The Big Idea
It was May 17, 2011. That was when I posted my last finished MOC before going on hiatus once again. A few years ago I actually had a small building spree but didn't quite finish anything to post. I did share a few things with Peter Morris, StarFighter Builder Extraordinaire, and accidentally posted a WiP, but I finished nothing for almost eight years.
Wow.
How does that even happen?
Family, Life, Work, Video Games, Netflix, Depression...
...the passing of nnenn.
It was a strange time. Nnenn's passing left an empty spot inside me. We weren't friends in the same sense that Peter and nnenn were. I was prodding him a lot. He never initiated a discussion with me or shared something without me asking. In fact, some things I linked to him about schmups, he told me to share them with Peter. Not that he was trying to get rid of me, but he wasn't as into schmups as Peter was and he just wanted to make sure Peter was involved with that sort of stuff.
Nnenn was like my highschool English teacher. I was hungry for something and he had what I needed at the time. So I asked a lot of questions and he was willing to answer. This back and forth went on for at least a year although sometimes there could be two weeks between replies. He was a stay-at-home dad and artist after all.
I think above all, he was an encourager.
During that time I was mostly unemployed. My Lego had been in storage for about a year while we "settled" with in-laws and my desire to start building "nnenn-style" was growing to a fever pitch. Finally the Lego came out and off I went. Before I knew it I went an entire month with one MOC a day: built, photographed, edited, posted. Quality of MOCs? Yeah, right.
But one MOC a day, no matter the quality, changes how you build. Makes you a better builder. And a faster one. The second year of the November Vic Viper challenges, I produced five MOCs, the third year was ten. Those are some fast MOCs.
But then nnenn was gone. Then we moved into our own home and I started a new job (going on nine years now). My family continued to grow (eight children so far) and money grew tighter. Auto problems, bill problems, Life...
I tried to keep building. That third year of Vics though...without nnenn...every post seemed empty of joy. It was like I was on autopilot. I posted the Fringe Blade, my highest-viewed and most faved MOC and I had a moment of pleasure...but it faded quickly. I tinkered some more but couldn't bring myself to finish anything. I posted a few things for Peter then left the bricks untouched for a couple of years.
One summer, about three or four years ago I tried to pull myself back into the builds, put some more WIPs together, posted a couple more for Peter then stopped again.
The joy just wasn't there. The drive and motivation was missing.
For four or five years I bought sets, put them together, then tossed them aside. Finally, this spring, as winter was waning and I could still see my breath in the air, I started disassembling and cleaning and sorting and reorganizing. And as I made progress, I took pictures and posted them up. And something happened.
I started to get excited.
As I finished I started to take breaks and look through nnenns Bricklink and Flickr. Then I was looking through the Starfighter group. I had a Thunderforce WiP from Peter's Thunderforce Starfighter challenge that had been tossed about for years.
I could finish that.
And I could finish this other WiP.
Then that one.
And before I knew it three WiPs were completed. But I had new ideas now. I was going to start building Vic Vipers. Thirty of them. And I was going to get them photographed and edited and I was going to post one a day. Just like nnenn did.
And that's exactly what happened.
I'm half way through Novvember 2019 and I feel like the best is yet to come. I hope you've enjoyed the models so far and stick around for the rest. Come back here if you can spare the time, I'd like to share my journey with you.
Wow.
How does that even happen?
Family, Life, Work, Video Games, Netflix, Depression...
...the passing of nnenn.
It was a strange time. Nnenn's passing left an empty spot inside me. We weren't friends in the same sense that Peter and nnenn were. I was prodding him a lot. He never initiated a discussion with me or shared something without me asking. In fact, some things I linked to him about schmups, he told me to share them with Peter. Not that he was trying to get rid of me, but he wasn't as into schmups as Peter was and he just wanted to make sure Peter was involved with that sort of stuff.
Nnenn was like my highschool English teacher. I was hungry for something and he had what I needed at the time. So I asked a lot of questions and he was willing to answer. This back and forth went on for at least a year although sometimes there could be two weeks between replies. He was a stay-at-home dad and artist after all.
I think above all, he was an encourager.
During that time I was mostly unemployed. My Lego had been in storage for about a year while we "settled" with in-laws and my desire to start building "nnenn-style" was growing to a fever pitch. Finally the Lego came out and off I went. Before I knew it I went an entire month with one MOC a day: built, photographed, edited, posted. Quality of MOCs? Yeah, right.
But one MOC a day, no matter the quality, changes how you build. Makes you a better builder. And a faster one. The second year of the November Vic Viper challenges, I produced five MOCs, the third year was ten. Those are some fast MOCs.
But then nnenn was gone. Then we moved into our own home and I started a new job (going on nine years now). My family continued to grow (eight children so far) and money grew tighter. Auto problems, bill problems, Life...
I tried to keep building. That third year of Vics though...without nnenn...every post seemed empty of joy. It was like I was on autopilot. I posted the Fringe Blade, my highest-viewed and most faved MOC and I had a moment of pleasure...but it faded quickly. I tinkered some more but couldn't bring myself to finish anything. I posted a few things for Peter then left the bricks untouched for a couple of years.
One summer, about three or four years ago I tried to pull myself back into the builds, put some more WIPs together, posted a couple more for Peter then stopped again.
The joy just wasn't there. The drive and motivation was missing.
For four or five years I bought sets, put them together, then tossed them aside. Finally, this spring, as winter was waning and I could still see my breath in the air, I started disassembling and cleaning and sorting and reorganizing. And as I made progress, I took pictures and posted them up. And something happened.
I started to get excited.
As I finished I started to take breaks and look through nnenns Bricklink and Flickr. Then I was looking through the Starfighter group. I had a Thunderforce WiP from Peter's Thunderforce Starfighter challenge that had been tossed about for years.
I could finish that.
And I could finish this other WiP.
Then that one.
And before I knew it three WiPs were completed. But I had new ideas now. I was going to start building Vic Vipers. Thirty of them. And I was going to get them photographed and edited and I was going to post one a day. Just like nnenn did.
And that's exactly what happened.
I'm half way through Novvember 2019 and I feel like the best is yet to come. I hope you've enjoyed the models so far and stick around for the rest. Come back here if you can spare the time, I'd like to share my journey with you.
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