Ten thousand people have backed The Great Fishing Boat by Edouard (aka EdouardClo on LEGO Ideas), seemingly popular amongst LEGO Ideas users and seagulls too. Be sure to congratulate Edouard in the comments down below!
About Yourself
- Who are you?
Edouard.
- Where are you from?
France, near Paris.
- How old are you?
I’m 17, among the youngest of the 10k club I guess!
- What do you do for a living?
I am currently in my last year of high school and will be studying engineering next year; I am also really interested in artistic design, fashion, creation…
- What hobbies do you have?
I love sailing, growing plants, drawing, Lego.
- Have you created any LEGO MOCs (my own creations) that you’re particularly proud of? What is it, why are you proud it and do you have a photo of it?
I've been playing with Lego this since I was a really young kid driven by my dear elder siblings who played too, so I have made quite a lot of Mocs, and of all levels!: from a 4-wheeled plate to make a car to the Great Fishing Boat, that I consider to be one of my most beautiful and elaborated project.
- How and when did your interest for LEGO come about?
I've been playing with Lego this since I was a really young kid driven by my dear elder siblings who played too, so I have made quite a lot of Mocs, and of all levels!: from a 4-wheeled plate to make a car to the Great Fishing Boat, that I consider to be one of my most beautiful and elaborated project.
- Have you created any LEGO MOCs (my own creations) that you’re particularly proud of? What is it, why are you proud it and do you have a photo of it?
A Moc that I like a lot is my train station. I like its elegance and the purity of its design. It's a digital design that I personally dreamed of building in real life, so I posted it on Ideas!
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
I grew up with Lego City, and now I love the modulars, the trains and I'm a huge fan of any boat-related or sailing-related Lego sets. You can clearly see it in my "supporting" tab!
- What is your favourite official LEGO set? Why?
It's for sure the Parisian Restaurant. I have a particular affection for this set because it was my first modular which I bought out of my savings.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
My favourite part is the 2x2 modified tile with 2 studs on one edge. I don't know why I have a fascination with this part. I love it so much that if you look closely, on the roof of the Great Fishing Boat, I have put two of them in white, though they are absolutely useless!
Is it a tile, is it a plate? Nobody knows…
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
A designer that I admire greatly is the official LEGO designer Jamie Berard and his magnificent work as with the Horizon Express (the French TGV, high speed train), the Parisian Restaurant, and many of the modulars. I love the balance between all the gorgeous details reminiscent of real life and the fact that it is fully adapted for the minifigures and to play! Rather than looking for realism at all costs (in scales, colours etc), he captures a detail, a scene to make a cartoonized iconic set. It's obvious that his style influences me genuinely in the way I conceive Lego.
About Your Project
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
The Great Fishing Boat is a tuna fishing boat from the Basque Country, a beautiful region in the south west of France. These are traditional boats that fish Atlantic bluefin tuna by line! They are magnificent silver fish, mastodons that can reach more than 3 meters long and weigh almost 700 kilos!
Line fishing is particularly respectful of the environment by selecting a desired species, unlike trawlers, which can destroy ecosystems and scrape the seabed. - 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?
I had this great idea when I saw a lovely fishing harbour with lots of cute wooden fishing boats of all sizes and colours. I then kept this idea in mind and imagined in my head which pieces I was going to use for this or that detail. I was then able in less than two weeks to design the current look of the model.
I started by working on the shapes, the curves of the hull first, then the wooden deck, the cabin, then the cranes and all the details of the deck like the dinghy. So I had an all tan model, as you can see on the screenshot (by the way, you can see that when I design virtual Lego, I'm as messy as when you play it in real life!). Finally, when I added the colours, the model came to life and I loved it.
I used a combination of dark red and dark turquoise, but I also think bright light blue or medium blue would look great, don't you think?
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
It was only fun, the most interesting parts to design were the curved hull and raised bow of the ship. This is for sure the hardest part to make super solid to be able to play with! Another part I love is the gantry for cranes and fishing lines, especially the masts with the white top and the dinghy launching system.
- If you could talk to yourself before you started on this project, what would you tell her? What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
“Go for it, kid! It's great what you're doing!”
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It didn't take long to get to 10k! I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone, I've only received messages of support, congratulations, a flood of positive excitement, and even some who are already planning to pick up the set! You have all been lovely and I even continue to receive adorable comments.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I used Studio 2.0, it is easy to master, makes great renders and is great to check the piece availability.
About LEGO Ideas
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
My advice is to make sincere projects that you truly love, and your passion will show through. Have confidence in your dreams and creativity. Observe the world around you, the nature, the buildings, vehicles, art, what you see on your screens, etc. everything is inspiration.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
My favourite build on Ideas is the Icebreaker by ExeSandbox, a surreal scene of a rover hauling a boat out of the Arctic ice. The atmosphere, the colours and the naivety of the scene are charming. He won a prize in the contest and he fully deserves it!
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea
I love the great content, great community, simplicity, and the fact that everyone has it chance.
- 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?
My Lego career is just beginning! Of course I will continue, especially if my builds please so much. Yet, I publish when I'm inspired and have quality to offer. In the meantime, you should visit my page and follow me!
By
JacobM366