Take a train journey to the top of the mountain, and then visit the tavern garden at the Summit Station. You can show Baron von Barron your support for his creation in the comments below!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- What is your name?
Baron von Barron.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
As a child I was given LEGO® DUPLO® bricks, and later, LEGO® sets. I’ve continued building and playing with LEGO bricks ever since.
- What does the LEGO hobby mean to you? How does it fit into your life?
For me, it’s just a fascinating hobby that allows me to create something completely new every single day. It’s both exciting and stress-relieving at the same time, to come home from work and build, even if it’s just a teeny-tiny build or a small detail from a bigger build.. - What is your favorite LEGO theme (current or past)?
It’s the first Adventures series from 1998. The design and storytelling of these sets was just outstanding. My younger self even wanted to become an Egyptologist because of that awesome theme!
- What is your favorite official LEGO set ever?
It is without any doubt the Freight and Crane Railway (4565) from 1996. This set is just perfect in terms of design, functionality, and playability, especially if you consider the limited parts and color palette of those days!
- What is your favorite LEGO element?
It’s definitely the Minifigure. For me, LEGO creating just wouldn’t be the same without it, and I’m pretty sure that you won’t ever see a build of mine without Minifigures. For me, they add heart and soul to the little worlds we all love to build so much.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
Of course, there are many official and fan designers whose work I admire, but I think it would be rather unfair to emphasize just one or two in this context.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
I regularly visit https://www.stonewars.de/, https://www.promobricks.de/, and https://zusammengebaut.com/, mostly because of their awesome set reviews. So, I’d like to take the opportunity to thank them, these guys do a great job!
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
I grew up in South Bavaria, and we went to high-altitude destinations on the annual school hiking days. I must admit I didn’t really like it back then and, honestly speaking, probably still don’t to this day. I’ve always had a fascination with summit stations, especially in terms of logistics and architecture. The other crucial influence was the fact that I’ve already built a rack railway with a bottom station, and what was missing was the upper end. So here we go, a summit station simply had to be done!
- How long did the process of making the project take and what did you have to research?
As I’ve already visited a couple summit stations myself, I built most parts from my mind, but I also googled some bits to check accuracy or if my memories were playing tricks on me. It took about two months, over eight weekends, to create this idea.
- What special challenges or frustrations did you face creating the model?
I must say that it was a rather smooth building process compared to my very previous Ideas, but that’s because this one has very few technical components and is perhaps not so sophisticated. In the end, probably the toughest part was getting right all the angles where the two halves of the build meet in the center.
- 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?
If only I had known that in a few months the parts limit would increase to 5,000, I definitely would have waited! I would have been able to create a more coherent atmosphere, and maybe even go for a longer railway passage, or maybe a bigger cabin with more inventory… I’m a total fan of this rule change, so a huge shout-out to the ones who made this possible. I’m convinced you won’t regret it!
- How long did it take to complete the model?
It took about two months to create the Idea in total. So far, I’ve only told some friends about it and uploaded it to Reddit.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It took 70 days, and it was truly a wonderful moment. I’d created an Idea featuring a rack railway two years ago, which unfortunately didn’t pass the last milestone, so my hopes for this one weren’t too high!
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
3,000.
- What is your favorite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
It’s the rack railway wagon, of course, but I also like the way the cabin turned out. I must admit, it’s not quite the way I had it in my mind at first, but I’m content with the outcome.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
BrickLink Stud.io.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I created them with GIMP and applied them with BrickLink PartDesigner.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas Product Idea?
I’m not that good at anticipating which Ideas have success and which won’t, and this goes for both my own Ideas and the Ideas of others. But I guess a good main image is one of the keys, and if you do have social media, I suspect that it’s wise to use those platforms for promotion too. Apart from that, the subject of the Idea itself is a crucial factor, because I guess to be interesting it mustn’t be too simple or common, but also not too complex or niche. Quite a fine line!
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I’ve just told my friends and family about it, and I only uploaded it to Reddit, as I don’t use any other social media platforms.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
Besides the unparalleled variety of LEGO creations and the really lovely community, it’s foremost the basic principle that anybody has the chance to propose their Ideas, no matter their financial or social background. That’s just wonderful!
- 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?
Yes, of course. I don’t know when this interview will be published, but at the time of writing I’m working a new Idea. As always, it will be in Minifigure scale and deal with a rather technical topic.
