Meet a member: EpicMindvolt
Posted by Huw,
Today we are talking to EpicMindvolt, a student attending Western Kentucky University:
What is your first LEGO memory?
When I was about five years old, I first remember opening up Quatro set 5357 Large Quatro Bucket for Christmas in 2004 or 2005, but that didn’t spark my interest. What got me interested in LEGO for real was opening set 6166 LEGO Large Brick Box for Christmas 2008. After this, I fell in love with LEGO.
Did you have a dark age and if so what caused you to emerge from it?
My dark age was about late 2013 to summer 2014. As I was only about 12 years old at the time I didn’t have much money but whatever I did have I spent on Skylanders. I didn’t really buy LEGO in that time, however, in summer 2014 a Bricks and Minifigs store opened near me and I quickly emerged from my dark age after buying a few classic minifigures from there. Since then I have been just as enthusiastic as I was before my dark age!
Which set or theme has been most influential upon you, as a LEGO fan?
I would choose between either the Dino Theme or the Modular Buildings. Dino is probably my second favourite themes after the modulars, and it was the first time I seriously started to collect right before my dark age. I though the newly introduced molds for dinosaurs were so cool and I ended up buying all the sets.
The modulars also helped me realise how serious of a collector I was; after I obtained a couple of them I decided I was going to eventually buy them all. To date, I am only missing 4- 10185 Green Grocer, 10224 Town Hall, and 10232 Palace Cinema, and 10182 Cafe Corner which I am currently gathering parts for. I’m in the final stretch though, so I should be able to build Cafe Corner within a few months!
What are you building right now?
I’m not building anything at the moment; I’m not the type of person to have a backlog! Whenever I buy a set, I build it within a few days. Currently, I’m saving money for some old modulars or the 75252 Imperial Star Destroyer.
How do you store your LEGO?
I store old sets by cleaning and dusting them off and sorting all the pieces into the numbered bags that originally came in the set. It’s super useful when it comes time to rebuild! I usually put them back in their boxes or a large zip lock bag if the box is missing.
Do you build MOCs? If, so what?
I don’t consider myself particularly great at designing MOCs , although I have done it before. My best and favourite is a model of the Fortnite Battle Bus, which I physically built. My biggest, at 2352 pieces, is a model of the Fortnite Lonely Lodge tower, but due to cost it’s only a digital model right now. Maybe someday I’ll buy all those pieces!
What is your favourite part?
I absolutely love the large plane wing piece, number 54093 or newer versions, such as those in 7734 Cargo Plane or 60104 Airport Passenger Terminal. I received 7734 the Christmas after I started collecting, and for whatever reason my 8-year-old self thought that piece was just so interesting. And that feeling just stuck with me. It strikes me as unusual because it is such a large system piece that is not a baseplate, and it is a little nostalgic to me!
What theme would you like LEGO to produce?
I would love LEGO Fortnite sets! Fortnite is one of my favorite video games, and it would be a dream come true for a Lego to make some iconic models or locations, like the Battle Bus, Dusty Depot, or the Lonely Lodge Tower. As I said above, I’ve even built a couple of custom Fortnite MOCs, so if LEGO were to produce sets they would be a day one purchase for me!
Do you have a presence on Instagram, YouTube or elsewhere?
I have a YouTube channel and Instagram called EMVBricks, however I don’t post much. I do have some YouTube videos and I use my Instagram for selling purposes at the moment, but maybe I’ll get into making content again!
What is the availability of LEGO like where you live?
I get my LEGO either online or at retail stores like Walmart. My closest LEGO store is about an hour away so for big purchases I go there.
Do you have any interests or hobbies other than LEGO?
I love collecting in general. Obviously I mainly collect LEGO, but I used to collect other toys, such as stuffed animals, toy dinosaurs or cars, and Skylanders. Another ongoing collection I have is coins and I do play video games.
How long have you been visiting Brickset?
I’ve been visiting since probably 2013 or earlier, I don’t remember exactly. I joined as a member on March 20, 2014 and have been active almost every day since!
What's your favourite/most used feature of the site?
The set collection feature. I know it is trivial and common, but it has been incredibly useful for tracking my own collection and comparing mine to others collections! In fact, that is the main reason I joined as a member!
Why did you choose your Brickset username?
EpicMindvolt is my gamertag or username for pretty much any account that I have. It started out as my Minecraft username and I continued using it. However, I sometimes use EMVBricks to distinguish LEGO accounts from normal accounts.
Have you been to a LEGO event? Which one(s)? Do you have a favourite?
There are no nearby LUGs for me unfortunately, but I have attended one event. I went to Kidsfest in Louisville way back in 2013, but I would love to go to more. Brickworld Chicago is on my bucket list!
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9 comments on this article
Uhhhhh..... not Fortnite!
Epic. *nods*
Shortest dark age ever!
That battle bus should go on IDEAS!
I hate Fortnite, but I have to admit you did a great job building that battle bus. I hope you get all of the modular buildings someday :)
I think Fortnite would be a great theme.
I don't play Fortnite but they have some fantastic character designs, and it has gathering/building features that feel a good fit for Lego.
The action figures that have come out are finding homes with collectors that have no interest in Fortnite....I think it would be the same with Lego. Lots of possibilities for new mini-fig parts!
Finally, a fellow Kentuckian. I think I have been to the same Bricks and Minifigs store as him before, which is kinda neat.
EpicMindvolt,
Are you buying pieces to build the cafe corner or are you saving to buy the actual set?
Thanks Nick3c.
@nick3c said:
"EpicMindvolt,
Are you buying pieces to build the cafe corner or are you saving to buy the actual set?
Thanks Nick3c."
I’m parting it out. I try to stay original so the only substitutions I do are newer molds so some parts I have to pay a lot for! I just placed a few BrickLink orders though so once the arrive I’d be able to build it!