This week's 10K Club member comes from Italy and has a mighty passion for Star Wars, and one place in the Star Wars universe in particular. Today we have the pleasure to introduce you to Jacopo Magri, better known as lojaco on LEGO Ideas, the fan designer behind the Jedi High Council Chamber. Read on to get to know more about this talented LEGO designer and why he felt the need to replicate the Jedi High Council Chamber in LEGO bricks!
Help us congratulate Jacopo on becoming a part of the LEGO Ideas 10K Club!
About Yourself
- Where are you from?
I’m from Serina, a small village near Bergamo, in the Northern part of Italy.
- How old are you?
I’m 35 years old.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I’m a mechanical engineer who leads the R&D Material department for an electrical engineering company.
- What hobbies do you have?
Besides LEGO bricks, I’m a saxophone and piano player, leading a small gospel choir of about 25 women. I also coordinate some youth groups organizing activities for children, theater performances, etc.
- How and when did your interest for LEGO come about?
I started playing with LEGO when I was 5, mainly with the space sets of the 80s. Then I passed through trains and Technic. After several years of “inactivity”, I saw a 9493 X-Wing about four years ago and my passion revamped!
- What is your favourite official LEGO set? Why?
Undoubtedly the 10212 Imperial Shuttle - my favorite of all Star Wars spaceships. The reasons are mainly that it made me discover the world of the UCS series and, of course, it took me a while to find it and collect the money needed to buy it!
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
The corner plate 1x2x2. It always solves many issues - saving a lot of space.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
Jason Allemann definitely. Every creation is a source of amazement, especially from the standpoint of the sum of the aesthetic and the mechanical aspects.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
Usually TheBrickFan.com, because they collect a lot of information from other dedicated sites providing excellent inspiration and links.
About Your Project
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
Each LEGO set inspired by movies, TV series or fictional characters, has the prerogative to revive situations and emotions that arise out of specific scenes, situations and dialogues. Personally, I have always been fascinated by this place, which I find is perhaps the wisest and most mystic of the entire Star Wars universe. That is why I tried to give it shape: to relive it. Even when watching it, those scenes are so intense!
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
Definitely the round room. I was enthusiastic about the partial solutions found in set 9526 Palpatine's Arrest. The similar circular sector had me thinking about a possible solution for the set that I had dreamed of - the Jedi High Council Chamber. The atmosphere of this place is unfortunately related to the full extension of 360°, and the completion of the round room required several studies that could guarantee the best "closure" with a perfect robustness of the model. With the last update I think I reached the desired result.
- How long did it take to complete the model?
There were two main phases: a first realization that coincided with the upload on LEGO Ideas, and a second step of optimization of the joints and the number of pieces. In total, the project took approximately a year and a half.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes?
I was really impressed by the enthusiasm with which the project was welcomed and how it has been shared by people from all over the world. In particular, it was wonderful to see how the set that I made was also desired by many other “Bricks and Star Wars lovers”! I must confess that I never thought to achieve such a result in so few months!
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
With respect to the first version of my model, it was almost 1900 bricks. With the last update I reached 1500 bricks.
About LEGO Ideas
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
The only advice I can give to those who decide to propose an idea, is to realize it in the most definitive way to how the creator would like, leaving nothing approximate. In this way, a potential supporter can become passionate about the idea of having a set identical to that seen in the pictures. If the starting point is already accurate, as demonstrated by the previous winning ideas, the LEGO designers will more easily be able to make the perfect LEGO set with additional solutions and tricks that will leave the same creator speechless!
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas project (besides your own of course)?
I really like both of robenanne’s projects because of their realistic style. They are Old Fishing Store and Boat Repair Shop.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
Being a LEGO lover from an early age, I have often thought, "I'd love if LEGO would realize the set..." (not specifically the Jedi High Council Chamber, I mean generally), and each time this happened I felt an indescribable satisfaction! The last time it happened to me, was with the new 75059 UCS Sandcrawler.
Lego Ideas allows you to potentially realize an official LEGO set, and above all provides the opportunity to find out how the desired set can be shared more than you can imagine! In addition to this, there is a continuous element of surprise that makes you think "I never thought that with LEGO bricks you could achieve such a thing!".
I only have one tip: ask yourself if anybody out there wishes for this set just as much as you do!
By
hasanjensen