BLAST OFF! This recreation of Tintin’s famous rocket with LEGO bricks by tkel86 is ready to launch in this 10K Club Interview all about this Tintin - Space Rocket!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- What is your name?
Alexis Dos Santos.
- Where are you from?
Portugal.
- 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 made a display of an amusement park, that is the accumulation of several years creating carousels and rides. I haven’t published it online yet, because it's difficult to take decent photos of a display this size! It’s certainly the building I’m most proud of.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
Since I was a child, I've always been very interested in LEGO building, especially because of its infinite versatility. But like many people, I went through a phase at university where I completely disconnected from the hobby, only to return to it a few years later. It was all thanks to an exhibition held by a group of AFOLs (comunidade0937), close to where I lived. It took only one visit, and I was hooked on the hobby again.
- What does the LEGO hobby mean to you?
I have many hobbies, but the one that has followed me most through my life has been LEGO building. I have a workshop dedicated to LEGO sets, and I am part of a community. I help organize national events, I participate in international events and I build MOCs and displays. When I'm not building, I'm always thinking about the next build!
- What is your favorite LEGO theme (current or past)?
I've always loved LEGO Technic for its mechanisms. Today, I like both Technic and System, and I particularly like bringing them together.
- What is your favorite official LEGO set ever?
In my childhood it would have been the Space Shuttle (8480), which was the perfect harmony between function and form. I spent hours and hours playing with that set, only stopping when the batteries ran out. Nowadays, there are so many superb LEGO sets that it’s impossible for me to choose!
- What is your favorite LEGO element?
Currently, I would say the Plate, Round 1 x 2 with Open Studs (35480). It opened up lots of new functional, but also aesthetic, possibilities.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
I really like MOCs from JK Brickworks. I think they manage very well to combine mechanical movements with aesthetically well-made elements.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
For some time now, I have wanted to make several models based on the Tintin comics universe. I started this model to help a co-worker, who wanted to find instructions for a Tintin rocket and couldn't find anything she liked.
- How long did the process of making the project take and what did you have to research?
To produce this project, the first phase was obviously to obtain all the visual references that I could find in comics and cartoons. Then I designed everything on Stud.io or LDD. When I was satisfied with the proportions and appearance of the model, I made a first assembly without the right colors, just to check if the connections were possible. I must have reached this point in five nights. A time-consuming and tedious phase followed, searching for and ordering the correct parts and then waiting for them to arrive, sometimes for several weeks. Finally, there comes the phase in which we can see the end result and can share it with everyone.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model?
The hardest parts were recreating the curvature of the rocket and finding a way to connect the three floors in a solid way.
- 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 wish I had been more optimistic when I added the project to LEGO Ideas. I thought that because I’m not very active online, it would be difficult for the project to reach many people.
- How long did it take to complete the model and for your Product Idea to reach 10,000 supporters?
To be completely honest, the model took just a few nights to be designed, and after two weeks I already had a prototype in my hands. Regarding the promotion of the model, I shared it on my social networks at the beginning, and that was it. The rest was simply the people, and I'm grateful for that.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes?
It’s an immense honor.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
Launch tower is 643 parts, and the space rocket is 1,022 parts.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
The space rocket legs. I love how they turned out!
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I usually start by making a sketch in LDD, probably because I'm old school. I then do the finishing touches, choosing colors and renderings, in Stud.io.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas Product Idea?
I'm not an expert, but I think that, above all, you should submit something that you would unquestionably be willing to buy if it were available.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
Other than social media, I didn’t use any special methods.
- What is your favorite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
I currently really like the Portal 2 project by VNMBricks, P-Body & ATLAS, because I love the games and the characters. I also really like the Working River Rapids Ride – Fairground Rafting Coaster by Baron von Barron, because it's a theme I love, and I think there should be more ride sets.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
I like LEGO Ideas because we can make accessible to the general public some creations that use techniques, aesthetic aspects, or themes that are not very common in official sets. If I could give one tip for success in LEGO Ideas, it would be to focus on quality rather than quantity.
- 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?
Lately, I have been creating large displays that do not fit the LEGO Ideas criteria. However, in the future I will certainly submit new Ideas. I just have to wait for that one good Idea that I would like to buy but that I have seen yet…
