Searching for buried treasure is a tall order, but not for the minifigures in Pablo Sánchez Jiménez's (aka Bricky_Brick on LEGO Ideas) Pirate Bay model! Hear about his creation, here.
And be make sure to congratulate Pablo in the comments below too!
About Yourself
- Where are you from?
I´m from Madrid (Spain)
- How old are you?
36.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I studied a career and a masters together: BA in Audiovisual Communication (Media) and a Masters in Film.
- What hobbies do you have?
My main hobby is LEGO, 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 inevitable not to include it as a way of life. I am also passionate about photography, music, comics and cinema.
- Do you have a personal portfolio website that you can share with us?
I started designing with a computer about a year ago and created several profiles on social networks. The most prominent where I share news and advances is Instagram, recently I also opened 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 LEGO Ideas.
- How and when did your interest for LEGO come about?
My interest in LEGO 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 jewelry.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set? Why?
Maybe the 6990 Monorail. I think I was 5 years old, I thought it was something spectacular and with time I realized that it has some exclusive pieces nowadays, and I'm happy to use them now, two or three years later 6399-1 Airport Shuttle entered in the market and with my new monorail tracks already I could extend the model throughout the room.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
It is a difficult question because I do not want to hurt the feelings of the other pieces, they all have their function. But there is one that has solved many problems for me and Emmet has it on his back, the master piece 15444. With it you can build in two directions. Personally I see it very useful together with the piece 32952.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
There are a lot of good designers. From the official designers I think I would choose Marcos Bessa. I really liked the construction system that he used in the Ewok Village, although I like Adam Grabowski, Melody Caddick, and Robert Heim too. Also the Apollo Saturn V team that did a spectacular job. On the other hand I know great designers outside and inside LEGO Ideas and I chose Corvus Auriac, for his particular designs, I think he is a spectacular designer and a great person. I also need to mention Yvonne (Ymarilego) and Hector (Han Sbricksteen).
- 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.com and brickset.com a lot to know the existence of pieces, models, colors, news of new products, chronology of the sets. Today there is a lot of information and it is generally saturated, but there are certain pages that maintain that journalistic vein and the love for it's content.
About Your Project
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
I would say that 30 years have passed since the first pirate LEGO sets 6235-1 and 6245-1, and as a Pirate fan I needed to do something. A bastion where to gather all the pirates to decide if we will sail the seas again. Watching Pirates of the Caribbean I remember the sequence in which the pirates make their meeting in the island of shipwrecks. As that was too risky, I decided to do it according to the LEGO scale and adding fresher motifs such as vegetation and animals, small traps, hidden places, treasures.... For me, the LEGO Pirates theme is timeless, it is still for children and adults.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
For me the most difficult part has been to make the decision to include 51542, baseplate that was developed between 2005 and 2011 and that I hope it can be manufactured again. I think it is possible to eliminate that baseplate and add a number of pieces, but that is precisely what I did not want. For the rest, the design process has been very pleasant and fluid.
- How long did it take to complete the model? Did you finish it fairly quickly, or did it take a long time?
Usually an idea comes and I try to take the maximum time in the creative part. Many times I immerse myself and it is 5 in the morning and I have not gone to bed. The projects take me an average of one week to design and another week to recreate the images by computer. The rendering work is slow but very rewarding.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
The truth is that I was very surprised because I did not expect this avalanche of support for the project. I remember that the project reached 10,000 followers in 25 or 26 days and the last follower and number 10,000 I think was "Duckalertcole". From here I greeted the user and I thanked him for his vote number 10,000. And of course all the supporters.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
This model has between 2550 and 2650 pieces. It depends on the type of update. I wanted to make a model with fewer pieces, while still trying to respect the structure and the details but my time for the updates ended quickly. I think that for the size of the built set it is a respectable number, similar to some modular buildings.
About LEGO Ideas
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
I think there are things that come from the heart. You see when a project appeals to you, it catches your attention, there are things that at first glance you do not understand, but if you examine deeply you start to see the reasons why you like that idea. So, I could say that a piece of advice for your idea to work is to believe in yourself but without forgetting whom you dedicate the idea. The diffusion in other media is also an important but less fun part. But if your project touches the sensitive fiber of who sees it, I assure you that you will have many fans and you won't need the media.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas project (besides your own of course)?
I like many of the Ideas sets, but if I have to choose, the Saturn V (21309) by Saabfan and Whatsuptoday. A model that at first glance I liked a lot, but when I saw the redesign, the firmness and the internal structure I put the first one in my top ten.
- 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 there's a very good feedback between the LEGO Group and their customers. 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 of it, since 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. Many times we convince ourselves that our idea is very good but we have not left us yet. We must go out and ask what we do not see, possibly make you see why you are wrong or maybe you are on the right track. My recommendation is to listen, but not only for this but also day by day in our lives.
By
hasanjensen