Meet a member: AustinPowers
Posted by Huw,
Today we are interviewing one of our most active members, Stefan, aka AustinPowers, who's a business analyst in Frankfurt, Germany:
What is your first LEGO memory?
My first memory is from when I was about three years old. At St. Nicolas day (December 6) we had the tradition to visit my grandparents and while there, St. Nicolas (usually my grandfather in disguise), would come and ask my cousin and myself whether we had behaved well during the year (who would have said no?). We would then receive a small gift, which in my case was 886 Space Buggy, while my cousin got a Matchbox car. It is the first LEGO set I remember getting. There might have been another before, but I don't think so.
Anyway, thus was started my fascination with Classic Space. I loved the box art of those sets. That sand coloured planet landscape (which I later - unsuccessfully I might add - tried to replicate using various materials) with the stars in the background fuelled my imagination and I still love that design.
Another early LEGO related memory was from when I was about five. When my mother took me to go shopping (clothes, shoes, or any other necessity that I found totally boring as a kid) she made a deal with me. If I behaved well and was patient in trying out the clothes or whatever, I would get to choose a small present afterwards.
We tended to go to a certain toy store (that unfortunately doesn't exist any longer), I chose something, most often LEGO, rarely Playmobil, and then we would go to a café for some refreshments where I would build whatever I had chosen. Once I got 6880 Surface Explorer and I found it so cool that I built it at the café, then took it apart again and rebuilt it both during the train ride home as well as back home the next day. It's still one of my favourite small sets from that era.
Did you have a dark age and if so what caused you to emerge from it?
I did indeed have quite a long dark age which lasted from around 1998 to 2008. Of all the sets I have from in between those two dates, almost all have been acquired later via ebay, Bricklink and so on. What caused me to emerge was our first daughter getting old enough for Duplo. That got me back into the LEGO aisles of toy stores and rekindled the fascination.
The first set I got for myself back then was the iconic Technic 8043 Motorized Excavator, which my wife got me as a Christmas present. Bless her for putting up with my "addiction" all these years! She herself is not really a fan of LEGO but at least from time to time appreciates certain sets that appeal to her. Mainly nature related stuff like the Ideas Birds set or various flower builds from Friends polybags.
Funnily enough, even though she is not too much into LEGO she does have her keys on a LEGO keychain she once bought when we went to our local LEGO store together with the kids.
Which set or theme has been most influential upon you, as a LEGO fan?
Classic Space, by a wide margin. With old style Technic as a runner-up. I also had quite a few Legoland Stadt (what is called City nowadays) sets as a kid, but even those were used only as a backdrop, for example for a spaceport.
As for a single set, it has to be 6990 Monorail Transport System. I loved this set but unfortunately never got it as it was just too expensive. But not getting the set was what really fuelled my MOCing aspirations as I built several Monorail systems using the classic grey era train tracks and various methods to keep my 6990-lookalike train from falling off said tracks.
I even managed to construct switch points and elevation changes, which was no mean feat, especially for my ten-year-old self. Unfortunately back in the day we didn't take as many pictures of everything as nowadays, so there might be perhaps one or two photos around showing my layout. But as all the old photographs are tucked away in some photo album at my parents' house - which we can't visit at the moment for unfortunate yet obvious reasons - there was no chance of showing them here.
What are you building right now?
I am still in the process of finishing my Venator Star Destroyer MOC (designed by Anio over at Eurobricks). Actually it is only missing two pieces, but those are quite hard to come by. I also didn't have enough of the magnets and especially the ultra-rare magnet holders (4188676 Inverted Plate 2X2 For Magnet) which only came in 10030 Imperial Star Destroyer.
So I designed a completely magnet-free system to attach those huge top and bottom panels, at least on the port side. I used magnets on the starboard side but in combination with different holders than the ones suggested in Anio's instructions. By the way, note the creative chaos on my building table. Might be worth a challenge trying to find out how many sets/themes are represented on and around that table currently. ;-)
On a completely different note I have started "building" a collection of monofigs. I had never really been into this, but one day I noticed - more or less by coincidence - that I had three complete monofigs in various sets already without even knowing about it, and that somehow got me curious how many I could finish only by rummaging through my collection. From then on it has almost become an addiction.
