Mounir K

Tell us about yourself:
I am just a guy with a bunch of kids, a bunch of LEGO bricks, and a very supportive spouse who lets me be who I am (as long as the bricks stay in the LEGO room…)!

How long have you been an AFOL (adult fan of LEGO):
I have been an AFOL for about 10 years.

How did your interest in the hobby develop:
I am a late bloomer to the LEGO hobby, having been a fan of LEGO all my life but not having any as a kid. It was only after my son was born, and a lucky break led me to an abundance of used LEGO bricks, that my ability to engage with the hobby actually developed. Fast forward a few years, and now my kids and I all enjoy building and we have a dedicated, albeit small, room to be creative in.

How did you find ParLUGment:
I don’t actually remember how I stumbled upon the existence of the LUG, but I remember my first encounter with them at a comic con/geek stuff type show where they had a display area. I only attended the show in order to make contact with members of the LUG to find out more about it. From there, I attended my first meeting, and have been a stalwart member ever since!

What is your favourite theme:
As a MOC builder, I generally buy sets for parts rather than interest in any particular theme. As a long time geek, however, I am partial to sets that feature minifigures from my comic book collecting days, as well as all things Star Wars.

What is your favourite aspect of the hobby:
I love how it opens up the imagination. When starting a MOC, I like finding inspiration in strange places (a certain piece, a minifigure, etc…). The vast amount of pieces and colours available have often led me to compare LEGO bricks to other art mediums, such as painting – and since I can’t paint, I build! With LEGO bricks, the possibilities are endless. Also, I find it fascinating how many niche communities exist within the hobby: AFOLs, TFOLs, GAYFOLs, and even people who like Bionicle (just jokes, guys, all love!). There really is a place for everyone in the hobby and that inclusiveness is something that is truly important to me. 

What is your proudest accomplishment within the hobby:
Honestly, any time I can inspire someone to push themselves further in their building makes me proud. I currently work part-time at the LEGO Store and I will often show kids visiting the store a technique that they might not have seen before. In those moments, I can see their mind open up and the excitement turns into a desire to rush home and build something new. I will never know what masterpiece they build but it makes me proud to think that I may have played a small role in sparking its creation. When it comes to my own builds, I would have to say one of my proudest moments was when I built a Stephen Colbert Brickheadz and the Late Show with Stephen Colbert featured it on one of their Fan Art Fridays. That same day, I walked into the LEGO Store to pick up some bricks, and was offered a job! 

The iPhone Max Max Max
The LEGO Store I work at asked me to build a display for the Muppets CMF series.
A Hero Factory figure shell piece (in the foreground) inspired me to build a spaceship. Here the original piece is used as a blueprint model.
A MOC featuring a lightsaber battle from eight Star Wars films.

Mounir’s work can be found as “MOC & Knoll” on YouTube and Instagram.

Stephen Colbert in brick form!
Behind the scenes of how I got my “Thor travelling through the bifrost” shot.