Welcome back to another week of 10K Club Interviews. Today we meet Matthew Esposito, a.k.a. MattE720, and his LEGO GODZILLA project. If you're a fan of giant destructive monsters, then this one is for you! Show your support with a like!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
My name is Matthew Esposito, also referred to as “MattE720” here on LEGO Ideas.
- Where are you from?
I’m from Long Island, New York.
- How old are you?
I am 21 years old.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I am currently a Sustainability Studies Major at the State University of Stony Brook.
- What hobbies do you have?
When I find time away from my academic studies, I like to go fishing, as well as listening to music, building LEGO sets (obviously), and watching and seeing movies. I also love divulging into the ideas of clean energy and sustainable practices with those interested, given the opportunity.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
Most of my LEGO credentials and portfolio could be found via my social media pages, mainly my Instagram (lego_godzilla_kotm) and Facebook (Matthew Esposito) pages.
- 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?
Back when I first discovered and heavily devoted my time to building LEGO sets, I was really invested in both building up official LEGO sets, as well as designing my own based on my imagination. Sadly, most of them are undocumented, and I don’t have any pictures of them. However, I had a lot of pride in myself when they were completed, because I, at that time, understood where my creativity could take me, and how time and patience could culminate to create success, and invite reward. This only inspired me further when continuing my LEGO “career”.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
I discovered LEGO bricks at the age of 6, and LEGO bricks were among, as far back as I can remember, my first toys. Growing up with LEGO sets definitely had the biggest impact on me as a kid, especially when rivalled with other toys. With most toy companies, the products would usually come pre-built and I only got to play with the finished product without having the thrill to build the product myself. Though, with LEGO sets, I had the ability to build my product and play with it too, which to me, only gives the LEGO toy more value and prestige.
- 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.
This hobby has not only given me the opportunity to show people how creative I can be, but this hobby was also the gateway for me to witness and be a part of their creative minds, and I saw this especially through my social media accounts. I can’t begin to tell you how my interest in LEGO building has evolved over the years, from a young 6-year-old boy keeping to himself with his LEGO bricks and his thoughts, to a 21-year-old man given the ability to pour his passion into his models, and show it to other LEGO fans. This hobby has allowed me, currently, to open up to thousands and thousands of people who share a similar interest.I was also a part of numerous local LEGO competitions, in which I designed MOCs that were showcased in a local historical hall in Stony Brook, NY. I, begrudgingly, don’t have the images for these models, but one was a large bike-like build, and another was a Ninjago-inspired temple.
Also, LEGO Ninjago was basically my childhood. That show only accelerated my interest in LEGO bricks as a kid.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
Currently, My favourite LEGO theme has to be LEGO Ideas. The LEGO Group has presented regular people an amazing opportunity to be as creative as they want with what they build, and given them the opportunity to express themselves, and for their model to become a real LEGO set. It just makes me so happy to see a company actually interact with their fanbase in the way the LEGO Group does - and in such a fun and inventive way. That, alone, has inspired me to take the chance to make my own model, and I was fortunate enough to have my model make it to the review stage.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
My favourite LEGO set ever would have to be the UCS Millennium Falcon from 2017. I didn’t ever believe that a LEGO set could be designed more perfectly, but I was proven wrong when this set was officially revealed. Everything from the greebling to the internal details, I sometimes regard this as the “perfect set” (10/10)!
This made my Christmas that year, by the way!
