Normally, I fill these pages with nerdy and hopefully useful topics related to LEGO trains. However, as I sat down to consider my next article, I was overcome with the usual anxiety of looming deadlines, jet lag, and was bereft of inspiration. But, it struck me that the reason for my predicament was in fact a good article candidate! That is, I spend so much time and energy building and growing Fx Bricks—why not explore a snapshot of my Fx Bricks life behind the scenes?
As a disclaimer, this article is not intended to be a sponsored marketing spot for Fx Bricks. Everything stated here are my opinions, observations, and experience and are not representative of Fx Bricks. For those of you who are not aware of Fx Bricks, we are a small business based in Canada and Hong Kong. We design and manufacture products for the LEGO fan community such as 9V metal train tracks, electronics, and more.
A Day in the Life
Let’s start with where I am now—writing this article from my desk in Hong Kong. I live and work in Canada, but frequently “commute” to our location in Hong Kong. So, like many days in the year, it starts with boarding an aircraft…
When, looking through my photos for flying related images, it surprised me how many nerdy shots I take in the air!
Now lest you think I’m a self-indulgent business-class traveller, I assure you that I am not by choice. I simply fly so much that I get frequent upgrades. I assure you that a business class pod is wasted on me since I inevitably work on my laptop for nearly the entire flight. Fellow passengers have remarked on my seemingly obsessive work ethic. However, the explanation is simpler: I welcome the opportunity to be physically disconnected from distractions at 35,000 ft for 8 to 15 hours at a time and enjoy an uninterrupted, focused workflow. You’ll be surprised how much product DNA originates from 35,000 ft work sessions!
After 22+ hours of travel, I arrive at this beautiful place…
A rare cloudless day in Hong Kong. Taken from last month’s visit to HK when my son and I went up Victoria Peak using the amazing Peak Tram funicular railway.
In my career prior to Fx Bricks, I often travelled to Asia on business. Therefore, Asia—and places like Hong Kong—have always felt familiar and welcoming places to work and play.
Like any day, anywhere else, it starts with coffee (even my coffee shop contains a random splash of LEGO!)…
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Then, its a quick walk around the corner to the office…
Our office is in a trapezoidal-shaped commercial building in the heart of Hong Kong’s SHEUNG WAN district. Sheung Wan is sort of like the “Brooklyn” of HK—a home to many galleries, antique shops, cafes, etc.—an artsy vibe with a real international flair.
Office Space
Just over a year ago, we moved to this new dedicated office from a shared office space we occupied from 2019. Our new office/lab space was a perfect opportunity to configure our space for product design, rapid-prototyping, testing, as well as serving as a place to dispatch Fx Bricks orders to customers in Asia and Australia/NZ.
One the key features of our new office is the dedicated custom-made work bench which contains our 5x loop test track…
We actively use these test loops for product development and testing. We can really put our prototypes through rigorous tests for performance, endurance, durability, and just basic user/play experience, i.e., finding out if it feels right.
Most of my time is spent here at my desk…
Pardon the mess! As you can see, I’m often working on prototypes directly at my desk. The use of tools like a soldering iron, oscilloscope, etc. are essential tools of the trade for designing electronics, developing firmware, and integration testing with 3D-printed mechanical parts.
Some of the new products we’ve currently wrapped development on and committed to production are shown below. We have new 9V cables (5x different lengths), a new track power feeder and our new 9V speed regulator (powered by USB-C with magnetic docking to other controllers and accessories for power sharing).
Tools of the Trade
To support our rapid prototyping development cycle, we’ve invested in some essential tools. Our Bambu Carbon X1 3D printer can reliably print functional ABS parts which increases our confidence before we commit to tooling for injection molding. We’ve recently added a Carvera CNC machine. This allows us to fabricate prototype metal components in-house such as wheels and metal components for our motor products.
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Other items such as a precision granite flat bed allow us to test molded components for flatness. We also have a healthy inventory of LEGO elements. This allows us to build anything from test jigs (such as the custom jig shown below to test our P40 switches for dimensional compliance) to functional models which use our components. We test attributes such as “clutch power” and colour consistency against real LEGO elements to ensure perfect compatibility.
After Hours
I’m someone who loves his work, and therefore find it difficult to make a distinction between “work” and “play”. Our team does take time out for fun rituals and breaks such as tea+scones or building vintage 12V trains! …
Hong Kong is a great city for exploring…
An iconic Hong Kong tram is one of many easy and convenient public transit ways to get around.
The local LEGO Brand Retail shop is always worth a visit!
Going into one of the many open markets is a great way to discover incredible tiny shops specializing in just about any nerdy endeavour such as photography, vintage audio, tools, electronics, toys, and even including this discovery of a certain iconic vintage LEGO train!
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Taking the iconic star ferry across victoria harbour is not to be missed. You’ll be treated to one of the most iconic and dynamic nighttime skylines in the world.
Working Global
Working in Hong Kong not only includes the work at our office. One of the key benefits of this location is the proximity to the vast manufacturing ecosystem in mainland China. Hong Kong’s access and connection to mainland China make it an ideal hub to coordinate the many moving parts of our business. My team and I often visit manufacturing partners located across China, ranging from Shanghai to Shenzhen. Despite my frequent trips to Hong Kong and China, most of my work is performed in Canada in my design studio…
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As well as my laboratory space…
Simple Beginnings
Looking back, I can’t believe where Fx Bricks has come from. It all started with this (the PFx Brick)…
It then progressed to our early start in Hong Kong in 2019 out of a shared office with some “mood boards” of vintage LEGO trains and where we want to take the business next…
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And now Fx Bricks is a business which has grown and continues to enjoy the support of amazing friends and supporters. In fact, one of the coolest aspects of my Fx Bricks journey is nurturing the connection with the community. I truly value the many friendships I’ve built over the years and whether I’m wearing an Fx Bricks T-shirt or not, I am always a LEGO fan—a LEGO train fan specifically—FIRST!
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What LEGO-train innovation would you want to see next? Let us know in the comments below!
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