Celebrating 10 Years of MOCs with LEGO Mecha Maestro Marco De Bon [Interview]

Ten years ago, Italian builder Marco De Bon emerged from his “dark age” and began sharing incredible LEGO creations of giant robots inspired by the anime of his childhood. In the years since, Marco has continued to hone his craft, building mecha that are both highly articulated and exceptionally clean. Here at The Brothers Brick, we’ve long been fans of Marco’s mecha, hardsuits, and sci-fi crafts, so in celebration of this milestone, we sat down with Marco to look back on a decade of building MOCs.

TBB: You just celebrated 10 years of building and sharing your MOCs. Is it true that 2015 was the first time you started creating with LEGO? Did you not build as a child, or was it that you didn’t take building seriously until then?

Marco De Bon: Of course, as a child and a little teen LEGO was one of my favorite games, along with robots, video games, and football. But then they were set aside during the notorious Dark Age that all of us know well. I had to wait until adulthood before rediscovering the pleasure of building, using them as a way of expression. I initially made several attempts with programs like LEGO Digital Designer, because I didn’t have a single brick at home, but I really had to wait until 2015 to see my first finished MOC as an adult, built (I mean with real physical bricks). I believe that it was a key moment.

TBB: Many of your MOCs draw on anime for inspiration. How did you come to be a fan of mecha and giant robots?

MDB: You must know that here in Italy, especially in the Eighties, they showed on tv all kinds of cartoons and anime relating to robots and Japanese super robots, it really was a golden period for all kind of animation, especially for kids. There are dozens of Japanese series that are known in just a few countries around the world, but we in Italy have been lucky enough to see almost all of them, and dubbed into our language. It is therefore normal to remember them today, because some of them are still icons (here). Of course, I have a real passion for mecha design in general, classic and new.

TBB: Do you also build gunpla or other mecha models and toys?

MDB: I really like looking at Gunpla works, but I’m not much interested in building them, because I don’t have time for another immersive hobby. I rather collect models, chogokins and action figures. I really enjoy studying poses and taking pictures of them, and I have been doing reviews for many years. This type of approach and study of poseability was the basis of my passion for LEGO, because I always try to recreate those solutions adding my designs.

TBB: Do you have an all time favorite mech? Are there any current or recent mecha anime that you’re excited by?

MDB: If I look at my childhood and think from my heart, I should probably choose one of the old Japanese anime. There are plenty of them! I am fond of the works of Go Nagai and the super robot Daltanious, who had a lion in his chest and a crazy transformation! I have recently replicated this in LEGO, and it was really hard. If we now also consider Evangelion and Gurren Lagann (which are almost 30 years old!! OMG) as “vintage”, then I struggle to find modern proposals that have impressed me. Perhaps it is a genre that needs new lifeblood.

TBB: Your MOCs are a pretty even mix of mecha inspired by anime and pop culture and original creations. How does your process differ when you’re building an original mech vs one from pop culture? Do you prefer your original creations or fan tributes?

MDB: I don’t really have a preference, because they are actually very different approaches and I like them both. In the case of inspiration from an existing subject, I tend to accumulate photos from the web or study the model/action figure if it is in my possession, and often it is. In the case of a project with a new and original design, I start it when I have at least a couple of very strong details in mind, which can distinguish the future creation from a thousand others. And a cool color scheme too.

TBB: Clean lines vs articulation is always a tricky balancing act with LEGO mechs, but you seem quite adept at building poseable mechs that don’t show their seams. What’s your secret? How do you balance articulation vs a clean look?

MDB: That’s the challenge haha! Hiding the joints is precisely a philosophy in building mechs, as there are others that prefer visible mechanisms. In my case, I am influenced by classic Japanese mecha design, which in my opinion works very well with LEGO using techniques such as color blocking, also from a photographic point of view. The result is an aesthetic with clear and concise areas – which I personally prefer to creations with too many different details that would get lost in the end.

TBB: Your command with color is one area where your builds have continued to improve over the years. How do you think about color when starting a new build?

MDB: I usually think of a gray internal structure to simulate a sort of metal frame. After that, I prefer to have a couple of primary colors for the large parts, and a couple of colors for the small secondary details, sometimes placed where that helps the eye understand where one part ends (example: leg or arm) and the other begins. If the joints look cool and coherent I leave them exposed, but if I don’t like the thing I cover them with panels, skirts or other solutions.

