SirNadroj Posted June 27, 2009 My face lit up when I read your name on the list. Way to go! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
I Scream Clone Posted June 27, 2009 Well done mate! A real dream come true for you. Now you have an excuse to build all day! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Who Posted June 27, 2009 Wow, Congratulations Mark/Hinck! You're probably the perfect person for this job, as all of your MOCs are of the highest quality, I'd say. I had really wanted to go try out, but probably would not have made it, plus I'm on the wrong coast of the US. So does this mean no more Chicago for Hinckley? And what is to become of The Whacker And The Walrus? Is it going to end? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dragonator Posted June 27, 2009 Nice job Hinckley, you definitely deserved this! Have fun in your new job and keep us updated! We're all so proud of you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phillip10 Posted June 27, 2009 i went on to one of my favorite lego blogs brothers brick and saw the 4 other people who won the contest too Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Zuloo Posted June 27, 2009 Congrats man, I only hope this doesn't mean less of you in the forums. Keep us posted on your creations now that you have an unlimited supply of bricks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
legotrainfan Posted June 27, 2009 Congrats, Hinckley! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteFang Posted June 27, 2009 Congratulations Hinckley! Well done, and amazing work. You have really outdone yourself. EB Event Malaysia 2013! Everyone will come and see you handy work yes? Hehe! I am sure, I will be one of the first few to be able to do so. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Freddie Posted June 27, 2009 Congratulations Hinckley! I was going to comment that you're now one step closer to becoming a "LEGO Certified Professional", altough it kinda sounded dumb now that you're actually working for them. Should play to your advantage later on, if you decide to do so, seeing how you wanted to become one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peppermint_M Posted June 27, 2009 Congratulations! That is one of the most awesome jobs in the world. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Asuka Posted June 27, 2009 Congrats! What a fantastic and very interesting job... bricks on! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mariann Asanuma Posted June 27, 2009 Here's a few pics of Hinckley and the other contestants in action And I have a whole bunch more on My Flickr Photostream Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Millacol88 Posted June 27, 2009 Congratulations, Hinckley! Nobody deserves it more. As others have said, does this mean you're leaving Chicago? Oh, and one more question, perhaps we will see a new Fabuland theme in the next few years? EDIT: Nice pictures! Did they just give you some random bricks and an overall theme to work with? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zarkan Posted June 27, 2009 Wow, congratulations Hinckley! Does this mean that you are not going to be doing your graphic art and web design buisness anymore, or will you still do some of that as a side job? Regardless, I hope you make the best of this awesome position. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zepher Posted June 27, 2009 Congrats my friend! It looks like your finally working for Lego! Does this mean we aren't allowed to vote for you as Ambassador anymore? On another note, could anyone explain exactly how the day went? They were allowed what bricks. I know they had 2 hours and were given a theme, just what were the other requirements? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wout Posted June 27, 2009 Congratulations Hinckley! Another Step to take over TLC and Re- Introduce Fabuland. I only hope we will see you still on eurobricks. Are you leaving Chicago now? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bartram Posted June 28, 2009 Wow, congratulations on the new job at Legoland, Hinckley! Enjoy the new position! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tinn-man Posted June 28, 2009 (edited) Wow! So Hinckley is now a master builder AND an ambassador!!! Congratulations, you now get paid to build with LEGO I also like the fact that you're the only person not sitting in their chair while building . EDIT: Wait... why was a lego building competition being covered by a news paper. I didn't think that many people outside of, well, this community cared who was named as new LEGO master builders. Edited June 28, 2009 by Tinn-man Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canticleer blues Posted June 28, 2009 Wow! That's a dream come true. Kudos and congratulations, Hinckley- you deserve it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hinckley Posted June 29, 2009 According to a North County Times article, Hinckley was one of nine new employees hired by Legoland California, with his job being a master builder. So, congratulations, and don't let us down . Thanks for breaking the news, my new buddy! Everybody, I met Ricecracker at BrickWorld and it turns out he's only 13, but he's more mature and a better builder than a lot of AFOLs I know. You're a great guy and it was cool to meet your family too. Congratulations, Hinck. I see your infiltration plan is working. Seriously tough, congratulations and keep on building! Stauder. Seriously tough? Getting closer to that journalism career, huh? King of Grammar? Wow! Congrats Hinck! How will that job work then? Well, I will work in the model facility which is offsite, not the park's model shop. I will build the designs the designers give me for the parks in Malaysia, Dubai, Carlsbad and the Discovery Center in my very own Chicago. Thanks Hinckley, one less job for me at Lego congratulations, you must have gotten about the best job possible, that's what I've wanted to since I was real little. Can you see if your aloud to take some pictures of the work stations there, I'd love to see how they do it. Well have fun there. We sign a NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) and they moved all of the projects out of the shop for our tour, so that would be a resounding NO for pics from behind the scenes. Sorry Just got off the phone with him. I'll let him explain how it all went down. Here's the picture of him and his winning model, built over a couple hours in full view of LEGO, the public, and the media. