Jump aboard the Catbus! Totoro fans will love recreating this large spirit creature in LEGO. danielbradleyy's MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO can be discovered further in this 10K Club Interview.
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Daniel Bradley.
- Where are you from?
I’m from Greenwich, London.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I work in finance as a trainee accountant.
- What hobbies do you have?
I spend most of my time building LEGO, but I also enjoy drawing and traveling.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
I post mainly on my Instagram, @ronaldmocdonald, where I share my MOCs and LEGO builds.
- 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 participate in the challenges held on the LEGO Ideas platform, which allow me to experiment with different building techniques. I am proud of the improvement in my building skills, when compared to my earlier MOCs. The build I’m most proud of would be the Coraline set that hit 10K earlier this year. I think I managed to get a good balance with the exterior and interior detailing.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
I grew up playing with LEGO sets as a child, building the LEGO City sets with my brother. My passion for LEGO was reignited when I met my partner, who is also an AFOL. On one of our first dates, we bonded over the WALL-E set! This led to me creating a LEGO Instagram profile, sharing different sets and designs, and becoming part of the community.
- 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.
I have made some great friends through Instagram and Reddit, discussing each other’s builds and opinions on new sets. I am studying for my accountancy qualification alongside working full time, which is quite intense. LEGO has been a great way for me to wind down in the evening whilst working on my latest MOC. I also play the LEGO games on my Switch. They are all great and provide a sense of nostalgia, as younger me used to love playing LEGO Batman.
- What is your favorite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
Typically, I am a big fan of the LEGO Creator Expert modular series. Each set incorporates such unique styles and building techniques to create distinct details. I recently built Assembly Square which was HUGE! However, I have recently gotten into the Ninjago and Monkie Kid sets. They are quite different from the build style I am used to, and I find them very interesting. As my consolation prize for Shrek in 2023, I got the Ninjago Gardens set, which is definitely in my top three. The build is amazing, full of so much detail and makes a great display piece.
- What is your favorite official LEGO set ever? Why?
The A-Frame Cabin set is one of my favorites and I have raved about it to all my friends. I was completely blown away by the build, it has so many cool details and building techniques. I was sad when I finished, so I live in hope that my cat will knock it off my shelf and I’ll be forced to rebuild it!
- What is your favorite LEGO element? Why?
The plant plate 1x1 with 3 leaves. This is a piece I’ve used within multiple MOCs because of how versatile it is. I used it in my New Orleans inspired MOC to create a keystone in the arch above the entrance to the alley. I also used it in both the Totoro and Coraline sets. The trees in Totoro are built up using them, and for Coraline these pieces make up the dried flowers above the kitchen sink.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
I’ve become great friends with @total_brick_head on Instagram, who is building an awesome LEGO City. He has inspired me to want my own LEGO room to display my builds, and to create a massive city of my own. I am also good friends with @knightatservice on Instagram, who has submitted a few impressive entries to LEGO Ideas. Both friends help inspire my designs and are supportive of my LEGO Ideas journey.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
I scroll through the r/lego and r/legoideas threads on Reddit during my free time, and regularly visit Bricklink.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
I am a huge fan of both Totoro and Coraline. I remember being introduced to Studio Ghibli when my parents took me to Blockbuster as a child, and I would pick out different Ghibli movies. The fondness for these movies has stuck with me ever since and creating these projects has allowed me to connect with many other fans.
- 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?
Totoro was the quicker build. I got very immersed in the process and dedicated most of my free time to building it. The earlier stage of the Catbus was horrific, and it has certainly come a long way since then! I knew exactly how I wanted this build to look, often planning parts of it in my mind as I fell asleep, so I achieved the final product quickly.
- What special challenges or frustrations did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
For the Totoro build, I actually found Totoro to be the most difficult. I anticipated that creating him in a BrickHeadz style wouldn’t be a problem, because I’ve built quite a few BrickHeadz sets. However, a few earlier versions had him looking more Totor-no than Totoro
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It took around half a year to achieve 10,000 supporters and felt amazing. It has been such a great journey getting these to 10,000 votes. The Ghibli community on Facebook have been so kind and reacted well to the set. I was also able to see some cool posts from other Ghibli fans about their creations.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
It sits at around 1,700. I am very conscious of piece count when designing sets and like to keep it low so the set is more affordable and could be enjoyed by a wider audience.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I used Bricklink Studio.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I drew all my designs on my iPad using ProCreate. I then used Studio Part Designer to put them onto brick pieces.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas Product Idea?
Don’t rush. Take your time when designing. If you get in a creative rut, I always find it helpful to take a short break and then revisit later with a fresh set of eyes. Also, social media platforms, such as Reddit, are great places to get feedback before submitting the build. You must be passionate about your build! You’re selling an idea to 10,000 people, so they need to see your love for it through both the build, description, and updates.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I created an Instagram profile when I sent in my first LEGO Ideas submission and have since gained a small following, so that has been useful in promoting my projects. Facebook groups have allowed me to immerse myself in the fanbase and I continue to enjoy the content from them today.
- What is your favorite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
Other projects that I really like are Spirited Away by legotruman, Dr. Seuss’s The Grinch by BenBuilds and Working Suspension Railway by Baron von Barron. My favorite official Ideas set must be The Office by Jaijai.Lewis. I have a lot of Office merch and am currently on my twelfth rewatch of the show, so this was a day one purchase for me.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
I appreciate the involvement that LEGO fans can have with contributing ideas for production. Not many companies offer such an opportunity. Previously, I would visit the website to see what fans were coming up with, often getting inspiration for my own MOCs.
- 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?
Not for now. I have a few active projects, and I recently won the LEGO Ideas x Target STEM challenge so I’m enjoying every moment of that.
By
JacobM366