Welcome back! Meet Sankabassoon and his fantastic "COOL RUNNINGS: JAMAICA BOBSLEIGH TEAM" idea! This creation pays homage to the movie "Cool Runnings" and the Jamaican bobsleigh team that participated in the 1988 Winter Olympics. You can learn more about this awesome creation here.
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
My name is Sébastien Roches.
- Where are you from?
I live in Calais, France.
- How old are you?
I am 39 years old.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I am a physiotherapist.
- What hobbies do you have?
Lego of course! Moreover, I am a big fan of classical music. I've been playing the Bassoon since I was little. And for a few years, I've been learning the French Horn. I also like sports: I love snowboarding, skiing and cycling.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
No.
- 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?
No.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
I've loved LEGO since I was little. The first set my parents gave me was the king's castle (set 6080). I played with LEGO all my childhood. Later, when I started to work, I became interested in sets for adults and started to collect models of the creator expert theme.
- 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.
I love building and creating with LEGO. I also like to display my most beautiful sets in my house.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
My favorite LEGO theme is modular buildings. I love the architectural details of these sets. I have been collecting them for a very long time, and I own almost all of them.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
My favorite set is the LEGO carousel (10257). It is beautiful, full of details and I love the complexity of the mechanism that makes it work.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
Simply the 2x4 brick. As soon as we think of LEGO, we think of this brick.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO-related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
HothBricks, which is a French blog about LEGO.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
This model is inspired by the movie “Cool Runnings.” I love this movie which is based on a true story. I saw it in the cinema for the first time when I was ten years old, and since then it has always been my favorite film. I even named my cat “Sanka” in reference to a character from this movie. Creating this model was my way of paying homage to this movie and this story.
- 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?
I didn’t really measure the time it took to create this model. Probably a few tens of hours… I had to do a lot of sketches before getting a final model that I really liked.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
The biggest challenge was to give a dynamic aspect to the model. I wanted it to really feel like the bobsleigh was sliding down the track. It’s the inclination of the track that gives this feeling. It was really complicated to succeed in tilting it into the 3 planes of space.
- 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?
If I could talk to myself before starting the project, I would tell myself "Go for it!" It’s so exciting to create a new model and so rewarding that so many people support this project!
- 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?
I think I must have worked on my project for about 1 month or 2 before posting it on the Lego Ideas site. I created my model digitally and I spent a lot of time generating the different pictures before publishing it. I didn't spend a lot of time promoting my product idea, I just took the time to respond to everyone who left me comments.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It took me just under a year to reach the final milestone. I was very proud and a little surprised to manage to reach 10,000 supporters. I don’t use social networks, so I couldn’t promote my model. I was really surprised that so many people discovered my product idea and voted for it!
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
Approximately 900 bricks.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I used LEGO Bricklink Studio. It’s really a very powerful software - you can do anything you want with it!
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
No, this was the first time I published a product idea, I don’t have a lot of experience. I just think the secret is to have the rigor to take the time at each stage to do things well.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I don’t use social networks, so I didn’t use any method to promote my product idea. I just told my family and friends about it.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
I love the product ideas of “Baron von Barron” especially the “Rack Railway.” This model is really great!
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
It’s very fun! I encourage everyone to jump in and submit ideas!
- 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’m thinking about future projects. I love architecture, so maybe I will be a building. I’m also a music fan, so why not an opera house. I just have to find the time to make it happen.
By
Hani2