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lights/3661598739/ Congratulations! Thanks for the call and for posting the pics, KP! Here are some pics of the model I built: Anubis, Greek God of Death We had to build for the theme "Land of Adventure" which is just Johnny Thunder Adventurers and the new ride "Dune Raiders" which is Egyptian. A friend gave me a lot of advice during the competition and I ignored most of it, but threw this ankh in for him just to say I followed his advice at at least one point. This was literally the first sculpture I've built with LEGO bricks. I took a sculpture class in college but build mostly buildings, vehicles and ships. Many people advised me to practice my sculpting skills and I was happy that the vision in my head came out in brick at the end of the challenge. I studied up on sphere building videos and the Ultimate LEGO Book and a little help from CopMike and some other anonymous pros. I used sloped bricks for the eye except for the part closest to the snout which I used a curved slope for a softer effect and a rounder "cheek" on the jackal. I purposely made the pattern go down and cut to one side to show off some SNOT techniques-a term the designers at the park use... And lastly, this was the pedestal which I started when there was 15 minutes left. I wanted to build a structure underneath the "bust" that showed off my strong suit. I worked a pattern into it which is something I've never done before. A spectator who was pulling for me told me I worried him by not constructing the actual sculpture until the last 5 minutes. I really spaced the work out, spending the first half hour on the headress, the next hour and 15 on the head of the dog and the last 15 minutes on the pedestal. That's usually how I work, but I actually wanted to put it together at the last minute. The rest of the time, I just had a pile of sections of the final product and let it come together right before the whistle. That was fun! Congratulations, Mark. It's a shame they featured some teenager in the article, though. He's a cool guy and he's a local Carlsbadian, so they focused on him, of course. The media thing was a little crazy and there wasn't too much focus on me which I think is just fine. I was able to be there, so I was one of the first to actually be able to congratulate him in person. It was the first time that we had met in real life. I took lots of pictures of the build. I'll upload a few of them later. For those of us watching, it seemed like a long time, but for those building, the two hours flew by. I'll also be posting more of my thoughts on the Search on my blog. Mariann! It was so cool to meet you! I'm glad you were there. You were incredibly supportive. Thanks! We'll soon be neighbors too! Looks like lots of people are already a fan of your work, Hinckley! Congratulations on getting the position of LEGO master builder. So does that mean that you're going to be building some huge creations for a LEGOLAND Malaysia amusement park? That quote in the paper was pretty funny. And yes, we'll be building all of the models for the park in Malaysia. Congratulations Hincks!!! You thoroughly deserve it mate :) Thanks you two! My favorite sea mammals! So does this mean no more Chicago for Hinckley? Congrats, I know you'll quickly become a vital part of the team! Sadly, yes. Leaving Chicago will be rough. I love this city very very much! Awwww our little Hinckey is all grown up! Congratulations Hink, you deserve this so so so so much! (I just hope that 10 - 15 US$ is enough! ) EB Event Malaysia 2013! Everyone will come and see you handy work yes? Hehe! I am happy with the compensation and thank you so much, my great Ozzy friend! Thanks for always being there for me. Congratulations! What a dream come true!How does Jocko feel about a move from Indiana to California though? Oooh... I'll be going to CA by myself. This is going to be a very rough transition, but Jocko understands and supports me. We'll find a way to make it work. Well done mate! A real dream come true for you. Now you have an excuse to build all day! Honestly, it was becoming an obsession. Now I can build all day and get paid for it. Makes me feel a lot better about my compulsion to constantly build. Wow, Congratulations Mark/Hinck! You're probably the perfect person for this job, as all of your MOCs are of the highest quality, I'd say.I had really wanted to go try out, but probably would not have made it, plus I'm on the wrong coast of the US. And what is to become of The Whacker And The Walrus? Is it going to end? Thanks booger! The Whacker and the Walrus will continue as will Fabuland Housewives. My new bosses really liked my web site and have no problem with the content. Congratulations Hinckley! Well done, and amazing work. You have really outdone yourself. I am sure, I will be one of the first few to be able to do so. I hope to be there for the opening and meet you! One of my favorites! Congratulations Hinckley!I was going to comment that you're now one step closer to becoming a "LEGO Certified Professional", altough it kinda sounded dumb now that you're actually working for them. Should play to your advantage later on, if you decide to do so, seeing how you wanted to become