Ready to bring out your inner child? Welcome to another addition to the 10K Club! Today we meet Richard, a.k.a. If You Build It, and his interactive RETRO ARCADE project. This is one for the old-school gamers out there! Find out more here, and leave Richard a like to show your support.
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Richard Dane, a.k.a. If You Build It.
- Where are you from?
A beautiful little village in Nottinghamshire, UK.
- How old are you?
41, wait, what! How did that happen? Time flies when you are having fun!
- What do you study or do for a living?
Graphic Designer – designing nationwide magazines for the NHS.
- What hobbies do you have?
About 20 years ago, my father and I spent 5 years restoring a classic car called a Triumph GT6. Back then I really enjoyed tinkering with cars. Nowadays I like to make Brickfilms when I have any spare time. My YouTube channel is Ifyoubuildit. Lego is very much part of my daily life.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
My Lego Ideas profile is my portfolio and the Retro Arcade is my first physical MOC. I have created a couple of Lego Ideas products using Studio including Donkey Kong and Short Circuit. I have recently purchased the parts to physically build my Short Circuit project and it looks superb on the wall. You can also see on my profile some of my challenge entries.
- 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 was particularly proud of my Jazz Quartet challenge entry. It was my first time using Studio and I really enjoyed learning the software. My entry also won a grand prize which was a bonus. A few years ago I also created my own Lego city which looked fantastic lit up at night.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
I first became interested in Lego in the late 1980s when I received my first set (6381 Motor Speedway). I received Lego every birthday and Christmas until the age of 16. I then entered the dark ages until the age of 33 and have been happily enjoying Lego again for the past 8 years.
- 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.
Lego is my favourite childhood memory. It’s nostalgic. It makes me smile. Lego will be a part of me forever. I have recently started displaying my Retro Arcade at Lego shows and the feedback is fantastic. To see my Retro Arcade make other people smile means the world.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
My favourite theme as a child was Pirates and as an adult is the modular buildings. There is just something special about creating your own Lego city, I’m sure many AFOLs will agree.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
My favourite set as a child was the original Barracuda (6285). I would spend hours and hours playing with this set. The canons were so much fun. Not sure I have a favourite as an adult but I love nostalgia so a couple of sets spring to mind. The Home Alone House (21330) and Jurassic Park T. Rex Breakout (76956). Again these films bring back such happy childhood memories.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
Not sure I have a favourite element, but my favourite sticker has to be from the Winnie the Pooh set, with the initials of the designers children on it. I don’t think it can get any more special than that.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
With my current favourite theme being modular buildings, I would have to say the fan designer Bricky_Brick. Their designs are outstanding and I’m surprised Lego hasn’t employed them already lol.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO-related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
I visit Bricklink regularly, ordering parts I need for my Brickfilms. I sit at the window like a dog looking for the postman on a weekly basis.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
My other favourite childhood memory was going to the arcade with my brother and father back in the 1990s. I thought I would combine my two favourite childhood memories to create the Retro Arcade.
- 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 believe it took about a month from start to finish. I had a vision in my head of an old arcade so I knew what I was aiming for. At that point, I had not used any Lego design software before so just freestyled it. I knew I wanted a pavement all around the building for the car ride, claw grabber etc., so I started with that first. The vision in my head was to have lots of windows and doors so started figuring out the skeleton of the building. Once I was happy with the outer structure, I then began creating all the internal and external accessories. I thought it was important for these to be interactive so the end user could have fun with the set. The moveable functions include: coin operated car ride, claw grabber, car and bike racing games, and a rotating planet on the roof. Also included are 2 light bricks with all the internal controls to the rear of the building.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
I would say the rotating planet on the roof. I needed to figure out the mechanism to allow it to spin and also how to include the zooming space rocket around it. I think the final version came out well and looks the part.
- 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?
Now I have used Studio I would have designed it in that first, then built it physically after. I would also tell myself to be patient and not expect 10K supporters in a day.
- 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 about a month from start to finish to build the model. I spent a lot longer promoting my Idea.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
This is the second time the Retro Arcade has hit 10,000 supporters. The first time it took about 2 months, this time it took about 20 months. I believe the lock down helped significantly the first time around. Reaching 10K for a second time was still an amazing feeling and a relief at the same time. The Lego fans have spoken again, thank you.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
This set has 1849 pieces and 7 minifigures. It also comes with 3 animals, a rat, bird and cat.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
I really like the functionality of it. Going to the arcade is about having fun, and being able to interact with the arcade machines was important to me so others can enjoy it too. Having taken this to several Lego shows, I can see from their reactions how much fun they are having playing with the Arcade.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I built it physically at first but have now created it in Studio too. I enjoy using the Studio software and use it regularly.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I used Adobe software.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
I would suggest researching your idea on Lego Ideas first to see if there are any similar ones already. Check both current ones and use the Project Phase filter to see previous ones too. Also, have a think about who your audience is. When your project is finished, invest some time in the final photos. I believe with a great presentation you are more likely to receive a staff pick which will increase the reach of your project and bring in more supporters.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I used social media platforms like Facebook and Reddit. These were far the best platforms for me. One of my posts on Reddit actually got to #1 trending on the whole of Reddit and the support was crazy for a couple of hours.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
I really like the Home Alone house as I love the film and it brings back special memories.
- 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 that Lego gives fans the opportunity to share their creations and even the chance of it becoming a real set one day. To walk in a Lego store one day with my children and see my Retro Arcade on the shelf would be a dream come true. I hope one day I get to say: “Look daddy designed that one”.
- 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 currently have two other projects on Lego Ideas, Donkey Kong and Short Circuit. I don’t currently have any plans but I’m pretty sure you’ll be seeing more product ideas from me in the future. Thanks for reading and good luck to all current projects.
Dear reader, we were so eager to publish the interview about this amazing product idea that we got ahead of ourselves. The standard procedure, as many of you pinpoint, is to publish the review results of one round before continuing with interviews for the next review round. We will not remove this blog post, but please note that this particular submission is part of the next review round. The review result for this particular submission is expected in early 2024.
By
Hani2