Welcome to this week's last 10K Club Interview. Today we have the pleasure of introducing Lee, a.k.a. LEE40, and their THE MUPPET THEATRE project. Brought to you all the way from Sesame Street, Lee has created this inspiring idea with an iconic cast of characters. Leave your comments and show your support below!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Lee Stanley.
- Where are you from?
Oxfordshire, UK.
- How old are you?
47.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I am a Retail Store Manager at a Toy Shop. Very convenient for my Lego needs.
- What hobbies do you have?
Well, Lego is definitely my main hobby, My other hobbies would be playing darts (I am captain of my League team) I also enjoy Gaming, TV & films.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
My Instagram account is where I share my builds – @Lego_Lee40
- 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 would have to say my Poorly Brick Hospital. A 7-floor hospital with a full interior. This was the first build I ever took to a Lego Exhibition and the reaction to it encouraged me to build more. I am really proud of the work I have done on the inside of this build, especially the wards with the green cape curtains. One of my favorite little MOCs inside has to be the Ultrasound machine.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
I have enjoyed Lego all my life. Like a lot of people, I had some time away from Lego in my 20s and then in 2013, I rebuilt an old Lego train we had in the attic for my Nephew to play with, which reignited my love of the brick. The Palace Cinema was the next set I purchased, and I have been regularly building ever since.
- 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.
I love the Lego community. I have joined a couple of LUGS (GertLug & Brickish) in the UK and regularly display at their shows. It has been a great way to meet new people and share builds and ideas. I also love sharing my builds on social media with a global audience too. Building with Lego helps take my mind off other things and is a great way to relax too.
- 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 really like the Icons (creator expert) theme. Modular buildings are what got me back into Lego. I love how the Modular buildings all fit together and form amazing city scenes. It is what inspired me to build my Lego Hospital and why it was so big. Just look at how big hospitals are compared to something like a bookshop, that’s why I had to go down 7 floors.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
I love the Old Fishing Store. The run-down look to it is amazing. I particularly like how the panels look on the outside, it’s a lot of snot usage.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
The new curved SNOT brick. This has opened up a great and easy way to access different angles to build on.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
Jamie Berard. I have mentioned that it was the Modular Builds that got me back into Lego, so it has to be Jamie. Thanks to the awesome builds in the Modular range I can build the Lego City I always dreamed of as a child.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO-related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
Brickset is my go-to Lego News source and a great way to track my Lego collection along with my ever-growing wanted list.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
I loved the Muppet Show when I was a child, and have watched all the films they have released over the years too. When I heard the rumor that the Muppet Collectable minifigures were going to be released, I immediately knew what my next MOC was going to be. I went on Disney+, put on the Muppet Show, and began to build my Theatre.
- How long was the process of making the project, 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?
The build took around 2 months to complete, and some of the time was me eagerly waiting for my next Bricklink order to arrive. The research was enjoyable as it meant watching loads of episodes of the Muppet Show. It was important to me to be accurate within the space I wanted to use, the backstage area and Statler & Waldorf’s balcony had to be just right.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
I wanted the Theatre to have a modular building style. This proved to be quite difficult, if the roof lifted off in that style the interior was too small to include everything. It was at this stage that I remembered the Monster Fighter Haunted House and its unfolding design (I built the interior and folding mechanism before Andrea’s Theatre was released). This folding design gave me the space I needed.Another challenge was the exterior of the building, the outside of the Muppet Show was never seen on TV. My Muppet Theatre exterior is based on The Muppet Theatre at Disney Parks.
- If you could talk to yourself before you started on this project, what would you tell them? What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
I added sound to the Theatre for when I displayed it at shows. It plays the Muppet Theme song on repeat, so I think I would prepare myself for that. I often find myself still humming it.
- 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?
When I’m in build mode I want to get it done quickly. Waiting for parts to be delivered was the only thing that slowed me down. I completed the build back in July 2022 and have displayed it at lots of exhibitions and shared it on Instagram too. I didn’t originally build this for Lego Ideas as it could not be submitted at that time due to Muppet figures being a current theme. Lots of people at shows suggested I put it on Lego Ideas. Once the Muppet Figures had been retired, I took the opportunity to add it to Ideas and the response was great. I already had good support out there so just needed to get the message across that My Muppet Theatre was now on Ideas. I used social media and Lego exhibitions to do this.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It was amazing to hit the 10,000 votes in 54 days. The best thing was, I was actually displaying the model at a Lego show at the time. We were counting down the last 10 and hit 10k just after 2 pm with a huge Woohoo!!
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
The Muppet Theatre including 4 of the scenes (Chef’s Kitchen, Veterinarians Hospital, Pigs in Space, and Fozzie’s Park) are just under 3,000 pieces.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
My favourite part is the folding design and Orchestra Pit reveal. When showing this at shows its great to have it closed when people first look at it and then open it revealing the interior. It gets a lot of jawdrops and wow moments, I love seeing the reactions.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I had a rough draft design on Lego Digital Designer, but the main development came from playing with bricks
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I found the pictures online for the movie posters and Muppet Logo. I printed them myself onto sticky paper.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
Build something you are passionate about. Take your time and make sure you are 100% happy with it before submitting it.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
Having an actual Brick Built model allowed me to take this to lots of Lego exhibitions in the UK which is a great way to gain support. I made sure to have some business cards made up with QR codes so the public could support it straight away. I also used Instagram Reels which had great support.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
I really liked the Lego Modular Expansion Pack. It would be a great addition to the Modular Building range and add something different to people's cities.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
It’s the opportunity to have your own design recognised by others to be good enough to become a real Lego Set.
My tip would be to make sure to get lots of really good quality photos of your build. If you have an actual Brick Built project getting photos with no glare/reflection is challenging, so have good lighting. I actually found natural light to be the best source and took my build outside.
- 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 at the moment. My other designs are far too big (at least 6,000pcs).
By
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