Meet a member: WRTyler
Posted by Huw,
Our featured member today is WRTyler, who's a retiree in Salt Lake City.
What is your first LEGO memory?
One of the pirate sets, though I couldn’t tell you which one. It was bought for my son as a gift.
Did you have a dark age and if so what caused you to emerge from it?
I am unusual when it comes to a history with LEGO. I never had them as a kid, it was Tinker Toys and Erector sets for me. I first started building with LEGO about 3 ½ years ago, after I retired. So…no dark age from which to emerge.
Which set or theme has been most influential upon you, as a LEGO fan?
21022 Lincoln Memorial. When I found the Architecture series, I was totally hooked. Every MOC I have built over the past 3 ½ years has been based on that set.
What are you building right now?
I am building the same MOC I started when I first got hooked on LEGO, the National Mall in Washington D.C. I didn’t realise at the time it was going to turn into a multi-year project.
How do you store your LEGO?
Loose LEGO is sorted by colour, then by size, then by part. For everyday access, I use 40-compartment clear plastic craft boxes. For bulk storage I use ArtBin satchels.
Do you build MOCs? If, so what?
Well, I haven’t built multiple MOCs, I’ve only built, and continue to build, one. However, my list of MOCs I *hope* to build keeps getting longer.
What is your favourite part?
I have to agree with Ben, benbuildslego, it’s the jumper plate. Critical for getting micro scale builds to look correct.
What set/theme/part (take your pick) would you like LEGO to produce?
Part? Since I only have done micro scale architecture, it would be a 1 x 1 square plate with an open stud.
Theme? I’m not sure many will agree with me, but I would like LEGO to drop the entire Skyline idea and focus on what made the Architecture theme so interesting…iconic structures or buildings by iconic architects.
Do you have a presence on Instagram, YouTube or elsewhere?
Flickr and I use it more as a diary than a place to show off my work. I needed a place where I could keep track of what I had done so when / if I had to go back and change something, I had a visual reference. The fact the people can look over my shoulder to watch progress is a bonus.
Do you have any interests or hobbies other than LEGO?
I enjoy photography and hiking.
What's your favourite/most used feature of the site?
I check the news every day. Occasionally I will look at what is being discounted. I use it extensively to find what parts have been used on a particular set.
Have you been to a LEGO event?
I have attended several different events over the past couple of years. Bricks Cascade is my absolute favourite, but there are so many more I want to attend and haven’t had the chance yet.
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17 comments on this article
Wow, that is fantastic!
Couldn't agree more about the Architecture line. I'm fine with the Skyline series, but I do wish they'd go back to 'proper' architecture, like the Villa Savoye, the Farnsworth House etc. Given the number of iconic buildings there are to choose from, I'm baffled as to why we're already on the second iteration of some buildings, like the Empire State Building. Got to feed the gift shop / tourist market I guess.
Love that Washington setup - I'll go and have a look at your Flickr account, but I'm trying to get a sense of scale. How long is the MOC? I'm guessing five to six feet?
Man that is an impressive MOC! Keep up the great work! Can't wait to see the finished project.
Wow Great job on that MOC
@BooTheMightyHamster said:
"How long is the MOC? I'm guessing five to six feet? "
Zooming in and guestimating stud counts, I'd say more like 20 feet long. But the Flickr page is worth a look regardless; some of the museums even have interior detail, and the whole thing lights up, too.
@WRTyler
I thought I was alone in the detail that I started with LEGO as an adult. I too never had them as a child, we were too poor. But I started buying for my children and got hooked. Thankfully I now have a good career and can overcompensate for my childhood by buying a ridiculous amount of LEGO :)
Wayne is a great guy. Have the pleasure of visiting with him two consecutive years at Bricks Cascade. His National Mall is incredible!
Awesome work.
& I agree on the architecture line. I hope for less skylines... I prefer the products like the 2009-2015 run
I'm pretty sure I've seen this project blogged a while back, maybe a year ago. The story just sounds too familiar to be coincidence. I remember at the time I did a bit of research into what, exactly, the National Mall consists of...and found that the answer is very messy. The actual National Mall technically only includes the open grounds between the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument (but excluding both structures and all the buildings to either side), but the common usage includes no less than the full distance between the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol Building (including both structures and all flanking buildings), the triangle around the Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial to the south, and the strip of land that includes the White House to the north. The Commemorative Works Clarification and Revision Act currently defines it a little more rigidly, excluding all of the flanking buildings shown and the US Capitol Building, ending with the US Capitol Building Reflecting Pool and Ulysses S. Grant Memorial to the east, but still including all the other property to the north, south, west, and southwest of the Washington Monument in the "Reserve" area, where it is intentionally extremely difficult to get approval for construction of new memorials, monuments, or structures of any kind.
