Hey, where's Perry? The answer will be in the 10K Club! We are kicking off this week with another awesome creation. Please welcome Brandon, a.k.a. DragonBuilder22, and his DISNEY'S PHINEAS AND FERB: PERRY THE PLATYPUS / AGENT P project. If you are a fan of Phineas and Ferb, this idea will not disappoint! Share your comments, and show your support below.
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
You can call me by my username, DragonBuilder22, or Brandon. I don't really like using my full name online so I won't provide my last name.
- Where are you from?
Illinois.
- How old are you?
I'm 29 years old.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I work in retail.
- What hobbies do you have?
I like to build different kinds of models. Most of those models are usually Lego sets, but I've built other models as well. I also like to cook and try new recipes.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
I have an Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dragonbuilder22/?hl=en
A Flickr account: https://www.flickr.com/people/183118161@N03/
A youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@dragonbuilder2278
I have a Twitter account too: https://twitter.com/DrgnBuilder22
- 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've created several Lego MOCs on my Lego Ideas account. The one I'm obviously most proud of right now would be my Perry the Platypus design. Not only is it cute, but I've made sure to add the feature that lets Perry change from his "normal pet" form to his "agent" form without having to unbuild the set.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
I've played with Lego ever since I was really young, probably around 4 or 5 years old; however, I didn't get really interested in Lego until the Lego Creators 4894: Mythical Creatures set was released. This is the first Lego set that I have ever built. I still have it even after all of these years. The reason I was so interested in this set is because of my love of dragons and this was the first Lego dragon set anyone had gotten me.
- 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 is a fun way to spend time building the things you're interested in. There are so many types of Lego sets that at least one of their sets would have to interest someone. As for how Lego fits into my life, it does so in a few ways. In my free time, I love to design new Lego sets for Lego Ideas. I have also played several Lego video games and even seen a few Lego movies.
- 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 current favorite Lego theme would have to be Ninjago. This is because the series has many dragon, mech, and ship sets. I love mech Lego sets almost as much as dragon sets. There are some ship lego ships I own too and most of them are from the Ninjago series. I'll admit that I, unfortunately, have not had time to see the Ninjago show, but I own several of their sets because of how much I love their design.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
Even though I love a good dragon Lego set, my favorite Lego set would have to be a tie between Lego 21311 Voltron and Lego 10302 Optimus Prime. I love the Lego Voltron because I love how it can change between its individual lion forms and its robot form without un-building the set. I also believe this set is what really started the official Lego designers and even the Lego Ideas designers creating sets that can transform without having to unbuild the set. As for the Lego Optimus Prime, it's another set that can transform without having to disassemble the entire set and is smaller than Voltron. With the current pieces that exist today, I believe it would even be possible to design a new Lego Voltron at the size of the Lego Optimus Prime if the official Lego designers ever chose to do so. If they did, I'd more than likely buy it.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
My current favorite element would have to be Lego 79505, the Technic Rotation Joint Disk with Pin, and 2 Small Rotation Joints. This Lego element has allowed for all kinds of new joint movement in both official Lego sets and in MOCs. I look forward to what other ways this Lego element can be used in future sets.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
If I had to choose a designer, it would have to be len_d69 from Lego Ideas. He is the original creator of the Lego Voltron. As I said previous, this Lego set is one of my favorites. I have also supported several of len_d69's designs on Lego Ideas.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO-related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
Lego websites I usually visit are https://rebrickable.com/, https://brickerbuilds.com/, and the YouTube channel of Chubbybots, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGQZMcahthsgbg1_IYQiCwQ.Rebrickable has many different mocs on its website along with instructions. I've actually bought a few from this website. Brickerbuilds also has several Lego mocs that look incredible. I've bought at least two designs from this website. As for Chubbybots, he has posted many videos of mech mocs and other mocs on his YouTube channel. I've built several of the designs he has created as well.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
My interest in this model came from the fact that I love the Phineas and Ferb tv show and Perry is one of my favorite characters from the show. The desire to create this set came after watching the entire series on Disney+.