By now I have 17 completed, with several other colours in almost finished state while from others I have only one or two of the necessary pieces. The most excruciating decision is whether or not to wipe prints in order to be able to finish certain colours. Whenever that was indeed necessary I decided NOT to use the part that was in my collection but to purchase duplicates via LEGO bricks and pieces or Bricklink.
I know to some it seems like sacrilege to wipe prints, but as I only use spares for that purpose, I don't really have a problem with it any longer. And the satisfaction I feel when I have completed another monofig in one of the rarer colours more than makes up for any misgivings I might have had about wiping prints.
How do you store your LEGO?
This depends on what I intend to do with the set. Some that are built are stored in various showcases (mainly repurposed old pieces of furniture), but more often than not I take them apart again and store them in plastic "drawer towers" like the ones Jang showcased in some of his videos about his collection. Mine are made by a different manufacturer, but look almost identical. Many more sets are still unopened and those rest in the attic, for the time being.
Do you build MOCs? If, so what?
I used to build lots of Star Trek related MOCs in my youth (mainly ships) and would love to revisit that field, especially considering all the new types of parts and colours now available. My Enterprise-D bridge for example was more or less square and built in the colours blue and light grey as those were the main colours available to me in quantity back then. I have started to collect parts from various current sets of mine and am in the process of designing a new one, but this takes a lot of time.
What is your favourite part?
That is a difficult question. I like all the parts that make SNOT techniques possible, as that was one of the main limitations when I built MOCs as a kid. For the same reason I also love all the slopes, especially the round ones, now available.
But my absolute favourite part of all time would have to be 3939p91, the blue 3x6 slope with the large Classic Space logo on it, as used in sets like 928 Space Cruiser And Moonbase.
What theme would you like LEGO to produce?
I would love to see a Classic Space revival theme, especially of the early blue/grey era. No remakes mind you, but stuff like all those incredible MOCs by Peter Reid. Awesome stuff.
Do you have a presence on Instagram, YouTube or elsewhere?
Nope, I don't have any social media accounts. I am only a member in some very old (by WWW terms) forums and websites that predate any of the above.
What is the availability of LEGO like where you live?
Here in Frankfurt we have an official LEGO store, so even store exclusives are not too hard to come by usually. But I actually buy most of my sets online (who doesn't?). For older sets I tend to use Bricklink more often than ebay nowadays, as prices for used LEGO on ebay have risen sharply over the years. I am lucky to have purchased many second hand sets in the early days of ebay when lots of bargains were still to be had.
Do you have any interests or hobbies other than LEGO?
I have two main hobbies/interests other than LEGO. One is everything to do with the UK, as we have many friends over there. My parents were English teachers and my father stayed in Liverpool for a year during his studies in the Sixties.
The friendships he made back then have lasted to this day. I was over there for the first time when I was one and a half years old, and for about twenty years since then we have spent almost our entire summer holidays each year on Merseyside, in Liverpool, North Wales and Cheshire.
I grew up with the family of my father's best friend, and they in turn came to visit us almost every year as well. My father's best friend's brother introduced me to English comedy, especially classics like Monty Python, Red Dwarf, Keeping up Appearances, as well as many of the more unknown ones. Red Dwarf and Keeping up Appearances in particular are favourites of mine as some the actors also came from Merseyside/Liverpool. I have made a habit since then to always watch every movie, TV series, documentary etc. in the original whenever possible.
Even one of my most vivid LEGO related memories can be traced by to my time in England. One of the nephews of my father's best friend is almost the same age as me, and as for one month each year we kind of grew up together we also played with LEGO together.
One year he had a set that totally amazed me because it was the first time I realised LEGO made colours other than the well known basics. That set was 1552 Maersk Truck and Trailer Unit which he got from his godfather who worked for Maersk. To this day I adore this beautiful and rare colour that, even though LEGO has made so many shades of blue since then, has never been matched in my humble opinion.
