Welcome back! Today we celebrate Jonas Kramm and his wonderful LEGO Mushroom House. Inspired by the Forest Elf Minifigure coming with Series 22, Jonas has expanded on this creation and now he has a home. Let us know how much you love this project in the comments!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Jonas Kramm.
- Where are you from?
I'm living in Germany.
- How old are you?
26.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I’m working for a LEGO News Blog as an author and designer.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
I share my builds on Instagram and 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’m currently working with other builders on a group project where we build a Lord of The Rings vignettes series. Each scene captures one of the most iconic scenes from the books and movies. Some of my favourite scenes are the Caradhras, the Gate of Moria and Gandalf’s fight with the Balrog.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
I’ve been building LEGO since I can remember and always enjoyed imagining my own worlds with the bricks. I never saw a reason to stop creating and instead joined the amazing LEGO fan community to share my models with others.
- 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.
The LEGO hobby is a big part of my life, as it is part of my daily job and my biggest hobby. I love creating new things with LEGO bricks and the creative challenges it brings, like using pieces differently from their usual intended function. Also, I enjoy spending time with other enthusiasts and sharing my builds and techniques online or at fan events in person.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
My favourite theme is still The Lord of the Rings, so I’m really happy about the vignette series we’re building right now. The LOTR Minifigures are especially beautiful, so I wouldn’t mind if the LEGO theme returned as there are still some characters missing. How about a revival next year?
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
My favourite LEGO set from 2022 is the Horizon Tallneck (76989). The machine in the set does the amazing game justice and I adore the little Aloy Minifigure. Good job Isaac!
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
Usually, I prefer the very tiny pieces as they allow for the most details, but while building my Mushroom House I also got to love bigger elements, that represent rounded shapes. Especially the 4x4 quarter dome came in really handy to make my Mushroom as round as possible.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
I really adore all creations by Ben Tritschler, a.k.a modestolus. He is a huge inspiration when it comes to small details and discovering new pieces from old themes such as Scala and Belville. In August, Ben lost his fight against cancer, but his amazing creations will never be forgotten!
- Is there one or more particular LEGO-related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
StoneWars, RogueBricks and NewElementary
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
It all started with the adorable Forest Elf Minifigure coming with Series 22, which immediately made me imagine the world that they live in. I fell in love with the idea of making it a fantasy world where the Minifigures are tiny and live between life-size plants and fruits.
The inspiration to make the Forest Elves live in a Mushroom House came with the Minifigure itself, as it has a little Mushroom companion.I already did my first steps into the Tiny World of Wonders a few years ago for a building competition and now came back to the theme to grow it into a LEGO Ideas project.
- 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?
From the idea to the final model around, 5 months passed. It started with a digital sketching phase where I tried to find the right building techniques to make the Mushroom shape round while keeping it sturdy and easy to build. After I got my hands on the missing bricks, I could build the first real prototype and added more and more details.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
I built the iconic Mushroom spots with bricks instead of using decorated pieces (I don’t want them to end up as stickers). Various spot designs got tested, but the best one I could find uses white street signs.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
My Mushroom House hit the final milestone before the first month had passed and I couldn’t be happier! I’m really glad the ideas and execution of the project got such great feedback and I can’t thank you enough for your support.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
I used around 1100 pieces. A mix of bigger pieces to make the round shape of the Mushroom House and many small parts for all the details inside and outside the house.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
There are some part usages I’m really happy that made it into the model: the wheelbarrow uses a Construction Figure armour shoulder and the little water pump has a snake for the handle.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I did the digital prototyping in Studio by BrickLink, as it allowed me to see which pieces are available in which colour. In the end, I still wanted to have a physical model to prove that my project is actually buildable.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
The Temple of Happiness from Wochenender is worth a look! A beautiful Asian temple in a lush surrounding with many great details.
