Time to say "hej" to Jimmi Jakobsen (aka Jimmi-DK on LEGO Ideas), this week's Danish 10K Club member whose submission based on KITT, the self-aware and -driving car, from the 80's Knight Rider hit, sparks some great memories.
Hop in the driver's seat in and enjoy the interview where Jimmi runs us through his creation. Please be sure to congratulate him in the comments below too!
About Yourself
- Who are you?
Jimmi Jakobsen.
- Where are you from?
I'm from the land of LEGO, Denmark.
- How old are you?
39.
- What do you do for a living?
I'm a freelance graphic designer.
- What hobbies do you have?
I like designing and of course LEGO. I also have a great interest in astronomy and space exploration.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
I have a Flickr account with my creations.
- Have you created any LEGO MOCs (my own creations) that you’re particularly proud of? What is it, why are you proud it and do you have a photo of it?
I'm very pleased with these other MOCs on LEGO Ideas: Jerboa, BMW Isetta, RMS Titanic and Sojourner.
- How and when did your interest for LEGO come about?
I grew up with it and had a big LEGO city. It has always been a part of my life!
- 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.
To me LEGO is a great way to create new ideas, and seeing the final result is very rewarding. As a Dane it's also cool that LEGO is from Denmark.
- 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 like many of the Architecture sets and the Creator Expert vehicles. They are very nice for display.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set? Why?
It's the Formula 1 Racer (5540), that I got as a kid. I had a lot of fun with that!
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
Maybe part 13731. It's great when building something with curves like KITT. It could also be the classic 2x4 brick for nostalgic reasons.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
I really like the builds by Mitsuru Nikaido. His machine creatures are impressive. Another is Thomas Poulsom, who appeared in a documentary (The Secret World of LEGO) with his LEGO set Birds (21301), which inspired me to start designing my own creations to LEGO Ideas!
- Is there one or more particular LEGO related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
Flickr has many groups with nice LEGO builds. Instagram is also a great place to be inspired or show your work. On YouTube you can find channels like BrickVault, JK Brickworks and Beyond the Brick!
About Your Project
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
I've been a fan of Knight Rider from an early age in the 80s, and KITT is the coolest car I can think of. David Hasselhoff was popular in the role as Michael Knight, but the real star of the show was KITT. It was very exciting to watch this self-aware car, that could drive itself, talk and jump over obstacles. It was a positive show about helping innocent and powerless people in need!
- 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?
Before the building process started, I used a 1:18 scale model car of KITT as reference to work out the proportions of the LEGO model, so it would fit to the scale of the wheels I had chosen.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
It was a challenge to capture the curved front of the car while still keeping a clean look. It also took some time to get the seats and roof right. I built several versions before I was happy with the result.
- 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?
It took about 40 hours over a period of 5 days. When a build starts to take shape, I can't stop and time flies.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It reached 10,000 votes after a year and ten months. It was a great feeling, and I'm very thankful to everyone who made this possible!
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
The first version had 883 pieces, and the latest optimized version has 791 pieces without major visual changes to the design.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
I'm very happy with the roof, seats and the front where the red scanner is located.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I use LEGO Digital Designer (LDD). I have tried others, but LDD works best for me. For render of this build I used BlueRender, but now I mainly use "LDD to POV-Ray Converter"!
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I usually make them in Illustrator and then add them to the picture in Photoshop.
About LEGO Ideas
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
Build something you have a passion for and be patient in the building process. Try different techniques to find the best way for your build. When your project is up on LEGO Ideas it's time to spread the word about it to relevant places where your audience could be!
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I used Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, reddit and other relevant forums. I also got help from people sharing the project on their social media or websites. The Staff Pick was also a great help!
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
I think it's the NASA Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover (21104)!
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
The idea of creating something in LEGO that might one day reach a lot of people all over the world is very exciting. My tip for those who are considering to upload an idea would be to have an eye-catching main picture of your build.
- 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?
I'm considering several things at the moment!
By
hasanjensen