The fan designer behind 21362 Mineral Collection has revealed where his original inspiration came from for the unique LEGO Ideas set.
The LEGO Ideas team officially revealed the theme’s 70th set today, in the sparkly shape of 21362 Mineral Collection. The 880-piece model is based on an original fan-designed 10K submission by Dario del Frate (aka ddf72) and recreates a selection of six shiny rocks, including golden pyrite, purple amethyst and tangerine quartz.
In an interview with the LEGO Ideas blog, the fan designer behind 21362 Mineral Collection has talked about the origins of the upcoming model and discussed the process behind creating such a striking set.
“I have been fascinated by minerals since I was a kid,” said Dario. “My grandparents used to bring me to the Museum of Natural Sciences of Milan. They have a beautiful collection there, and it’s a memory I truly cherish. I am not a collector or an expert, I simply love the beauty of crystals and think they are amazing pieces of natural art.”
Dario initially came up with the concept for what would ultimately be 21362 Mineral Collection back in 2020, although a lack of available bricks at the time somewhat hampered the designer.
“This is my second time with the minerals concept through LEGO Ideas,” Dario explained. “I made it to 10,000 a few years ago, but my project was not selected. Unfortunately, the first time, I had relied too heavily on recoloured elements, and as a result, I could not physically build the model, since the bricks I needed did not exist. So, I waited and checked the new brick updates regularly.”
“As soon as I found out that an element I needed was available in clear, I knew I could redesign the geode and build it. I also redesigned the red rhodochrosite and the golden pyrite from scratch. I added the emerald, the black tourmaline, and the orange topaz using exclusively available bricks. In fact, I choose the specimen according to the colours and not vice versa.”
When it came to creating the specific structures for 21362 Mineral Collection, Dario faced a few challenges that required some clever problem-solving in order to implement.
“Some crystals, like the pyrite, are quite straightforward,” he said. “The geode, rhodochrosite and the black tourmaline, on the other hand, are quite complex. The geode is a hollow sphere with studs on both the inner and outer surface, while the rhodochrosite has nice angles and half of it is built with the studs facing downwards, and the tourmaline has the aquamarine attached to it. All the minerals can be seen and displayed from all sides; there is no front or back.”
21362 Mineral Collection will be released on October 1, 2025, priced at £54.99 / $59.99 / €59.99, with pre-orders for the LEGO Ideas set now live. In the meantime, be sure to check out how the model has evolved from its original fan-designed creation right here.
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