- 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?
It probably took me about two weeks to design this set in my free time. To make sure I did this set right, I made sure to look at several images of Perry in both his "pet" form and his "agent" form.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
The most difficult part of this set was to make sure that the head was the perfect shape between Perry's "pet" and "agent" form. I had to make sure that when Perry's head moved from its position in his "pet" form to its new position in his "agent" form, the head had the exact same (or similar) ratio. I did not want the head to look too high/low in his "pet" form or too far forward/backward in his "agent" form. The other difficult part was how the head would move. At first, I tried to create a head design that could swing similar to the legs on one of the up-scaled figures legs that Lego designed; however, I could never get it to look right for some reason. That was when I designed the part that slides his head forward a little bit so his head can move between its different positions.
- 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'm not sure what I would tell myself. I design Lego Ideas for fun so I don't really stress out over their creations. I guess if I had to tell myself something, it would be to continue to have fun creating different designs. If people like it, then that's good. If people don't like it, then while that's sad, there are other designs that I can make that people could like.
- 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 originally took me about two weeks to create the original model, but then I added on a grappling hook and jetpack. It probably took about an hour and a half to design those. Much later on, I then added minifigs. Those minifigs probably took about four hours to make mainly because I had to design images for their clothes and then use PartDesigner to place those images on Lego pieces.I then spent a couple of hours promoting my Product Idea and different websites. Every few months or so I would make new images and post them on both the Lego Ideas website and on the other websites to help new people find out about my design.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
I was extremely happy. I had been at work when Perry had reached 10,000 votes. Before I went to work, the project was over 9,980 votes. A couple hours later when I was on my 15-minute break, I decided to check in to see how Perry was doing. That was when I discovered Perry had reached 10,000 votes. It took almost two years for Perry to reach 10,000 votes.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
It took about 755 bricks to make this set.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
My favorite technique would have to be the transformation part of this set. As I've said above, I love Lego sets that can change between their different forms without the need to disassemble the entire set.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I used Studio to build and render Perry. I used PartDesigner to add images to the pieces of the minifigs.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
When I wanted to create my own images, I used Paint 3D.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
My only advice is to relax and have fun. If you stress over what you're creating, it will only take you longer to build and may never look as good as you want it to look. Remember, your design is only a prototype. If it reaches 10,000 votes, then official Lego designers will take that prototype and do everything they can to improve the design.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I used the websites I listed above along with a few others that I have accounts on. I know one of the other websites is DeviantArt, but I've used a few others that I can't remember their names right now.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
As I mentioned above, my favorite Lego Ideas Product Idea is the Lego Voltron. As for Product Ideas that I believe have been overlooked, I can think of three off the top of my head. The first is the Lego Stitch by Legohaulic. It's a cute little design that was even part of a contest of Product Ideas that had not been "approved" getting a second chance to be approved in a fan vote. The next Product Idea is the Working Mini Golf Course by LEGOParadise. It's a nice little build that actually has a minifig hitting a 1x1 piece into a hole like a real person would hit a golf ball. The final Product Idea is actually one I've seen a few different designers build and a couple of them has even reached 10,000 votes. This Product Idea is the Addams Family Mansion. I loved the show as a kid and even love the new movies. Right now another Addams Family Mansion is actually at the "in review" stage and I hope it gets approved this time.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
What attracts me to the Lego Ideas website is the fact that many different people can try to get their own designs to become official sets. This gives people a chance to show off something they love doing even if they don't gain the 10,000 votes they need. The only tips I would give are the same things I mentioned above in the "useful advice" question.
- 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?
Yes, I do plan to submit more Product Ideas in the future. I'm actually working on a new Idea right now. As for a hint, all I can say is watch out for pirates.
By
Hani2