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
My favourite element would have to be the slope curved 2x1 with stud notch (left or right), because I just see the shape being so useful with inviting unique angles for multiple different builds (organic builds, rock formations, rocky floors, etc.). I also say this piece is my favourite because I really became familiar with the piece when I was building this model, since I found it useful for moulding the dorsal spine shapes and for making more organic-looking skin and tail shapes.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
There were a few content creators on both YouTube and Instagram that gave me further inspiration for my model-making, and I would definitely say that I look up to them for a few varying reasons. Firstly, I would like to thank (Instagram / YouTube: @hachiroku24) and (Instagram / Youtube: @chubbybots) for helping me reach my 10,000 supporter milestone, and heavily supporting my project throughout the process. I would also like to thank and reward their phenomenal MOC designs, which further inspired me to express my creativity. Their respective channels and MOCs prove that creativity can take you far in life, and the proof could be easily seen, as it’s quite evident that they work very hard to please both themselves, and the people who follow them.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO-related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
There aren’t any particular LEGO websites that I was directly inspired by, but I was always subscribed to numerous LEGO magazines, such as Brick Journal, LEGO Club Magazines, and LEGO Catalogues that allowed me to look at cool and unique LEGO MOCs and newly-released LEGO sets as a kid.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
As the COVID-19 Lockdown in 2020 was persisting, I was left inside with my family, unable to go out for numerous months. This, ironically, actually inspired me to get back in touch with my LEGO hobby, as, at the time, I was more focused on my college coursework than building LEGO sets. This was the initial inspiration to get back into MOC building, as I couldn’t go out to buy official sets, but the main inspiration for the idea of a LEGO Godzilla build came from when I heard the news of the Kong vs. Godzilla movie coming out the following year, in 2021. I had already initially gained an interest in Godzilla the moment the first Legendary Pictures’ “Godzilla” hit theatres in 2014, so the interest was always there for me. But then I got to thinking about potentially making a LEGO Godzilla model the moment I heard the news of the newer movie hitting theatres in 2021, and the rest is history.
- 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 initial building process took around 4-5 months to complete, as the building was on-and-off due to my busy schedule with college coursework.Doing the research for the organic mix of body structure and proper sizing of limb details was the hardest part. I had to make sure a majority of the details were correctly proportioned for accuracy, including the sizings of the dorsal spines and the leg/arm size, and especially the shaping of the head.
I somewhat prepped ahead to make sure to include every detail I could to make the model more complete and lively and realistic. I had to look up specific body parts of Godzilla to make sure everything looked correct, and that I wasn’t missing anything, or taking anything away from the amazing Godzilla design. I utilized a lot of technic elements in my model to account for stability issues that may arise, and some parts of the model definitely can’t come off too easily because of that.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
I would say that the most difficult part of the entire building process was accounting for the amount of bricks I would use, as well as taking into account the number of bricks I had at my disposal. Given that I did not at any point use Bricklink or any other brick-finding source to gather the pieces I needed, I needed to make sure I had the pieces either at home already, or buy LEGO sets just to get the parts I needed to make the process somewhat quicker.The most difficult part of the model to recreate was definitely the head of the model. Trying to correctly proportion the head to the rest of the body was a pain (given that the head was one of the last things I designed in the process), but I believe the final product to be an exceptional end-design.
- 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?
If I had the opportunity to speak to myself before I started the building process, I would definitely lend him the knowledge I now know. There were definitely periods of time throughout the supporter-gathering process when I regressed with advertising my model, so I would’ve told myself to keep consistent with my advertising tendencies, as I believe that was the main reason my model took so long to take off. I would also tell myself to be more patient with the process, as there were times I became worried in regards to whether or not I would make corresponding deadlines in time, so telling myself that would definitely have alleviated some stresses I encountered along the way.
- 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?
The model itself took me about 4-5 months to create, which may seem like a long time to some people, but as I had mentioned before, college coursework took up a considerable amount of my time at the time of the building process, so that was taken into account when building my model. Comparatively, it took my model just over 2 years to reach 10,000 supporters, with most of that time also coupled with the amount of time I utilised to promote my model on my social media pages.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
I felt pure euphoria when I had finally reached that 10,000 supporter milestone. It felt like a personal win for me, a feeling that I had accomplished something unbelievable, something that I believed for a long time couldn’t be accomplished. This achievement took me quite a while to achieve, gaining 10,000 supporters in just over 2 years, so that just made it that much more relieving, proving that having patience most definitely pays off in the end.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell you guys, per se, just how many LEGO bricks were used to create the final product, but judging by the size and shape of the model, I could estimate that a total of somewhere from 2,500 - 3,000 LEGO bricks were used to create the finished product.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
By far my favourite building technique in the entire model was how I ended up designing the head. There were many phases for which I had designed the head during certain phases in the model. In fact, when I first submitted my model to LEGO Ideas, the original head design was the first design submitted. Later on, I updated my model to where I ended up using a newer and better design for the head, which is the design that it’s currently using, and the same design for when I reached 10,000 supporters.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I did not utilise digital means to produce this model.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I did not use any custom stickers to detail my model. I only had gathered some stickers from a Guardians of the Galaxy sticker sheet from a Rocket Raccoon Polybag (Set Number 5002145 (the crack details on the arms/body)).
