Welcome back to another interview! Today we meet Mykhailo Stetsiuk a.k.a. Homo Brickus and his Adventure Box! Inspired by his mother's sewing box, Mykhailo presents a device which would make sense to a lot of builders. Would you love to own one too?
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Mykhailo Stetsiuk.
- Where are you from?
Ukraine, but for the last 8 years I have been living in Spain.
- How old are you?
31.
- What do you study or do for a living?
An employee in a fast food restaurant.
- What hobbies do you have?
LEGO and metal detecting on the beach. I also love to travel, visit historical and cultural places, and taste new dishes
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
Instagram.
- 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?
This project is something I'm proud of but I hope my best work is still ahead.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
As a kid, I used to have only two small sets. Even with such a small number of bricks, I tried to make different models. 5 years ago at the flea market, I stumbled across a set that brought me back to the LEGO hobby. It was a set of Technic 8445 YELLOW RACE CAR. It was very dusty and was missing parts. I washed all the parts separately and reassembled them. I liked this model so much that I started to collect LEGO sets again.
- 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.
For me, the LEGO hobby means creating. It's so cool when from a bunch of different bricks, step-by-step, a complete model appears in your hands! I get a special pleasure when new parts or new types of connections happen. My girlfriend and I are civil engineers by education. During these moments, I always call her to come and appreciate them. Not so long ago we moved into our own apartment and finally, we made our own little LEGO room. It is often dominated by creative disorder!It's great when you enjoy your work. I have a goal to make my work, in the future, somehow LEGO-oriented.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
It's hard to single out a single favourite theme, but I'll try. Of the past themes, my favourites are Bionicle, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Bionicle is the theme that offered the greatest number of new, original elements. I noticed that even people who don't like Bionicle often used parts from them in their MOCs. As for Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, I don't think an explanation is needed!
Of the new themes, my favourites are Jurassic World and Creator Expert (especially the Botanical Collection). I look forward to the new sets.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
It is difficult to answer here. As I had to say goodbye to my entire collection, I would still leave three supercars: 42115 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37, 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS and 42083 Bugatti Chiron.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
It is quite difficult to choose one favourite element because they all provide great opportunities to create. But still, there is one iconic element for me. It is related to my second hobby; a metal detector, 4479. It is slightly different from modern metal detectors, but I think in the future and this detail will also be updated.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
Among official LEGO designers, I am most inspired by the work of Wes Talbott. The characters he creates are bright and amazing!Among the fan designers: Mitsuru Nikaido and his Mecha-creations. It is impressive how he uses LEGO parts to convey the shapes of animals; Alexandre Rossier, the vehicles he designs look fantastic! They both have projects on LEGO Ideas. I hope someday their ideas will be realized in real LEGO sets; I hope to build them.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
Almost every day I watch the news on Brickset and Instagram. But to find some ideas or inspiration I almost always go to Pinterest.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
I was inspired to create this model by an old wooden box in which my mother kept sewing supplies. I thought, 'why not make the same thing with LEGO bricks to store figures and accessories in it?'
- 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?
I had my mother's box in front of my eyes. I sat and looked at it, opened and closed. With these movements, she creaked a little. I repeated this so often that these sounds started to irritate my girlfriend! I tried to repeat the same dimensions and choose the most suitable hinge parts. Construction of the main model took two weeks (1-2 hours a day).
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
There were some important points here. The first was to determine the dimensions, choose the hinges and find the best place for them. The second was to make handles that can withstand the weight of the box. Next - choose a design. And this turned out to be the most difficult; I could not ask people to vote for an empty box, so I added a dragon, mini-figures and accessories for the game.
- 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 would make more models to choose from the best. I would also pay more attention to detail.
- 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?
The box was created fairly quickly. A little more time was spent on creating models that are inside and finding the details in the right colours. It took several months to create and design the project, and it took almost two years to reach 10,000 supporters.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It took almost two years! I followed the progress in the set of votes almost every day. And the day it happened, I was 10,000% happy.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
Approximately 1,500 parts.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
My favourite construction technique was used to create box handles. This part consists almost entirely of LEGO Technic pieces. Also, a special detail is the ability to insert LEGO Light bricks on the first three levels of the box (compartments can be illuminated when the box is opened).
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
You really have to be passionate about your idea and believe in it! Believe that this set can really be enjoyed by LEGO fans around the world.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I shared a link to my project in LEGO fan groups on Instagram and Facebook.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
LEGO Ideas set 21320 Dinosaur Fossils is my favourite LEGO Ideas set.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
The most attractive thing about this platform is that it gives everyone the opportunity to offer their idea for a new product! That's cool! I advise you to choose the idea that fascinates you personally! Then you will automatically try to make the best version of this idea.
- 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?
Definitely yes, but I still can't say what it will be.
