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10K Club Interview: Meet Robert Turner of Red Dwarf LEGO

Sci-fi buffs - rejoice! This week's 10K Club member has got your sci-fi cravings covered! Please say hi to Robert Turner, a.k.a Legobob32, whose passion for the cult TV show led to the 7 month long build journey of the Red Dwarf Lego project that gained the 10,000 supporters even quicker than the time it took to build. 

Help us congratulate Robert on becoming a part of the exclusive LEGO Ideas 10K Club!
 

 

About Yourself

  1. Where are you from?
    Halifax, West Yorkshire, UK.

 

  1. How old are you?
    34.

 

  1. What do you study or do for a living?
    I am a Sales Manager for an Architectural Ironmonger.

 

  1. What hobbies do you have?
    In my spare time, I like to restore vintage LEGO sets as well as building sets of my own of course.

 

  1. How and when did your interest for LEGO come about?
    I’ve been building LEGO since I was 5 years old. My father bought me the vintage 7720 Diesel Freight Train set which I still have.

 

  1. What is your favourite official LEGO set? Why?
    It has to be 21103 DeLorean Time Machine (Back to the Future) as I’m nostalgic for all things 80’s, even though I still do not own the set itself.

 

  1. What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
    It has to be 87087 1x1 brick with stud, without this handy brick the Red Dwarf Lego project would not be the set it is.

 


^ Can you spot Robert's favourite brick - 87087 - in his comprehensive parts list?

 

  1. Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
    Some of the design methods and builds I’ve seen, for instance Brent Waller’s Ghostbuster Ecto-1 21108 and the LEGO Millennium Falcon 75105 have truly impressed me and I would have never thought of them unless I’d seen the instructions to these.

 

  1. Is there one or more particular LEGO related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
    I visit Brickowl and Bricklink most days as their catalogue of parts are amazing and they make ordering a wide variety of different parts very easy.  

 

About Your Project

  1. Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
    I am a massive fan of sci-fi and in particular Red Dwarf. I noticed that not many ideas from the show had been pitched, so I decided I’d create one myself.

 

  1. What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
    The sliding door in the crew quarters and also the booster section of the Blue Midget, which both went through several changes to ensure they remained accurate to the TV show. Sourcing all the dark red and dark blue parts needed, was also a challenge in itself.

 


^ Pictured to the left is the neat sliding door for the crew quarters

 

  1. How long did it take to complete the model?
    The set was all created in my spare time and took approximately 7 months to complete, this included designing, sourcing parts and building.

 

  1. How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
    The project achieved 10K in 165 days, I was absolutely thrilled at the speed it got there and the support I had from Red Dwarf’s cast and crew as well as many other media outlets.

 


^ Robert poses with Chris Barrie who played Arnold J. Rimmer in the Red Dwarf series

 

  1. Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
    Approximately 900.

 


^ A few of the 900 bricks Robert used all neatly bagged and pinned for an optimised work space. Lots of inspirational photos as well!


About LEGO Ideas

  1. Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
    I probably spent more hours promoting the project online and in magazines than I did creating the set, so once you upload your project don’t simply sit back and wait for the supporters to appear.

 


^ Robert attended conventions to display and gather support for his Red Dwarf Lego project! 

 

  1. What is your favourite LEGO Ideas project (besides your own of course)?
    I think the Ship In A Bottle, The Flagship Leviathan project is a truly amazing build and I voted for the project as soon as I saw it.

 

  1. What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
    Don’t be afraid to ask the LEGO Ideas team direct, any questions you may have on creating and promoting your project. I received lots of help from the team relating to the use of stickers, modifications and other things I was not sure on.

 

  • lego ideas
  • 10k club
  • robert turner
  • red dwarf lego
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