Take a trip to Czechia and build a LEGO model of the unique and unforgettable DANCING HOUSE, PRAGUE by paranoider! Be sure to congratulate Yuan Qi in the comments down below, on becoming a 10K Club Member!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
My name is 祁元, or Yuan Qi in English.
- Where are you from?
I’m from Wuhan, China. I currently live in California, USA.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I’m a software engineer.
- What hobbies do you have?
Apart from LEGO, I do Chinese painting and watercolor painting. Soccer is my favorite sport, and I also enjoy traveling around the world and taking pictures.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
All my LEGO projects are in my LEGO Ideas profile page.
- 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?
I’m very proud of my MOC of the spacecraft Endurance, from the 2014 movie Interstellar. I built an initial version that was rejected because it had 7,228 bricks! It felt like an impossible mission to reduce the number down to 3,000 without sacrificing the details I wanted to show, but I’m proud because I didn’t give up and eventually did accomplish that.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
I became a fan of LEGO when I was a kid. I’m interested in LEGO sets related to cars and space – those themes are attractive to me because they are realistic and have lots of details. A few years ago, I came across the Grand Piano LEGO set and learned about LEGO Ideas. The idea that everyone’s creation has a chance to become a real LEGO set encouraged me to try it myself.
- What does the LEGO hobby mean to you? How does it fit into your life? E.g. build, display, meetups, play the games or 'just' watch the cartoons.
I enjoy browsing projects from the LEGO Ideas website. The ideas from LEGO fans are amazing and inspiring. I like building LEGO MOCs of things that I love and am familiar with. It’s a great way for me to show my passion for them and show my creativity as well.
- What is your favorite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
I like the space and car themes because they are accurate in shape and have abundant details which make them look very realistic. They also inspired me to build MOCs that closely resemble real world objects, even though they can have complicated shapes.
- What is your favorite official LEGO set ever? Why?
My favorite set is NASA Space Shuttle Discovery (10283). I like the space shuttle project because it’s cool and it shows the best things about humans when they’re facing challenges. I bought the LEGO set for myself and it’s beautiful. A lot of details are perfectly reproduced in a very clever way. It’s the kind of LEGO set I wish I could create myself one day.
- What is your favorite LEGO element? Why?
I like the 1x2 Hinge brick (3937 base and 3938 top plate), because it creates angles that either gives a model a more curved shape or makes some parts movable.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
I like the LEGO Ideas designer, Mitsuru Nikaido, and the mecha creatures they created. The style of their projects is very recognizable. Those projects have complicated shapes that distinguish them from most LEGO sets. Every project captures the creature’s characteristics very well.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
I visit Bricklink to look up information about bricks.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
The project originates from the real-world building, Dancing House, located in Prague, Czech Republic. I visited Prague when I was a kid, and the Dancing House made a lasting impression on me. I became interested in contemporary architecture partly because of it. Although I didn’t become an architect, LEGO gives me another chance to realize that dream. Dancing House is beautiful, challenging to build, and has special meaning to me, so it became my first choice when I was thinking about making a LEGO building.
- How long did the process of making the project take and what did you have to research? What kind of prep, research and design phases did you go through to produce your creation?
Maybe a few hours searching for photos of the building, as well as a 3D digital model of it, which I listed in the references section of my project’s description.
- What special challenges or frustrations did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
The most challenging part was how to reproduce the curve of the building, especially the two towers and the roof. The most eye-catching characteristic of the building is its smooth, dynamic exterior surfaces, so it was crucial to reproduce them authentically.
- 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?
Focus on the overall shape first and come back to details later. I think it’s somewhat similar to painting.
- 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, end-to-end. I didn’t spend lots of time promoting it.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It feels like a dream. It took two years to reach 10,000 supporters, while the last 1,000 votes only took five days! I couldn’t believe my eyes.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
2,987.
- What is your favorite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
I used Plate with Bar Handle on Side and Plate with Clip on Side to create a hinge to build the facade of the glass tower, aka Ginger, on the left. It’s a simple but effective technique.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I used BrickLink Studio.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
There are lots of curved lines on the side of the building. Although I prefer only using bricks to show everything whenever possible, I had to compromise this time because those lines are too dynamic. So, I ended up drawing them in Photoshop and then sliced them according to the size and position of the bricks used to build the facade.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas Product Idea?
I think a challenging and appealing subject can be helpful. Both the overall shape and details are also important.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I posted my project to social media, but it was not very effective. However, an unknown Czech friend posted it to Czech social media, and luckily friends from Czech seem to like the project and gave it the last 1,000 votes in five days. So, I guess it’s important to promote your project to the right audience!
- What is your favorite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
My favorite one is the Grand Piano, although unfortunately I never owned it.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
The most attractive thing to me is that LEGO Ideas is a platform open to everyone, meaning it’s fair and gives everyone an equal chance to show their ideas. I would suggest uploading high quality images, as that will make a project more attractive.
- 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?
Absolutely, yes! Most likely it will be another architecture build.
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