TBB: LEGO has a long history of mech sets, going back to Classic Space, but more overtly with Exo Force, Ninjago, and Monkey Kid, but also with silly sets based on Star Wars and superheroes. What is your relationship with these official mecha sets? Do you have a favorite? Either from a functional or purely aesthetic perspective.

MDB: I have to say I’m not a big collector of sets, I have some beautiful pieces, but they’re not mechs. Yes, I’m basically a builder. I appreciated some Overwatch products and also Ninjago, in which I saw a nice evolution and some interesting solutions in the more recent ones.

TBB: Are there any LEGO elements that come to mind as your go-to hero pieces to make LEGO mecha?

MDB: There is a piece that I find precious, I’m talking about the arm/leg extender 98613. Not everyone knows that it is used to give a very strong grip to ball joints. If we talk about plating, I like to play with 1×2 tiles with random prints. If the color matches that of adjacent pieces, it looks like an integrated detail.

TBB: If you could have LEGO make any part – shape, color, or function – that isn’t currently available, what would it be and why?

MDB: A super strong metal joint! Jokes aside, in my opinion smaller and more rigid joints would be useful. This way you would have more space to insert aesthetic details. If one day they will re-create Mixel joints with monstrous grip, many will celebrate, I’m sure! I also love always having new slopes and wedge curves available.

TBB: Over the years, you’ve played a lot with scale. What do you see as the biggest differences when building mechs at smaller scale vs larger?

MDB: The biggest differences are, of course, the choice of joints and above all how to interpret the bricks. If you have to build a large part, for example a head, you will choose many pieces that will complete the design. If, however, we are talking about a micro scale, then you will have to choose the single piece which, in that context, looks like a head on its own. It’s really a different approach.

TBB: In addition to your mecha, you also produced some impressive micro/scale cities. Is this a building style you plan to return to?

MDB: Yes, for sure! I recently created an urban context for my Evangelion Units, and it was a project that occupied me for many months. At the moment I have no other short-term projects, but I really enjoy creating micro cities, i find it very relaxing.

TBB: Early on your started playing with mechs that included a minifig pilot. I assume this adds a lot of build complexity and scale issues, but it is also fun to see a figure inside the mech. How do you feel about pilots?

MDB: It is certainly an appreciable and appreciated technical quirk ^^. I know that many friends consider it indispensable, for me it is not necessarily so. If I can fit it in, so be it, very good. But if I have to sacrifice a nice chest design or stability, then no… that’ll be for next time! Ultimately I choose on a case by case basis. On the other hand, I’m very lazy in choosing the pilots… I have to build more cool minifigs!

TBB: Your EVA units from last year were truly spectacular. Those mecha are quite organic. You have also been played with Chima heads. Do you ever think of building even more organic characters, lile Kaiju or non-mecha models?

MDB: Thank you, first of all. Every now and then I build non-mecha-builds, but it’s true that I haven’t paid much attention to the human figures, I’ve made very few of them. But I’m actually building something about it… I hope you’ll like this long term project.

TBB: I especially like your little “egg” series. How did that series come about? Was it something you built to play with your kid? How has becoming a parent changed how you engage with LEGO?

MDB: Starting from the last question, I was already a father when I started playing with LEGO again, so I have a little more free time now that my daughter has grown up (so fast!). It’s funny to think that now it’s my daughter who has entered the “dark age”… The “Eggblasters” you are referring to were born because I wanted something small, cute, cool, but armed. When I made the first one, I didn’t think about making a series, but it came naturally and that’s what happens when I have a lot of fun. I remember that my daughter found them very funny and often went to “steal” them in my showcase cabinet. I always found them around the house, but you know I was happy with this.

TBB: 10 years of mecha and so many incredible models! As you look back, are there any models you’re especially proud of?

MDB: It’s so hard to say… mmm… Grendizer, the Ghostbusters Trap, the Evangelion diorama… they are the first that come to mind, and there’s probably a reason.
However, everything I’m satisfied with still exists, everything that was secondary has once again become available bricks.

TBB: Do you think you’ll still be constructing LEGO mechs 10 years from now?

MDB: Let’s hope so! If one day you no longer see me building some mechs, it will mean that I am getting old.

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