'Whatever you do: don't get them wet; don't expose them to bright lights and do not build after midnight!'
Ivan Guerrero, aka bulldoozer, is back with another fantastic creation and you can learn all about it in this 10K Interview. You can support Ivan's project by leaving a comment below!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Hello, my name is Ivan Guerrero.
- Where are you from?
I’m from the Philippines.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I produce and direct videos and commercials.
- What hobbies do you have?
Aside from designing with LEGO products, I also enjoy reading comic books and collecting memorabilia from my favourite movies. I like building miniatures too.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
You can follow me on Instagram at @bulldoozerbricks.
- Have you created any LEGO MOCs (my own creations) that you’re particularly proud of? What is it, why are you proud of it and do you have a photo of it?
I designed a couple of sets based on the stages of the Muppet Show and Saturday Night Live. Aside from being a big fan of both shows, I consider both programs to be early influences on my career as a creative person.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO come about?
When I was younger I always used the parts of my disassembled sets to build small cities.
- What is LEGO for you? What does it mean for you? How does it fit in your life? E.g. build, display, meetups, play the games or 'just' watch the cartoons.
I was exposed to LEGO building at a very young age, but fell out of building when I was a teenager. I rediscovered my love of LEGO products just a few years ago, mostly because of LEGO Ideas sets and LEGO Dimensions packs that featured characters based on my favourite movies.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
For me, LEGO products are an amazing medium for creative expression. Just like paint or clay, using LEGO bricks is a very potent artform just waiting to be explored and shaped. It has its own techniques and nuances that are ripe for experimentation. There are an infinite number of ways to design and build too. At the same time, there is also something about constructing with interlocking bricks that I find both satisfying and challenging. It’s like building a jigsaw puzzle, but you don’t really know what the puzzle will look like until you’re finished.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
I’m a big fan of the LEGO Ghostbusters sets. I would have loved to see more sets released from that theme. In some ways, my Gremlins set is somewhat motivated by my love of that theme and other spooky sets. Both Gremlins and Ghostbusters were popular supernatural comedies released in 1984 and I have very fond memories watching both movies. In building this new project, I would say that I was also inspired by LEGO Winter Village sets. The Gremlins movie is set during the Christmas holidays, so I really wanted to emulate the playability of building a Winter Village house.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
One of my all-time favourite LEGO sets is the Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters (75827). This is the set that re-ignited my love for LEGO and taught me how to start building my own MOCs.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
The MiniFigure Trophy (90398) is an awesome piece. It’s basically a really tiny mini figure, which is really cute to collect. I try to incorporate it into my builds whenever possible and hope to do more with it in future projects.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
I’m always fond of seeing the projects of my fellow LEGO Ideas designers, like Pablo Sánchez (Bricky_Brick), Marcos Garavelli (Lepralego), Truman Cheng (legotruman), Donny Chen (SleepyCow), Hoang Dang (Knowyourpieces), and Lendy Tayag (len_d69). I’m in awe of how they continuously elevate their LEGO-building techniques with each project.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO-related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
I’m on Instagram and YouTube a lot lately and check out the posts of Back2brick2, Republic_studs, Boombrickz, Lego_rick_, Forbrickssake, TiagoCatarino, Ashnflash and Thebrickpost. Check ‘em out when you get the chance.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
Years before I had the chance to watch Gremlins, I actually owned a small Gizmo toy. I had picked it up during a summer road trip with my family and it quickly became one of my favourite playthings. There was something mischievous and adorable about owning a Mogwai. I have very fond memories of owning that toy. It was almost like having a pet.
With the success of the 1984 Gremlins movie, Gizmo toys were everywhere and were among the popular characters you’d find in toy stores around the world. Growing up in the ‘80s, Gremlins was for me one of those blockbusters that everyone had seen at least once. I consider the film to be a pop-culture phenomenon that crosses countries and generations.
In the Philippines, we even have a humorous saying that goes ‘huwag kang magpaulan/mabasa, baka dumami ka’ (don’t get wet in the rain, you might multiply). That joke was adopted by Filipinos because of the popularity of the film.
Created by a powerhouse of talents: Joe Dante, Chris Columbus, and Steven Spielberg, Gremlins is a dark comedy wrapped in a Christmas movie. For many, it’s a tradition to watch the movie every year for the holidays. Its three rules have haunted generations of children with its warnings: don't get them wet, keep them away from bright lights, and don't feed them after midnight.
In recent years, there has been a growing resurgence of interest in Gremlins and its sequel. The Gremlins have appeared in other movies and commercials, and have their own lines of action figures, clothes, and replicas. They’re even getting their own animated series in 2022. The LEGO Group has always had a strong link with Gremlins: creating a LEGO brick Gremlin that appeared in Gremlins 2; the Gremlins appearing in the LEGO Dimensions game and the LEGO Batman Movie, also. The one that has been missing all these years is an actual LEGO Gremlins Playset. I think that with its long history with The LEGO Group and the current nostalgia for the characters, it’s high-time that Gremlins finally got their own playset.
- How long was the process of making the project did, and what did you have to research as well. What kind of prep, research and design phases did you go through to produce your creation?