My second "other" hobby is rather recent and has to do with everything renewable energy, from solar power to electric vehicles to you name it. Funnily enough one of my favourite YouTube channels is Fully Charged, hosted by none other than Robert Llewellyn of Red Dwarf fame himself. Small world, isn't it?
How long have you been visiting Brickset?
I feel like I have been visiting Brickset forever, even though my member page tells my I have only been registered for about five years. But as I visit several times a day, these five years feel like fifteen at the very least ;-)
Before Brickset, my main LEGO related resources on the web used to be Peeron and LUGnet.
What's your favourite/most used feature of the site?
I love Brickset as a whole experience, but my favourite feature is the database, be it for keeping track of our collection, for hunting down parts, or for basic information gathering. As many will have noticed I also love to read the news articles and excellent reviews and comment on most of them. I really should cut down on commenting though and use that time more for getting on with my planned MOCs...
Why did you choose your Brickset username?
There was a time when I was a huge fan of the Austin Powers movies, so back then it was quite natural for me to choose that username for almost every site I registered to. In hindsight, I probably should have chosen something Red Dwarf related though. as that by now has become far closer to my heart.
Have you been to a LEGO event? Which one(s)?
Unfortunately up to now I have never been to one. I have at least visited LEGOLAND Germany twice though, but that does not really count as an event per se I guess.
In closing, I would only like to express my hope that we will all get through these trying times safely.
I have noticed that LEGO can be a great help in taking your mind off all the bad stuff that is currently happening around us.
Stay safe and sound everyone, and all the best!
Thanks, Stefan!
78 likes
24 comments on this article
Another great interview! It's nice to finally put a face to a name I see in the comments so often :)
@Jack_Rizzo said:
"Another great interview! It's nice to finally put a face to a name I see in the comments so often :)"
You took the words right out of my mouth!
Set 886 was my first set, too. My nan won big at bingo and shelled out a whole pound for me as a treat!
groovy
Nice venator!
This whole series has been great, but it does seem like a little perk when the Brickset member profiled is someone who is very active in the comment section! Thanks for participating!
There is something compelling about monofigs. I don't collect them, but it would be cool if they were released somehow, say in little mini-fig packs with each colour having specific accessories. Sort of like the themed mini-fig sets you can buy from time to time from LEGO.com.
Very nice interview! I really like this series (as well as the "Featured Set"-Series)!
Glad to learn more about one of the most prolific commentators on Brickset. With always, as long as I can remember, gentle behaviour and well argued point of views, even in disagreements.
@Jack_Rizzo said:
"Another great interview! It's nice to finally put a face to a name I see in the comments so often :)"
Thank you. This is also my favorite aspect of these interviews. One often has a certain image in mind when thinking about a specific member, but then seeing the actual photo and reading her/his story really helps to get a better understanding of the background of the great community here.
@Brick_t_: thank you. Much appreciated.
@mfg3000: another great thing about monofigs is that you learn a lot about the rarer aspects of minifigure parts. Like which sets or figures contain the rarest pieces. Sometimes it was also interesting to find out that I had some parts in rare colours already that I didn't even know about. That's another aspect where the Brickset and Bricklink databases have proven so invaluable.
Very nice interview. I'm curious what method do you use to wipe the prints? I've never tried it myself but I like your solution to build your monofigs collection using spares for colors you don't already have.
@AustinPowers : Glad to see that you completed my UCS Venator. Hope you had fun building it. :)
@Anio said:
" @AustinPowers : Glad to see that you completed my UCS Venator. Hope you had fun building it. :)"
I did. Your instructions were great. I admire the effort that goes into not only such a model itself but especially the manual. I tried my hand at instructions using LDraw and LDD for some of my Star Trek MOCs like the Enterprise D bridge I mentioned in the interview, but it is such an exhausting process. I could never see myself completing instructions for something as complex as your Venator.
As you can see, I cheated a little on the colours of the Technic bricks for the interior frame as I had quite a few of the 1x16s in all kinds of colours from my older Technic sets but not in light bluish grey as suggested in the instructions. Then again, as they can't be seen once the panels are on, I didn't mind. ;-)
@bricks4everyone: I tried several methods but the one I adopted in the end was using Displex on a cotton bud. It's a mildly abrasive cream originally intended for getting rid of swirls and small scratches from mobile phone and similar displays.
