Pablo Sánchez (aka Bricky_Brick) is a big fan of a modular building whose builds have reached 10K several times already. Well-known are Pirates of Barracuda Bay or Brickwest Studios. Today he will tell you something about himself and his latest models - The Car Wash and The Little Venice.
ABOUT YOURSELF
- What is your name?
Hi! My name is Pablo Sánchez.
- Where are you from?
I am From Madrid.
- How old are you?
38.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I´m Camera operator and Director of some productions.
- What hobbies do you have?
My main hobby is LEGO building. I suppose that as an AFOL it is now a hobby but also the toy with which I started, I have seen its evolution and it is unavoidable not to include it as a way of life. I am also passionate about photography, music, comics, cinema, bicycles, and travel among others.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
Yes, I try to take advantage of social networks, some more than others. In this case, I use Instagram to announce recent projects. I also have a small shelter on Facebook where from time to time I share something of what I am doing. And a YouTube channel. Still, I have to organize because there are many projects presented and it is difficult to promote all creations equally, day by day I add something to the portfolio and share it as long as it is not designing a new project. I think my best portfolio is currently on the LEGO Ideas website.
- 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?
Yes, two big digital ones, I mean big ones to be in LEGO Ideas, both have more than 15000 pieces. Very happy building with “Port Hope”, a little town on the coast with the presence of Imperial guards, The other one is dedicated to the world of James Bond films, I have allowed myself the luxury to create an unofficial story called “The Last Flight”. This time James Bond will be rescued by the pretty agent 009 to stop a tycoon and crazy musician that want to dominate the world. I have added a little composition of my city too (Madrid).
- How and when did your interest in LEGO come about?
My interest in LEGO bricks was for a reason that now as an adult I understand. It gave me the possibility to create what I wanted, and that for a child is spectacular. I was 4 when I received one of my first sets, Ice Cream Cart (6601), and later the airport (6392) for me, authentic jewellery.
- What is LEGO for you? What does it mean for you? How does it fit in your life? E.g. build, display, meetups, play games.. or 'just' watch the cartoons.
LEGO products for me is an escape from a difficult moment, in which once inside LEGO, you can make it easy, it is a way of life, an expression of our mind reflected in bricks. Build asks you to display and then answer questions at a meeting, Somehow they are linked elements. In relation to video games, I think it is the part that gives it like since it is the way in which we see the Minifigures move even if it is in a digital way it is compensated with the real construction.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
Without a doubt Space and Pirates. The themes I grew up with LEGO, with great mystery stories, challenges, and treasures from space or under the sand. My father liked the movies about pirates and cowboys and I liked to watch them with him. I suppose space is like discovering what is outside and how man makes ships to understand the mystery beyond the stars. One of the themes that inspires me a lot is the expert modular line. I used to design buildings but maybe is time for a Spaceship?
A theme that I am discovering late is Ninjago, I do not know how I could spend so much time without realizing the attractiveness of their sets. Especially the Bounty from the Ninjago Movie.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
In the past: when I was a child 6990 Futuron monorail or 6399 Airport shuttle To put it in some way, it was my first LEGO train, even if it was a monorail and I liked that it was elevated over the city, I liked the sound that this engine made, the Futuron monorail had lights and you could add sound, it was a set Very complete with unique pieces nowadays discontinued. I would like to see those old pieces again.
Nowadays there are many good sets, I really like The Ewok village, The Saturn rocket, the Old fishing store, The Assembly square among others, I think these three have a special design if we compare them with the aforementioned, it looks great evolution in techniques and new pieces to achieve those shapes, I would add the Ecto-1 by Mike Psiaki, and Pirates of Barracuda Bay with Milan Madge and Austin Carlson, in which Milan applied amazing techniques to create the shapes of the ship.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
All the pieces have their function, some more than others, to build I like the modified pieces 15444 and 32952 make a good team in my opinion. I also like the 41682 2x2 brackets, the two-direction build model expands the possibilities of creativity. I also like clips and handle pieces.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
I think LEGO has the best in its teams, on other occasions I have mentioned some of my favourites such as Jamie Berard, Mike Psiaki, Milan Madge, Niels Pedersen, Marcos Bessa, Cesar Soares, Sam Johnson, Adam Grabowski, Robert Heim among others. I need to add Chris McVeigh. From the unofficial, there is a lot of talent in a lot of builders, very difficult to mention all.