It took me several weeks to research, design and build the set. While I was building, I had the two Gremlins movies playing on a continuous loop, so that I could capture the same irreverent humour of the films in my set. Even after my initial research, I watched several documentaries and interviews on the making of the Gremlins movies. I also gathered a lot of old photos from the productions. That helped me in making changes and updates to the project.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
One of the hardest things to do in creating my project proposal was incorporating some generic Gremlins I could use to wreak havoc in the set. While LEGO Dimensions had previously produced minifigures based on Gizmo and Stripe, they never made any generic Gremlin figs. In order to make them, I had to physically repaint a Gizmo minifigure with acrylic paint. I had read somewhere that when LEGO designers need parts in colours that are unavailable, they spray paint them. I figured I could do the same thing for my set. After painting, I meticulously photographed the repainted Gizmo at different angles with different light sources to match my rendered images. Then, I digitally painted the eyes, mouths and stripes on each minifigure using Photoshop and composited them into the renders. It was a lot of work, but the Gremlins minifigs are integral to making my build work.
- If you could talk to yourself before you started on this project, what would you tell him? What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
I made a mistake when I designed Billy’s red Volkswagen Beetle. I accidentally put an engine at the front of the car, which is where the trunk ought to be. If I could turn back time, I would redo that detail. Sorry, Beetle fans!
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
My current design only has 1430 pcs. I was originally going to submit a larger playset that also included Mrs. Deagle’s house and Mr. Futterman’s snowplow, but decided to omit these builds for now to bring my part count down. I'm hoping those would make great additions should The LEGO Group decide to make more Gremlins sets.
- How long did it take to complete the model? Did you finish it fairly quickly, or did it take a long time? And how did the build time compare to the time you spent promoting your Product Idea to reach 10,000 supporters?
I had more time than usual because of the current pandemic. That is why I was able to build throughout several days without major breaks. In my case, the building process took longer than promoting my project; I didn’t promote it this time around.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It took me 148 days to achieve support on LEGO Ideas. I was ecstatic when I hit 10k! I was able to get there right after our New Years celebration, so there was a lot to party about that weekend.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
I’m very fond of the mini build I made for Pete in his Christmas tree costume. I also really like that I was able to incorporate Grandpa Fred and Microwave Marge from Gremlins 2 on the TV screens. I tried to find a lot of creative ways to cram in more characters and references into this set without having to add more minifigures.
One of my personal favourites actually did not make it into the submission images. I mocked-up a baby-scale version of Gizmo by digitally painting over a LEGO Grogu baby fig. It turned out perfectly but I removed it from the design because I didn't want to violate LEGO Ideas rules about using IP parts. You can check out what it would have looked like in my project updates.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I built the project entirely using Studio, with a bit of assistance with Photoshop to composite the Gremlins into the images. For my digital decals, I use PartDesigner and Photoshop.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
Whenever I build a set, I spend a considerable amount of time researching a film or TV show, and the stories behind-the-scenes. I want the set to be an authentic experience for fans, made by a superfan like myself. I try to put in as many easter eggs and hidden references in the set as I can, so that it becomes a very fulfilling project. I also think that storytelling is key when building a set like this. You want to be able to create the building blocks for many stories to play out as the set is being built or played with. I’ve also learned to value "playability" — making sure that my projects have a fun factor that fans will want to play with over and over.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
I alway tell people who plan to submit on LEGO Ideas to 'create what you love.' It’s important that you create something that you will enjoy. When you have fun and play with your creations, it will come across in the build, and fans will like it even more. Chances are, if you enjoyed building it, others will too.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
In promoting a project on social media, I’ve learned the value of creating posts that engage and entertain. People don’t necessarily want to vote for something, especially if they need to make an account to do it. It’s important to craft posts that are fun, fun to share, and elicit an emotional response. If a post goes viral or is shared by a celebrity, that’s even better! It all depends on how you craft your message. I like to prepare a lot of content before I submit my projects to LEGO Ideas. That way I can build a bit of momentum when promoting. For Gremlins, I made a series of fun posts including LEGO Gremlins trivia and memes. In addition, for every thousand votes I received on the project, I would reveal a design for a different LEGO Gremlin minifigure or build. I think it really helped build anticipation and support, just like the reveals on a LEGO advent calendar set.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
My all-time favourite LEGO Ideas product is Voltron by len_d69. Not only did it capture the likeness of the old toy line and cartoon perfectly, it also made use of some ingenious building techniques that allow it to break apart and transform. I think that’s quite an achievement. As for Product Ideas that are up for voting, The Munsters Koach by Boom Brickz is one set that comes to mind. The car from the show has been faithfully recreated and it looks amazing. I think it deserves a shot, especially with the upcoming Munsters movie in the works. Men in Black by KostyanMan is another wonderful set that deserves more attention. The creature and car builds are phenomenal and it features a ton of great Easter eggs. I think it’s definitely worth another look.
- Do you have plans to submit any other Product Ideas in the future? If yes, can you give us a hint of what that might be?
I’m a huge Disney fan, but I have never really submitted a set based on one of their original properties. I’ve been toying with an idea for a set for several years now, but have been holding off on building until I can make the product idea something special. I think that’s going to be my next project. Stay tuned!
