Welcome to today's edition of the LFC Blog! We are honored to have Calvin here with us! Enjoy the interview below!
LFC Blog: Tell us about yourself. When and why did you start building Lego fire trucks? CF: Hi, my name is Calvin and I'm a 48 AFOL in Littlehampton, West Sussex England, on the sunny south coast and a firefighter for West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. We have 2 Scanias and a Landrover in our station. I started my lego days back in 1979 on my 9th birthday. I was given a load of money so I went down to my local toy shop and bought 4 lego models, 2 of which I still have today: Set number 640 fire car 6690 snorkel truck, 602 fire chief, and the Shell Petrol Tanker (last 2 I don’t have ). It all started from there! By the time I left school, I had collected every fire related models up to 1988/89, then I stepped away for a few years, then went back into it about 1992 and collected again up to 1997 when I thought the models were going downhill. In 2005, Lego made a come back with the new 6 wide fire truck and I bought about 10 of them and started converting them into Legoland Fire and Rescue Service, and that was it for me! I was hooked again! In 2008-2009, I found Brickshelf then in 2010-2011, I found MOCpages where I found some amazing people on there who got me into building American trucks, and I then created South Coast Fire and Rescue till about 2014-2015 when I discovered Mount Horeb Fire Dept and their black trucks. I was hooked and out of the ashes came Baybrick County Fire Rescue, which is current today and getting bigger! I then found Bob K. and Lego Twp. and his amazing stations so I started building stations as well. I have 10 stations to date as well as a rural fire dept and airport fleet. LFC Blog: Wow you've been building quite a while! It's great to see the passion over the years! Who/what inspires you to build? CF: Wow, what can I say and who! There are so many!! But the first person I got to know well first was James K and from there on, I met Paulo, MM, Graeme T, Tim J, CC, Zak O, Christopher Anthony, Matt leper, Matthew Miller, Sven, Bob K, Tom D, Olivier Laporte, TJ, Anthony Dryden, Paul Mckeever, and so many more (sorry if I haven’t mentioned you all)! They are all fantastic builders who helped me and inspire me to this day! With so many new faces coming through with new ideas, it's only going to get better! LFC Blog: All those guys are not only great builders, but also even better people! What's in the name Baybrick County Fire and Rescue, and why did you settle on the current color scheme? CF: While I was getting bored with South Coast, I wanted to have a name with "brick" in it, and the name I was going with at first was Palebrick Fire Dept but didn’t look good on a black truck, then after writing down loads of names on a piece of paper, the name BAYBRICK stood out, and I knew that was the name! LFC Blog: Having made several cities, I can relate to that a lot haha! What is the most challenging rig you've ever built? CF: My most challenging rig was building and designing my scania airport rescue ladder! It took me a long time to build, dismantle, re-build again and again till the design it is today! That rescue ladder it pretty ingenious, I must say! LFC Blog: What is your most favorite rig and why? CF: Well, there is so many to choose, but if I had to choose one, it’s the 2017 Seagrave Marauder II designed by my good friend Paulo! It just looks the part! LFC Blog: You can never go wrong with Seagrave! They create high quality rigs! What is one Lego piece you wish were manufactured and why? CF: I'd have to say due to the fact I build fire trucks, I would like them to build more lift up locker door in different sizes, maybe a 2 wide by 4 high and a 2 high and 4 wide (for above the wheel arches) etc., as I love the lift up locker concept. It just helps with storage on the trucks. LFC Blog: I definitely agree! There should be more variety not only with doors and compartments but also with colors! What are your future plans for your department? CF: Well, as you know, I've got 10 built station and appliances, but I'm in the process of building 3 more stations and appliances, and I've got hooked on a new design of the new Scania next generation cab by Scott Morris, so I'm adding a few more Euro rigs to my American fleet, so I get the best of both worlds! LFC Blog: Woah! Those are some great plans! We can't wait to see them come to fruition! What is the best part of the Lego Fire Community? CF: You guys who are reading this! It says it in the name "COMMUNITY!" We all work so hard to help each other with builds, ideas. sharing files, etc. I just feel proud to be part of it, and it's just so enjoyable to help other people on here! LFC Blog: Indeed, the people is what makes it great! How would you like to see the LFC grow better? CF: I think we have already a very good, growing community in LFC and with newer models coming through, more people are getting into our hobby, and we need to inspire these people into our community but we've also got to teach and guide them, especially concerning respect for others. LFC Blog: Well said Calvin! Any tips or advice for new builders? CF: Yes very much so: don’t try to run before you can walk. There are so many new people joining who want to go straight in the deep end and build complicated trucks and then pester people with "how do I do this/that etc etc?" Learn the basics of lego! Go buy a fire truck, dismantle it, rebuild it, dismantle it again. Learn the parts and their functions and how to adapt them. Give respect and credit to the people who are helping you. They have been here a long time and have seen a lot of people come and go. Listen to what people are trying to help you with, and don’t keep bombarding them with questions because then, people won't want to help you at all. LFC Blog: Couldn't have said it better Calvin! Thanks for taking the time to do this interview, and we look forward to seeing your new creations! To those reading this blog, thanks for your continued support!
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~Committed to presenting outstanding LEGO firefighting MOCs from around the world!~
Blog Updated: 10/28/22
PurposeWelcome to the Lego Fire Community Blog! Presented here are outstanding builders who captivate their audience with their MOCs (My Own Creation). The purpose of this blog is to educate others of exemplary builders both past and present. DedicationThis blog is dedicated to Eric S. McDonald, the Fire Chief of the original Lego City Fire Department who died unexpectedly on Aug. 21, 2002. His vision is what started the whole LFC, and for that we are eternally grateful. About the moderating teamChief editor - Michael P. - Founder of Castle Beach Fire Department and Los Angelego County Fire Department Archives
October 2022
DisclaimerThis website is not affiliated with The Lego Company, or any real life fire department for that matter. All builds presented here are original works by the respective builders who gave strict permission to utilize the photos on this website. None of the photos were/are kept for personal use. |