The one that has most inspired me is perhaps Niels Pedersen, I grew up with his sets and prioritized that construction line, over time I was influenced by the use of modified bricks to build in two directions, and I saw that pattern in Marcos Bessa perfectly applied in the Ewok village.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
I usually visit BrickLink and Brickset a lot to know the existence of pieces, models, colours, news of new products, the chronology of the sets, etc. Today there is a lot of information and generally saturated, but there are certain pages that maintain that journalistic vein and the love for its content.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
The Little Venice:
Many years ago I was lucky enough to be able to travel with my parents to Venice, at that time I was a teenager, but I suppose that what most caught my attention were its canals, the roads were made of water and the cars were replaced by gondolas, steamers and other boats. . Years later I read about its beginnings and formation of the city, and how ancient Venetian painters left clues about the floods to our modern-day experts among other curiosities. A city with an unforgiving architecture with simple wooden logs has survived and survived today. I needed to transmit with LEGO a fragment of that beautiful city where it was "the New York" of that era.
The Car Wash:
I like R&B music, Funk, Disco ... and one day listening to “Car Wash” song from Rose Royce some ideas appear and other interest came to me with the fantastic 10260 Downtown Dinner. It was a really fun set to design.
- 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?
The Little Venice:
I did it in about two weeks full time, I read more about Venice, gondoliers, gastronomy, architecture. While I was researching, I looked at the pieces that I would use, and on other occasions, freehand I put the pieces in the software, other times I draw it on paper but if there is a composition of the Idea in my mind I prefer it. on other occasions I have valued these phases:
1-Idea
2-What is it going to be and who is it for?
3-Storm of sub-ideas
4-Discards
5-Unification of concepts
6-Elements of the scene
7-Construction
8-Postproduction
The Car Wash:
I did the project in a week and the renders took another week, I was looking at photographs of the '50-'70s and related buildings to unify it in a concept, the guitar seemed an attractive element that reminded me of the famous cafes that are all over the world.
- What special challenges or frustrations did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
The Little Venice:
It has been a fun project to build but I also encountered challenges such as the angles of the roofs, in which I would have liked to do more research, and in the connection of the canals with the buildings. I also did an update to improve the stability of the decorative elements of the windows. I think I know a lot of pieces but sometimes I think that a new part that I have not tried may work and does not work. It is best to always test it physically and avoid mistakes.
The Car Wash:
The most difficult part was the glass, which occupies most of the facade and looking for a connection point on the roof for the upper floor. I wanted to pay homage to the architectural line of the 10260 Downtown Dinner set.
- If you could talk to yourself before you started on this project, what would you tell him/her? What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
The Little Venice:
You can always improve something, I guess I would tell myself to have more patience so as not to have to make updates due to construction errors among other things like evaluating the colour lines with patience. In the end "Patience is the mother of science". (Spanish saying).
The Car Wash:
I suppose that everything can be improved and one more turn could have been given to the way of construction. In this model, I used some old technic parts that can be exchanged for current parts, as well as some transparent parts like the modified 2877 brick. I also would have liked to do more tests on the car, which was part of an entry contest for LEGO Ideas.
- 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?
The Little Venice:
One week, but, the preparation and start time were two days to assess the idea and the pieces, it could be said that in 9 days the project was finished but not rendered, which took almost 5 more days. If we add the 9 more days the 5 of us have 14 days of work on the project of “The Little Venice”.
