In today's 10K Club Interview, we introduce a passionate builder, Anthony and the most iconic restaurant in Springfield. Some of the most memorable moments portrayed by the show were captured in this model that will be appreciated by all fans of the American animated phenomenon called The Simpsons.
Please welcome Anthony Garibian (aka FastBrickStudios) and his creation The Simpsons - The Krusty Burger. Help us congratulate him and learn more about his creation.
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
My name is Anthony Garibian, I’m known in the LEGO community as FastBrickStudios.
- Where are you from?
I’m from Sacramento, California.
- How old are you?
I’m 16 years old.
- What hobbies do you have?
I love watching movies. Especially ones with genres such as action, sci-fi, horror, adventure, fantasy, and or mystery. They’re always entertaining. I as well enjoy working in the digital 3D workspace (modeling, animating, designing), graphic designing, and doing photography.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
Yes! I post my MOCs on YouTube and Instagram.
- 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 year ago, I created a life-sized model of Captain Rex’s helmet from Star Wars The Clone Wars. The model took a lot of trial and error to get right, figuring out how to interpret the shape in LEGO form and incorporating some of the finer details that we see on the actual helmet. This model to date is one of my most intricate MOCs yet.
Recently, I’ve created Kang and Kodos from The Simpsons. Using a very small piece count, and yet being able to achieve a very recognizable result.
The Simpsons Springfield is a MOC that I’m currently working on, recreating Springfield in LEGO!
- How and when did your interest for LEGO come about?
I got my first LEGO set when I was 4 years old, it was the 6187 Road Construction Set. A very simple collection of construction vehicles, but yet allowed for plenty of creativity. The alternate builds plus all of the additional pieces included, really got my imagination going. From there on out, my passion for LEGO had begun.
- 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.
LEGO means a lot to me. It makes me think outside the box, it allows me to be creative and use the same shaped LEGO piece in many different ways, achieving the organic and or geometric angles that I was intending. Building LEGO on a daily basis has given me the experience and understanding of it that now lets me create whatever I want without instructions.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
LEGO The Simpsons is my favorite theme. Despite its very short life span, I love the show and enjoyed putting together and displaying both official sets alongside the two Minifigures series to compliment them. The Simpsons House and Kwik-E-Mart translate really well into LEGO form given the show’s cartoonish nature. The minifigures have phenomenal head molds making them instantly recognizable and I’m very happy LEGO decided to take this route. In terms of building style, my Krusty Burger model was greatly inspired by the two official sets and heavily influenced the final design of my MOC. From the exterior aesthetics to the opening walls, to the interior details. This design style will stay consistent throughout the entire Springfield MOC that I’m building!
- What is your favourite official LEGO set? Why?
That’s an easy question! My favourite LEGO set of all time is the Stranger Things The Upside Down 75810. The model makes an excellent display piece, and the ability to flip the Byers House into the Upside Down is just brilliant. The Minifigures look amazing and their face prints capture their likeness perfectly. I myself really enjoyed the building process and all of the small sticker references.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
I’d have to say the 2x4 brick. I find myself using it quite a lot. It’s a very useful piece regarding the size and structure that it provides, especially in my larger scale creations.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
Yes! I’m inspired by many LEGO designers. Marcos Bessa being one of them does a fantastic job with his models and how he approaches them, whether it would be with The Simpsons, Harry Potter, etc. Tiago Catarino does a really good job as well, creating Minifigure scaled models and being very clever with his building techniques.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
Social media is where I get most of my inspiration. The Brothers Brick is another useful website that I use.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
After seeing LEGO discontinue The Simpsons theme with so much potential left, I decided to take it upon myself and recreate The Krusty Burger, the set that should’ve come after the release of The Kwik-E-Mart.
- 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 took over 2 months of designing, building, and graphic designing the stickers. Research was done by rewatching many of The Simpsons episodes and placing together the key moments where The Krusty Burger appeared. This was very important in order to get a solid understanding of how the building looked all around.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
The biggest challenge was definitely with the roof panels. I wanted to capture the right texture on the roof while still maintaining the correct shape of the model.
- 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?
I’m honestly quite happy with how the model came out, nothing that I could really see myself changing.
- 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 model took over 2 months to complete, which was longer than I initially anticipated, but stepping back and looking at it, I’d say it was worth it! Promoting definitely took up a lot of time, but I wouldn’t say it took as long or longer than building the actual model.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It was an amazing feeling, it felt so special! Took less than a year!
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
2996 pieces
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
The Krusty Burger sign
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I used LEGO Digital Designer, bricklink Studio, and Mecabricks.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I took note of LEGO's sticker style and then graphic designed my own in Photoshop, basing them upon as many reference images as I could find.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
Besides the Project itself, presentation is a very important factor to consider. Having good pictures and visuals make the Project look even better, increasing your chances for success.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
To promote my Project, I’ve used multiple social media platforms, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Just2good gave me a tremendous boost with his feature video, huge thanks to him and to everyone else who shared and supported the Project as well!
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
I have two favorites, the Back to the Future DeLorean and the Ghostbusters Ecto-1. Both are from classic movies I love.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
The potential of creating an official LEGO set. There’s no other way around making this happen besides LEGO Ideas. My tip would be to think the idea fully through, ask yourself if you would support it and why.
- 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?
Yes! I do plan on posting more Projects in the playscale size, but I don’t want to give away too much just yet!
By
Kamila9