In a remarkable achievement, at the age of just 16, Alex Sahli (aka Galaxy333) has his second 10K badge! This fantastic recreation of a terrarium is inspired by Alex's passion for recreating nature in LEGO form. Leave a comment if you love this terrarium as much as we do!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
My name is Alex Sahli.
- Where are you from?
I am from Portland, Oregon.
- How old are you?
I am 16 years old.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I am still in high school, but I hope to study engineering in college.
- What hobbies do you have?
LEGO building is probably my biggest hobby. Besides that though, I love studying geography and travelling to new places, as well as playing soccer with friends.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
I sometimes post MOCs on Instagram, under @_galaxy_333_.
- 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 Tuscan Villa is one of the MOCs I’m most proud of. I put a lot of time and effort into it, and I think the final product turned out really well. I also think that style of architecture just looks really beautiful.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
I tend to like complex, displayable sets, which usually fall under the Creator Expert, Ideas, and UCS Star Wars themes. I try to make MOCs in a similar way too, with lots of realistic details.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
I like basic elements like jumpers and slopes because I end up using them in almost every build I create. I also like part 18969 (a hot air balloon panel) because people always find really creative ways to use it :)
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
I enjoy building plants and nature in LEGO form, and I thought a terrarium would be a great idea because of the customisation options. The botanical collection line of LEGO sets had recently started too, and I thought this project could make a unique addition to that theme.
- 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 took me about a week or two, working a few hours each day. I had to do some research on different plants, as well as lots of experimenting with LEGO bricks to get their shapes right. The first thing I designed were the jars themselves. After I was happy with those, I created all of the plants, which took a lot longer. Finally, I arranged them and added the “dirt” to the finished terrariums. I also updated the project a few times over its lifespan. These updates brought new plant designs, including cacti, to the model. They also helped to better explain the customisation feature where plants can be switched out and rearranged.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
The hardest, but also the most fun part of designing this model was recreating the plants. It can be difficult to create realistic looking, organic builds with LEGO elements sometimes. I went through a lot of designs before finally settling on the ones I used in my final project.
- If you could talk to yourself before you started on this project, what would you tell him? What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
I would tell myself to keep working hard at it and not to give up. I had only been on LEGO Ideas for about a month at the time, and I wasn’t sure my projects would be successful.
- 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 build time wasn’t too long; maybe about a week or two. I promoted it mostly at the beginning and then only a little bit later on.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It felt unreal. Another one of my projects had recently achieved 10,000 votes, but it felt extra special with the Terrariums since it was one of my first projects. In total, it took about seven and a half months to reach 10,000 supporters.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
About 2,000 pieces in the original version, and maybe another 500-800 pieces if you include the updates. However, the majority of these pieces are just small 1x1 tiles and studs for dirt and gravel.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
My favorite building technique in this model is using surfboard pieces to create one of the plants, since the shape works well for leaves. I also especially like the cacti that I added in an update later on.
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If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I used Stud.io, which I definitely recommend to anyone who is into building MOCs.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
It’s important to build something you are interested in and really push yourself to do your absolute best - not rushing it or cutting corners. Details, texture, depth, creativity, and uniqueness are all key to success, as well as promotion.
- 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 the ability to share your creations and see what other people have done, along with the chance for your idea to become an official LEGO set one day. Besides my advice in question 1, I suggest creating something new that hasn’t been done before.
- 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?
I am planning on submitting more projects in the future, probably something centered around architecture or nature, or maybe both!
