I had the pleasure of meeting Martin Redfern (AKA Red) at a Sheffield LUG gathering in 2017. Even though I had previously admired his work online, nothing compares to the thrill of seeing a fabulous LEGO model in person. Martin’s work seems simple at first glance until you look closely and recognise the clever use of parts and the hidden complexity of each build. His quirky characters are distinct and easily recognisable.

In 2017, his work was exhibited as part of the initial display in the Masterpiece Gallery at the LEGO House. I recently chatted with Martin about some of his favourite builds and his life as a LEGO artist.

Sue Ann: Hi Martin! Thanks for chatting with BrickNerd. To start us off, how long have you been building with LEGO?

Martin: As far as my memory can go, I would say yes. My first memory of any toy, game or hobby was on my fifth birthday. My grandparents, who never talked to each other, both bought me the same birthday present of LEGO set 379—a red car pulling a white caravan. I have fond memories of that set and wish I still had them. Since then I’ve loved building with LEGO.

Sue Ann: Two sets are better than one! Why do you use LEGO as your artistic medium?

Martin: Even though I love art and love drawing —mostly cars which landed me a job after leaving school and, later, ancient sites, like castles—I’ve always returned to LEGO as my main medium. It not only involves art but enables me to build cars or anything at all—I love it so much! I sometimes lose sleep thinking about how to build the next thing. It’s the perfect thing to occupy my mind.

Sue Ann: You build so many varying things. Do you build every day?

Martin: If possible, yes. I have had problems with my right hand from ill health after my stroke. I have days, where down to sheer frustration, I’ve not touched the beloved bricks, but I am getting back to normal.

The build Martin made for the hospital staff for saving his life after his stroke. It’s on display in the hospital ward. 2018

Sue Ann: That must be so hard to deal with. When you do get to build, where do you draw your inspiration for your builds?

Martin: For my cars, a lot comes from the wooden toys LEGO used to make. I love them, especially the pick-up trucks. My figures come from wanting to make my own design to suit the scale of my builds. And the bands I’ve made come from my love of their music.

Sue Ann: What is your build process?

Martin: I don't really have a build process, nothing is pre-planned or designed. An idea comes to mind and I just start building with whatever pieces I have to hand. There is always a lot of compromise and juggling involved due to the lack of pieces. I do like a challenge! My Wacky Races were the biggest challenge, as most of them were built using just what I had. The Mean Machine was the only one I bought pieces for as I had no purple in my stash for that one. I could say my vehicles do have a certain build process. I start with the body, that way I know I have the pieces. If I built the chassis first, I might not have enough pieces to do the body due to chassis size.

part of Martin’s display in the masterpiece gallery at the lego house 2017

Sue Ann: Do you have a favourite LEGO part?

Martin: Hard question, there are so many to choose from. If I have to pick one, it has to be the 1x1 brick with one stud on one side. I use this brick more than any other, love the SNOT technique.

Sue Ann: You have such a prolific portfolio. Could you tell me about some of your favourite builds?

Martin: Sure! Wacky Races is where my figure building started! The set of MOCs always wins visitors over. They bring back so many memories for those attending shows. The feedback I have received for these 11 cars surpassed everything else I have ever made. They took me nearly 2 1/2 months to complete and all 11 were blogged by The LEGO Car Blog. I started with the Army Surplus Special and finished with The Mean Machine.

Martin: Based on their music video for Rock the Casbah from 1982, The Clash build is special to me. A few years after making it, a woman called Lucinda Garland tracked me down. It turned out, she was wife of the late Joe Strummer (seen here in yellow). She wanted to buy the model from me so it could go into the Joe Strummer archive. I didn’t want to sell it, but I gave it to her instead and she invited me to their house in Somerset for lunch. It was a real honour, one I’ll never forget.

Martin: I did a series of builds featuring Alice in Wonderland. They are among my faves. It was a hard choice to choose between this one and the other one featuring Alice talking to the caterpillar.

Martin: KettenKrad are half-track motorcycles with a single front wheel. They were used by the military of Nazi Germany during WWII. I had always wanted to build one of these, but never had the correct looking tracks for it. These tracks are from the 1970s and were only available in one LEGO set.

A mash up of a rusty tonka VW beetle and lego 2017

Martin: I know it’s not all LEGO, but this mashup is still one of my faves. A few years ago, I was asked to build a model, which didn’t have to be LEGO, for a display at a French LEGO show. It was based on my interests and hobbies. I used a rusty TONKA toy shell, that had sat in my garden for 15 years, and made a LEGO chassis for it. Inside are my wife, son, and me. I used to restore old VWs and love LEGO so it was perfect.

Martin: I based this MOC on a photo of the cast of the classic Ealing comedy movie The Ladykillers from 1955. I even named my son after one of the characters in the movie.

Martin: These two go together as they are based on cars featured on the TV show Sin City Motors (AKA Vegas Rat Rods). In the show, the team from Welder Up rebuild cars into Rat Rods. Both of these cars use the same engines - turbo-charged diesel Cummins.

Martin: And finally, I had a lot of fun building this 1950s Taxi Cab.

Sue Ann: That’s an amazing collection of MOCs (that only scratches the surface of everything you have showcased on your Flickr). For my final question, I’m curious what would you say to anyone starting out as a LEGO builder?

Martin: If you have a passion for any particular interest, go with that. But most of all, just have fun, the rest will follow. Before you know it, you'll be hooked!

Sue Ann: Thanks for your time, Martin!

(Article photos provided by Martin Redfern, Sue Ann Barber and BrickLink.)

What other characters should Martin build next? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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