Meet the LEGO® Pro: the legendary JK Brickworks and his LEGO® universum

14 mai 2019

In this episode of meet the LEGO® Pro we have the honor to interview the legendary JK Brickworks. JK Brickworks, Jason Allemann in real life, is one of the most beloved MOC designers of the world and owner of a very popular YouTube channel. He is also, together with Grant Davis, the inventor of the LEGO® Pop-Up Book, which became an official LEGO® set after being signed up as a LEGO® Ideas project. We asked Jason about his passion for LEGO®, MOCs and sharing ideas.

ToyPro: Could you tell us something about your background? Where are you from, how old are you and when did your passion for LEGO® start?

Jason: I am 46 years old, live in Canada, and I've been enjoying LEGO® since I was a child. I didn't really have that much of it growing up - a handful of Technic sets, a few classic space sets and some basic bricks - but I made the most of what I had. I really enjoyed building my own creations and letting my imagination run wild. The Technic sets blew my mind with all their mechanics and perhaps had an impact in pushing me to eventually study engineering.

Swimming LEGO® Shark 2 - 31088 Deep Sea Creatures Stand

ToyPro: You design MOCs, you have a very popular YouTube channel and you offer merchandise. Can you tell our readers about all your activities with LEGO®?

Jason: I mostly just design my own models and share them on my YouTube channel. Most of the videos are pretty standard showcase videos, where I explain how my models are designed, but sometimes I try to make them a little more entertaining by telling a story about the model. Those videos are a lot of fun to make. I've also been lucky enough to have been involved with two successful LEGO® Ideas projects, the Maze and Pop-Up Book.

LEGO® Pop-Up Book - History and Model Comparison

ToyPro: How has this all started and since when are you a LEGO® pro?

Jason: I've been building my own MOCs as an adult for almost 20 years, and sharing photos of them online. In many ways, it has just been a continuation of what I enjoyed doing as a child, sitting down with a bunch of LEGO® pieces and seeing what I could build. As I started building models that incorporated motion, it seemed natural to make videos to show how they are actually working. I posted my first LEGO® MOC video almost 7 years ago, and since then I've continued to share my work through my YouTube channel. Some people automatically seem to think I make a living from doing this, since many of my models have become quite popular, but that really isn't the case.

Elf Workshop Kinetic LEGO® Model

ToyPro: You distribute many of your building instructions for free. Why do you do this?

Jason: I have a very community driven mindset, so I really enjoy sharing my work. I may start selling instructions for some of my more complex models, to justify the time it takes to put them together, but most of them will always be freely available.

ToyPro: What are your favorite LEGO® themes and what kind of MOCs do you build? What is so much fun about these?

Jason: I think the Creator 3-in-1 series is my favorite theme. Of all the current themes, it most closely resonates with my view of the LEGO® system. It really promotes the idea of rebuilding new models with the bricks you have. I guess I'm mostly known for building 'kinetic sculpture' style MOCs, which are primarily brick built with some kind of Technic mechanism used to add motion. I just really enjoy the challenge of trying to add movement to a model. For me, it makes a model much more interesting if it actually does something.

ToyPro: What are your projects which you are most proud of?

Jason: A few of my favorites are the Voyageurs paddling the canoe, the telegraph machine built using the Mindstorms EV3 kit and the 'Where the Sidewalk Ends' sculpture I built years ago.

The Ultimate LEGO® Machine

View parts list The Ultimate LEGO® MachineDownload building instructions

ToyPro: How do you get new ideas for MOCs?

Jason: I keep an open mind and my eyes open. Ideas come from everywhere, and usually when I least expect it. I don't think I have ever sat down with the specific intent to come up with a new idea and actually been successful at it.

ToyPro: What are often challenges for new projects?

Jason: Creating complex or subtle movement can sometimes be an exercise in frustration, but it just makes it all the more satisfying when it all comes together in the end. Figuring out how to integrate a Technic mechanism into a brick built sculpture can also be a big challenge, which often requires a lot redesign.

LEGO® 80102 Dragon Dance - Smooth Motion Modification

View parts list 80102 Dragon DanceDownload building instructions

ToyPro: Which tools or software do you use?

Jason: While I'm designing models I do it all in real life, with pieces on the table in front of me. For creating instructions I use a combination of Stud.io, MLCAD and some custom tools I've programmed.

ToyPro: What are your plans or goals for the future?

Jason: I'd just like to be able to continue what I am doing. I really enjoy designing LEGO® models, and hope I can keep doing it for the rest of my life.

ToyPro: Which designers are you a fan of yourself?

Jason: Yoshihito Isogawa and Akiyuki are probably my top two. They are both mechanical geniuses with a flair for design.

ToyPro: Jason, we want to thank you very much for your time and inspiring story. We also want to wish you a lot of luck designing many beautiful sets which enriches the LEGO® universum.

You can find Jason’s MOCs on his website JK Brickworks and on his YouTube channel.

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