We are kicking off this week with another amazing addition to the 10K Club. Please welcome Theresa, a.k.a. snorkel_maiden, and her SCHITT'S CREEK - THE ROSE APOTHECARY project. Inspired by a great fandom for the Canadian comedy show, Theresa has created this incredible idea. Share your support and comments in the section below!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Theresa Robinson.
- Where are you from?
Reading, UK.
- How old are you?
45.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I am just about to finish a PhD in conservation biology, and I am working as a researcher at the University of Reading.
- What hobbies do you have?
LEGO (obviously!), reading, travel, gaming, escape rooms, nail art.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
Not yet – the Rose Apothecary is my first big build. I guess I should make one!
- 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?
My PhD focused on an endangered bird called the Mauritius Fody, and I have modified a lot of existing LEGO bird builds in bricks of the correct colours to make LEGO fodies. I plan a full original MOC at some point but so far life keeps getting in the way!
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
I had LEGO as a kid, and really enjoyed it. Then when my son Leo was old enough we began buying sets for him, and my interest grew alongside his. In fact, right now I am more into LEGO than he is, but he likes the Speed Champions sets.
- What is the LEGO hobby to you? What does it mean to you? How does it fit in your life? E.g. build, display, meetups, play the games or 'just' watch the cartoons.
I have been filling our home with LEGO builds over the last few years, but we are running out of space! Building a complex set, like the Ideas Treehouse, is one of my favourite ways to relax. I love starting with a pile of loose bricks and slowly watching the shape of the build come together. We have also attended a few local Brick Shows and had fun looking at builds and entering competitions.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
Lord of the Rings for sure. I missed out on the first wave of sets as I hadn’t got back into LEGO at that point, but I have since managed to collect a few of them and I’m always on the lookout for more!
I also love the Botanicals range and I think we have all of those sets as well.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
Rivendell. As soon as the return of the LOTR theme was announced I knew I’d definitely be buying it! It’s gorgeous and luckily my husband Tom thinks it looks great too. Building that set was so much fun and taught me so much about building techniques. The Technic elements in it, for example beneath pillars, add so much to the building experience and the strength and stability of the finished model.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
Not an element as such but I love all trans-clear bricks. They allow so much creativity and light within builds and come in a huge range of gorgeous colours.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
I met Tvrulesmylife, who has just had his Nightmare Before Christmas LEGO Idea approved for production, at a recent brick show and his advice on being a LEGO Ideas creator was very useful. He was really friendly and encouraging.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
I am a huge fan of Schitt’s Creek and have watched the series more times than I can admit to! I adore David and Patrick – my husband is like Patrick in many ways – and their store is my favourite set from the show.The idea for this build came about because I watched the episode where a business license in a very corporate silver frame plays a small but important role, and a vision of it in LEGO just popped into my head. That was followed almost immediately by a thought about how hilariously easy it is to make LEGO toilet plungers – another small but key detail from a different episode. After that, the only logical step was to build the entire thing, so that’s what I did.
- How long was the process of making the project, 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?
I had the first version of it built within Stud.io within a week. That’s just how my brain works! Since then I have been fine-tuning it, tidying it, re-watching the show again and again to pick up on tiny details, and adding minifigures and rendering scenes with them in it. The build did not originally include minifigures, as they are technically at the wrong scale, but once I saw the head with eyebrows I knew I had to build LEGO David Rose and put him into his store.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
The angled windows next to the doors of the store were the most complex part to get right, but obviously LEGO had the answers- angled plates, hinges, and columns all helped.
- If you could talk to yourself before you started on this project, what would you tell them? What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
I’d want to think about the floor and the base plate more. I don’t have many of the official modular buildings so I didn’t really know where to start with that aspect. I had to go back and re-do that section once I had a little more experience.
- 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?
It took less than a week to have the first version of the Apothecary built and it was up on LEGO Ideas for around 18 months before it got to 10,000 supporters. I really need to thank all of the Schitt’s Creek fan pages on Facebook who delivered thousands and thousands of supporters, as well as everyone on Twitter and Instagram who liked and shared it for me.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It felt amazing! I was watching the site with my son, and when it got to 9990 we were refreshing every few seconds and watching the count tick up by one. I had known for a while that it was very likely to get to the magic 10,000 but watching it pass that mark was very satisfying and showed that there’s still a love of love for the show out there.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
The current version contains just under 6,000 bricks.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
I have to say the white ladders and plank arrangements inside the front windows – they took a little while to get right but they are very satisfying. Also, I loved how easy it was to use LEGO elements to recreate the overall aesthetic and feel of the store.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I used Stud.io for the build and renders – I don’t (yet!) have enough spare LEGO to build this for real. Learning how to use the software was really fun, especially the light-up blocks in the renders. I have really had a lot of fun rendering scenes set inside the store, particularly David lip-synching ‘Simply the Best’ to Patrick, and David gesticulating wildly about how incorrect it is to have toilet plungers right at the front of the store.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I used Part Designer to add the text and numbers to the front windows. I think that’s the only custom bricks in the build.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
I was helped a lot by choosing a build associated with a show with such a big following and spending time finding the right audience who would love the conjunction of Schitt’s Creek and LEGO. I think that finding the niche is important for any Idea to get to 10,000 supporters so I would recommend that designers think about how they will do that.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
Mostly sharing on Twitter, Instagram, and in Facebook fan groups. I was lucky enough to get the Idea shared by Karen Robinson, who plays Ronnie in the show, but the process still required a lot of patience and persistence.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
The LEGO Ideas Treehouse is one of my favourite sets ever, a close second to Rivendell I think. So many beautiful details in that set and it was a joy to build.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
LEGO building offers endless opportunities for creativity and adaptability, and LEGO Ideas offers a way of showing off your work to other LEGO lovers.
- Do you have plans to submit any other Product Ideas in the future? If yes, can you give us a hint what that might be?
I have an idea linked to one of my other passions (tennis) but it’s a very long way from being done. I will keep working on it!
By
Hani2