NINE-NINE! Introducing the 99th Precinct Ideas Submission, perfect for fans of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Hear all about BenFankhauser's BROOKLYN NINE-NINE project here and be sure to congratulate him for reaching 10,000 supporters in the comments below!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Ben Fankhauser.
- Where are you from?
Australia.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I’m a High School teacher.
- What hobbies do you have?
I love building my LEGO creations!
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
Yes, you can find most of my stuff on my Instagram, @LEGOBrooklyn99.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
When I was younger, I was regularly gifted LEGO City sets and LEGO Harry Potter sets. My passion for LEGO has continued ever since!
- What does the LEGO hobby mean to you? How does it fit into your life? E.g. build, display, meetups, play the games or 'just' watch the cartoons.
I would say I’m an avid fan of building the sets, interacting with LEGO Ideas, and creating my own LEGO Ideas projects.
- What is your favorite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
It has to be a tie between LEGO Harry Potter and LEGO Star Wars! The sitcom LEGO Ideas sets have also been great inspirations for me.
- What is your favorite official LEGO set ever? Why?
I would definitely say the LEGO UCS Millennium Falcon. It’s so impressively large and detailed, and is always such a showstopper for anyone who sees it.
- What is your favorite LEGO element? Why?
I love the 2x2 tile piece, which is the most-used piece in this set. There’s something so satisfying about a SNOT build and clicking these pieces into place is very pleasurable.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
I am very fortunate that this is my third time reaching 10,000 supporters for the 99th Precinct! I’m a massive fan of the show, and I think the police precinct setting and fact that B99 is a sitcom both lend themselves perfectly to LEGO! My drive to continue submitting the project and ensuring it reached 10K three separate times comes from the overwhelming fan support. It’s clear this is a set that people want made! I feel I have a responsibility to keep submitting the project for as long as people keep voting for it.
- How long did the process of making the project take and what did you have to research? What kind of prep, research and design phases did you go through to produce your creation?
After getting to 10K for the third time, I completely re-built the precinct. I’ve learned a lot about stability and connectivity lately and have made a conscious effort to ensure the build is as stable and supported as possible, especially at the base and the main wall sections. I also spent a lot of time making sure I was using as many pieces that are currently in production as possible. There are some exceptions to this – doors, windows, etc. – but largely the set is all built from parts currently being made, and I hope this would increase the likelihood of production.
- What special challenges or frustrations did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
Balancing part and color availability with stability and aesthetics was particularly challenging, but I think the end build looks incredibly similar to the 99th Precinct and is an accurate representation.
- 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?
I’m grateful for how everything has worked out, and I wouldn’t want to change anything.
- 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 re-do of the model took me a full day of constant work. I would say this project has become an entity and has its own following. I did almost no promotion this time, and so reaching 10K again is a testament to the strength of the idea and the dedication of the Brooklyn Nine-Nine fans.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
Excited! This submission took just a quarter of the length of time to get to 10K than my second submission. It’s insane! This is the most optimistic I’ve ever been about my chances of getting this build made!
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
I think it’s around 1,550-1,600 bricks. I’m not entirely sure, because a lot of the set is grouped into sub-builds, to make the instructions a bit easier.
- What is your favorite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
I am really proud of how the desks worked out! I am particularly happy with my decision to make each desk fit on a small 6x8 plate, because it makes the build process a bit easier and also allows them to be moved around.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
Studio.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I used Part Designer for Studio and Photoshop for my designs.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas Product Idea?
I can only really speak for IPs. If you want to submit an IP project, you’d better be a super fan of whatever you’re submitting! Your passion will definitely show through the project and people will be able to tell how invested you are. You need to be the biggest fan of your project for it to succeed!
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
This time I just posted updates to my Instagram, but I was fortunate to have a few news sites post about the project too, which helped!
- What is your favorite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
Am I allowed to say the Brooklyn Nine-Nine project has been overlooked? Third time’s the charm!
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
I think it’s the added level of formality and presentation that you have to live up to when submitting your projects. It definitely separates this site from other MOC LEGO sites. It’s also the fact that you could potentially end up with your own creation becoming a real set!
- 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 will have to see how this goes first, but if there’s enough support for it then I will keep on submitting this idea!
By
JacobM366