Look out, railway fans - this one is for you! Today we have an interview with our latest member, Manuel Dwinger a.k.a. Manuel9000 and his rail-tastic WUPPERTALER SCHWEBEBAHN/WUPPERTAL SUSPENSION RAILWAY. As a new resident in the city, Manuel discovered the suspension railway in Wuppertal; and now we have this amazing Idea! Let us know your favourite detail!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
My name is Manuel Dwinger.
- Where are you from?
Originally, I am from the Erzgebirge. But last year I made the decision to move to Wuppertal.
- How old are you?
I am 20-years-old.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I am studying social sciences and philosophy to become a teacher.
- What hobbies do you have?
I like to think that I am quite creative – my hobbies include photography and writing – and I like building with LEGO bricks once in a while. I also enjoy good books and movies. One of my favourite things in the world is food: I like to cook just as much as I like to eat.
- 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?
Shortly after building the Schwebebahn, someone on Twitter gave me the idea of building the Karl Marx Kopf (the head of Karl Marx), which is a huge Statue in Chemnitz. As a kid growing up near Chemnitz, the huge, angry-looking head always was quite the sight to me. In recent years in German pop culture, it has become quite the iconic symbol, so I thought I just would try my best.It was really challenging to figure out the head shape and to get the right proportions, but in the end, it came out looking quite like the original – only the nose is a bit flat.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
When I was 5 or 6 years old, I was gifted a huge box of LEGO bricks for Christmas - that’s when it all started. My interest in LEGO building had ups and downs, but even when I had other things on my mind, once in a while I would get the boxes with the bricks down from the attic and lose myself in building vehicles and spaceships and castles.
- 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.
To me, LEGO bricks are a fantastic toy with endless possibilities. Every once in a while, I get a really powerful feeling of wanting to build something out of LEGO bricks, especially around Christmas. But it isn’t just a toy. The “Junioruni Wuppertal” has recently asked me to become a part of their team to teach children with the help of LEGO building which is absolutely amazing. I’m excited for my LEGO hobby to become a part of my life in this new, different way.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
As a kid, I always was a huge fan of the Creator sets. I loved that you could build multiple things out of one set and I always enjoyed making my own creations out of these sets.Now I would say my favourite sets are the Architecture ones, just because they are so thoughtful and beautifully designed.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
LEGO Creator Fiery Legend (6751). When my parents gifted me this set for Christmas at 8 or so years old, I absolutely fell in love with it. The glowing fire of the dragon, all the moving parts, just how huge it was. It’s absolutely fantastic.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
Part 6091. I just love how it looks. Somehow, it’s very cute. It doesn’t have many use cases, but when u can use it, it always looks amazing.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
I enjoy watching masterbuilder_alec ‘s videos on TikTok. I like his ideas and the insights into his work and he just seems like a nice guy.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO-related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
The builds on demarco4stud's Instagram are very aesthetically pleasing and often inspire me when building vehicles.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
When I first visited Wuppertal in the summer of 2021, I really fell in love with the city – and the Wuppertaler Schwebebahn. The Schwebebahn is a very unique part of technic. I love how it solves public transportation in Wuppertal in a very creative and fitting way. It’s so old and yet so modern, and the bright blue carts just look stunning.
- 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?
My process is best described by trial and error. I just went along, tried things and when it did not work, I just tried something else. I looked at pictures of the Schwebebahn and at the Schwebebahn itself. Altogether, the process took about 2 to 4 weeks, with an additional week of improvements and additions after showing the model to the public on LEGO Ideas.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
The Schwebebahn is a suspended monorail – the suspension part definitely was the greatest challenge. I fixed it by just supporting it from the downside – which is in no way ideal but I did not want to compromise on the design, which I think is very close to the original.
- 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?
I think I would tell myself that I am in no way prepared for the excitement of the media of Wuppertal (and Germany) in regard to the model. I was overwhelmed by the flood of interview inquiries and the sheer support that I received not only from the people of Wuppertal but from fans of the Schwebebahn from all over the world.
- 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?
In comparison to other models I build, it took quite long. It took me about 2 months to reach 10,000 supporters and about a month to complete the model. The time I spend promoting the Idea was definitely more stressful with all the interviews and photo appointments.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It felt amazing. I never thought the idea would reach even 1000 votes. I just didn’t spend any thought on the interest the city and the people of Wuppertal would have.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I used stud.io.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I used Canva and the stud.io part designer for the sticker.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
If you have an Idea and you are not sure about it – just try it. You may be surprised by how many people love it.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I posted the Idea on social media, which attracted regional media. I gave interviews to papers, radio-stations and there even was a bit on the local evening news on TV about my Idea.
