Put the pedal to the metal! Build Agent Kay’s famous transforming car from the MIB movies. If you loved PeeDeeZee's MEN IN BLACK: AGENT K'S TRANSFORMING JET CAR then let them know in the comments down belo!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Peter Zieske.
- Where are you from?
I am from the United States, living in Seattle, WA.
- How old are you?
30.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I work as a software engineer.
- What hobbies do you have?
LEGO is my main hobby. If you look at my builds, you can see that I also channel my other interests through LEGO.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
I post images of my builds to Flickr and Instagram, though I am behind on posting my most recent creations.
- 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 fond of my Sand Castle build. It’s a fun play on the scales of LEGO Minifigures and real-world beach objects. I also really like the technique I used to create the castle’s sloped curved walls. It is posted on LEGO Ideas, but unfortunately it did not reach 10K.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
LEGO dominated my childhood. My parents gave me bricks as early as I can remember. This snowballed into me poring over LEGO catalogs, competing in First LEGO League, using the Internet to visit BrickShelf every day, and winning prizes in my local library’s building contests.
I became detached from LEGO when I went to college. I didn’t get back into the hobby until my wife bought me a set for Christmas, just before the start of the pandemic. The timing sparked a huge revival which continues strong today.
- 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.
LEGO is a craft I can continuously challenge myself to get better at. For most of my builds, I can recall a time when I thought they’d be too difficult to realize with LEGO. It’s immensely satisfying to complete one of these “difficult” builds and witness my own growth.
- 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 buy every 8-wide Speed Champions set. They’re all an amazing value. Every car is packed with so much detail, technique, new parts, and overall coolness. Thank you, Chris Stamp and team!
- What is your favorite official LEGO set ever? Why?
LEGO NASA Apollo Saturn V is flawless and inspiring.
- What is your favorite LEGO element? Why?
I don’t have an overall favorite element. I appreciate whatever piece helps me the most with whatever build I’m working on at the time.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
LEGO designer Mike Psiaki’s work is incredible. He continuously surprises with genius and robust building techniques that really show the power of the building system. I feel tempted to buy any set he’s involved with, even if it’s outside my usual interests.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
I follow The Brothers Brick for featured builds, BrickNerd for community articles, and New Elementary for analysis of new parts.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
Men in Black was easily my favorite of the handful of VHS movies I owned as a child. I watched it regularly. Agent K’s transforming car is one of the coolest pieces of technology in the film, so I wanted to try to build it in LEGO.
- 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?
I toyed with the idea of making a Men in Black build for over a year before joining any pieces. Back then, I thought about making a diorama featuring the car. It was the release of LEGO Optimus Prime that solidified my focus on just the transforming car and inspired me to start building.I used screenshots and clips from the movie to guide my development. I began at the front grille, using it to set the scale for the model. Then I worked backward to the front fenders, doors, trunk, and finally finished with the roof.
- What special challenges or frustrations did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
The car’s transformation in the movie is physically impossible. If you watch closely, you can see many components materialize out of nothing or deform unrealistically. Adapting this to LEGO was understandably challenging, but I like the aesthetic that I accomplished. Transformation of the model requires no reconstruction except for the long blades that appear out the rear window.
- 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?
I don’t have any major regrets about 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?
The active design and development took around two months, which is typical for most of my builds. Reaching 10K supporters took over a year. I don’t believe there’s any correlation between these timespans.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
10K is an intermediate milestone. I appreciate all the Men in Black fans that supported my project, but it needs to pass approval for me to be truly delighted.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
There are 804 parts in the model.
- What is your favorite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
I like how the rear of the model turned out. The jet engines deployed with an aggressive look that makes the car seem like it’s bursting with power. The hinges used for the transformation were also useful for getting the subtle angles of the town car’s trunk correct when everything’s folded away.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I always build with real bricks. It’s the authentic building experience I grew up with. Win or lose, I also have a one-of-a-kind trophy to proudly display. That said, I did later digitize my model using BrickLink Studio, so that I could get the part count and produce instructions.
The photos of the model are from my smartphone, edited with GIMP and Apple Photos. The transformation video is the result of using img2webp to stitch together individual frames.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas Product Idea?
I haven’t achieved full success yet, so I don’t want to speculate on what’s the best advice.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I did some social media posts, and was fortunate to receive a Staff Pick and feature on some LEGO fan pages. None of this was remarkably different from my other projects that failed to reach 10K though.
I think the potential success of the project really comes from the popularity of the IP. Men in Black is in the top ten of highest-grossing films of the 90s, and 90s nostalgia promotes itself. Additionally, it may help that there’s rumors of a fifth movie in development.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
I don’t understand why user LEGOParadise is not yet the Fan Designer of an official LEGO set. Their builds have so much cleverness, play, and detail.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
I think many people on this platform once dreamed of becoming a LEGO designer. LEGO Ideas provides an alternate pathway to contribute to the design a LEGO set, so it is an awesome opportunity for us dreamers.
The biggest tip I have to a new member is to be honest with yourself about your chances for success. Be self-critical about your build quality, be aware of circumstances affecting marketability, and be prepared for unpredictable intangibles. For example, I am aware my model has multiple fragile bits, licensing Men in Black has complexities, and the movie’s lead actor is now working to repair their image. I hope that these factors are surmountable, but I understand they might not be. This thinking is key to growing from failures, rather than being crushed.
- 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?
I have multiple 2022, 2023, and 2024 builds that aren’t posted anywhere online yet. I’ll try to catch up with my online presence this year. If you want a preview, then check out media from the most recent BrickCon in Seattle, where I brought a lot of my creations.
By
JacobM366