Welcome back to another 10K Club interview! Featuring today – for the second time – is BrickGallery. This rendition of Hyrule Castle seeks to improve on the previous iteration which achieved 10K votes, and what better time to do that than on the 30th anniversary of the castle's appearance in 'Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'. Drop a comment below if you're a fan of BrickGallery's project!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
BrickGallery.
- Where are you from?
Germany.
- How old are you?
20.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I’m studying economics. Currently, I’m also working at an innovation service provider in the specialty chemicals and food ingredients industry.
- What hobbies do you have?
Besides gaming and creating MOCs, I’m interested in product design.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
Brick Tryx on YouTube and ideasbrickgallery on instagram.
- 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 recently built a phone and liked how the wire turned out.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO come about?
When I was younger I always used the parts of my disassembled sets to build small cities.
- What is LEGO for you? What does it mean for you? How does it fit in your life? E.g. build, display, meetups, play the games or 'just' watch the cartoons.
I display and collect lego sets. In addition to that I’m building MOCs in stud.io.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
My favourite LEGO theme is Harry Potter. I am a big Harry Potter fan (movies and books), and I really like new sets that explore scenes we haven’t seen as part of a LEGO set before, e.g. 75967. I also looked at some of the Hogwarts Castle sets before I created Hyrule Castle.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
I like the Lord of the Rings: Tower of Orthanc (10237), Tumbler (76023), The Ghost (75053) and the Hogwarts Castle (71043). But my all-time favourite has to be the first Batcave set (7783), because it is linked to the first video game I ever played: LEGO Batman.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
I love the 1x1 stud on side bricks. They help adding more detail to relatively simple builds.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
It’s hard to choose an official designer because alot of people are involved in the set creation process. I think the work of all these people combined is creating the masterpieces we know as official sets.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO-related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
Mostly LEGO Ideas, Bricklink and Brickset.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
I love The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BotW) and already thought about doing a Zelda BotW project a while ago. Since Hyrule Castle is such a famous and important building in the Zelda franchise, I choose to recreate that.
- How long was the process of making the project did, 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?
I walked through the Castle several times and took screenshots. When I built Hyrule Castle on LEGO Digital Designer and Stud.io, I had the Nintendo Switch nearby to examine certain parts of the structure individually. For the updated version of Hyrule Castle, I investigated the BotW Master Works book. I also want to give a shoutout to Noah R on YouTube who gave me the permission to use his minifigure designs.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
Hyrule Castle is a huge structure and getting the overall shape right was kind of challenging.
- If you could talk to yourself before you started on this project, what would you tell him? What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
That the project will reach 10,000 supporters (to help me stay motivated throughout the long building process).
- 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?
I had more time than usual because of the current pandemic. That is why I was able to build throughout several days without major breaks. In my case, the building process took longer than promoting my project; I didn’t promote it this time around.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
I think it took around a year. Obviously, I was thrilled. This is my second 10,000 supporters project in 7 years on LEGO Ideas. I’m so grateful for the supporters that believe in this project, giving it a chance to get approved.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
I think this version uses close to 3000 bricks (mostly small cheese slopes).
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
My favourite section is the throne room. I love how the decorated ceiling came out.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
100% made with stud.io.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
Noah R on Youtube gave me the permission to use his minifigure designs. Besides that I made the stickers in Photoshop.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
Choosing a theme you are passionate about. Your enthusiasm will most likely translate into your project’s design language.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
Share the project on forums/websites your target audience visits, preferably.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
Disney's Pinocchio LEGO Marionette with Jiminy Cricket by Buggyirk.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
Do not be discouraged when your project does not reach 10,000 supporters immediately.
- 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?
Maybe some more Tom and Jerry.
