This round of interviews is coming to an end today, and it's time to meet the last creator in this review period, and our new 10k Club member - Sebastien (Seb_E)! His creation Floating Island (Using Tensegrity) is a microscale construction that represents a small island floating above a dark city and features an unusual structure - tensegrity.
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Hi, my name is Sebastien Esnault.
- Where are you from?
I am from France.
- How old are you?
I am 43 years old.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I’m a chemist for a research institute developing process for alternative energies and chemical recycling of plastics.
- What hobbies do you have?
My favorite hobby is traveling in France and all around the world with my wife and our children. I also like paragliding, playing rugby and of course LEGO building.
- 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 am proud of my creations “Baby Dragon” and “Giant Minifig” submitted on LEGO Ideas. These creations, unfortunately, did not reach 10K but they were very appreciated by the community and even served as inspiration for some other designers.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO come about?
My interest in LEGO began around the age of six when I received my first LEGO Space set. I spent the next decade creating incredible stories and constructions with my brothers and friends.
It faded in my late teens until I rediscovered LEGO almost 20 years later when my children in turn received their first sets. At that time, I discovered a lot of new parts and new colors. The magic was back.
- 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.
For me, LEGO is synonymous with creation. With enough bricks, you can create almost anything you want.
About the floating island, LEGO gave me the opportunity to create with bricks something that does not exist in any other form.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
There are a lot of sets that I like in a variety of themes. Generally, my favorite sets are the most original. So it's pretty obvious that my favorite theme is LEGO Ideas.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set? Why?
70840 Welcome to Apocalypseburg.
I generally prefer smaller sets and didn't like the movie 2. However, I think this set is a masterpiece and brings together everything I love in a LEGO set.
I appreciate the originality of the topic, atmosphere, design, colors, and building techniques. This set is gorgeous, fully playable, and contains a lot of very funny details and references.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
There are obviously a lot of very interesting elements and it is this diversity that makes the building experience so rich.
If I had to choose only one, it would be LEGO part 4070 because I think there is no other part that can perform as many functions and solve as many building issues like this one.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
I love the creations of Mitsuru Nikaido. Everybody knows how the making of curved shapes with LEGO bricks is a real challenge. I think his series of Mecha Animals, using only 2 colors, is totally amazing.
https://ideas.lego.com/profile/Mitsuru%20Nikaido/entries?query=&sort=top
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
The first time I saw a tensegrity structure, I immediately thought it would be great to use this principle to make a floating island with LEGO bricks.
This idea first remained dormant because I did not know how to explain the principle of tensegrity to everyone through a submission on the platform.
When the "tensegrity storm” hit the LEGO world, I thought the time had come.
- 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?
I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do, but I had never done microscale creation before. So I selected a small inventory of parts with different shapes and small sizes compatible with this scale. This step was truly decisive. With such a small inventory, construction finally turned out to be quite quick.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
To create a tensegrity structure, I was very limited by the size and the weight of the floating island.
Knowing this, the biggest challenge was to create a harmonious design that was both small and strong. For this, the surrounding wall of the castle was the most complicated part to build.
- 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?
Submit it! Submit it! Submit it!
I never would have imagined that this idea would be supported with such enthusiasm.
I almost didn't submit it. If I hadn't been lockdown because of the pandemic, this idea most certainly would never have seen the light of day.
Luckily, I did it!
- 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 worked about thirty hours on this project on a weekend. My wife was desperate to see me so obsessed with this creation! (I love you, my dear!)
It took about two months to reach the first 5,000 supports and almost 1 year to get the next 5,000.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
Relieved. I had been convinced for a long time that the project would reach 10K but the wait was really very long.
Now that the pressure is off. I feel proud and, above all, very grateful to the 10,000 people who supported this project. When you think about it, 10,000 people is huge!
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
I used just over 1000 parts to build this model.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
Although this is a very simple detail using only 4 parts, I love the windmill greatly participating in the atmosphere that I wanted.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I used Studio to build and render the model.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
Having a good idea is a good start, but it is not enough. Unfortunately, many great ideas will never reach 10K.
Although the time to collect support is very long, the future of your project is decided in the very first days after submission. It is therefore very important not to rush and take the time necessary to ensure that your submission is the best it can be.
Be original, be creative, pay attention to the details and presentation and prepare your promotion before submitting.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I’m really uncomfortable with using social media. So I haven't done any promotion around my product idea.
I strongly advise against following my example because I understand very well how important and often essential the promotion is to reach the 10K.
So I would like to warmly thank all the people, influential or not, who shared my idea with those around them and enabled it to reach 10K.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
I have seen a lot of animal crossing projects on the platform. In my opinion, the legotruman project really stood out and was really, really good. This project will apparently not reach 10K but I think it deserved it.
https://ideas.lego.com/projects/fe7cf45c-845a-471d-a473-e7c16ce6aea8
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
LEGO Ideas allow everyone to realize the dream of becoming a LEGO designer. The holy grail is obviously to see one of his ideas become a real LEGO set. But participating in contests or simply sharing your creations is already an incredible opportunity.
Tip: An idea that has not yet been submitted to the platform is not necessarily a good idea. Take the time to read the submission rules carefully.
- 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 have several projects in mind but unfortunately do not have enough time to devote to them. I hope to be able to share one soon. In the meantime, I prefer to preserve the surprise.
By
Kamila9