Please welcome, Nikita Tuzhikov in the LEGO Ideas community known as DominikQN and his very first 10k Club project - MEDIEVAL MARKETPLACE. When it comes to LEGO, his favorite themes are the Castle, Vikings, Adventure, and Western. Find out more about his latest contribution.
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
My name is Nikita Tuzhikov.
- Where are you from?
I’m from Moscow, Russia.
- How old are you?
I’m 26 years old.
- What do you do for a living?
I’m an appraiser of movable and immovable property.
- What hobbies do you have?
Oh, there are many things: I like painting miniatures, drawing, archery and I’m a big fan of Manchester United.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
No, I don't have it yet.
- 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?
Of course, I guess it’s some previous projects: Wizard Tower (https://ideas.lego.com/projects/b6aa7a0c-5ada-4b76-a8bd-1d641d5a2b2c) and Nobleman’s House (https://ideas.lego.com/projects/6842d369-da1f-47f7-a6d1-377ecedf0eef)
- How and when did your interest for LEGO products come about?
From my childhood. I guess when I was 5-6 years old.
- What is LEGO for you? What does it mean for you? How does it fit in your life? E.g. build, display, meetups, play the games.. or 'just' watch the cartoons.
For me, LEGO is primarily the best constructor for the development of architectural, design, and engineering skills. In addition, I think now LEGO also acquires the status of art objects.
- 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 like almost all the themes of the late 90s-early 00s, as they are related to my childhood, but my favorite ones are of course the Castle, Vikings, Adventure, and Western.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set? Why?
This is a very difficult question. My favorite set from my childhood is probably 5988 Pharaoh's Forbidden Ruins, and from the modern ones, it is certainly 75810 The Upside Down - an amazing series and just an incredible set.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
I think it’s a 1x2 plate. There are so many techniques using this element...wow :)
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
Once I saw the work of Cesar Soares (https://flickr.com/photos/124546590@N03/) and Nicola Stocchi (https://flickr.com/photos/124313328@N08/) and they co-ordinated my perception of LEGO. The question of why will disappear as soon as you watch them on Flickr :)
- Is there one or more particular LEGO related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
It’s Flickr and Bricklink, I guess.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
In August 2019, I went on a tour of Europe with my friends and visited the Czech Republic for the first time in my life. Its medieval Gothic architecture struck me, as did the Prague chimes.
- 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 project was created during the lockdown and took about two weeks. It all started with a stained glass window in a greenhouse. I have been looking for a way to make an interesting stained glass window for a long time, and then pure inspiration worked - it seemed to create itself. Then there was the idea to create a simple clock tower, but at some point, I remembered a trip to Prague, the Old Town square, and thought "what if it looked like this?
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
Perhaps the main difficulty for me when creating any project is the design of the interior.
- 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?
You definitely need to be patient when creating renderers, make more pictures. :)
- 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 project took about two weeks and is probably one of the longest projects I have ever done. Regarding the time to gather supporters-it took a little less than a year to reach the 10,000 mark and I still do not believe that I have achieved this. :)
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It took a little less than a year, about 11 months to be exact. It’s an awesome feeling. :D
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
Stained glass, it took me a very long time to create this and I am very proud that I finally managed to create this.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
When I was rendering my model, I used to work with different tools, but my favorite is bricklinksstudio.io and the major part of the project had been done with it.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
All the prints were made in Adobe Photoshop software.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
You know, as it was said in one great movie, “How wonderful it is to realize that you can surprise yourself.” As a 4th-year university student in 2016, I came to LEGO Ideas to create a gift for my cousin Matvey. There were times when I thought that the task was too much for me, but now I'm one step away from my goal and it's an incredible feeling. Never give up!
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I only used Flickr. The rest I consider superfluous. The project should attract itself, for me, this is the whole point. When a child comes to the store, he chooses what attracts his attention the most.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
Merchant’s house by bigboy99899 – is a masterpiece.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
Do not give up and think carefully about the details - these are my two main principles.
- 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?
Of course, there will be more projects:) I have been thinking about the idea of creating a project on classic role-playing games for a long time.
By
Kamila9