Lee Magpili

How old are you? 46

Which country are you from? Philippines

What is your role at the LEGO® Group? Senior Designer

How did you get into building with LEGO bricks, especially building your own creations? I have always enjoyed rebuilding my sets since I was a kid, adding boosters to cars, and extra compartments to spaceships and robots. Once I had a chance to have a bigger collection, it became a chance for me to express myself and make my own things. From there, joining communities and competitions made building my own creations all the more fun.

What kind of creations do you love building the most, and why? I would say I like building robots the most, from fantasy and sci-fi mecha to real-world robots. It was a combination of the engineer in me mixed with some love for movies and science fiction.

If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring LEGO builders, what would it be? Build what makes you happy, take lots of pictures and more importantly, don’t forget to play.

How does it feel to have your work exhibited here at LEGO House - Home of the Brick? It’s amazing to be able to exhibit my work here.

Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website or social media profile that you can share? www.flickr.com/1brick

Title Kumikutikutitap na Parol

Can you describe your model and what it represents? The Parol is a star-shaped lantern that has come to be a symbol of the holiday in the Philippines. It is hung outside streets and homes throughout the season which can at times start from the beginning of September through the new year. The idea of the parol is to show that the light of the parol is the family and the culture. The star itself is held up and supported by Filipino iconography and inside the star is the family. The Minifigs are wearing traditional formal clothing.

The model itself is built with a LEGO Technic core to keep it light, and a range of techniques to make the parol appear lit up from inside. The stand and all of its elements and building techniques represent the culture holding up the lantern and all of its surroundings.

The build was supported by the Filipino community here at the LEGO Group helping with translations, build techniques, and custom stickers.

Maraming Salamat!

How long did it take you to build? I had about two months to build it, up until the installation day!

Approximately how many LEGO elements did you use? I imagine it’s around 3,000 pieces with all the details.

Are there any hidden details, Easter eggs, or techniques in your model that fans should look out for? Trying to find the right cultural icons to represent the Philippines during the holidays was a challenge, I hope we found good ones that people can recognize or learn about.