ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Marc Sloan (aka SharkyBricks).
- Where are you from?
London, UK.
- How old are you?
36.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I’m a Senior Product Manager at a biotechnology AI startup.
- What hobbies do you have?
I love live music, playing guitar, photography, hiking, design, and of course, Lego.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
https://www.instagram.com/sharkybricks/
https://twitter.com/Sharky_Bricks
https://www.facebook.com/groups/260733482168258 - A community I created for fellow Lego map fans.
- 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?
Building Lego maps is one of my favorite things to do, and I'm especially proud of the topographical maps of the UK and USA I created for Lego Ideas before submitting "The Moon: Earth's Companion." It was through these experiences that I gained the skills to include all the intricate details in my Moon submission. In fact, I enjoyed building the UK map so much that I ended up buying the bricks and displaying it in my home.
I also love putting my own spin on existing sets and have made a Stegosaurus from the Fossils Lego Ideas set, as well as a made from the Stranger Things set.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
My love for Lego goes way back to my childhood days spent playing with my two brothers in Wales. I remember eagerly requesting Lego sets as Christmas presents and always having a box of bricks nearby to spill onto the floor.
- 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.
To me, Lego is a wonderful way to unleash my creativity and have fun. I enjoy the challenge of working within the constraints of the brick shapes and using my imagination to put them together in new and interesting ways. It's fascinating to me how Lego bricks can be used to create intricate designs and artwork that really take advantage of the 3D shape of the bricks.I also find a lot of inspiration and joy in viewing the amazing creations of others on Lego Ideas and social media. It's great to be a part of such a supportive and creative online community.
These days, I've been enjoying building Duplo bricks with my toddler and winding down in the evenings with a good Lego set. - 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 favorite Lego themes would have to be the modular building series and the NASA space-themed sets. I absolutely love the level of detail in the modular buildings, and I have a whole shelf dedicated to my own "street" of modular buildings in my house. And as a space nut, I find the NASA sets incredibly inspiring and exciting to build.However, the Lego Art series has had the most significant impact on my building style and preferences. While I love the concept of displaying Lego artwork in my home, I wasn't particularly interested in the pop art images or 2D mosaic approach that the series offers. So I decided to create my own Lego artworks, using the 3D effect of Lego to bring images to life. This led me to create my series of maps, which I am very proud of.
My Moon submission was a natural extension of my previous designs. I incorporated 3D terrain features and brought in new design elements to create a visually arresting piece that I hoped people would be proud to display in their homes.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
My favorite official Lego set would have to be the Old Fishing Store Lego Ideas set. I remember purchasing it the day it was released, and I even managed to get a signed copy from Robert Bontenbal. It was an absolute pleasure to build and the finished product was stunning. It really showed what could be achieved with Lego bricks and it was a wonderful, nostalgic, and inspiring set.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
My favorite LEGO element has to be the Wedge Plate 27° 2x2. As someone who loves to create maps and topographical features with Lego bricks, this piece has been incredibly versatile for me. I have used it in so many different ways to create interesting, rounded layers and shapes, and it's become my go-to piece for many of my builds.
- 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 quite a few LEGO designers, both official LEGO designers and fan designers, who have inspired me with their work. Robert Bontenbal is definitely one of my favourites. I absolutely love all of his designs, and his attention to detail and creative use of bricks always blows me away. Legotruman has also been a big inspiration for me and he showed just how good 3D Lego art could look with his Starry Night build. And of course, Chris McVeigh, whose layered "sketch" work has been a huge inspiration for me. I've taken a lot of inspiration from his designs and incorporated them into my own work. There are so many talented designers out there, and I feel incredibly lucky to be part of such a creative and inspiring community.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO-related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
I’m always inspired by all the great Lego maps work in the Lego Maps Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/260733482168258
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
As a child, I was fascinated by space travel, astronomy, and all things related to the cosmos. I vividly remember visiting the Cape Canaveral Space Center and feeling in awe of the rockets and spacecraft on display. This passion for space has stayed with me throughout my life, and it is what inspired me to create this Lego Art poster.Another interest of mine is maps. I enjoy creating highly detailed maps built out of Lego that convey topographical details in 3D. This passion has also influenced my approach to designing the Moon for this poster. I wanted to make sure that the unique craters and terrain features were accurately represented, and that the Moon's stunning topography was captured in as much detail as possible.
I'm also a big sci-fi and design fan. This has informed the cool, retro style of the poster. It has been enormous fun to bring all of these passions together in this submission.
- 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 centerpiece of the build is the highly detailed brick built Moon. To achieve this, I started with a high definition reference image, split it into a grid of Lego studs, and then painstakingly went stud by stud to translate it into a corresponding brick and colour in my design.I started with a traditional Lego Art approach of 2D dots but I wanted to bring it to life by making it more 3 dimensional. My next attempt was to add topographical texture by mixing in bricks, plates, slopes, and more.
