We're back with another double interview! This time we introduce Jayden Peng, a.k.a LEGOverwatch, alongside his fantastic creations: THE GREAT WAVE OFF KANAGAWA and SEA TURTLE. At just 16-years-old, Jayden has two entries in one review period! Give Jayden your congratulations in the comment section.
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Jayden Peng.
- Where are you from?
California (USA).
- How old are you?
16.
- What hobbies do you have?
Being a sophomore, most of my time is spent studying for school. However, with the little free time I have, I love to build LEGO sets and play video games!
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
My mom has an Instagram account for me and my brothers called @legobrothers3. She sometimes posts both mine and my brother's content there.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
I think I was always interested in it because I always took after my older cousins' hobbies. When I was born he liked LEGO building, so I liked it too.
- What is the LEGO hobby to you? What does it mean to you? How does it fit in your life? E.g. build, display, meetups, play the games or 'just' watch the cartoons.
To me, LEGO building is where I can express myself freely and create something without any limitations.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
I love Ninjago. I love the mechs, the ninja, the structures, and the dragons.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
I love the Hydro Bounty (71756) I love the design and I love the mech that comes out of the front!
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
My favorite LEGO designer is Niek van Slagmaat. I love all the sets he makes, especially the mechs he designed. Each set he has looks really cool and also has really cool features.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
THE GREAT WAVE OFF KANAGAWA
My 9th-grade art teacher. This print was always my favorite piece of art but I never really considered it as a LEGO set. Then we made our own prints at school and it drove me to design this set!
SEA TURTLE
I always wanted to build a turtle but I never knew how to do it. Eventually, I just started with an eyeand from there I kept on going. - What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
THE GREAT WAVE OFF KANAGAWA
Water is really hard to create because it was really hard to give the flowing look.
SEA TURTLE
My challenge was using slope curves to build a round face and designing the shell for the turtle.
- 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?
SEA TURTLE
It took about a month to make. The build took a while because I had never really used the SNOTtechnique to this extent.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
THE GREAT WAVE OFF KANAGAWA
1558 pieces.
SEA TURTLE
About 1771.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
THE GREAT WAVE OFF KANAGAWA
My favorite technique I used was adding 3 mechanical arms to a bar for a hand-like wave look. I was so happy with how it turned out because the wave-hand look was really hard to make.
SEA TURTLE
I love the coral I made. It took me a really long time to choose the colors and took a really long time to pick the parts I needed to pick.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I used Stud.io for both.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
THE GREAT WAVE OFF KANAGAWA
I used Part Designer. Usually, I draw the sticker I want in Paint 3D, then I upload it there.
SEA TURTLE
For the custom print, I used part designer. It was really fun to design a Star Wars information piece to share details about the turtle.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
Don't give up! When you design a LEGO, set the last thing you want to do is quit.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I used Reddit!
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
I love Hanswasyellowfirst. His BOTW Stables were the reason I joined LEGO Ideas.
- Do you have plans to submit any other Product Ideas in the future? If yes, can you give us a hint of what that might be?
I have a newfound obsession with LEGO techniques and I would love to incorporate a ton of them into a build! I also want to build a building that incorporates light. It might be motorized too if I can get it working.
