In today's 10K Club Interview, we introduce Moses - a young Computer Science student and a fan of LEGO Star Wars. His hobbies include, among other things, building with LEGO bricks and playing video games. He combined both of his favourite activities and created a model according to a well-known game called - Among Us, which is based on the in-game map 'The Skeld'.
Please welcome Moses Pritchard (aka MinifigInDisguise) and his creation Among Us: The Skeld. Help us congratulate him and learn more about his creation.
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Moses Pritchard
- Where are you from?
Llandovery, Cymru (Wales)
- How old are you?
16 years old
- What do you study or do for a living?
I study Computer Science, ICT, and Maths at A levels
- What hobbies do you have?
Coding, Video games, Exploring with my dog, and of course building with LEGO!
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
I have a bare-bones website, nothing special but I will continue to update it: https://minifigindisguise.weebly.com
- 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?
One of my favourite past builds is my underground bunker underneath a treehouse, I really liked the concept and I made another underground bunker for LEGO Ideas.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO come about?
Like most LEGO fans I grew up with LEGO. I think my first LEGO set was the 7239 fire truck, so I can’t remember not having LEGO.
- What is LEGO for you? What does it mean for you? How does it fit in your life? E.g. build, display, meetups, play games, or 'just' watch cartoons.
I, of course, build with LEGO all the time but I’ve also played a lot of LEGO video games and watched a lot of cartoons when I was younger. I recently visited LEGOLAND Billund on a trip to Denmark which was one of the best weeks of my life. So LEGO means a lot to me.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
The fact I have a full box of rubber tires shows I love LEGO City a lot, but I think LEGO Star Wars sets are the ones I get most excited about.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set? Why?
I think my most memorable set is the 6212 X-Wing fighter, I loved the figures and the mechanism and I distinctly remember rebuilding it many times because it was so fun to make.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
I am a huge fan of all wedge plates. They are great when covering open space, and are great for adding different angles to the build.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
I visit Rebrickable.com a lot as there is so much information about everything to do with LEGO plus there are some great builds that come with instructions.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
Definitely the experience of the game itself. I enjoy every moment from the meetings to fixing wires, and even spectating as a ghost. My brother is also a big reason the idea came out so quickly, as he was watching the game on Twitch from mid-August and suggested that I should make it in LEGO form.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
The most difficult part was definitely the figures, I wanted a brick-built character, with a rounded top where a hat could attach on top. The first design had neither of these requirements. I spent several hours looking for a 1x2 rounded piece, but in the end, I made do with a 2x2 dish, which surprisingly works with the 1 brick thin design of the figure.
- If you could talk to yourself before you started on this project, what would you tell him/her? What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
I wish I made a more clean layout, possibly a round design, or where all the rooms fit onto the shape of the ship, with no gaps. Although I really do like all the details I fit into the build.
- 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 around 1 month of brick placing to complete the model, and a bit over 2 months to reach 10K. At this time, I didn’t really promote the idea beyond the LEGO Ideas website, as I don’t have great luck with social media posts.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
The night before it hit 10K, I and my family were crowded around the laptop with the most supported page open. The final 2 days were very dramatic, with 500 supporters in one day. Unfortunately, the moment it hit 10K, I happened to be in a maths class in college. But the whole experience went very fast.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
My original design had just over 1000 LEGO bricks, and the final design has 1418 LEGO bricks.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
There are a few techniques I like, the wires in electrical using vine/whip parts is an interesting one. I also like the cafeteria tables, the pieces work perfectly with the design.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I used BrickLink's Studio to build and render the build. As well as the partner program, part designer, to make the custom prints.
I also used various image software to enhance the look of the renders.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I created most of the prints myself using very basic tools and online editors, except for the task tiles where I used in-game screenshots.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
In this case, I feel the fan base was very important for the success of the project. To really get success with a massive IP such as Among Us, you need to be very adaptive and responsive to what the community wants. This is why my first design and the final design are very different.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I made a few attempts to attract support to the idea, none of which gained much ground, although I wasn’t expecting much considering my total following overall social media is about 0. This is where the fans stepped in, with @MostScientificPsyclone posting successful adverts, which led to a massive spike in supporters.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
One idea I love but hasn’t received as much praise as it should have is O2 Legostraat, Amsterdam by John Harvey. Like his London version, it has so many details. The colours and diversity of techniques really stand out to me. Go support it!
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
What I like about LEGO Ideas is that every individual supporter is so important and the whole process is really community-driven. I don’t think there's a social media that really makes me as happy when I receive a comment or a like.
- 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?
Yes, a classic space tribute that can open up into a playset. No idea when it might be finished though. But I will continue submitting ideas whenever I have one that I think is good.
By
Kamila9