now and a different way of building the front.
I also like the fact, that the handle and the rip cord for the helicopter can be stored on the trailer as well.
4002019: Christmas X-wing
✭✭✭✭✭ 4.4 65 ratings
- Designers
- Joe Kyde Robert Heim
- Value new
- ~$751.80
- Value used
- ~$490.75
- Bricklist notes
- The idea for this set came from my dear colleague Joe, who also designed the X-Mas-Wing. I contributed with the rebel personnel carrier sleigh and Yoda's Igloo-Hut, which works as as stand for the x-wing. The big antenna on top of the roof, that can carry the x-wing, can also be folded down, so you can pack the model back into the box without disassembling it.
Minecraft Steve BigFig with Parrot
©2019 LEGO Group
21148: Minecraft Steve BigFig with Parrot
- Designers
- Max Valembois Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jan 2019 - 31 Dec 2019 (11m 29d)
- Value new
- ~$31.50
- Value used
- ~$18.21
- Bricklist notes
- I was pushing for a separate Minecraft line with big, buildable Minecraft characters for quite some time. The perfect mix of a display piece and an action figure, that could appeal to those, that are not into the Minifigure-based playsets. And finally they are here! When we got the go I was really happy. But then I got moved to City so I didn't had the chance to finish them. But my dear colleague Max took over and finished Steve, Alex and the Skeleton. He also added the smaller side characters and finished the element designs for the weapons/tool, that I started. Max is also responsible for the awesome new "T-plate"-element, that allows the BigFigs to be connectable to every LEGO plate.
Minecraft Alex BigFig with Chicken
©2019 LEGO Group
21149: Minecraft Alex BigFig with Chicken
- Designers
- Max Valembois Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jan 2019 - 31 Dec 2019 (11m 29d)
- Value new
- ~$22.93
- Value used
- ~$20.00
- Bricklist notes
- I was pushing for a separate Minecraft line with big, buildable Minecraft characters for quite some time. The perfect mix of a display piece and an action figure, that could appeal to those, that are not into the Minifigure-based playsets. And finally they are here! When we got the go I was really happy. But then I got moved to City so I didn't had the chance to finish them. But my dear colleague Max took over and finished Steve, Alex and the Skeleton. He also added the smaller side characters and finished the element designs for the weapons/tool, that I started. Max is also responsible for the awesome new "T-plate"-element, that allows the BigFigs to be connectable to every LEGO plate.
Minecraft Skeleton BigFig with Magma Cube
©2019 LEGO Group
21150: Minecraft Skeleton BigFig with Magma Cube
- Designers
- Max Valembois Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jan 2019 - 31 Dec 2019 (11m 29d)
- Value new
- ~$26.88
- Value used
- ~$14.61
- Bricklist notes
- I was pushing for a separate Minecraft line with big, buildable Minecraft characters for quite some time. The perfect mix of a display piece and an action figure, that could appeal to those, that are not into the Minifigure-based playsets. And finally they are here! When we got the go I was really happy. But then I got moved to City so I didn't had the chance to finish them. But my dear colleague Max took over and finished Steve, Alex and the Skeleton. He also added the smaller side characters and finished the element designs for the weapons/tool, that I started. Max is also responsible for the awesome new "T-plate"-element, that allows the BigFigs to be connectable to every LEGO plate.
60217: Fire Plane
✭✭✭✭✩ 3.7 42 ratings
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jan 2019 - 31 Dec 2020 (1y 11m 29d)
- Value new
- ~$62.25
- Value used
- ~$31.74
- Bricklist notes
- My second City set and the first fire plane since 2012
60219: Construction Loader
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Value new
- ~$10.85
- Value used
- ~$6.92
- Related sets
- Included in 66643-1
- Bricklist notes
- My first City set!
Deep Space Rocket and Launch Control
©2019 LEGO Group
60228: Deep Space Rocket and Launch Control
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jun 2019 - 31 Dec 2021 (2y 7m)
- Value new
- ~$106.60
- Value used
- ~$66.12
- Bricklist notes
- My third City set! Quite proud of it. Got lot's of cool little functions and features. I especially like the count down function inside the launch control building and the magnifying glass inside the space telescope.
The set actually won the "Toy of the Year Awards 2020" in the construction toy category.
21140: The Chicken Coop
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jan 2018 - 31 Dec 2020 (2y 11m 29d)
- Value new
- ~$59.21
- Value used
- ~$17.24
- Related sets
- Included in 66646-1
- Bricklist notes
- Finally chickens in LEGO Minecraft!
This is my 7th LEGO Minecraft set and the smallest as well. I also worked on that new chicken element. And we updated the way we build a fence gate and a furnace in LEGO Minecraft.
The big chicken has a funny egg-dropping function.
21143: The Nether Portal
- Designer
- Robert Heim
- Launch/exit
- 1 Jan 2018 - 31 Dec 2020 (2y 11m 29d)
- Value new
- ~$100.86
- Value used
- ~$46.75
- Bricklist notes
- My 8th and for now my last LEGO Minecraft set. It has two cool functions: A swinging door for the portal and a lava-falling function. The Ghast is a complete redesign of the first one. Now it's bigger, has the right amount of tentacles/legs and can shoot 2 fireballs (new deco for the 2x2 disc).