The days that LEGO offers are generous therefore that time is appreciated to improve the project or give it more promotion. Luckily, this project only took two months, with people very committed to the project, whom I thank from here for their emotionally altruistic collaboration. Therefore, I would summarize that the construction and preparation time is usually less than the promotion time of the idea. There are cases of projects designed in 30 days and reaching 10,000 in 10 days, but they are usually very special cases and usually spectacular projects.
The Car Wash:
The project was shared on LEGO Ideas 15 days after its birth. One week of design and data search and another week for renderings. As I said before, the possibilities of getting 10,000 supporters in less time than construction are usually exceptional cases. A project that I have a lot of affection for and I would like it to be respected.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
The Little Venice:
It was about two months of great emotional intensity. I don't have children but if I have nephews, I can understand a similar feeling to being a father. This is gestated from the hearts of the people, in this case, more than 10,000 people have trusted and trust the projects that I share and in some way, they are their godparents. I think it's not just raising buildings anymore, it's a responsibility if I can help.
I am happy as the first day that "The Pirate Bay" reached its milestone, with the same feeling of solidity in what I do and grateful for those who have helped me improve as a person through LEGO. I would like to be able to put faces to all those who voted for the Idea and tell them that a part of them, is in those models.
The Car Wash:
Very happy, as with every project that reaches 10K, happy not only for me but for the people I do not see and have taken their time to dedicate a few words or vote for the project. This birth was slower but more intense in its arrival since it did not know if the days that remained were going to be enough to achieve the goal. But in the last stage, a large number of supporters bet on it. They are all godparents of this Idea now, and I can only wish everyone luck on this project. An intense year and ten months. A product that did not advertise much during that year since I was doing many projects at the same time during those days.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
The Little Venice:
The model has near 3000 pieces.
The Car Wash:
The model has approximately 2300 pieces, I made two versions, and in one of them, I made changes to the car and repaint the guitar. But it stays on that number of pieces.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
The Little Venice:
Possibly the part that I like the most may be the arrangement of the bricks vertically on the canal, and I also like the roofs, I would have liked to investigate them more.
The Car Wash:
Sometimes the most difficult thing to build, later is what you like the most, surely in the time invested in that part is aesthetically correct. In this case, the glass of the building on the ground floor is an element that I like as it reveals the whole interior. I also like the aesthetics of the car although its techniques are simpler. The guitar was a fun item to build too.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I usually build digitally and use Studio2 and the renders in the same program.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I like prints more than stickers and from a digital starting point, it has its logic. When I build the building I do need the stickers to put them on the pieces and for that I use photoshop.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas Product Idea?
Yes, being yourself, and creating something for yourself is a good start. The next step is that you like it and possibly there are people who follow you in your Idea.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I use social networks like most creators. I would like to be able to publicize them through events but now we cannot have that so the methods of advertising the models are basically directed to social networks that are currently somewhat saturated.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
This time I will stand up straight and stick my chest out saying that the Apollo competes for the first time with The Pirates of Bahia Barracuda in my top 1. But I have to add that the building techniques of the Treehouse seem excellent to me as well as the work done in the Old Fishing Store.
There are many good ideas that deserve to be official, but I understand that it would be unfeasible to produce 100 LEGO Ideas a year to give an example, apart from licenses and other things.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
I find very good feedback between LEGO and customers. And just being able to share a creation that you value with a lot of people around the world is nice, you can comment on other creations and give your opinion since it is a very important part to work in a group and also leave the creative bubble that can sometimes be negative if we lock ourselves. This is only a part, the contest adds more fun and without realizing it, we can be in the top ten most voted creations. It is a platform that helps you to value yourself, to see that your work either as a hobby or profession can be rewarded by a lot of people who value you every time they click the support button.
- 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?
Today I have several ideas but none to design yet, so I guess it will be a while until the next project, best regards and many thanks to the LEGO Ideas community, see you soon.
By
Kamila9