Meet the LEGO® Pro: Top MOC designer NKubate
09 april 2019
In this episode of Meet the LEGO® Pro we interview a designer with a lot of fans among his colleague-designers. Nathanaël Kuipers, a.k.a. NKubate, is an MOC designer, highly regarded by other designers. ToyPro spoke to NKubate and this Dutch LEGO® Pro took his time to answer all our questions.
ToyPro: what can you tell us about your background? How long have you been a LEGO® professional? How would you describe yourself as MOC designer? Do you work alone or in a team?
NKubate: of course, what does the word ‘professional’ really mean? I would say I became really professional when I was employed by LEGO® as a product designer. During my working years there it became very clear to me what criteria a professional LEGO® design should fulfill. A lot of attention is being paid to the experience as a whole, whereby building and playing are at least as important at the looks of the model itself.
Predator Supercar
In spite of the fact that I don’t work at LEGO® anymore, I am still involved in creating complete experiences when designing new models. Unfortunately, this is not something you can actually see, you need to experience it. This is why I depend strongly on other others who really know in my line of work. Often, my designs are ‘car-related’. I consider cars to be my specialty, but over the years I have been building up a portfolio covering a large spectrum of models. Therefore, I would describe myself as an all-rounder, always challenged by new boundaries, by what is ‘legally’ possible in LEGO®. By "legally", I mean: what does it take to obtain approval by LEGO® in the way of quality requirements? Because of high quality requirements my designs have to live up to, I am currently working independently.
ToyPro: How and when did your LEGO® passion begin?
NKubate: as a little boy, LEGO® was my favorite toy; I could play with it for hours. At first, I used to build models after construction examples, but soon I let my imagination run free and built my own designs. However, during my adolescence LEGO® lost quite a bit of its interest to me, which led to the so-called “dark ages”: LEGO® had almost ceased to exist for me.
After secondary school I went to study industrial product design, at about the same time when LEGO® came up with their technic models, in which more attention had been paid to design itself. Thus, my interest flared up again, and when I showed a model I had designed myself to my teachers, they told me I was talented and encouraged me to continue.
Formula 1 Racer
I would say this was my first stimulation. But real passion came into it when I was invited for a workshop by and at LEGO®. This left a deep impression and because of it, I started approaching LEGO® construction work in a very different way. The experiences I got when I worked at LEGO® for a couple of years afterwards were determinative for the rest of my life. My current passion will not disappear any more, I don’t think, although it does go up and down from time to time.
ToyPro: what is it you enjoy so much in the MOCs and the themes you design?
NKubate: From childhood onwards I have always been interested in automobiles. Thus, it is not really surprising that most of my portfolio consists of cars. However, this is not the main motivation. As I indicated before, I like to challenge boundaries, not only my own, but also what conditions and circumstances allow for. The more I am challenged, the more I am motivated and the better I perform.
31024 Roadster
Therefore, I enjoy working with constraints. This has lead up to one of my specialties: designing alternative models from official sets. This means that only bricks from an official set can be used, and not a single one extra, in the design of a model. If you also wish to live up to LEGO® quality requirements as much as possible, this becomes a real challenge! Unfortunately, many people seem to underestimate the difficulty in this.
ToyPro: which tools and software do you use for designing?
NKubate: although this may sound strange, during the designing process I hardly ever use software. It is not only much nicer to build LEGO® bricks in an analogue way, but it also provides you with direct feedback on different aspects, such a functions, solidity and building ease. Moreover, physical building stimulates my creativity and thinking capacities. Only after a model design has carried away my own approval, I begin making use of tools and software.
31056 Truck
ToyPro: what challenges do you face when you begin a new project?
NKubate: these changes from one project to the next. The most difficult aspect in Technic models is the creation of functions and their reliability. The difficulty when building a character is to give it a personality, to lend it a stable position, too. When creating alternatives, the challenge consists of sticking to the contents of one single set. Sometimes, I am confronted with a combination of these factors, which only enhances the degree of complexity of such a challenge.
ToyPro: have you got any nice projects, targets and/or dreams for the future?
NKubate: as to building projects, I still have a couple of things I would like to try out. Great Ball Contraptions (GBCs) for example, I find very interesting to watch, and I would enjoy designing a few nice modules for this concept myself. Another concept with priority on my list is the building of a controllable "walker” on two or more legs, allowing for it to switch directions. I would also like to create a new Transformer again, with the use of all the modern parts and building techniques we have.
My target or my dream is to inspire as many people as possible with LEGO® brick, and to be able to build a living from it. This implies being able to propose building examples but also workshops and consultancy jobs.
ToyPro: where do you get your ideas for new projects?
NKubate: hmm, hard to say, really. A new idea often stems from a mix of different factors. I follow platforms, read articles, see models by other constructors and suddenly think: ‘Could this or that also be done otherwise?" For me, the main thing is that the answer must not be easy: I want to be tickled, I want to be challenged. Practically each and every one of my models presents unique challenges, making them interesting for me. The same thing happens when building alternatives, when the available parts may restrict the possibilities. An interesting challenge in itself.
ToyPro: have you any tips for our readers wanting to build or start building their own MOCs?
NKubate: begin by building a great many official models and reconstruct a few MOCs, in order to feel completely at home in the building system. Then try to adapt a few things (mods) in various models by adding extra details or functions. After some time, you will expand on this until a model is no longer recognizable as an official one: it has become your own creation, entirely.
ToyPro: which designers do you follow yourself, who do you admire?
NKubate: to be honest, I do not follow anyone specifically. A lot of talents can be found, each and every one with their own unique qualities. Everything, every one may be inspirational to me, and allow me to continue to develop myself. One of the disadvantages in this is that I do not have a characteristic style for people to recognize. But I am familiar with lots of different styles. Besides, I want to become a trendsetter myself: hard to realize when you follow others.
My experience as a LEGO® designer has also made me quite critical. Even if a model looks wonderful, a picture cannot tell me how well constructed a model is, or how ingenious the building process, which I find at least just as important these days.
ToyPro: NKubate, thank you so much for your time, inspiration and advice. We want to wish you lots of success in building many more new and beautiful LEGO® MOC’s. You want to admire more of NKubate work? Please go to his LEGO® portfolio on his website.
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