Blog | Sep 15, 2023

10K CLUB INTERVIEW: THE ADDAMS FAMILY by Yang Yang

Welcome to today's 10K Club Interview. Brought to you by the one and only Yang Yang, we present his inspiring THE ADDAMS FAMILY project. This idea is based on the movie "The Addams Family" created by Paramount in 1991. Get ready for a ride of excitement, innovation, and maybe even goosebumps! Leave your support in the likes and comments!

ABOUT YOURSELF

Who are you?
Hi everyone. I'm Yang Yang.
Where are you from?
I'm from Kunming (China).
How old are you?
34 years old.
What do you study or do for a living?
I work in a bank.
What hobbies do you have?
I love drawing, designing, clay carving, photography, and of course building LEGO sets and MOCs.
Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
You can find the name “Enzo Young” on Flickr with my LEGO MOC works.
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?
Carl's House was my first MOC. I am very proud of it. My wife and I love the movie “UP” so much. In the movie, there’s one saying “Happiness is about having each tiny wish come true.” I wish I could have a model of the house from “UP”. Then I made the house with LEGO bricks. I recreated every detail of the house as closely as I could from the movie.
How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
I had my first LEGO set when I was a child. I felt that every scene and every LEGO Minfigure had its own story. Since then, LEGO has been another small world for 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.
LEGO was my best friend when I was a child. I always like to take apart the sets and build the buildings and vehicles I imagined. In 2008, I came into touch with LEGO Star Wars series and Street Scape series again, which evoked my childhood memories. Now my wife and I love LEGO very much and have bought many sets as art displays and collections.
What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
All along my favorite themes are the Street Scape series and the Star Wars UCS series. My first set of Street Scape is 10185. During building this set, I found that not only the exterior of the building is beautifully decorated, but also the interior of the building has exquisite furniture and decoration. It deeply impressed me and made me fall in love with the Street Scape series. When multiple sets of Street Scape were put together, it felt like all the LEGO Minifigures on the street came alive. I always thought about how complex and elegant the whole production process is. As a fan of Star Wars, I certainly could not miss the Star Wars UCS series. The details of the vehicles in the movie were extremely recreated with LEGO bricks.
What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
75192 is my favorite LEGO set. It recreates in proportion to the LEGO minifigures. This set of LEGO recreates every detail of the exterior and interior of the Millennium Falcon in the movie.
What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
The 1x1 brick is the most original and symbolic brick of LEGO to me. It defines the ratio of length, width, and height of LEGO bricks so that the ideas series uses it as a logo.
Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
Jamie Berard is one of my favourite LEGO designers. Especially when I found out that most of the Street Scape series was designed by Jamie Berard, I admired him even more. Every detail in these sets and the way they are put together makes me feel amazing.
Is there one or more particular LEGO-related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
I visit Bricklink often.

ABOUT YOUR PROJECT

Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
I've always been interested in the Gothic style, and I'm also a big fan of LEGO buildings. The Addams Family has always been a favorite of mine, so I decided to combine my love for both and create a LEGO model of their home. It was a fun and challenging project that allowed me to explore my creativity and showcase my building skills.
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 process of making the project took me several weeks. In terms of research, I first looked for reference images of the Addams Family's home from movies, as well as other Gothic-inspired architecture. I also researched LEGO building techniques and searched for inspiration from other LEGO builders who had created similar models.
As for the design phase, I started by sketching out the basic structure of the house on paper and then began building a rough prototype with LEGO bricks to get a better idea of how it would come together. From there, I refined the design, making adjustments and additions as needed until I was satisfied with the overall look and feel of the model.
What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
One of the biggest challenges I faced while creating the model was figuring out how to capture the intricate details of the Addams Family's home while still keeping the model to a manageable size. The house has many unique features, such as the sharply peaked roof, the turret with its pointed spire, and the wrought-iron gate, which all required careful consideration and planning to recreate.
Another challenge I faced was making sure that the model was structurally sound and stable. Because of the size and weight of the model, I had to make sure that it was able to stand up to any bumps or jostles without falling apart.

Overall, while the process had its frustrations and challenges, I found it to be an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling experience. Seeing the finished model come together was a great feeling, and I'm proud of what I was able to create.
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 could talk to myself before starting on this project, I would advise myself to take the time to plan and sketch out the design of the model in more detail before beginning to build. This would have saved me some time and frustration in the early stages of the project.
I would also tell myself to be more patient and not get discouraged by any setbacks or mistakes along the way. LEGO building can be a time-consuming and sometimes frustrating process, but with perseverance and determination, it's possible to create something truly amazing.

Lastly, I would encourage myself to have fun and enjoy the process. Building with LEGO bricks is a creative and enjoyable hobby, and it's important to take the time to appreciate the journey as well as the destination.
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?
Because I usually work very busy, I only have very little time to create. Secondly, there are constantly new problems appearing in the creative process, and the plan needs to be revised constantly. So the whole process took a month. I was very moved and grateful to see other LEGO IDEAS players helping me share my work.
How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
When I reached 10,000 votes, my wife and I were extremely happy. I am really happy to see that my work has been affirmed by the players. At the same time, I was very touched and grateful to see the comments of the players. The work was uploaded on July 17, 2022, and reached 10,000 votes on April 5, 2023.
Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
I used 2998 bricks to create this model.
If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
To complete this work, Studio 2.0, and Photoshop.