Kampung Out in Malaysian Style
/Brown LEGO colors can be beautiful, but it’s something else when you know how to use them like Vincent Kiew in his latest MOC based on village houses in Penang island—especially when you combine that with some top-notch architecture, excellent landscaping, and the perfect amount of life and activity.
Building a kampung house was something this Malaysian LEGO MOCer had been wanting to do for a long time, but until now he had been held back by the limitations in the brown color palette. Now that he has pulled it off, with an impressive amount of brown grill bricks and dark brown, we’ve asked him to tell us a little about it and give us a bit of an inside scoop.
Isaiah: You said you’ve been wanting to build something like this for a long time, but how long did the project end up taking from start to finish? And do you have any special plans for it now that it is finished?
Vincent: I spent about a week on the design and layout, and another five weeks on the whole build. After posting the photos on Facebook and Instagram I was invited to take part in a workshop about the history of kampung houses by an event organizer, so I will be showing this build for them and providing an overview about this kampung house.
Isaiah: What made you think of using the brown grill bricks on the roof (because that was brilliant!)?
Vincent: One of the toughest parts of the kampung house to represent in its original look is the roof. I intended to make the roof look like it is made of leaves thatched on the house, and after trying various ways, in the end I found the uneven look of the grill bricks were the best way to present it.
Isaiah: What is your favorite or one of your favorite details about the build?
Vincent: It’s hard to choose my favorite details about this creation. There are many elements need to be conducted mutually to bring out the beauty and harmonious feel of the kampung house. But if I were to choose only one, I would say I like seeing the chicken running around the pillar. It truly reveals the village lifestyle.
And while Vincent says that he has never had the opportunity to stay in a kampung house himself, he was so kind as to share some of his wife’s stories from her childhood when she lived in one, including getting chased by the chickens when she went to gather the warm, freshly laid eggs and having to watch out for the snakes at night and when they occasionally got inside! (… and accidentally rousing up a hive of bees while shaking mangos from a tree and having to run for miles… and having to explain a swollen face and eyes to her shocked mother!)
Vincent grew up in a city and says he relaxed and romantic village life is something he would love to experience in the future. And having lived in the countryside myself for the past six years (albeit on the other side of the world), I can say I definitely recommend it—adventures included!
Vincent had this last comment on his build:
“I wish for this creation to remind everyone how wonderful our childhood is. Childhood makes us who we are, and tells us who to love and how to love.”
Thanks to Vincent for talking to us and for all this awesome information, and check out his video tour of the build and his other MOCs on Flickr and Instagram!
Are your creations inspired by your childhood? And does LEGO bring out the child in you? Tell us about your nonage adventures in the comments below (and then go and build them)!
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