Back for an incredible 4th time, we're sure John Cramp, a.k.a. Bricked1980 needs no introduction! Inspired by a previous unsuccessful 10K project, John has built the iconic RED LONDON TELEPHONE BOX. Let us know if you'd love to see this as the next LEGO Ideas set!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
John Cramp.
- Where are you from?
I’m from Leicester, England.
- How old are you?
42 years young.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I work for a local history/heritage centre and part of my role involves marketing and promotional work as a graphic designer.
- What hobbies do you have?
LEGO building is my favourite hobby but I also love expressing my creativity in other ways too, especially drawing and painting. I also have a keen interest in history and nature and love spending time outdoors with my family.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
Yes, you can find me on Instagram and Twitter @bricked1980. I also post my MOCs on Flickr.
- 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’ve created lots of MOCs. One I’m particularly proud of is The Village Post Office which was another one of my projects here on LEGO IDEAS. It went on to reach 10,000 votes faster than any of my other projects but sadly didn’t get past the review stage. The post office also featured a small phone box which was partly my inspiration for designing a bigger more detailed version for my latest London phone box project.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
I’ve been a fan of LEGO building since I was a child but as an adult, my interest was reignited in a big way about 10 years ago when my children started playing with LEGO bricks. I started designing my own MOCs about 5 years ago.
- 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.
I find building with LEGO bricks very therapeutic and a great stress relief. I enjoy building on my own but also love getting the family together to build our latest LEGO sets. At the time of writing this interview, we’ve been busy putting our annual winter village display together. It’s just great fun and the LEGO hobby is a really important part of my life.
- 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 love modular buildings and collecting these is what inspired me to start building my own MOCs. As a child, I loved all the classic themes like Pirates, Town and Castle.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
Hard to choose a favourite but the model that blew me away and got me interested in the MOC building was Assembly Square. More recently I was really impressed with Pirates of Barracuda Bay. It’s an incredible set to build and is a great throwback to the Vintage Pirates theme.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
Any parts with extra studs on the side like 87087 are my favourites. These are incredibly useful and having the studs on the side opens up all sorts of possibilities for different building techniques.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
I’ve always been inspired by Jamie Berrard. He has a real talent for designing beautiful models packed with intricate details. I’d love to see a new modular building designed by him at some point. In terms of fan designers... there are many very talented and inspiring designers here on LEGO IDEAS and I’m always very impressed with the work of @Bricky_Brick and @Brickester (formerly Lepraleg0) amongst others.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO-related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
I’m a daily visitor to Bricksfanz, Brickset and Brick fanatics. I also get a lot of inspiration from seeing MOCs on Eurobricks, the Brothers Brick and Instagram.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
For this IDEAS project, I wanted to build something iconic and something I felt would appeal to both LEGO fans and people who are not necessarily big LEGO fans as well. Being born and bred in Great Britain I’ve always loved the classic red phone boxes which have become British cultural icons and are recognised around the world. I think a LEGO version of one of these would make a great display model and would fit in well as part of the LEGO IDEAS 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?
I spent around a month building the model but a couple of weeks on top of this doing research as well. Over the years there have been several variations of the famous red phone box and they are still a common site in towns and villages throughout the UK. I decided to base my model on the “K2” version of the phone box which was made exclusively for London and will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2024.
To start with I only intended to build the telephone box but I decided to add the red pillar box, street lamp and other features to add some variation and extra detail to the model.
Later on, I added an update to the model so it now includes a light brick built into the roof to illuminate the interior of the phone box.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
Definitely, the hardest part was the roof. These have a characteristic curved shape which I found difficult to recreate with LEGO bricks. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out in the end though.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
The model took about 20 weeks to reach 10K. This is my fourth model to reach that milestone and it was a super exciting moment as always, especially on the last day as the final votes came in. Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to vote for the model.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
The model uses approx 1860 pieces.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
One of my favourite parts of the model can be found inside the telephone box. I recreated the famous “Keep Calm and Carry On” vintage poster but with a LEGO twist.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I built the model using a combination of LEGO digital designer and Mecabricks. The images are rendered using Mecabricks as well.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I did make some custom prints for the model. I created them with Photoshop and added them to the model using Mecabricks.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
It can take a lot of time and effort to promote your model so I think it helps to choose a subject matter that you care about and are personally interested in and not just something you’ve designed because you think it would appeal to other people. Take your time designing your model and make sure all your images and product description are as eye-catching as possible before you submit the project to LEGO IDEAS.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
Mostly social media, Instagram and Twitter. I was also lucky enough to be staff picked here on LEGO IDEAS which pushed me towards the top of the homepage and definitely helped to boost my votes.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
My favourites are Pirates of Barracuda Bay, the Treehouse and Medieval Blacksmith. I’m also hoping to add the Motorised Lighthouse to my collection.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
To have a set I’d designed, produced as an official set would be a childhood dream come true. I’m sure many AFOLs would say the same and the fact that LEGO IDEAS can make that dream a reality is very cool indeed. To anyone thinking of uploading a design, I would say definitely go for it. You never know unless you try.
- 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 do have ideas for future models so watch this space, I’ll hopefully be back with a new product idea soon.
