View these impressive LEGO® WWII tanks from our fan
04 September 2018
The LEGO® MOC community is very diverse. With LEGO® you can really build everything and this is reflected in the different MOCs that are being built all around the world. In this episode of meet our fans we feature Kris van de Looy from Arnhem in the Netherlands. Kris has a passion for LEGO® and a great interest for the Second World War. He combines these two with building LEGO® Second World War sets.
ToyPro: How did you start your passion for LEGO®?
Kris: It started when I was a toddler and got DUPLO. My parents saw that I really liked this and when I was a little older, I got LEGO®. I was already a real fan back then, because every birthday I asked for LEGO® and I could assemble sets faster and faster. When I was about 10 years old, I got the Power Functions set 8293 for the holidays. From that moment on I started making motorized tanks.
LEGO® WWII Sherman tank
ToyPro: What is your favorite LEGO® theme?
Kris: I now focus mainly on my MOCs and buy the parts separately. If I had to choose a theme, I would choose LEGO® Technic.
ToyPro: You build Second World War MOCs. How did this hobby start and what do you find so nice and interesting about this topic?
Kris: My father works in the military and is very interested in the Second World War. When I got the LEGO® Star Wars droid tank for my birthday I used the caterpillar to build tanks, but there were not enough links for a large tank, so I started to buy loose LEGO® parts. It is a mix of my interests: WWII, Technique and LEGO®.
LEGO® WWII minifigures
ToyPro: Where do you get your inspiration for building your MOCs?
Kris: I get my inspiration from YouTube and other sites where people show their MOCs. For instance, I follow the flickr channels of Tommy Styrvoky and Sariel. I also get inspiration from documentaries, museums and just from my daily life.
ToyPro: Do you only use LEGO® parts or non-LEGO® parts?
Kris: I try to keep my MOCs 100% LEGO®, but sometimes it is tempting to modify a part or use a LEGO®-compatible part. So far I have used an Sbrick in my Cromwell and my Tiger Porsche tank, because infrared brings its difficulties. The receiver must remain visible, does not work when there is too much sunlight and the distance you can control the tank is not very large.
ToyPro: What are your plans and goals for the future?
Kris: I'm currently building a LEGO® Panther tank with Mindstorms in it. If I have finished it in the light gray, I intend to make it into a sand color without the expensive motors and have it matched with the Panther tank in the war museum in Overloon. I am not planning to break this tank down, which I did with my previous tanks because of the costs. Who knows, I will get the museum to add my tank to the exhibition. I would also like to build another LEGO® Sherman tank because that is my favorite tank. And what I do afterwards, I see when I get there.
ToyPro: Why do you choose ToyPro for your LEGO® parts?
Kris: Because Toypro has all the advantages of LEGO® market places (large assortment of low prices) + faster delivery time, professionalism and more guarantee as a private individual from abroad.
LEGO® WWII Tiger Porsche tank
ToyPro: Do you have tips for our readers?
Kris: I would advise to plan well in advance, for example with Sariel's Scaler (on sariel.pl). And very important: do not just break off your project, if you do not succeed, take a break, clear your head and pick up your project later.
ToyPro: Kris, thank you very much for your time and inspiration. We also wish you good luck with building your LEGO® Panther tank. If you have finished the LEGO® tank completely, we would like to put it on our Facebook channel. You can admire the Second World War MOCs by Kris on his flickr channel.
Do you want to build your own LEGO® tanks? You can find loose parts on our LEGO® Technic parts, LEGO® car parts, LEGO® Mindstorms parts and LEGO® wheels and tires parts page.
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