Welcome to this month's edition of the LEGO Fire Community Blog! I hope you all are doing well this new year! Today, we are honored to have one of the founding members of the LMFD, Paul G with us today!
LFC Blog: Welcome to the Blog Paul! Tell us about yourself. When and why did you start building Lego fire trucks? PG: I am currently 56 years old and probably one of the oldest builders in the LFD world. I officially started my first LFD on June 5 of 2004. I was one of the founding members of the LMFD (Lego Metro Fire District) that was formed July 31 of 2005. I compiled a lot of info on the Lego fire groups and members and I guess I’m kind of a historian on that stuff. My current website is www.paulandgoogstownfire.weebly.com It is fairly current but not completely up to date. I’ve always been a fire buff since I was a kid. My uncle was a volunteer firefighter/EMT and my Grandfather helped start up Springfield Township Fire Department in New Springfield, Ohio. I became a volunteer FF myself about 10-11 years ago. My cousin’s son became a fire fighter. That’s 4 generations on my Mom’s side of the family that were/are firefighters. I happened across St. Lego and Lego Township web sites and became hooked on LFD. I got to be very close to those guys and the rest of the LMFD crew. LFC Blog: I definitely remember seeing your page back in the day! It's really awesome to see generations of firefighters that run through your family! Who/what inspires you to build? PG: I go pretty far back, so mostly the guys in LMFD such as Tom D, Mike L, Paul B and Mr. Pierce as I call Bob K. I’ve been inspired by a lot of people but those were the biggest influencers. LFC Blog: For sure, those builders left an immeasurable impact on the community, and I am personally glad to have had the opportunity to have a conversation with each of them! That has easily been one of the best experiences so far in my time here on the web. What's in the name Pauland/Googstown and why did you settle on the current color scheme? PG: I mainly have Pauland and Googstown but have and have had many others departments through the years. Pauland is named after my home town and my name and Googstown is based on my nickname and last name. My first LFD was named Hubrick after the town I lived in at the time. I chose all red to match Youngstown and Columbus Ohio rigs. I have experimented with many different color schemes through the years. I also currently have some white over red and black over red in my current fleet. You can always tell it’s one of my builds by the mudguards. I’ve always used them since the beginning and continue to this day even after a switch to Speed Champion wheels and tires a few years ago. LFC Blog: I love seeing your past rigs on your site! In an era where past creations are deleted, it is refreshing to see creations from way back when! What is the most challenging rig you've ever built? PG: Most challenging was probably my tower ladder (Tower 91) because I was trying to match the real rig as best as I could. The most challenging things I’ve done include cutting down height and width of roll up doors on my heavy rescue (R92). The heartbeat striping on my one ambulances (Medic98) was also pretty challenging. LFC Blog: Midmount tower ladders are difficult to capture in LEGO scaling. Having done several myself, I totally understand the challenge of getting the size just right! What is your most favorite rig and why? PG: My elliptical tanker (T93) because I haven’t seen too many of those done in Lego. The original design was built 7/11/10 making it my oldest rig. Its been rebuilt several times. I am also proud of my smaller pick up style rigs because you don’t see too many of those and I like my designs. My Squad 92 was built 12/4/10 and is my oldest non modified rig. LFC Blog: Certainly, elliptical tankers are pretty rare! Especially those having a chrome color sets it apart! What is one Lego piece you wish were manufactured and why? PG: Roll Up doors in various heights and widths for use on rigs LFC Blog: I most definitely agree! It would be nice if LEGO would manufacture different colors too! What are your future plans for your department? PG: I’ll keep on building as long as I enjoy it. Immediate future plans are building another tanker. LFC Blog: For sure, you should keep doing what makes you happy! I would love to see another tanker (Elliptical??) in your fleet! In the words of my good friend Jessie W, "You can never have enough tankers." What is the best part of the Lego Fire Community? PG: The friendships and idea sharing. LFC Blog: The friendships I've made over the years has molded me to be a better person for sure! We are definitely blessed to live in a day and age where ideas can be readily shared via personal messaging, or even live building through Stud.io! Any tips or advice for new builders? PG: Build quality over quantity. Its too easy to slap together rigs just for numbers. LFC Blog: I absolutely agree with you! There are way too many people nowadays who build for the sake of numbers and end up having a really basic fleet that is indistinguishable from other people's creations. Guys such as Tom D, Mike L, James K, Paulo R, Steven A, and Ralph S certainly are notable exceptions, but that's because each of their creations are distinct and stand out among the rest of the crowd. While it is undoubtedly getting more and more challenging to create a unique MOC nowadays due to the many different kinds of MOCs that people do, I firmly believe that there are boatloads of unused techniques that will enhance our builds! At this point, I'd like to once again thank Paul for having this brief conversation with us today! I also want to thank you, the reader, for your wonderful support! Here at the blog, our hope is that you would be inspired to become a better builder. So with that, keep on bricking!
1 Comment
Pat DeLuca
1/28/2021 02:02:19 pm
While I agree with quality over quantity, if your fleet works for you and what you are trying to accomplish, it shouldn’t matter if your rigs stand out or not. If you like your creation and it meets your standards for playability or for display purposes or whatever, it doesn’t matter what they look like. That’s the beauty of LEGO. If your creation works for what you want, outstanding. If it doesn’t, tear down and try again.
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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. |