Payton Dean wanted more specialized weapons for his Lego minifigures. So he decided to make his own.
Other people were intrigued and started telling Dean he should sell the weapons. With a little help from his grandfather, and $200 he had saved up, he decided to give it a try.
Six years later, that decision has grown into a very successful business called X39 Brick Customs.
It’s currently run out of his garage, and Dean says that the equipment alone is worth about $100,000. Various air-operated machines inject plastic beads into small 2.5 inch square molds to create the little weapons.
Listen to Dean describe the process of making the weapons to Sound Effect Host, Gabriel Spitzer.