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
For any aspiring LEGO Ideas partakers, or those that have an interest in LEGO building in general, I urge you all to take great advantage of what the LEGO Group is offering to you when it comes to LEGO Ideas. Feel free to let your creative juices flow, and don’t be intimidated to express your imagination when making your models for LEGO Ideas. Most importantly, build for yourself, and yourself alone. You all have the ability to shine bright on your own, and through what you believe to be your passion and your ability. We all have our inner passions and aspirations in life. It’s more about finding the avenues to express your passions that matters the most.For LEGO Ideas, it’s not mainly about how well the model is designed that makes it the most desirable. It’s how you present yourself and your model that gets people talking. Mayhaps the model itself is conceptually well-received, or maybe it’s the trendiness or how it’s “in-the-now” that allows the model to gain traction. Nevertheless, it’s mostly about presentation, and the confidence you have in yourself that makes your LEGO Ideas model look good and professional.
Logistically, try your best to make your project known on as many platforms as possible to gain the maximum amount of attention, whether that be at any local events of yours, or just through social media platforms and reaching out to people. Making yourself and your project widely-known strikes conversation amongst fans and fellow designers, and this makes a project more desirable and well-received.
Regardless, don’t be afraid to put yourself and your talents out there for the world to see, and have the courage to label yourself as a creative person knowing full well what you’re capable of. This doesn’t just go for LEGO Ideas, but for life, as well. It’s important to stay true to yourself throughout your life. It may seem daunting at first, but through hard work and commitment, anything in life is possible. And most importantly, KEEP CONSISTENT. It may seem normal to veer off the path at times. Believe me, it happened to me throughout this process. But keeping consistent allows you to not only stay in the loop of success, but keep you and your model on the up-and-up.
Through these small, but relevant, pieces of advice, I believe that any aspiring or current LEGO builders could have the ability to see their LEGO ideas submissions on LEGO store shelves.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
For the most part, I utilised as many social media platforms as possible, especially Instagram (lego_godzilla_kotm) and Facebook (Matthew Esposito). I also have accounts with TikTok (Lego_Godzilla_Kotm), Flickr (Matthew Esposito), Tumblr (Lego Ideas Godzilla), Reddit (Lego_Godzilla_kotm), and my YouTube channel (Lego Godzilla Ideas Project).I also was blessed with multiple content creators on social media shouting my project out on their channels, so I couldn’t thank them enough for their support throughout the process.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
My favourite LEGO Ideas Product has to be the NASA Apollo Saturn V set. From the rich American history detailed in the building instructions, to the nearly flawless building techniques used at the time, there wasn’t much wrong with the set at all. Overall, one of the better sets the LEGO Group has ever produced in my opinion.One which I believe has been overlooked would probably be the very recent BTS Dynamite set. As this type of set isn’t for me, personally, and possibly some other people, I can most definitely see the appeal that this set would bring to a lot of people. Both LEGO fans and fans of K-Pop could definitely appreciate what the LEGO Group has produced here: a decent build of a very popular music video, as well as 7 nice minifigures with some unique moulds, topped off with uniquely detailed stickers that fit the vibes of the environment very well. A recipe for a successful product, I can see!!!
P.S: The surge of music video-themed Ideas submissions has been amazing by the way, some of my favourite models I’ve seen on LEGO Ideas have been based on music videos, so for all of those designing music videos, keep it up!
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
What definitely attracts me to the LEGO Ideas platform are the countless imaginative ideas that I come across every time I log onto the site. With new product ideas being submitted to LEGO Ideas every day, what’s not to like about seeing something new every day. Pure eye candy for me!
- 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 may partake in this process again sometime in the future, whether that be the near future or the distant future. The interest and appeal to submit another project will never go away for me, though, and whether or not I choose to submit again will be up for debate in my head, but always considered. If I don’t, I’ll always remember this whole process being one of several highlights in my life for sure, as feeling the excitement of achieving 10,000 supporters can only be felt so many times.