I also tried a polishing paste for acrylics but found this to be too gentle to actually wipe the prints without too much effort. But this paste turned out to be great for getting old transparent LEGO pieces that had swirls and light scratches nice and shiny again. After the treatment they look almost brand new again. I heard some use a product called Pledge/Future/Shine (various names for it appear to have been used over time) for similar purposes (actually the pieces are dipped into a solution with that product), but this product is not available over here, nor is anything remotely similar.
Love mono-figs! The hunt, the process, the end result...something so appealing about repetition of shape and solid colour variants.
I ended up with a decent set of colours and then stopped...but I still have my Brick Link wanted list...and a small container of unfinished ones. I *might* try to complete a few more some day.
Oh and I found that a good white eraser or acetone-free nail polish remover worked pretty well for "wiping"...you feel like a monster but...if the parts are common/cheap enough it feels better... ;)
@AustinPowers said:
" @Anio said:
" @AustinPowers : Glad to see that you completed my UCS Venator. Hope you had fun building it. :)"
I did. Your instructions were great. I admire the effort that goes into not only such a model itself but especially the manual. I tried my hand at instructions using LDraw and LDD for some of my Star Trek MOCs like the Enterprise D bridge I mentioned in the interview, but it is such an exhausting process. I could never see myself completing instructions for something as complex as your Venator.
As you can see, I cheated a little on the colours of the Technic bricks for the interior frame as I had quite a few of the 1x16s in all kinds of colours from my older Technic sets but not in light bluish grey as suggested in the instructions. Then again, as they can't be seen once the panels are on, I didn't mind. ;-)
@bricks4everyone: I tried several methods but the one I adopted in the end was using Displex on a cotton bud. It's a mildly abrasive cream originally intended for getting rid of swirls and small scratches from mobile phone and similar displays.
I also tried a polishing paste for acrylics but found this to be too gentle to actually wipe the prints without too much effort. But this paste turned out to be great for getting old transparent LEGO pieces that had swirls and light scratches nice and shiny again. After the treatment they look almost brand new again. I heard some use a product called Pledge/Future/Shine (various names for it appear to have been used over time) for similar purposes (actually the pieces are dipped into a solution with that product), but this product is not available over here, nor is anything remotely similar. "
Thanks a lot for the tips :) Also great that you found a method to get transparent pieces shiny again, I have a bunch of those and they scratch so easily!
@bricks4everyone said:
"Thanks a lot for the tips :) Also great that you found a method to get transparent pieces shiny again, I have a bunch of those and they scratch so easily! "
You're welcome.
Ever since I found out how great this polishing paste works I have tried to dig out as many of my old transparent pieces (mainly cockpit windows and the like) as possible and get them shiny again. So satisfying to see the end results.
@Katersatz: Since doing the interview I have finished a couple more and am now at 24, with another 10 almost complete. I understand there are 41 currently that can be completed (strictly speaking only 39, as both the chrome gold as well as the chrome red one would have to use unchromed hands), while some others are only missing one component. Really fascinating subject. Medium lavender is currently the one I am enjoying the hunt for the most. I have all the pieces except for the left and right leg, but I at least know how to get them. Some of the unprinted heads are also quite tricky to come by if you don't want to spend a fortune.
The most elusive piece up to now was the medium azure head, as that doesn't appear to exist in unprinted form at all (and even in printed form only on one CMF). And to be honest, while I managed to get this head and wipe it as well, the result was far less satistying than on the torsos I did. (I never had to wipe any other part yet thankfully). Somehow the prints on heads appear to be far more stubborn...
