Welcome to our Master Builder series, where we highlight the exceptional builders in the Lego World. Today I was lucky enough to get an interview (via email! Stay home everyone!) from the very talented ExeSandbox (Tong Xin Jun), who has recently hit the 10K barrier on LEGO Ideas with his amazing design of the Krusty Crab from Spongebob. Make sure you check out ExeSandbox’s other creations too! There is a lot of outstanding work.
Let’s get right to it!
The Interview
Bricks Blog: Hello and thanks for doing this interview! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Exe: Hi, glad to be able to do this interview! I’m a LEGO builder from Malaysia, and I’m currently 17 years old.
Bricks Blog: When did you start building?
Exe: I started building as soon as I got my first set, I guess! (Which was a Bionicle Stars figure.) But I took building seriously after I entered a LEGO contest on Rebrick in 2016 (It’s a now defunct site that used to host a plethora of LEGO Contests, many of which I participated in.), which happened to be a Bionicle related one. After that hardcore experience, I wanted to get better at building.
Bricks Blog: What do you love most about LEGO?
Exe: I think what I love most is the opportunity LEGO provides for anyone to build anything they want. There’s seemingly nothing that can’t be created with LEGO, and along with just how easy the building system is to grasp, I’m always wanting to try new ideas that has not been seen before.
Bricks Blog: How does it feel to have a project hit 10K supporters?
Exe: It’s a mixture of fulfilment, and joy with a hint of sadness (and relief) that it’s finally over and the reigns will be handed over to LEGO, which is really exciting too. Even till now, I’m actually still having to let it all sink in…
Bricks Blog: Have you always been a fan of Spongebob?
Exe: Yeah, I have always enjoyed the cartoon since I was a kid, it’s one of, if not the show that I’ve watched the most throughout my life. I wasn’t a hardcore fan that would buy tons of Spongebob merchandise (admittedly, I haven’t bought a single Spongebob related item except for the DVDs.) But it’s only recently, because I’m a lot older, that I really started to appreciate just how amazing the cartoon is. So building the Krusty Krab just felt right at home!
Bricks Blog: Do you have ideas of what you might create next?
Exe: Well, as for LEGO Product Ideas, I have no clue. Actually, I have been thinking about some ideas, but until I can feel it in my bones that I know people would like the idea, I would just take a step back and brainstorm for some more time. (I actually just don’t like the idea of having the “EXPIRED” title on my entry, so I have to try to make sure it’s successful.)
Bricks Blog: Favourite Lego Theme?
Exe: Hero Factory.
Bricks Blog: Favourite Lego set?
Exe: 10265 Creator Expert Ford Mustang. (I wanted to put something Bionicle or Hero Factory here, but there’s just no beating the Mustang.)
Bricks Blog: Favourite Lego Ideas set?
Exe: 21318 Treehouse (I really love green, nature stuff.)
Bricks Blog: Lego set you wish you owned?
Exe: 2282 Hero Factory Rocka XL (*tears rolling down*)
Bricks Blog: A question you wish we asked you, and answer it. – i.e. What is your favourite brick, or what is your favourite Minifigure.
Exe: Hmm, let’s see…ummm….well….. my brain got stuck, so I’ll just go with “What is your favourite Minifigure?” – I don’t know if this can be considered a Minifigure, but as soon as I saw Sweet Mayhem from The LEGO Movie 2, I just thought she was the best looking fig I’ve ever seen. (Sadly I haven’t bought the figure. A decision I still question to this very day.)
The End
Well, I hope you enjoyed the short email interview! Thank you very much ExeSandbox for taking the time to reply to my interview questions! ExeSandbox is great and I wish him luck as his Lego Ideas set enters the review stage. Fingers crossed we get the set 🤞and I can’t wait to see what comes next from this Master Builder!