So, there's a lot of options on exactly where to draw the boundaries, but I expect it will include at least the rest of the Reserve area, plus maybe part of the Lafayette Square Historic District that wraps around the White House to the east, north, and west.
@BooTheMightyHamster:
@BrickTeller:
You're both off. If you zoom in to the Dept. of Agriculture building, the red parts of the roof are exactly 10" combined, so the entire building is probably closer to 14-15". The overall model should currently be in the range of 10-12'. For now. He said this all started with the Lincoln Memorial set, and that's at least another 5-6' past the Washington Monument. If he builds out the entire Reserve area on top of what's already there, it'll probably be at least 10' wide as well.
Fot those who are interested, the MOC as pictured above is ~16 feet long. I plan to build it out to the Lincoln Memorial (THAT's the connection between the MOC and my most influential set). When finished, the MOC will be 22 feet long and 5 feet wide.
@wrtyler:
Oof, guess I was off a bit too. But I win by Price is Right rules!
So, 5' wide, huh? White House but no Jefferson Memorial?
@PurpleDave said:
" @wrtyler:
Oof, guess I was off a bit too. But I win by Price is Right rules!
So, 5' wide, huh? White House but no Jefferson Memorial?"
Other way around. Tidal Basin area: Jefferson, FDR and MLK memorials. Those are significant memorials that are not on the Mall. The White House, though significant, isn't (depending on who you talk to) a monument, memorial or museum...which is the focus of this MOC.
And yes, though I refer to it as the National Mall, it is actually the Capitol Grounds, the National Mall, the Washington Monument grounds and West Potomoc Park.
I saw that National Mall at Bricks Cascade. Phenomenal build!
Wow, really impressive MOC! Where do you keep a thing that size - or rather, where do you plan to, when it's the full 22 feet long? I guess American houses tend to be bigger than those in the UK, but still - a big display decision to make!
@catwrangler said:
"Wow, really impressive MOC! Where do you keep a thing that size - or rather, where do you plan to, when it's the full 22 feet long? I guess American houses tend to be bigger than those in the UK, but still - a big display decision to make!"
It all breaks down into smaller sections, generally a 48x48 stud baseplate or two 32x32 stud baseplates side-by-side. Those smaller sections get placed into underbed sized plastic containers and the containers get stacked in the basement. That's how I can put the entire MOC in the back of a van to transport it to a LEGO Event. That's also how I build it...a section at a time.
At the current 16 feet, I can't really set it up at home...well, I could...if I sold the couch and dining room table. At 22 feet, I would have to demolish a bathroom, take out some walls and sell the bed. So the only time this get fully assembled is at LEGO Events.
Amazing ! Congratulations! I started at 38 and I am doing mostly individual architecture buildings, not microscale, but yours is unbelievable. Almost not OK to be called a microscale on this size and complexity.
@wrtyler:
Okay, I see what you're saying. But here's some stuff to consider. President's Park encompasses the White House and associated grounds, Lafayette Square, and the flanking buildings. Lafayette Square (behind the White House) has historical significance as a site where US soldiers set up camp during the War of 1812, and has statues honoring five important figures from the early days of the new nation. The Ellipse in front of the White House actually does have four memorials and a monument (as well as being the site of the National Christmas Tree), and the White House' South Lawn is flanked by two more monuments. It sounds like you already own a copy of the recent White House set, which (if you don't incorporate the flanking buildings) is the only major structure in that section.
Obviously you have to draw a line somewhere (if you made the entire city, you'd need to hire a truck to haul it around), but President's Park feels like an extension of the green space created by the establishment of the National Mall (certainly more so than the golf course in East Potomac Park). And you already included the Capitol Building. The one argument I'd say against including President's Park is that the one remaining seat of government (Supreme Court Building) has a pretty terrible placement in relation to the rest of this display, tucked off to one side behind the Capitol Building.
This MOC is amazing work!