Welcome to today's 10K Club Interview. Meet Reepicheep90077 and his awe-inspiring WELCOME TO NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE 75TH ANNIVERSARY SET. Made as a gift for his children so they could recreate the scenes of the movies, this project is sure to be a favourite - not just in the family! Leave your support in the likes and comments!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Where are you from?
I am currently living in the USA
- How old are you?
45.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I work in the Information Technology field.
- What hobbies do you have?
Outdoor activities, spending time with my family, learning new things, and creating LEGO MOCs!
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
I just created my first social media account (Instagram: reepicheep900) to promote this Idea and will add more LEGO builds to it over time.
- 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 have created several MOCs for my kids – most are large fantasy world creations. My favourite recent MOC creation is a Lord of The Rings-inspired build I just did for a recent LEGO Ideas challenge – Amon Hen and The Falls of Rauros.An aspect that can’t be seen, but I think is pretty cool, is that much of the internal framing was built using bricks my mom had as a kid that she handed down to me.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
I received LEGO 6016 Knights' Arsenal as a gift when I was a kid and my love for LEGO bricks grew from there. My mom also handed me down some basic white, red, yellow, and blue bricks she had when she was younger. I would use up every brick I had to build a creation (usually a castle) and then start the process over again – there were never enough bricks as a kid!
- 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 really enjoy building LEGO sets with my kids… though I’ll admit I find myself still building long after they’ve left the room! Nonetheless, it is one of our favourite ways to spend quality time as a family. I have found LEGO building to be an excellent way to express my creativity; challenge myself to take on new perspectives, and decompress after a long week.
- 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 LEGO theme is a fusion of my childhood favourite and my kids’ favourite - Castle & Elves! Both themes are excellent on their own, but I think they are even better when combined! Combining these themes and introducing elements from other fantasy themed sets has led to all kinds of fun new designs.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
There are many amazing sets, but my first set ever holds a special place in my heart: LEGO 6016 Knights' Arsenal as it was my introduction to LEGO play.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
When my kids got to the age where they began enjoying LEGO building, I got back into the hobby as well. The sets they got were loaded with elements that allowed Studs Not on Top (SNOT) building techniques – I didn’t have many SNOT bricks when I was younger and found that they opened a whole new dimension of possibilities for me. I tell my friends that LEGO building is like a 3D puzzle for adults.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
There are a lot of creative designers, I’m inspired by the tremendous amount of creativity I see here on the LEGO Ideas site – there isn’t anyone in particular I follow.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
I’ve been reading through various book series with my kids. We read The Chronicles of Narnia series and then watched the movies. For days following, I overheard my kids recreating the various narratives from the book and acting them out with their LEGO Friends, Elves, Castle, etc. I was inspired by their imaginative play to design and build them an actual Chronicles of Narnia set.
- 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?
The process took two full months. I re-read portions of the books to make sure I got the details right and researched different visual representations of the custom carvings on the magic wardrobe. I also researched how to make custom decals, learned how to use a vector graphic editor, etc.
My process started with a sketch on paper of each component. I then built each component, using a lot of trial and error, with pieces I had (regardless of colour). Once the build was almost complete, I made a list of all the pieces I needed to find in the right colours and looked to see if I could order them. Some did not exist and some were too expensive, so I substituted in other elements. Collecting the right bricks was somewhat tedious, but very rewarding in the end!
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
One challenge I had when designing and building this set was that it was a gift for my kids – so I only built on it after they were in bed and I kept it hidden in my closet! The most difficult aspect of creating the model was finding the pieces in the right colours and making substitutes where they didn’t exist!
- If you could talk to yourself before you started on this project, what would you tell them? What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
My initial belief was that once I took a few pictures and submitted the Idea, the Idea would sit for a couple of years as it gathered support. I did not expect the level of support and engagement I received on the project and found myself responding to comments or feedback nearly every day. I think if I had known the time commitment, I would have prepared myself and my family with slightly more realistic expectations.
- 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?
It took me 2 full months to complete the Idea and submit it. It took 50 days for the Product Idea to reach 10,000 supporters.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
As the project gathered support, my kids were asking me every day how many supporters it had! When it reached 10,000 votes – we went out to dinner as a family to celebrate! The primary feeling I experienced was gratitude – grateful for the encouragement from my family and friends and grateful for the amazing community of supporters who brought the project to 10K far faster than I expected.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
One of my favourite aspects of the Magic Wardrobe is the collection of coats hanging in the closet with snow on the floor around them. When you open the doors of the wardrobe, they really provide depth to the build and draw you in – similar to how I imagine the magic wardrobe in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I put quite a bit of work into the custom decals for the magic wardrobe as I didn’t really have much experience creating & editing vector graphics. After I designed them, I had them printed on high-quality clear sticker paper. The stickers the LEGO Group provides are much better quality, but these got the job done and look really good on the wardrobe!
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
I’m not exactly sure, but I’d say you can’t go wrong with building something that has meaning to you, focussing on the details, taking good pictures, and sharing the idea with communities that can relate to it.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
This was one of the biggest unknowns for me and one of the reasons I almost didn’t submit the Product Idea – I didn’t have any social media presence when I submitted the project. I joined a few social media platforms and asked some friends to share it with their friends. There was a lot to learn and a lot of rules to be careful not to break! This wasn’t my favourite part of the process, but I will say that the feedback I received from various communities was overwhelmingly positive and I learned a lot.I also had the chance to make a little promo video for the project – I’m not sure it made a huge difference, but I had a blast with my kids making it!
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
I think the design and presentation of MarcoIntothewild’s Flying Insects – Insectum LEGO is genius. I love the part usage and all the tiny details.
- 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 great that the platform gives an opportunity for anyone to submit a project – even those who don’t have a large collection of LEGO bricks.
With that said, I would say to designers who build with real bricks - be prepared to compete with perfect digital renders. I had never done any toy photography, but realized I needed to take my time trying to get good photographs so that my idea would have a chance to catch attention amongst a sea of shiny pixel-perfect renders!
- 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?
Most of the MOCs I build are for my kids and are usually way too large to be LEGO Ideas, so it’s not likely, but who knows when inspiration might strike!?
