Meet a member: Modeltrainman
Posted by Huw,
Nick, aka Modeltrainman, on the right of this picture, has a birthday today, so asked if I could publish this to coincide with it.
What is your first LEGO memory?
A red Technic 3 in one set.
Did you have a dark age and if so what caused you to emerge from it?
Nope. I’ve never had a dark age, and don’t plan to. And, every time I see that written, I imagine knights, castles, and people thinking LEGO is as, um… surprising as the sword in the stone.
Which set or theme has been most influential upon you, as a LEGO fan?
I’ve been a Disney fan my entire life. I was born with Cerebral Palsy, and have always had a weakened immune system, so I grew up wanting LEGO Disney sets.
In 1995 when I was 6, I wanted LEGO Toy Story. Only took 15 years! Rex is my favourite Toy Story character, so I HAD to have him!
What are you building right now?
Disney stuff I can’t really talk about, because they’re for IDEAS projects, but I will say, I’ve spent weeks trying complicated geometry for one, and shocked myself. Fun fact, because of my CP, I build with one hand, my right being used to hold down my work.
How do you store your LEGO?
Oooh. That question. Looks at parts count, grimaces. By colour! I know, I know, but here’s the thing. I’m not sure how to sort all of my parts, yet. Reading Brick Architect’s LEGO Storage Guide, haven’t tried those ideas. In Sterlite boxes.
Do you build MOCs?
Disney, Trains, anything that seems neat.
What is your favourite part?
30367 Final Brick, 2x2!
Funny story, I called LEGO for a bunch in different colors, they were confused about why I wanted about 100. Once they heard about my LEGO Ideas Up house, they were super excited!
What parts would you like LEGO to produce?
I really want a goat for My Casey Jr. model, but I want to have a hand in designing it.
I'd also love a male lion, Indian elephant (no tusks,LEGO made African ones in 2003) minifig scale Disney Pluto, dark blue steam locomotive wheels, green ones, as far as minifigs, more Disney! Hiro Hamada, the rest of Big Hero 6, Ralph, Vanellope, oh, and a minifig scale Pumbaa, and non Disney variant warthog!
Do you have a presence on Instagram, YouTube or elsewhere?
Instagram: ModelTrainmanDisneyFan, Twitter: AvaSLCTrainman (follow me, if you like, been trying for years to get @LEGO_Group to follow me, but no luck yet: I’m not Will Arnett, after all!
What is the availability of LEGO like where you live?
The local Walmart is SLOW to get new polybags. You know, speaking of polybags, my dream one would be a Toy Story one, but kind of an extended universe one. Rex smashing a microscale city, with printed 1x1 bricks and the 1x1 pyramid bricks in black… It’d be adorable, and a great parts pack.
Do you have any interests or hobbies other than LEGO?
Reading, (the Bible is my favorite book), eating dessert, family friendly video games
How long have you been visiting Brickset?
It has too long to know, but probably used since 2001, member before 2010…
What's your favourite/most used feature of the site?
Easy, part collection. I love going in, and seeing what parts I should have, then mentally yelling “TO BRICKLINK! ,” or “To B&P!” when I need a part. At least, I try to keep it in my head.
Are you a member of a LUG?
Not yet. LEGO doesn’t seem to be popular where I am.
Have you been to a LEGO event?
I have not, but BricksCascade sounds fun!
Oh, and you didn’t ask this, but builders I admire are Tyler Clites, Boone Langston… Kara and Jessie should’ve lasted longer on LEGO Masters…
Thanks Nick, and happy birthday!
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29 comments on this article
Cheers and happy birthday fellow Brickset reader!!! Good luck with your Ideas project!
Happy Birthday, Nick!
Happy birthday Nick!
Happy birthday Nick!
A lot of us want a goat, Nick:) Enjoy your birthday!
Happy birthday Nick !
Happy birthday - wow that's a long wishlist of cool figures :)
fingers crossed some of those come to plastic sooner or later!
Many happy returns, Nick!
LEGO has done a goat, though not currently. You can get it on the secondary market but it isn’t cheap.
La Multi Ani, Nick! (romanian language)
Happy Birthday, Nick. And many more.
Happy Birthday!!!
Happy birthday, Nick!
I suspect most of us don't wind up with a parts-based sorting system that works for us overnight - lots of trial and error...
Happy Birthday Nick!
Happy Birthday Nick!
Happy birthday!
Have a very happy birthday, Nick!
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday , Nick!
I really wish LEGO would make some Toy Story polybags too. It's such a fun universe and scale to explore.
Great interview I must say.
Have a fabulous Birthday Nick and I hope all your presents have that distinctive LEGO rattle sound!
@The_Teenage_Brickster said:
"Happy B-Day! Good luck on your Ideas Projects!"
Thank you! Can't wait to share more on, one! It's nearly ready!
Happy birthday, Nick!
@Trigger_ said:
"Happy birthday, Nick!"
Thanks @Trigger!
So, I just want to thank @Huw for the opportunity! I'm pretty shy, offline, so making new friends online, then meeting in real life eventually works pretty well. Thank you for all the birthday wishes, everyone! Means a lot! I love LEGO, and Brickset. I guess now, I have to put A LOT more MOCs up!
It’s actually my brother’s, cousin’s and grandmother’s birthdays as well! Must be a popular date!
Anyway, happy birthday Nick. Good luck on Ideas!
So the good news, and bad news, is that they already make a lot of Disney stuff. The bad part is that people have not had much luck in getting Disney IP through Ideas. Wall-E passed, but the fact that Angus MacLane proposed it may have helped. The other three were Tron, Steamboat Willie, and Winnie the Pooh. Anything tied to the amusement parks is a hard no, as that's noted on their restricted IP list. Other Disney IP has been turned down with no explanation. But don't let that keep you from trying to join the 10k Club.
On the plus side, they _do_ make other Disney sets. More specifically, they make Disney CMFs, so more minifigs seems like a safe bet (though no telling which IP they'll draw from). Oh, and a goat already exists:
https://brickset.com/parts/design-96089
@bekuehn:
I'm only okay with it if they don't make it as hard to collect them as they did the first time. For Toy Story 3, they did four. Target got the Green Army Man polybag (I kinda wish I'd bought more than one...or at least more of the battle pack), TRU got the Claw Alien (and I bought a ton of them)...and the Buzz/Woody polybags appear to have been exclusive to a UK paper promotion. I paid through the nose to pick up those last two because between the two polybags there were only three copies left on Bricklink at the time.
Have to say really enjoyed this interview, love your avatar design & also Happy Birthday!
@Modeltrainman said:
"So, I just want to thank @Huw for the opportunity! I'm pretty shy, offline, so making new friends online, then meeting in real life eventually works pretty well. Thank you for all the birthday wishes, everyone! Means a lot! I love LEGO, and Brickset. I guess now, I have to put A LOT more MOCs up!"
Wow, John Vignocchi popping up on Brickset! 2020 is strange indeed.
@uwfan, he's actually a friend of mine. Met him in 2014, and I helped launch Disney Infinity 2.0, and 3.0!
@MTimes3, thank you! I'm late in seeing this!