Regarding monofigs, there are a few that are official releases. The first is a really odd one, as it's the only instance I know of where the old plank-style LEGOLAND minifig was used in a set with modern, articulated minifigs. Set 1592, Town Square - Castle Scene, came with a solid black plank minifig that was used as a statue. The second was also a statue, from 70912, TLBM's Arkham Asylum. It's solid light-bley (including the snake it holds). And the third was the solid red VIP minifig released in 40178, Iconic VIP Set. This time it was used in the 3D representation of a VIP member card. And last year gave us a fourth, with the Architect's Statue from 75964, the first(?) Harry Potter Advent Calendar (the minifig is solid pearl-gold, though in this case, giving him his accessories would disqualify him, because they used a black robot claw in the nanoscale Hogwarts model). I've had other people suggest other possibilities, but most of the minifigs people have pointed out to me as potential monofigs have something minor that disqualifies them, like dark-bley hands on a light-bley minifig, or headgear that's in a slightly different shade of metallic (there's a true monofig in pearl-gold that's disqualified because the instructions call for it to wear a metallic-gold fire helmet).
I've got twins of two of these, and a pile of the Hogwarts Architect, so one of these days I really need to pick up the only one I'm still missing. Knowing how expensive chasing monofigs can get (for years, medium-blue required picking up the original Watto for the hands, which drove that to become one of the most expensive SW minifigs in the entire theme), I'm not at all interested in trying to amass every possible monofig, but given how rare they are (and how close I am to completing the set), I'm mildly interested in the few official monofigs.
@AustinPowers perhaps you could post an article here on Brickset about Monofigs. I’m sure if you ask Huw nicely enough, he *might* let you ;-)
@Slobrojoe : I wouldn't mind writing such an article. I don't know if Huw would be interested though.
;-)
@PurpleDave: the latter three sets you mentioned (70912, 40178, 75964) are exactly the ones I meant when I said I realized that I had a couple of monofigs already in my collection without explicitly realizing it beforehand. Plus a couple of "almost" monofigs like the statue from the Winter Village Fire Station for example.
By the way, as you mentioned medium blue hands, I realized while trying to source monofig parts that CMFs are a great source for some of the rarer parts. I got the medium blue hands for my monofig of that colour from the Veterinarian from CMF series 17 (71018).
@AustinPowers said:
" @Slobrojoe: I wouldn't mind writing such an article. I don't know if Huw would be interested though.
;-)"
Give it a try! I’d be thoroughly interested in that.
@Slobrojoe said:
" @AustinPowers said:
" @Slobrojoe: I wouldn't mind writing such an article. I don't know if Huw would be interested though.
;-)"
Give it a try! I’d be thoroughly interested in that.
"
Me too, go for it!
@AustinPowers:
The VIP minifig is what made a _lot_ of people realize that an official monofig actually existed, just because it was such a focal element of that set. I think I'd been aware previously about the Arkham statue minifig, just because I bought a second copy of that set to strip for minifigs and parts (and for some reason I randomly decided to pull the parts for that minifig). But I know that's when I first found out about the old plank minifig. The Hogwarts Architect I'm pretty sure I just randomly stumbled across, either while building the HPAC that I bought for the set, or while splitting up the nine that I bought on clearance for a project.
As I was typing up that previous post, I had a nagging feeling that I was forgetting a fourth, before I finally remembered the Hogwarts Architect before I posted it. I still have this vague thought that there might be a fifth.
I’d love to see a bit more on monofigs here (although I do recall one article in the past couple of years). When the postman comes with a s20 cmf Brick Guy I will be up to 28 here - currently I only have short legs in bright green!
I’ve only done a couple of wipes to date, using nail polish remover, but at least half of mine only look mono from the front. Amazing what you can do simply by turning heads and torsos around.
Hah my arch-nemesis :) great interview - cheers to having comment battles for years to come!
@TheOriginalSimonB said:
"I’d love to see a bit more on monofigs here (although I do recall one article in the past couple of years). When the postman comes with a s20 cmf Brick Guy I will be up to 28 here - currently I only have short legs in bright green!
I’ve only done a couple of wipes to date, using nail polish remover, but at least half of mine only look mono from the front. Amazing what you can do simply by turning heads and torsos around."
Funny, it's the same here for the bright green version. :-)
As for turning pieces around, I might do that if some obscure colour requires a very rare part that I wouldn't dare to wipe, but as for now, I am going with front and back (if necessary) wiping.