Erik works at the LEGO Model Shop in Enfield, Connecticut as a Model Designer.

Hi, Erik! What can you tell us about your job at The LEGO Company?
I'm a Model Designer, or LEGO Master Builder as we're sometimes called, for the Shows & Events Department here at the Enfield, CT offices. We don’t design any of the retail sets here, but we work on the large brick-built displays you might find at conventions, the LEGO stores and other retail locations.

What did you do before you started work here?
I always had a talent for art when I was younger, mostly 2D stuff like painting or pen and ink. But while in college, I discovered sculpture and found I had a love for it. I had no idea that a few short years later I’d be making sculptures with LEGO bricks.

Why did you apply for the job? How did you get it?
In my case, it was really just a lot of dumb luck. I spotted a classified ad in the local paper for LEGO model gluers. I guess you can say that I was just in the right place at the right time, as it was pretty rare for The LEGO Company to put the call out in that way.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Well, if I had spare time, I’d love to get back to exploring other art mediums and get back to creating my own work. It has been a while since I’ve put paintbrush to canvas, and I miss it.

Do you build at home, too?
I sometimes wish I could, but after staring at LEGO bricks for 8 hours every day, you need a little time for your brain to de-frag. And that’s too bad, because sometimes you get a really great idea for personal brick projects but you never have the chance to build them.

Do you build with your family?
My son thinks BIONICLE® is really cool, and sometimes we’ll sit down together and whip up some crazy-looking Toa.

How did you become a LEGO Master Builder?
It was actually a long and arduous process. Before I was allowed to start any major project, I went though a six-month apprenticeship learning good building practices like interlocking, working from brick paper, glue application, etc. The senior Master Builders would occasionally do walkthroughs and check on the strength, stability and overall appearance of whatever model you were working on, and would take it apart to the problem area for reworking if it wasn’t up to our standards. It could be quite frustrating, but I still carry those good building habits with me today.

What was your first major project as a designer at The LEGO Company?
The life-sized security guard located near the entrance of the Michigan Avenue LEGO Store in Chicago. I’m pretty critical of my work, though, and I’ll look at it now and see how much I’ve grown in my craft. If they ever need that model redone, I’d love to get another shot at it.

What was your most recent project?
Dan Steininger and I just returned from Denver, where we created an eight foot by eight foot replica of The Children’s Hospital. That trip was incredible. We often travel around the country meeting and building with LEGO fans everywhere, but working with those kids was really special.

What was your all-time favorite project?
I’m probably most proud of the robot band that we developed for FAO Schwartz back in 2002. It was a fully animatronic trio that was the centerpiece of the LEGO section in the New York City store for a number of years. Each character has something like 12 points of articulation, and it was a real blast working with the animators to make each one of their personalities come through. I believe the band, called “Plastica,” now performs exclusively at the Toy Museum in Bellaire, Ohio.

What are the steps to creating a big LEGO sculpture?
Really, no two models are quite the same. I’ll often tackle two similar designs in different ways, just so I’m constantly teaching myself new and unique ways of building with LEGO bricks. But if you find something that works for you, by all means, stick with it.

What was the neatest or most clever thing you ever did when building a LEGO model?
I’m not sure I could name just one, but I like to hide little Easter Eggs inside some of my designs or use strange parts in a subtle ways on the outsides of my models, little things that others might not get, but funny personal jokes.

What advice do you have for Club members who want to become LEGO Master Builders some day?
My own personal journey involved a strong art background, but it’s not totally necessary. Good math and engineering skills definitely help, plus lots of practice. So stay in school and keep on playing with those bricks!

Can you give us a sneak peek at what you’re working on next?
Right now, I’m working on designing a life-sized Star Wars™ character to tie in with the launch of the CLONE WARS TV series next year.

I seem to be the go-to guy in the shop when it comes to Star Wars stuff, as this will be the sixth full-sized model I’ve developed. Running down the list, I was responsible for:

The animated Battle Droid that was first displayed during the 2000 LEGO truck tour.

A Droideka or Destroyer Droid that was the grand prize in a LEGO Star Wars building contest in 2000.

Boba Fett™ (I can’t take full credit for that one, as I just re-colored another Master Builder’s version of Jango Fett™).

Darth Vader™. There is one Vader design for the LEGOLAND® parks, and another that we created in ’99, but we needed a new model built and we came up with a new, more accurate model using up-to-date computer software.

C-3PO™ - this model debuted last year at Star Wars Celebration in Los Angeles.

And currently I’m working on Captain Rex™, a blue-accented ARC Trooper that figures prominently in the new CLONE WARS series. Watch for it in 2008!

Thanks for giving us the inside scoop, Erik! And Club members, we’ll see you next time for another Master Builder Q&A!