Meet a member: jackiebritton
Posted by Huw,
Today we are talking to Jackie Britton who is photographed here wearing a fish on her head at a party after too much wine, apparently...
How long have you been visiting Brickset? Been a member?
I’ve been a member since late 2017 but I’m not sure how long I’ve been visiting. It’s one of the first websites I visit every morning.
What's your favourite/most used feature of the site?
I use the Amazon discounts list filtered by my wanted list a lot but my favourite feature (besides the articles of course) is probably being able to identify the elements unique to a particular set. I do a lot of toggling between Brickset and my wish lists on Bricklink.
What is your first LEGO memory?
Receiving one of the large sets in a wooden box for Christmas sometime in the mid to late ‘60s. I’m not entirely sure which one but probably a 700/K. I still use the box as storage, currently for my lesser used windows and doors.
Did you have a dark age and if so what caused you to emerge from it?
I had a grey age while I was at university and in my twenties but that was mainly due to lack of opportunity – my Lego was still at my parents’ house. I properly emerged and started buying sets again in my late thirties when the first Harry Potter sets came out, because I love castles.
What are you building right now?
I’m putting the finishing touches to a fantasy castle in pink and lime green which came about because a fellow member of London AFOLs gave me one of the balcony/battlement pieces in pink (part 6066) and I felt I needed to create a whole castle for it to feature in.
How do you store your LEGO?
I love the whole topic of sorting and storage, I could bore on about it for hours. I separate by general type of part then, particularly for rectangular bricks and plates, by colour. Smaller parts are in various sized drawers or segmented boxes but most are in ziplock bags in 9L Really Useful Boxes – four of which fit nicely on a large Ikea Ivar shelf.
I don’t generally keep sets built – I buy most with an eye to using their parts in MOCs so I build, enjoy for a while and then take apart and sort into storage. I also have a dangerous completist tendency which leads me to trawl Bricklink for long retired parts and colours that I might find a use for one day. That’s how I ended up acquiring rather a lot of Clikits.
Do you build MOCs? If, so what?
Oh yes, absolutely! Castles, urban architecture, fantasy buildings (e.g. Dr Seuss style), microscale, GBC, arty/sculptural things and, recently, puzzle boxes. For me, Lego is a great medium for responding to and representing the world around me. About ten years ago I went on some long international backpacking trips visiting UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
I wanted to do more than just take photographs and my drawing isn’t that great so I took a tiny kit of Lego instead, building microscale representations of the places I visited, or at least bits of them. I photographed them (in a variety of odd places – once on a traffic island to catch the last of the day’s sun) before carefully packed the parts away for the next one.
What part would you like LEGO to produce?
A plate with studs on both sides.
Do you have a presence on Instagram, YouTube or elsewhere?
Yes, I'm on Flickr.
Do you have any interests or hobbies other than LEGO?
Way too many! Alongside jewellery making and other craft activities, I collect historic architectural construction sets – all those building toys made before Lego and some more recently. Basically I love architecture, visit interesting buildings often, and want to create my own at every opportunity.
Are you a member of a LUG?
Yes, London AFOLs and Brickish
Thanks Jackie! Check back tomorrow for another interview with a member of our community.
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11 comments on this article
I'm not sure that I agree about the non-lego building sets, that just seems over the top. But I agree with the rest. Thanks for sharing @jackiebritton!
Well, fish is white meat and it's good for your brain!
I've never heard of it being prepared that way, though, but fair enough.
Love these articles and that photo is iconic!!!
"A plate with studs on both sides."
I second that!
Hi Jackie *waves*
@jackiebritton, I share your interest in architecture and, when I can, enjoy visiting castles, cathedrals and other places with interesting edifices.
In you World Heritage micro-builds, what is the part in blue and red you used to create the onion domes/finials?
@omnium said:
""A plate with studs on both sides."
I second that!"
i think everybody wants it for a while now. :D
I really want to see your pink and lime Castle!
@zander the parts used for onion domes are scala perfume bottles https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=6932d&C=7T=C&C=7
^ Brilliant part use! Thanks for your reply :~)
@560heliport I've just put some pics on Flickr, starting here: https://flic.kr/p/2iKzd6H