LEGO JAWS designer hints at release date

With the news of a LEGO JAWS set exciting JAWS and LEGO fans worldwide, The Daily Jaws (TDJ) was thrilled to catch up with its talented LEGO IDEAS creator, Jonny Campbell (JC).

He discussed his love of both the Steven Spielberg shark classic and LEGO, how this isn’t his first Roy Scheider LEGO-themed design and when the LEGO JAWS set is likely to hit shelves and much, much more.

Read on for the head, the tail, the whole damn interview…

TDJ: Where are you from and how old are you?

JC: Y’all know me (sorry couldn’t resist). I’m from Newtownards, which is a small town just outside

Belfast in Northern Ireland. I’m 42 years old.

TDJ: What’s been your reaction to the news of the LEGO JAWS set from fans of the film?

JC: Both JAWS and LEGO fans have been brilliant. I do love reading the JAWS fans comments,

which I’ve seen often quoting from the movie. There’s some very sharp-witted people out

there (and no, I wouldn’t like to prove that to get my name into the National Geographic). The

news that there will be a LEGO JAWS set has been received extremely well by all the fans of

the project and I really hope the final model will either meet or exceed expectations.

TDJ: How did the whole LEGO IDEAS process work?

JC: Fan designers can submit their project to the LEGO IDEAS website (there are all sorts of great

projects on there). If the project reaches 10,000 supporters within the set time limit then

LEGO will review the project for it to potentially become a real set. Fan Designers are

required to send LEGO any instructions/plans for the model and then LEGO will assess if the

project is suitable to go into production. There are lots of various criteria that LEGO consider

during the review period. Luckily, JAWS was successful.

TDJ: As a JAWS fan, the irony of needing 10,000 votes couldn’t have been lost on you. It went

through that process twice didn’t it, what changes did you make the second time?

JC: After the project was not approved the first time, I dismantled the whole thing (Bruce helped

me take apart the Orca – he enjoys doing that!) and I started all over again from scratch. I re-

designed and re-built the Orca and the shark piece-by-piece, incorporating much more stable

building techniques and refined my design as much as I could to make it as accurate as

possible to the movie, using the LEGO elements which are currently available. I also included

a small diorama build of the shark coming out of the water in that iconic scene.

TDJ: Why did you think it was successful that second time around?

JC: I believe that the overall design is now much better than my previous iteration and as

mentioned previously the building techniques I have used provide much more stability as

required for official LEGO products. There is also a much higher level of detail. However, to

be honest the real reason is probably just because JAWS is so great! [At this point, I should

thank my wife Andrea who encouraged me to start the process all over again!]

TDJ: To paraphrase Matt Hooper, how long have you been in LEGO?

JC: “Ahem, excuse me. Well yes I’ve, I’ve never heard it quite put that

way. But, uh, yes I am. I love LEGO.” Ever since I was about three.

TDJ: We’ve read that JAWS is your favourite film, what is it that you love about it so much?

JC: My dad got me into JAWS. I remember when I was younger asking my dad what his favourite

movie was, expecting him to say Star Wars or Indiana Jones and he told me that in 1975 he

went to the cinema to see JAWS. He walked out of the cinema and thought to himself, “that

was perfect; I don’t think I’ll ever see a better film.” He’s still waiting…

For me JAWS has it all. A great story line, fantastic, believable characters that the audience

can really get behind and care about, memorable scenes as well as all of the mystery, tension

and atmosphere that makes it such a wonderful thriller movie. And, who doesn’t love sharks –

they’re awesome creatures.

TDJ: Who is your favourite character and why?

JC: A very, very tough choice. The actors/actresses involved portrayed all of the characters

superbly well. If I really had to pick just one it would have to be Quint as I always liked his little

humorous moments and as he says my favourite line – “Seen one eat a rocking chair one

time.”

TDJ: Do you have a favourite moment or scene from the film?

JC: My favourite moment is the scene in the Orca cabin at night-time. Brody, Hooper and Quint

altogether forgetting their differences and starting to bond, telling their stories (and off course

who could ever forget Quint’s speech). To me it just goes to show why JAWS is so much

more than just a movie about a shark.

TDJ: Where did you even start on recreating the Orca and great white shark in LEGO?

JC: When creating my JAWS model, I watched the second half of the movie pausing almost frame

by frame to get every angle of the Orca and of the shark that I could. I took notes and doodled

sketches on paper as I went along to make sure I could get as many of the details included as

possible. I do this with the majority of the models I make. Close Encounters of the Third Kind,

Blue Thunder, Convoy – I’ve seen them all almost frame by frame.

TDJ: What did you use to create the Orca and the shark, how long did they take?

JC: I used a LEGO design program called stud.io to make a digital version first. The program

gives you access to all of the LEGO elements in any colour you like. When making any of my

LEGO models I generally try to find a decent image of the real thing and then use this and my

notes (previous answer) to work from front to back to create the shape (usually in one single

colour). After creating a section, I start changing the colours to best match the real thing and

make any adjustments required. I view the model from loads of various angles and add in as

much detail as I can (the notes come in handy again here).

