Light and Sound Kit for the 2020 Creator Expert Ecto-1 (#10274)
Well, what an amazing model! Six years after the release of the LEGO Ideas Ecto-1-- in our humble opinion, one of the best vehicle sets ever released by LEGO-- the company has taken aim squarely at our pocketbooks with a huge new set: the Creator Expert Ecto-1 (item #10274). You can see the set here:
Our light and sound kit for the Ideas Ecto-1 from 2014 has consistently been one of our best-selling kits, and it has more features than any other kit available. It's really one of the kits I'm most proud of designing, so when we learned of an even bigger, cooler Ecto-1 headed our way, we knew we had to up our game and rise to the challenge.
We're currently testing designs for the huge rooftop lightbars and large spotlights-- stay tuned for more details.
Since we already have the base control circuitry and sound for the Ecto-1, it should be relatively easy to expand the kit to cover this new model. If all goes well, I'm hoping to have pre-orders up on the site before Christmas, with delivery likely beginning in March 2021.
So.....what features (beyond the obvious!) would you like to see in a light and sound kit for this amazing model? Let us know in the comments below, and thank you!
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Looking at my Ecto-1 with your original lighting kit I'd like to see all of the original lighting plus the following additional features:
- Flashing red spotlight on roof. There was one pointing back on the original kit. I see the new kit has it as an actual spotlight facing forward.
- 7 LED rotating white beacon on roof. Might need dimming though.
- Blue door spotlight
- Four-way flasher turn signals (I know they're out of period for the vehicle vintage :) The original vehicle had VERY small turn signals built into the chrome strips that ran along the tops of the front fenders. The original LEGO kit used 1x1 round plates in those spots. The new model has nothing there and no chrome strip so front turn signals might be out.
- Interior lighting ?? (Possible UV), under dash lights?
- Lion power source
- Are those supposed to be lights in the front bumper horns? I remember that being done way back then as a customization. If so I'm not sure what color would look best; blue, red, white? Maybe a set of 4 RGB LEDs alternating colors as a set? Too much?
- How about under chassis lighting?
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Preordering as soon as possible!!
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Larry Andersen Great suggestions. One question about the rotating white beacon-- is that prototypical? I know for the LEGO model it provides steering, but was anything like that ever in the movies?
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Rob Klingberg No, it's a LEGO addition. I guess that means we could make it any color we wanted. I think red would be nice 😄
Here's a picture of the real thing.
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Larry Andersen It's not a LEGO addition. It's present in the original movie car, but much smaller and doesn't light up. It's even present on the Blitzway 1/6 scale model.
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I can't spot it in any of the photos I've looked at. Any chance you could post a photo with an arrow or circle?
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Hi Rob, oh you know that this is a must have.
Of course you should use the same realistic rotating light effect for the roof beacon, as for your small Ecto-1 KIT11b. I would say that you made an great job in the small Echo, so please bring all of that in the bigger version.
Maybe you could create some custom bricks inside (at the cockpit) as you did in the Millennium Falcon Cockpit.
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According to the Ectomobile Owners Manuel, it is a whelen HRDF-200 strobe light. It is present in the movie, and other scale models. The strobe effect is very mellow and dim. My suggestions would be to link it to the grill strobe lights so all three strobe effects are synced together.
The lights Im reading about in the book include:
1. White headlights
2. Yellow fog lights
3. White grill strobe lights
4. Blue door spotlight
5. Blue roof flood lights (front&back)
6. Red roof ray light
7. Blue light bars w/ proper effect (front&back)
8. Red rear fin lights
9. Red rear brake lights/ white center lamp
10. Interior lighting
11. BONUS siren effect
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Oh and of course the white roof strobe light that is the topic of discussion!
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Jay Pothier Wow, thank you for the great information! Is this from the Blitzway model?
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No, Sir. This information is from the Haynes Ectomobile Owners manual, a must have book for GB and Ecto fans packed with pictures, detailed schematics, and some history behind it. The car was designed by Dan Akroyd himself.
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The LEGO Ecto-1 building guide for this build 10274 actually pays homage to the Haynes manual with similar style and design.
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LEGO says my kit is in the warehouse waiting for shipping!!!! Now we need a waiting list for the lighting kit.
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Jay Pothier Great, thanks for the detail. Going to order this book now! And our Ecto-1 arrived yesterday, so it's going to be a fun weekend. :-)
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I like what Larry Anderson suggested, but there is one thing I would like to see...the front two clear lights on the grill, can they please flash like in the movies? If have a remote, can there be different sound choices; Siren, "Ghostbusters" Song, and the "I found a car..." line from the movie. If not all, just the Siren and "Ghostbusters" Song.
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Larry Andersen There is in the movies, it's the little white strobe light in the middle. Lego just made it bigger so that they could use it as a turning mechanism.
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Rick rivera Good suggestions. On our current kit for the smaller Ecto-1, the flashing strobes are included. In terms of sounds, we will supply the siren, but the others cannot be included for copyright reasons. However we will have the option of adding a sound module onto which you can load any sounds/songs yourself, so you could add these and then control with the included remote.
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Rick rivera I'm struggling with what to do with the large clear brick there. As you mention, in the movie it's much smaller, way smaller, and actually I think having it be a 2x2 brick looks bad on the model itself. But I realize why it's needed for steering. I was thinking of replacing it with a round 1x1 clear brick, but then that would be harder to steer with. Thoughts?
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Rob Klingberg That would be cool, but I was thinking, because there is limited movement in that steering mechanism, if you run a flashing LED into the already existing Lego Piece, but with a smaller axle piece to bring the light closer to the roof, maybe an Axle 8 or Axle 7. Then you can run a LED Flashing light up into the 2x2 brick. Even though it's still big, I think it needs to be with the steering. what you think?
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I just got the Ecto-1 for X-Mas. Is there any update on the light/sound kit for it? I looked on the Site-Specific Sets page, and it's not there.
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Oh, and just my 2c for the roof light/steering. I know my Ecto-1 will be a shelf queen (well in a display case) so i don't need the tall 2x2 round for steering. A shorter axle with 1x1 round and strobe led would be perfect.
Maybe you could use a small enough led for the 1x1 since I'm sure that would still light up the stock 2x2.
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Rick rivera Yes, agreed. We're experimenting with some lights that can fit in there and still allow the full range of steering motion.
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William C Cheezum Jr Great idea, perhaps we could supply a clear 1x1 with round 1x1 tile for the top of it, for people who would be displaying their Ectos vs. driving them around. And the light we're looking at for the strobe would fit into either configuration.
As for an update of status, we received our prototype control boards this week and will be working over the weekend to finish up the kit design. Hopefully we'll be able to share the results and open pre-orders in the next 2 weeks. We're designing some all-new tech for this set, so we're really excited to see what people think.
Thanks again for sharing your ideas!
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Looking forward to it. Thanks for the update, and especially thank you for listening to your customers, it is such a rarity these days.
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One other thought, what about something to light up the interior, I'm sure the other lights would drown it out, so maybe as a separate setting to be able to show off the interior details.
