Thomas Wosch (aka ThomasW on LEGO Ideas) is back for another 10K Club Interview, the last time he was here was after his Lego Observatory - Mountain View reached 10K votes. This time, it's his Futurama Planet Express Headquarter, Spaceship and the Crew which he's here to talk about.
As always, we hope you enjoy this interview! Please congratulate Thomas in the comments below too.
About Yourself
- Who are you?
Thomas Wosch
- Where are you from?
I am from Germany.
- How old are you?
42.
- What do you do for a living?
I am working in a Chemical Company as a Computer technician. I am responsible for the Computers, Servers and measuring equipment.
- What hobbies do you have?
I like to go to the gym. But also enjoy photography and music. I collect minifigures and try to get the funny cool ones. Right now, I find my favorite and try to create some scenes with my minifigures and post them on instagram.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
@tombrickminiatures on 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?
I am very proud of my LEGO Observatory which also made it to the Lego House Exhibition. That was a great feeling! I am so thankful for this awesome opportunity.
- How and when did your interest for LEGO come about?
As a kid I played with Lego Classic Space. And later I bought some Star Wars sets. I first created only the sets I bought. But about 5 years ago I found LDD. And then my limit wasn’t the parts, it was just my imagination.
- 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.
For me, Lego is relaxation. You can be a child again and build something. You can just let your imagination run wild and let yourself be surprised what comes out of it. I also love Lego Dimensions. Unfortunately it ended too early for me. I like to watch the Lego films with the family too and I hope there will be more soon.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
I like Lego Classic Space because it has always inspired me. That was one reason why I built the observatory or the Futurama Set. Space and science fiction is a nice combination. My second favorite theme is “Ideas”. So many different things come together here. All have their charm and are unique. That's what makes Ideas. And great new ideas keep coming up every day.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set? Why?
Every time I think: this is the set of sets a great set appears again. But I would say it is the Millenium Falcon UCS. That was also my 40th birthday present. It's just great and really HUGE!
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
If you can call it an element, it's the minifigure. I just love it. Every minifigure is so unique. (because I collect them I hope there will be more) And above all the Classic Space Benny. Lego really has made a great figure and character. And I still hope for a short series with the little guy in the future.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?There are so many great designers and fan designers. I cannot choose anyone because everyone is great.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
Zusammengebaut.com
About Your Project
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
I always enjoyed watching Futurama. The series always had its own charm. Unfortunately there were few figures and merchandising in Germany. After I got used to LDD, it was also the second model that I had implemented for Ideas. However, I only uploaded it now.
- 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?
It took me about 3 months for the design. First I looked at parts of the series and the main details drawn for the headquarters. Then I had to decide what to use for the model. And also in what size. The 3000 parts were quickly exceeded and from there it was said: Make it smaller and still keep the details. But most of all it was fun to design the characters.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
The biggest challenge was the size of the building and the spaceship. The spaceship should park in the headquarters but there has to be enough space to make it playable. I would have loved to make the spaceship bigger. But then the headquarters would have been priceless with a lot of more parts.
- If you could talk to yourself before you started on this project, whatwould you tell him/her? What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
Don't worry: your model will be fine.
- 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?
It took about 2-3 weeks to build the model. With a little preparatory work, it was pretty quick. However, it took longer till the 10,000 votes were reached.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It had taken about 7 months to reach 10,000 votes. But when the 10,000 votes were finally reached, I was so happy. This is my second set that has reached this magical 10,000. And it was a great feeling again. Being a part of something so big is insane.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
Das HQ has approx. 2100 bricks.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I built it digitally because I don't have so many specific stones at home. I created it with LDD and rendered it with Blender.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I designed these myself on the PC with Paint and Photoshop. I then rendered these onto the Lego parts.
About LEGO Ideas
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
Just build something you like and what you like. The limit is just your imagination.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I shared it in various forums, on Facebook and Instagram and asked what else could be changed. I then tried to implement the wishes.
- 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 Tree House. It is a very beautiful set. You can also change the look to any of the 4 seasons by adding a few parts. Fantastic. And since I love models with details, it is my absolute favorite.
- 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 think there will be more. Let yourself be surprised...
By
JacobM366