Once the digital model is finished, I then build it with real LEGO bricks. I use whatever pieces I have (I have quite a few) and if there are pieces I need but don’t have I order those from either Bricklink or LEGO Pick a Brick. I then put the model together physically to make sure it all goes together correctly and is stable and make any further changes/adjustments as I go along. Altogether, it took 24 hours, but it felt like three weeks… Just kidding, really it probably took about 40-50 hours altogether (I lost count).

TDJ: We presume creating the Orca meant watching the film and pausing it lots, did you use

anything else for reference such as photos or drawings by JAWS production designer Joe

Alves?

JC: I only used stills/screenshots from the movie or as you’ve rightly said by pausing the movie

itself. Doing it this way made sure I could get all the details that anyone else will see from

watching the movie.

TDJ: How hard was it to create the mini-figures of Quint, Brody and Hooper for the set?

JC: When creating the digital version I was limited to the parts in the digital designer program and

when building out of real LEGO bricks I was limited to what was available in real life (that’s the

reason why Brody kind of looks like Harry Potter). Though, I’m sure LEGO will design and

make new figures for the official set that will be much more accurate than mine.

TDJ: What other LEGO JAWS characters would you like to see brought to life? For us it would have

to be Mayor Vaughn and Pipit.

JC: Great choices, Mayor Larry Vaughn in his anchor suit jacket would be awesome. LEGO would

have to create a new torso piece for that one though - they’ll need to let Polly do the printing...

Oh, I love JAWS quotes.

Pipit would be awesome too, or Deputy Hendriks or Ellen Brody. As many as possible really!

TDJ: Why is it you think JAWS is still so well loved almost 50 years after its release?

JC: It’s a masterpiece!

TDJ: JAWS director Steven Spielberg was the first living person to have a playable Lego mini-figure

modelled after him. It was sold with several sets as part of the Lego Studios product range in

the early 2000s. Did you ever have that set?

JC: I applaud your LEGO knowledge, unfortunately I didn’t ever own that set but I have bought the

LEGO mini-figure. I believe he is just called ‘Director’.

TDJ: The LEGO JAWS set isn’t your first filmic foray is it, what other film and TV related items have

your created?

JC: I’ve made quite a few other film and TV related builds. Convoy, Airwolf, Red Dwarf (UK TV

Show, Father Ted (another UK TV Show) but Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Blue

Thunder would be my favourites of my other creations.

TDJ: Any more JAWS related LEGO set ideas in you? For example a working Bruce the

animatronic shark on his sled and arm (picture attached), or a LEGO helicopter and shark

from JAWS 2?

JC: I have a few ideas in mind. However, now that LEGO has approved my JAWS project, as far

as I know, they will no longer accept any more JAWS ideas. Hopefully though if LEGO JAWS

does well then maybe someday we might see some follow up sets from LEGO. A LEGO

JAWS poster would make sense, as it’s so iconic.

I have thought of doing a JAWS 2 build with the helicopter and shark and also some of the sailboats as a kind of diorama scene. Hopefully I’ll get around to that someday. The Amity police boat from JAWS 2 would be awesome as well.

TDJ: We’ve seen LEGO sets for everything from Star Wars to Harry Potter and Jurassic Park, and

then LEGO video games, do you think this set could lead to a LEGO JAWS video game?

JC: I don’t see there ever being a LEGO JAWS video game but I could see there being a LEGO

Universal game with various stages for JAWS, Back to the Future, E.T. etc. I’d definitely buy

it.

TDJ: What happens to your design now and will you still be involved in the design process?

JC: LEGO designers will now start work on what will be the final model, making any changes that

they see fit and producing any new or re-coloured parts that may be required. They’ll also

produce any printed pieces or stickers and I’m sure they’ll give us some excellent mini-figures

too. As the fan designer, I will still be involved in the design process, which I’m really, really

excited about and looking forward too.

TDJ: Do you get to keep your original Orca and shark build?

JC: Yes, it sits on a shelf beside where I work so I can look at it every day. It’s my most prized

possession.

TDJ: Obviously these things take time, but when do you think the LEGO JAWS set will be likely

released?

JC: Going by the time-scales of previous LEGO Ideas products, I would guess it would be

released in around one year, so around June/July 2024. It could be LEGO’s first Summer

Brickbuster.

TDJ: And, most importantly, do you get the honour of having the first one that comes off the

production line?

JC: I’m not sure if I get the first one, but I do get a few copies of the set before it is released. It is

super exciting!

TDJ: Anything else you wanted to add?

JC: I’d just like to take the opportunity to thank all of the JAWS fans out there that supported the

project along the way - without you, none of this would have been possible. I really hope that

when the LEGO JAWS set comes out you all enjoy it as much as I know I will.

How do you finish off? There really is only one way, isn’t there… Mr Mayor, chief, ladies and

gentlemen…