Nothing But Brick's April Builder Of The Month - Lendy Tayag

Hi, folks! We're back with another Builder of the Month feature here at Nothing But Brick. Our April (I know! I'm really sorry we're several months behind! But on with the show!) Builder of the Month caught the attention of every Voltron fan in the Internet when he submitted his Lego Ideas project last year. Meet Lendy Tayag, also known as len_d69 online. The highly detailed recreation of the Lion Force Voltron robot is truly a wonder to behold. The coolest thing about Lendy's Voltron is how it could be combined using the five lions just like in the famed 1980's cartoon.

Minifig Keith from Voltron Lion Force (Photo courtesy of Lendy Tayag)

The Voltron series was a huge hit not just here in the Philippines but all over the world which is understandable why adult fans, who are mostly kids who grew up watching the Voltron beat the crap out of tons ro-beasts, would show their support for this project. That's nostalgia taking effect right there. Who wouldn't want a cool Voltron Lego set, right?

Let's form Voltron! (Photo courtesy of Lendy Tayag)

Lendy also draws inspiration from early 90's TV shows which most of us 'kids' enjoyed back in the day. Check out his Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Dinozords.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Zords (Photo courtesy of Lendy Tayag)

By the way, this, my friends, is a Megazord. The hunk of junk in the recent Power Rangers movie is not. hehe

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Megazord (Photo courtesy of Lendy Tayag)

The man's also a fan of the Japanese super robot genre which paved the way for these highly detailed MOCs of these classic giants. Amazing. Simply amazing.

Voltes V, Combattler V, Brave Raideen, Danguard Ace, Daimos (Photo courtesy of Lendy Tayag)

Everytime I see Lendy's works online particularly his recent updates to Voltron, I'm reminded of an artist endlessly perfecting his craft by continuously improving his works. I think this is an important trait of a highly-skilled master builder. It takes a lot of patience to revisit and improve one's existing works. This, I think is the reason why Lendy's projects are getting better and better over time. Striving for perfection or the next best thing brings out the best in his MOCs.

Without further ado, read on and step into the creative mind of our Builder of the Month. Enjoy, guys and gals!

* * *

What is your earliest memory of Lego? 

Earliest I can remember was the Lego Fabuland my parents bought for us. If not mistaken, we had the pig, cow and mouse.  

How long have you been collecting bricks?

I have been collecting for approximately 2 to 3 years after I was influenced by my brother. I started off with Kreo Transformers and moved on to Lego

Which Lego theme is your favorite?

I really like Ninjago. Aparat from the great sets, the TV series is fun to watch. My kids love it too! :)

Voltron: Legendary Defender (Photo courtesy of Lendy Tayag)

What is the first Lego set you acquired? Which set do you value the most?

That would be the Ninjago DBX.

How do you manage funding your hobby as a Lego collector/builder? Where do you get your bricks?

My parents bought a number of brick sets for my kids and I started from there. Recently, I slowly buy bricks. Basically spreading out the purchases into small amounts :) 

I normally get my bricks from PAB at Brick Sanctuary or Lego Certified Stores in Malaysia.

How do you address the hobby's requirements for storage space?

Selective display. I have very limited space so once in a while I would switch the sets on the shelf. Lately, I just display my most recent MOCs.

Tyrannosaurus Dinozord (Photo courtesy of Lendy Tayag)

Mastodon Dinozord (Photo courtesy of Lendy Tayag)

Pterodactyl Dinozord (Photo courtesy of Lendy Tayag)

What storage and sorting methods can you recomend?

I normally just separate by color and simply store them in plastic food containers. I recently bouth those small shelves but haven't sorted through my bricks. I recommend them as it provides easier access.

What made you start building MOCs?

I used to build Gundams as well as customizing toys (mostly Transformers) but it was very tedious especially when painting is involved. So I tried Lego for a change. It allowed me to recreate a number of Mechas that I always wanted to scratch build since I was young without the worry of cleaning up.:)

Describe your building process.

It really depends on the pieces I have. If i have the parts, I'll free-hand if not I will use LDD. One thing though is that I would go through a number of images of my subject and visualize how it would look in brick form. Trying to recreate the most noticeable and obvious features that can distinguish it from others.

Triceratops Dinozord (Photo courtesy of Lendy Tayag)

Saber-toothed Tiger Dinozord (Photo courtesy of Lendy Tayag)

How long does one project usually take?

It really depends; some takes 2 to 3 weeks while some takes much longer. Like for the 16-inch Voltron, I started the concept around 2014 but scrapped it afterwards since I couldn't get the lion heads right. Then in 2016, everything fell in place. 

What indicators/benchmarks do you use to measure your satisfaction with the quality of your work?

I normally benchmark it on how recognizable it is as compared to the subject. Once I have the prototype, I would normally send images to my brother. He is sort of my QA making sure it looks good and the proportions are correct :)

Where do you get inspiration for your MOCS? Who/What are your influences?

Most of my work are based on 70's and 80's Mecha. I grew up watching Voltes V, Daimos, Voltron and most of Go Na Gai's creations.

Voltes V Volt Machines (Photo courtesy of Lendy Tayag)

What are the challenges you have encountered as a MOCcer and how have you dealt with them?

Main challenge for me was sourcing for parts. It was hard to get specific parts that I needed. Most of the pieces available were mainly for modular build. Fortunately, a local shop I buy from started bringing in more varieties for their PAB section.

What do you think are the necessary skills/attitude/characteristics a MOCcer must possess? How do you think these could be acquired or improve?

Patience and thinking out of the box helps a lot. There are a number of technics and styles that you can learn from different MOCs. Browse thru them and experiment :)

What is your biggest accomplishment as a MOCcer?

I guess that would be Voltron :)

Lendy's Voltron MOC Collection (Photo courtesy of Lendy Tayag)

What would be your advice to budding builders?

Take your time. You can learn a lot from the community of builders. Join different MOC forums or FB groups. Have fun!

* * *

There you have it, folks! I hope you enjoyed reading today's post. I certainly had a great time writing this entry. Make sure to like and visit Lendy's Facebook page, @CreationsByLendy (https://www.facebook.com/CreationsByLendy/).

Last but definitely not the least, let's support Lendy's project submissions at Lego Ideas. He has several projects that need support for Lego to consider releasing them as official sets. C'mon, folks! I really want a Voltron Lego set! I've laid out the links below. I do hope you check 'em out and click the 'Support' button if you like what you see.

1. Voltron: Legendary Defender Bust
2. Voltron: Legendary Defender Robot
3. Voltron - Armored Fleet Dairugger XV a.k.a. Vehicle Voltron Force
4. Castle of Lions
5. UFO Robot Grendizer
6. Voltes V
7. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Dino Megazord

Thanks for reading another entry here at Nothing But Brick! Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Till next entry!