At the last moment, we bring one more interview from our new 10k Club member - Hsinwei Chi! The Jazz Quartet is a representation of a musical form developed by African Americans and popularized around the world. Free-spirited jazz is perceived as medicine for your mind and as a form of musical therapy.
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Hi, My name is Hsinwei Chi aka LEGO7.
- Where are you from?
I'm from Taiwan.
- How old are you?
I'm 43 years old.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I am a graphic designer and illustrator who have been around the magazine industry for more than ten years.
- What hobbies do you have?
Aside from LEGO creation, I like to play badminton and drawing.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
You can see my LEGO creation photos on my Flickr and Instagram account.
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lego7/albums
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lego7_creation/
- 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 like my first entry “Give me a hand”. It was a submission during the Rebrick period. This is the first time I have actualized the work in LDD and it has been affirmed by the evaluation, which helped me to create better in my future work collection.
- How and when did your interest for LEGO come about?
I have been highly interested in my LEGO creations since I bought the first LEGO sets for my daughter.
- 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.
LEGO creation allows me to relax, focus on things, and get peace of mind.
- 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 series is “Mixels” . With a few parts, I can create rich body movements and funny expressions. Of course, it also affects my creative style. I always hope to make the picture more vivid and tense.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set? Why?
My favorite set is the “LEGO 6074 Black Falcon's Fortress”, is because it accompanied my childhood.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
My favorite element is the “Joint” part. Flexible use of angles injects better spirit into my artwork.
- 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 MOKO, a creator from Japan. His works are original, beautiful, and have amazing ways of using parts.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
I most often appreciate the amazing LEGO creations from all over the world from “The Brothers Brick”.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
“Jazz Quartet” originated from participating in the LEGO Ideas competition. I loved jazz when I was a student. When the music theme competition was announced, I decided on my theme.
- 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?
I spent a week collecting photos of musical instruments musicians and studying the proportions to draw sketches. The actual stacking and modification took me three weeks to accomplish the artwork.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
Like most creators, it is nothing more difficult than a shortage of parts. I need to find and order. In order to express the trumpet, looking for golden and suitable parts. As well as the tripod construction of the jazz drum has become the most important work for me.
- 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 would tell myself, there's nothing to worry about, all LEGO parts are well spent.
- 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?
“Jazz Quartet” was a work that participated in the competition at the beginning, it must be completed within a month, so the production time is not long. After that, the platform resubmitted LEGO Ideas, and it also reached 10,000 votes in a short time.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
I am very happy, of course. I am lucky to have reached 10,000 votes in only 50 days. I am the second creator in Taiwan to achieve this.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
“Jazz Quartet” was completed with nearly 1,000 LEGO bricks.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
I use a lot of joint parts to show the gesture of the musicians, and I want to show the posture of being immersed in jazz.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I use Stud.io to build and render the model.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I usually leave the stickers behind for emergencies. I also like to use printed tiles to decorate my works to increase the texture. The corners of the piano are embellished with printed parts of the Hogwarts train.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
Compared with the black background nowadays on the LEGO Ideas packaging, I like the packaging tailored specifically for the style of the work before, which highlights the spirit of the LEGO Ideas series.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I mostly post on my Instagram page and Facebook Fanpage.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
I like "Typewriter", "Ship in a Bottle" and "Old Fishing Store". LEGO Ideas Product always inspires people to want to purchase the full collection.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
After we have worked hard to create the work, remember to shoot the work carefully, I believe it will greatly increase the points for publicity.
- 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 think I will rest for a long time to come up with my next creation.
By
Kamila9