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10K CLUB INTERVIEW: GILMORE GIRLS

Welcome to today's 10K Club Interview. Meet Maria Rosaria, aka. Marodipietro, and her inspiring GILMORE GIRLS creation. Inspired by the American comedy-drama television series, this set includes 2953 pieces and 9 Minifigures. Leave your support in the likes and comments!

 

ABOUT YOURSELF

  1. Who are you?
    My first name is Maria Rosaria, and my last name is Di Pietro. 
     
  2. Where are you from?
    I was born in Palermo (Sicily), but I have been living in Milan since 2012. 
     
  3. How old are you?
    38, but despite the passing years, I am getting younger! 
     
  4. What do you study or do for a living?
    I work in a Bank Internal audit. 
     
  5. What hobbies do you have?
    I like photography and cooking, painting and drawing, and obviously, playing with LEGO. 

     
  6. Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
    No, I have not.
     
  7. 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?
    I created other projects which you can see on my own Lego Ideas profile.  I am particularly proud of the “New Girl Loft” project and I hope it can get the 10k likes to be assessed by LEGO. 
     
  8. How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
    I have liked playing with LEGO since I was young. Then I met my husband and he also liked LEGO so we started collecting them. We often like to spend our time looking at the latest in store choosing our new set and building it together. 
     
  9. 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.
    Creating LEGO MOCs for me is a moment of relaxation, while building sets represents a moment of sharing with my family. When we complete them and play with them, I feel like being in a movie scene or in a TV series that I love. I recently became a mother, so I hope I can involve my daughter in this interest of mine. I hope one day that my daughter and I will build a LEGO MOC together. 
     
  10. What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
    Disney is my favorite theme because I love all Disney productions. Even though I’m 38, I still enjoy watching cartoons. Nevertheless, the Friends theme inspired me!
     
  11. What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
    I love the Disney Castle and I bought it last Christmas!  
     
  12. Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
    I like minifigures. I like to try all the combinations of pieces to reach the faithful copies of the original characters (hair, faces, clothes, etc.) 

     
  13. Is there one or more particular LEGO-related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by? 
    There is not any particular website but I like the LEGO Masters TV Show. 


     

ABOUT YOUR PROJECT

  1. Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
    I have been watching this TV series since I was at school. I like the setting, the characters, the dialogue, and the storytelling. My mother and husband say that I speak like the protagonist, Lorelai! 
     
  2. 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?
    My first attempt took almost more than a month. This second attempt took a little less because I only improved the first project. However, I had many more difficulties because I was working on an already “completed” project. 
     
  3. What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
    The most difficult challenge was modeling and creating the opening mechanism of the rooms. My target was to allow a viewer to look inside each room, so the re-arrangement of the furniture, and at the same time, the implementation of the opening mechanism, without modifying the original setting, was very, very hard. 
     
  4. 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?
    “Does it make you feel good? Just do it, why not." 
     
  5. 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? 
    I completed my project in a month, then it took about three months to promote it. 

     
  6. How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take? 
    After my first attempt, I received so many messages of support from fans all over the world that I decided to try again. So when I reached the 10k goal again, I realized that it was absolutely worth trying again! I really hope this time LEGO decides another way, not only for me but mainly for all the people who supported this project twice.
     
  7. Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model? 
    After many reviews, I used 2953 bricks.
     
  8. What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
    The room-opening mechanisms.  

     
  9. If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
    I used Studio.
     

     

ABOUT LEGO IDEAS

  1. Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
    Work on something you like and have fun during the process! 
     
  2. What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
    I promoted my idea with my family, friends, and fans through social media.
     
  3. What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
    I very much like Fantozzi (my husband is already a big fan!) and Venice. 

     
  4. What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
    The possibility to submit a project to a professional review. Furthermore, I like very much the fact that anyone idea could reach success. 
     
  5. Do you have plans to submit any other Product Ideas in the future? If yes, can you give us a hint what that might be?
    I already submitted two more projects (New Girl Loft and BackStreet Boys.) I hope I can reach 10K with those projects too. 
  • 10k club
  • 10k club interview
  • product idea
  • gilmore girls
  • marodipietro
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