The Toy Show, London - Report

[Guest]

many thanks Mr Lego ( you really should change your handle Guy ! )

i quite agree, lol!

Also have you some more lego photos as thats the only photo of your work i believe ive seen!

[Guest]

i could bore you all totally senseless with stuff i have built... are you sure you want to see more ?

[Guest]

Guy,

We are all interested in modelling in its many forms and we all had Lego sets at one point or another in our lives.

I'd love to know a bit more about how you design some of these big commissions and how they are actually constructed.

[Guest]

ok heres a taste !







will post more if anyone is interested !

[wonwinglo]

*** A big yes to that,you will not bore us Guy,your models are unique and built from a medium that is basically square,that makes it special.

i could bore you all totally senseless with stuff i have built... are you sure you want to see more ?

[Guest]

in response to bunkerbarge,

the models we build are constructed in a fairly normal manner !-

the start of the process is to design the model, - obviously we dont have instructions to make a winston churchill head so we need to design and draw up our own, - we do this by drawing up plans on squared graph paper... each square is the same size as a LEGO brick, you draw the item you are designing in both plan and elevation on the squared paper..... if the shape is complex ( and they usually are ) you break down the shape into contours ( not unlike a map and contours upon it ) you then translate the contours on the paper into 3D sections with LEGO bricks.....this is easy as the squares ion the paper are the same size as the bricks....

we still draught all plans by hand - the reason for this is most models are dispalyed outside- as a result they are exposed to UV light and after about 6 - 8 yrs they need to be replaced as the bricks become faded and the structure weakens and becomes brittle......especially during winter months and the freeze thaw action !, - as we all know IT and software moves on, at least with paper plans we can get the plans back out 8 yrs later and remake the model.....

we always start at the bottom and work upward, - like making a sandwich ! after building up layer by layer you eventually end up with a 3D model.

each brick is bonded with a solvent cement, this is painted on to the top surface of each brick, the solvent cures in about 45 seconds, if you stick a part in the wrong place then we need to use chisels or razor saws to remove it, so we try and make any errors on the paper not on the finished glued model !- we rarely make a practice model we usually go from the plans straight into the final exhibition model..this is due to the timescales involved, if the model is very complex then we may do a quick mock up fist.....

all the models are generally hollow, not completely solid... every LEGO part used is a standard part, these parts are available from one of the sets offered for sale in the shops, We HAVE NO SPECIAL PARTS ! every model is just built up of 1000's of small parts.....

the models are hollow as each model is costed on the hours it took to build and the weight of bricks used....and we try and use the bricks to make models people can view rather than making solid models containing loads of bricks inside that no ne can see....

if the model is to 'move' then they often feature an internal stainless steel structure- this framework is designed to mount the motors or the pneumatic cylinders, it is not support the LEGO,

one drawback of making a big LEGO structure and then exhibiting it outside is the damm health and safety factors !

many non moving big models also have a framework insode to prevent the elements and wind and similar from damaging the structure or blowing it over- if members of the public walk under a LEGO structure then this also dictates an internal metal structure too...... safety is paramount......and so it should be !

any metal structure we have at LEGOLAND is also inspected annually for fatigue and all welds, joints and bearings are inspected also,

currently we are working on a new ' miniland ' area of LONDON, so busy building huge models of the lloyds building, canary wharf, the gherkin, BT tower, covent garden, and the houses of parliament.....

this exhibit covers 322 square meters, and the cost of designing and building this is huge- many bridges open and close allowing boats through, buses and cars travel down the streets, we have tower cranes that operate, we even have a fully working london underground and escaltors, lifts and so on....

we also have the eurostar that travels through the south of england to france

our modelmaking tasks cover 2 disciplines, one is miniland, a model village based on real buildings and places, the other discipline is 'show and event' models- these can be charachters, dragons, or giant formula one cars- no hjob is ever the same and every challenge is massively different- which is why i still enjoy and do my job after 13 years of LEGO brick sticking !

i run the department and we have 8 full time model builders and 4 specialist animators ( these guys are hydraulic/ pneumatic /coded welders/ motion control experts) but between us all there has never been a model we have not been able to design and make so far.......but i suppose there is always a first !

but at the end of the day its a very rewarding job, - i get paid to play !

but the serious side is safety and the comercial awreness of it all, we have tight budgets and deadlines to stick to and safety criteria to comply with, but it sure does beat any office job !

over the 13 years i have worked with LEGO bricks i have built all manner of stuff, from lifesize motorbikes to dragons, and then tiny little ravens for the tower of london in the model village area.....

as isay i could bore you all with morei mages,

but if anyone wants to set a challenge and ask a question or if we have ever built a certain item in LEGO then go ahead as we may well have done !

