Creating models seems
to be a rite of passage for many us – Lego bricks being a particularly favourite
building material. Whilst there are a plentiful supply of old and new sets that
can be purchased to build a pre-defined model, the true creativity of Lego is
the way in which something completely new can be created from a bucket of
bricks. For us football lovers, the stadium of our team would be one of the
first things we aim to build – but imagine being creative, patient and skilful
enough to build the grounds of every team?
In the latest Q&A with a creative football fan, I chatted to Jules, a Cardiff City supporter who decided to build the 92 grounds of the English (and Welsh!) professional clubs in Lego, completely from scratch. Armed with a bucket of bricks and his own wits, the detail in these models is quite something and he’s rightly been lauded for his efforts. After building his models, he sells them to supporters of the clubs – ensuring they go to a good home and not back in the brick box!
I asked Jules about his process, his favourite models, the positive effects of Lego building and whether he takes precautions against brick-related injuries…
Hi Jules, let’s start with the obvious
question – what inspired you to build the 92 stadiums out of Lego?
I saw some people’s
attempts at Lego grounds and thought I'd have a go. I built Cardiff City
Stadium and when a friend said "you should do them all" after
building about 6 different grounds (Hillsborough, Carrow Road and Wigan were a
few of them), I thought he was mad but I started to order more Lego and it just
took off from that point.
Lego obviously has a presence in many a person’s childhood. In the last few decades more people seem to be carrying the hobby into adulthood – is this the case for you?
Lego obviously has a presence in many a person’s childhood. In the last few decades more people seem to be carrying the hobby into adulthood – is this the case for you?
Yeah I think so. I
played with Lego as a boy and never lost interest in it. But for many years
didn’t go near it as in my eyes it was too expensive. A lot of Lego I
started using was up in the loft and gathering dust so at least it came into
use.
How important can Lego be in providing that literal building block between different generations, say between a parent (who has those fond memories of building their sets) and their own child?
How important can Lego be in providing that literal building block between different generations, say between a parent (who has those fond memories of building their sets) and their own child?
I think that's really
important and if parents share what they used and played with when younger it's
great then for that child to see that. By using the same toy, they can produce
anything and build things they see now compared to what their parents may of
seen and have been used to. A car back in the day is very different to one now, for
example.
I’ve read about how ‘brick therapy’ is used
as a thinking, social and calming activity for children (specifically for those who have developmental disorders). Even as an adult, do you find building Lego
models to be therapeutic?
Absolutely! I was
building pretty much most evenings when not at work or on my days off and I
said to many people it was very therapeutic (although it could be stressful at times!) Lots of
people have many hobbies and this was my only one, and it was rewarding when seeing
some pictures & comments of how happy people were with their builds. But
yes, very therapeutic and a calming way to relax after a stressful day at
work.
How do you plan each model? Do you just look
at pictures and play around with the bricks, or do you make use of tech to
colour-in and map out where you place each brick?
I have never used any
of the technology, I have seen others use it to plan builds. Literally Google Street
View, Google aerial shots and any pictures I could look at. When I did a Turf
Moor for someone he sent me pictures of the whole perimeter of the ground
through the post. But yeah study the ground, inside and out of it. Looking for
detail around the ground like programme outlets, or statues etc. Write down
roughly what bricks and pieces I need and then order what I need.
Yeah the Cardiff City
one as you say is my fave and not my first attempt cos the most recent one I did
was much better. Either Ninian Park which obviously is Cardiff's old home but as
a ballboy there for 7 seasons it brings back great memories. Apart from
those I would say Burnley which I enjoyed doing because the detail of the ground, in
particular the back of the stadium, I didn't think would be possible.
Also Molineux I would say which again is a quirky ground in places but
again thankfully I was able to replicate it well and I would say I'm most proud of
those two particular builds. Nottingham Forest also was a personal fave.
Most straightforward one I would say was AFC
Wimbledon. The toughest I would say was Huddersfield’s John Smith Stadium,
Molineux, Upton Park & Chelsea. Huddersfield has curved roofs like Fleetwood and Brighton but that was deffo one of the toughest parts of that Huddersfield build. Chelsea was the 3-tier stand and the surrounding hotels and
exterior was also tough.
What’s your favourite (official) Lego set to
build?
You may be surprised
but I have never built a big Lego set. Had a few in the past but smaller ones.
I would say, although I've never built them, Big Ben and Houses of Parliament would
be good ones.
Gluing the bricks together to maintain a
model’s structure – good idea or sacrilege?
I would say sacrilege.
I never glued any of my builds as I was never able to source the glue. Normal
glue would ruin the bricks, which made it tricky in terms of sending them, so I never did. I've always drove them to people or met up. The first model I did
for someone [was sent to them] and obviously it fell apart. But I drove to his and fixed it in a
few hours.
And finally, how many Lego bricks have you
stepped on over the years?
A few! Thankfully not
as many as I have laminate floor so could hear them fall. I did sit on a mini
build I did for someone once forgetting it was on the chair!
Thanks to Jules for
answering my questions and for providing these excellent photos. You can follow his
progress on Twitter @CCFC_jules
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