Ben Alder (aka benlouisa) has made some new friends in Hundred Acre Wood, with his model all about Winnie the Pooh! Learn some more about him and his creation here and be sure to say congratulations to him in the comments section down below!
About Yourself
- Where are you from?
I’m from Suffolk, England.
- How old are you?
I'm 34.
- What hobbies do you have?
My main hobby is building with LEGO bricks, but I also enjoy photography, and spending time with my family, which often involves walking in the countryside with our crazy Cocker Spaniel, Ruby.
^ Ben on the left, holding his model with his son.
- How and when did your interest for LEGO come about?
From a very early age I was interested in LEGO, sitting for hours with my parents building all kinds of magical creations. My love for all things LEGO was rekindled five years ago when my little boy was born, and I introduced him to DUPLO. DUPLO still plays a big role in our house as I have a young daughter too, but my son now shares my passion for LEGO and rarely needs my help anymore with the instructions! I love watching their imaginations working and it is great to see them being creative. I have even got my wife hooked and we find it is a great way to relax and spend time together as a family, especially on cold winters days.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set? Why?`
My favourite LEGO set is the Parisian Restaurant (10243). This was my first ever modular and the first set my wife bought for me. It was a great build and I love its design and its amazing playability. My wife has even let me display it in our room provided I dust it!
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
This one is really hard, if I had to pick something on its own it would be the Chameleon as it’s just so sweet! But if had to pick something which is used as part of a build it would have to be a 1x1 with a stud on the side as we use this in just about every build we make. This element makes many things possible and allows you to finish builds neatly and add detail.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
It has to be Matthew Ashton. I love his energy and passion for LEGO and his job. For him it seems the most important thing is to have fun building and playing with LEGO. To me this sums up LEGO.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
It's not really a website but I would say Facebook. I am part of many different LEGO groups and pages and I love seeing everyone’s creations.
About Your Project
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
I love Winnie the Pooh and remember my parents reading it to me as a child. I now read the same Winnie the Pooh stories to my children, so it is certainly something dear to my heart. I decided to make the set so that my children could bring to life our bedtime stories but never quite expected everyone to be so kind about it.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
One of the most challenging parts was creating the tree to the same scale as the house but not making the whole build too large. This took me several attempts to make but hopefully it has come out ok.
- How long did it take to complete the model? Did you finish it fairly quickly, or did it take a long time?
I’m not too sure. I just kept adding to it and changing little bits. I initially designed it on the computer to make sure it looked ok before ordering the parts to make it. Waiting for all the parts to arrive in the post seemed to take forever. However, it was very exciting as everyday a new part arrived me and my little boy were able to make my little project grow and come to life.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes – again- and how long did it take?
When it reached 10,000 as quickly and easy as it did, I was shocked. I still can’t believe how kind everyone has been about it and that so many people have supported my little creation. I genuinely did not think it would ever happen and still can’t believe that it has! It took about 4 months to get to 10K which is unbelievable. I can’t thank everyone enough for supporting it, I feel very honoured and its certainly something I will always remember.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
It’s about 800 bricks in total.
About LEGO Ideas
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
My advice would be create something you enjoy and want to make. My creation was made for my children, so it was made with love and gave me great enjoyment designing it. Make something you feel passionate about and that will come out in your build.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas project (besides your own of course)?
It has to be “Baby Dragon”. It’s so cute. My son and I would love to add it to our collection!
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea
For me it is a way to share my creations with other LEGO fans and see what everyone else is creating with the added bonus that it might just get to the magical 10,000!
My one tip would be to make sure that the main photo you upload shows off your creation really well as this is the only one most people will see when looking on the site and will be the one that attracts people to read more.
By
JacobM366