- the one thing the LEGO company has never asked us to build is anything connected with warfare, the company has strong ethical policies so we have never buil warplanes, tanks or aircraft carriers.......( but it does not stop the modelmaking team knocking one up after working hours !)

:-)

[Guest]

In 2009 it will be the 40th anniversary of mans landing on the moon how about a lifesize l.e.m and astronauts then Guy? to celebrate

[wonwinglo]

Guy many thanks for this very interesting insight into your model building industry,I found your explanations made really fascinating reading,there cannot be many people who get the job satisfaction that you do in your work producing these Lego masterpieces,and that is exactly what they are make no mistake.

The Health and safety aspects are certainly something that the public never think about,this is something that the many air museums have had to deal with also,it a child can swing on a pitot tube or get stuck up a jet intake then something has to be done to protect them.Also your notes about the wind blowing things over is true,some of your models must weigh a few tons in weight.

But most of all you are a true modeller in that when you go home you build more models !

[Guest]

Guy,

Really interesting stuff. Many thanks for sharing that with us and giving us a bit more of an insight into your work. I used to work for a firm that manufactured ski lifts and H&S was one of my biggest considerations. Some of the accident investigations I was involved with were unbelievable as to how someone could have got to where they were!

There can't be many people who have such job satisfaction as yourself, which, to me, has always been a major consideration.

Animatronics, of course, brings to mind my own employment with Disney and the things they get up to behind the scenes defies belief. We actually have an entire company, within Disney, which is tasked with developing new ideas into workable projects and all the employees of that company are supposed to be that rare breed of artists with an engineering appreciation. Hence the company is called "Imagineering"! I have been very lucky to be able to get to find out a bit about some of the engineering behind some of the more spectacular attractions in the parks which puts Marine Engineering to shame.

[Guest]

bunkerbarge you are exactly right about the imagineering, thats ecactly the same policy we have here- bringing the models to life within pre set safety criteria is a specialist/ engineering but also an art form, - in addition to this everything we design and build is in LEGO, its so much easier to animate a figure if it is covered in a flexible lightweight latex skin, this moves in many directions and has a degree of 'flex'

our dilemma is everything is clad in kilos of LEGO , which will not flex , in addition the movement is generally more linear which means tollerances need to be exacting, - if you have a movement that requires two sections to be telescopic or for parts to mate up exactly then thats what you have to do, if you are a fraction out then LEGO meets lLEGO, 2 rigid surfaces make contact, at least with Latex there is some ' give'- i have also spent time in these imagineering type depts, yes i can machine and fabricate, and yes i have several years experience in animatronics ( mostly Radio control based) I can design a PLC controlled pneumatic or hydraulic rig, but its creativity on a different theme- and i much prefer to concentrate on the aesthetics not the engineering/ internals !

so yes I too take my hat off to these individuals-who can do this day in day out, me, i feel i need the variation, and the design and models side of that is the route that best suits my skills.....

as for the healt and safety considerations then this is a growing part of my role, we theme all our rides with LEGO models, many of which are animated, every rollercoaster or flume ride has a 'safety envelope' anything around or in that envelope then needs to be assessed and built with these safety criteria in mind, you have to cover every eventuality....... but it keeps you on your toes ! and as wonwinglo said some of our creations are 2 or 3 tons in weight, - a recent model of a towerblock for canary wharf stands 6 m tall, and weighs in at nearly 1.5 tons, you dont want that falling over in high winds, we also have a 18 foot long giant fish hanging from the roof in one of our cafes, it has various moving parts, it weighs 1278kgs and hangs from the beams in the roof about 16 feet above our diners heads !

but for job satisfaction.... you cant beat it !

Nigel D, ref your comment about a mars lander / astronaught, then maybe, we have as a company ( LEGO) already sent 2 lego model astronaughts up into space on the mars discovery programme ( ok they were not lifesize) but there are 2 little LEGO guys in orbit now !

last year we built a whole area dedicated to space, this was based on the kennedy space centre and the pad 39 A.

i will try and dig out some images.....