one. Actually, when Sean Kenny told me there were too many LCPs in Chicago, I knew I had to move! Congratulations, Hinckley! Nobody deserves it more. As others have said, does this mean you're leaving Chicago? Oh, and one more question, perhaps we will see a new Fabuland theme in the next few years? EDIT: Nice pictures! Did they just give you some random bricks and an overall theme to work with? Unfortunately, I will have no say in set designs. We only build stuff for the parks and minilands. A few years back a company called Merlin Entertainment (as in Madame Tussaud's) bought a controlling share of the parks and they operate all LEGOLand parks. So I won't even be working directly for LEGO...yet. Wow, congratulations Hinckley! Does this mean that you are not going to be doing your graphic art and web design buisness anymore, or will you still do some of that as a side job? Regardless, I hope you make the best of this awesome position. Not officially. I can't juggle both, but there are organizations I volunteer for that I won't stop providing services for. Congrats my friend! It looks like your finally working for Lego! Does this mean we aren't allowed to vote for you as Ambassador anymore?On another note, could anyone explain exactly how the day went? They were allowed what bricks. I know they had 2 hours and were given a theme, just what were the other requirements? I have been advised to remain in the running for the ambassador position. Here's how the days went: (I'll skip the previous days where I entered the process with only a couple of days to go. I was "recruited" during BrickWorld.) Day One Copy Build: We were giving a small sculpture of a sea horse to copy and the bricks to copy it. We had ten minutes to complete it. Scale Up: We were shown a mini-fig sculpture and given a mini-fig and then worked as a group to build the little minifig into a sculpture like the one we had been shown, which was then hidden from us. We had 20 minutes to complete that. Or was it ten? I can't remember. My group was short a person, so the minifig ended up short a head. Two of us got hired eventually anyway. Creative Build: We were given one hour to build whatever we wanted with the bricks provided. I built a micro scale train station with a curved "glass" wall and the curved black piece from Mars Mission sets and the Rogue Shadow as a roof: At the end of the day, 21 out of 23 people were asked back and on day 2, 18 people showed up... Day Two Model Shop Tour: We were given a tour of the model shop and then one on one interviews with our perspective employers. Lunch! Final Building Challenge: The media and guests were allowed to watch as we battled it out for a job in the hot California sun. We were positioned at tables in front of the new ride and given two hours to build something we thought would work well in the Land of Adventure area of the park. After an hour for choosing bricks and approving our source material (we were allowed approved pictures, no instructions) with the judges, we began the build. It ended at four and they asked us back at 4:30 to make the announcement. Wow! So Hinckley is now a master builder AND an ambassador!!! Congratulations, you now get paid to build with LEGO I also like the fact that you're the only person not sitting in their chair while building . EDIT: Wait... why was a lego building competition being covered by a news paper. I didn't think that many people outside of, well, this community cared who was named as new LEGO master builders. Wait, no. I'm not an ambassador. I've only been nominated. Big difference. CopMike is our only ambassador right now and a great one at that! The media love this sort of thing, especially in the states where not many people are hiring and the outlook is somewhat grim. This was a positive human interest story. Anyway, I think that covers it. Thanks everyone for the well wishes! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Siegfried Posted June 29, 2009 Thanks you two! My favorite sea mammals! Gee, I thought it'd take a bit longer than that to forget me... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hinckley Posted June 29, 2009 Gee, I thought it'd take a bit longer than that to forget me... No!! You don't understand. You're my favorite of all the mammals. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alice Posted June 29, 2009 No!! You don't understand. You're my favorite of all the mammals. Nice save! Congratulations Hinckley! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Siegfried Posted June 29, 2009 No!! You don't understand. You're my favorite of all the mammals. I'm sooo sorry to have doubted you. You're my favourite guy in the forestman hat! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ricecracker Posted June 29, 2009 Thanks for breaking the news, my new buddy! Everybody, I met Ricecracker at BrickWorld and it turns out he's only 13, but he's more mature and a better builder than a lot of AFOLs I know. You're a great guy and it was cool to meet your family too. Aww....thanks, but this thread is about you, and let's keep it that way! Sadly, yes. Leaving Chicago will be rough. I love this city very very much! That's annoying, too bad they couldn't have you work from home . ooh... I'll be going to CA by myself. This is going to be a very rough transition, but Jocko understands and supports me. We'll find a way to make it work. I assume you'll visit each other regularly, correct? From the two-ish minute conversation I had with, he seemed like an understanding and reasonable person. ...but there are organizations I volunteer for that I won't stop providing services for. One of which being Bild. Who's going to take your place as an instructor? I was "recruited" during BrickWorld[/i].) Mr. DeCraemer ? Good luck with your new job, Mark. We all wish you the best of luck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
