Vancouver Brick Customs - A dream made of Lego
16.06.2023On Instagram, Thomas from Canada presents his self-created Volvo models made of Lego. With over 27,000 followers, he has already found a loyal fan community on this topic. We took the opportunity to ask him a few questions about it.
Please introduce yourself briefly to our readers!
My name is Thomas Marchant and I’m from British Columbia, Canada. I’m 20 years old and I started building and selling custom car models when I was 16 with the majority of my work being done in the past two years. I’m currently going to University to work towards a bachelor’s degree in business administration and plan to specialize in marketing.
Do you drive a real Volvo yourself?
I do drive a Volvo! My daily driver is a 1988 Volvo 740 turbo and I absolutely love it. It’s easy to work on and has been very reliable so far.
How did you come to the idea of building this great Lego Volvo?
My grandma used to own a dark red Volvo 240 wagon that I remember very fondly. As much as I love my 740, I do slightly prefer the way that 240’s look so I decided to make a larger scale version of it.
When did you build your first Volvo?
I built my first LEGO Volvo in 2016 and it was around 1/4 of the size of the large one. It wasn’t very good but it was a decent first effort. Over time I’ve perfected it through a lot of trial and error.
How long did it take to build one model?
The first large 240 took me roughly 2-3 weeks to fully design. I ran into some structural issues with the frame but fixed the problems quickly after. Now that I’ve built a handful of them it only takes 2-3 days to design and build them.
Do you only use Lego bricks or also other manufacturers?
I currently only use official LEGO bricks in my models. The one exception I might make in the future is with the wheels, I’m interested in 3D printing them so that I can make miniature replicas of popular Volvo wheels.
Do you only use Lego bricks or sometimes glue?
So far I haven’t had to use any glue. I’ve been able to use LEGO technic parts to my advantage to make the frame strong enough that it doesn’t need glue. I’m not totally against the idea of using glue, but I want to avoid it if possible.
How are people reacting to your Volvo?
People really seem to like them. I’ve met a lot of amazing people through making LEGO cars. Each model is something unique and special to each customer.
Which model is your favorite model?
My favourite is either the dark red 240 wagon model that I personally own or the sand green 240 wagon that I did as a commission last year. Both are extremely beautiful and look great on display.
Further information can be found on the linked pages.
