Congratulations to huge Star Wars fan Tom aka Bricktory Lap and his first 10K Club creation SPACEBALLS! This classic 80's comedy model includes many characteristic features such as the breakfast cereal, a can of Perri Air, Princess Vespa's hairdryer, and everything you love about the Spaceballs! Learn more about Tom’s journey and leave a comment to support his idea!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Tom
- Where are you from?
I'm from England in surrey.
- How old are you?
I am 17 years old.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I am currently studying media and photography at college which I am hoping to then go on and pursue at university next year.
- What hobbies do you have?
I love keeping up with football. I absolutely love movies and binging TV series, which is one of the main reasons that I base my LEGO Ideas projects around them.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
I have both a Youtube channel and Instagram account which I am fairly active on most of the time.
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/bricktorylap/?hl=en-gb
Youtube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBvmVAZJS8RWxoDF4G-m4Fg
- 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?
My favourite MOC that I have made is actually my own version of the Black Pearl LEGO set that was released all the way back in 2011. I received it as a gift for my 9th birthday and in recent years, found the pieces and rebuilt it again. From there I used pieces from my own collection to extend it and make it bigger and better to put on display.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO come about?
In my younger years, LEGO was my life. I cannot remember a Christmas or birthday back then where I didn’t get LEGO gifted to me. I used to absolutely adore star wars the clone wars, and the LEGO sets were no exception.
- What is LEGO for you? What does it mean for you? How does it fit in your life? E.g. build, display, meetups, play the games or 'just' watch the cartoons.
I love designing LEGO digitally and uploading them to LEGO Ideas. Whenever I am not working on college work or out with friends, I am at home watching movies whilst designing minifigs and builds on my laptop. I definitely plan to go to some conventions when we are all able to again as I love the community and I haven’t got many friends who are as interested in LEGO as 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 LEGO Star Wars the clone wars sets all the way back in 2011 will always be some of my favourites. The LEGO Indiana Jones sets were also so amazing and I hope to hopefully see some more of them when the new film releases next year. However, if I were to break it down to just one, I would have to go with the Pirates of the Caribbean theme. Those films are the definition of my childhood and it is the one theme that I 100% completed, including the set made in 2017 which I picked up after it had retired as I couldn’t own all of that wave.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set? Why?
My favourite LEGO set ever would have to be the Black Pearl released in 2011. I received it for my 9th birthday and I remember my friends being so jealous of it. From the actual build to the amazing figures it came with, I just have so many happy memories with that set and it can’t be my favourite.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
I really like the new Hagrid body piece that was used for the new Harry Potter wave. I have had so many ideas for other usages for it and can’t wait to incorporate it into other ideas.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
I really love Bulldoozer bricks’ builds especially, but when it comes to custom figures, I am a huge fan of PugerBricks and Buzz Brickyear’s who can be found on Instagram and Youtube. Their way of designing and rendering LEGO digitally is something I really look up to.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO-related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
I like going on Reddit and going on r/lego to look at all the amazing MOCs and designs people have made. I take inspiration from lots of these builds like if I see a new technique or good use of a certain part.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
I loved the old movie Spaceballs as I was such a huge Star Wars fan growing up. I remember really enjoying this spoof version of it and obviously, Mel Brooks is just such a comedy genius.
- How long was the process of making the project did, 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 build took around 2 weeks to make and design including the minifigures if I remember, but I made lots of changes to the model in updates to make it better as my skills as a designer and renderer improved.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
The actual walls of the eagle 5 are something that was quite difficult to make due to me using a SNOT technique as it made the window of the model look much more accurate to what it looked like in the film.
- 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?
STAY ACTIVE! I wish I had made updates and remembered to keep promoting the project from the beginning. The more you put into the project and keep promoting it the more people are going to see it and actually go and support it. Also, promote it yourself, whether that's on Instagram or any other platform. Having people repost your project on social platforms is much more satisfying when you haven’t asked them to do it and you know that they generally like your work.
- 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?
As I’ve already said, the model initially took around 2 weeks to design but I made a lot of changes in updates to the project to improve it as the idea gained more and more support.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
I was in the car as I was about to go and have dinner. I kept reloading the page at 9999, as it took about 5 mins to get that last supporter! I had an update ready to post to thank everyone which I was also stressed about getting out in time but it all worked out in the end. It was almost a sense of relief when I hit that 10K mark. I had been working so hard to get it for so long and it almost felt surreal that I had finally done it.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
The model contained 536 pieces.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
For sure the SNOT technique that I used as it took so long to get right and actually came out really well.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I used stud.io 2.0 and LEGO digital designer to make my project but more recently have been using blender and Mecabricks.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I designed all the custom prints using concepts from other minifigures and made them in photoshop which I would then put onto the LEGO elements.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
Make that front cover image look like something you would want to click on by sticking an enlarged minifig as well as your model there. People love minifigs and if that's the first thing they see it often lures them into your project. Reply to all the comments. People are much more likely to tell people about your project if you are polite and thankful to them in the comments section.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I promote my project on social media such as Instagram and youtube. One thing that seemed especially popular was the updates that I made every 1000 supporters. I would create mini-scenes from the Spaceballs film to humor anyone who stayed active when looking at the project. Reddit was also a big help. Find a community that is interested in the thing you’ve made and show them. Often they will go and support the project there as well.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
I absolutely love TommyCBricks’s mystery machine based on Scooby Doo. The project has only 2500 supporters which are astonishing to me. The design and the rendering technique are both beautiful and definitely one that has been overlooked. If you get the time after reading this interview, definitely go and support it. I am a huge fan of his Youtube videos and his way of rendering on blender as well; they have really inspired me to start using the program. If it were to be approved I would buy it on day one.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
I just love building LEGO and the fact that people are able to see my builds and find happiness from them is a feeling that I can’t explain. Also, how cool would it be to have your own set inspired by your idea up on shelves? What an achievement that would be.
- 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?
For sure. This is just the beginning! I have no intentions to stop making projects on the site and already have another project in the works. Let’s just say that it came from my pure imagination.
By
Kamila9