However, one of the biggest challenges with this approach was finding the right balance between artistic license and accuracy. It was important to me that the design was both visually appealing and easy to recognize, while still being faithful to the moon's actual appearance, and took several attempts to get right.
With this in mind, I also knew that the design needed to include more than just the Moon, it needed to be something that space fans (like myself) would be drawn to and would want to proudly display in their homes.
I decided to style it like a poster and experimented with other aspects of the design such as the title, background, and adding other elements such as the scale, the phases of the moon, and the earthrise panorama.
The build was a true labour of love, taking over a year to design and perfect. But I'm glad that my hard work has paid off and I'm excited to have shared my creation with the world.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
Recreating the texture and shape of the terrain was definitely the biggest challenge for me. It took a lot of trial and error over the course of a year to get it just right. Whenever I hit a roadblock, I would take a break and come back to it later with fresh ideas.
The most difficult part was making sure that the model looked like the moon and not something else entirely (like a space station). We all know intuitively what the moon looks like, so any deviation from that was immediately noticeable. I went through many failed iterations that were either too confusing, too boring, or just didn't capture the essence of the moon. But I kept at it until I found the perfect design.
- 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?
Well done for keeping at it! I almost gave up on it many times and I wasn’t at all certain it would appeal to others or reach 10k supporters. Knowing it was going to succeed would have been a huge motivator to keep going.
- 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?
I worked on the model for about a year, putting in bits of effort here and there, until I finally decided to put in a more intense 1-2 months of work before submitting it to Lego Ideas. I'm happy it paid off and that I managed to get 10k supporters in just 1 month! I spent a lot of time promoting the project by creating eye-catching images to share, posting in various communities, and even reaching out to journalists to write about it. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it to see the response it received.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
It was an amazing feeling when I finally hit the magic 10,000 votes after just over a month of campaigning. To be honest, at first, I wasn't sure if my project was going to be well-received, but as the supporters started to grow faster and faster, I began to feel more and more hopeful. And then suddenly, I reached the goal and I was over the moon (pun intended)! After being a Lego Ideas follower for over a decade, it's such an honor to now be a part of the exclusive 10k club.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
Around 2300.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
My favourite part of the build is the brick-built earthrise panorama at the bottom. It's funny because originally, I had planned to put an Apollo mini build there, but couldn't submit it because of an IP restriction. So at the last minute, I had this out-of-nowhere thought to create the earthrise instead, and I'm glad I did because now it's become one of my favourite features! After months of working on the design, it's amazing how sometimes the best ideas can come to you at the very last moment.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I used the Bricklink stud.io software.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I designed some custom prints using Figma and then incorporated them into the design using stud.io’s parts designer.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
My advice would be to think about the "story" behind your design. It's not just about creating something that looks cool or is technically impressive – it's about creating a connection with your audience.For example, in my own design, I knew that it couldn't just be an accurate representation of the moon. I wanted to capture the idea that the moon is not just a lifeless rock floating in space, but something special that we all have a connection to. By incorporating the moon phases and the earthrise panorama, I was able to help tell that story and create a more meaningful experience for my audience.
So my advice would be to think about what makes your idea unique and how you can use that to connect with people on a deeper level. Don't just focus on the technical aspects – make sure your title, images, and description all work together to tell a cohesive and engaging story.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I shared it on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and also posted about it in relevant space and design communities.But I also wanted to reach a wider audience, so I did some research to find journalists who had written about Lego Ideas space projects in the past. I reached out to them and offered some text and images that they could use in their articles.
One tip I found helpful when contacting journalists was to try to make things as easy as possible for them. By giving them pre-written text and high-quality images, I made it much more likely that they would include my product idea in their coverage.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
The Old Fishing Store is my favourite, but I also love the Fender Stratocaster and Fossils sets. I’ve been seeing more 3D Lego Art related submissions recently and I’d love to see some original Lego artwork one day rather than recreations.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
I’ve followed the platform for over a decade. I think the sets that come out of it are often some of the best that Lego produces. I love that it gives Lego an opportunity to release one-off sets that are more creative and push the boundaries of what’s possible. And I love that it gives fans (such as myself) a place to showcase our own work while also dangling the golden opportunity of having your own real-life Lego set available for anyone to buy all over the world.
- 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?'Nothing planned at the moment, although I’m thinking about other map designs I’d like to work on and perhaps even some planets in the same style as the Moon poster.
If you're interested in keeping up with my future projects and submissions, be sure to follow me on social media! You can find me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Sharky_Bricks and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sharkybricks/ I can't wait to share more with you all soon.
By
Hani2