As part of a new feature we're starting here at Ldraw.org, LDraw.org member Miguel Agullo interviewed Chris Parkinson, the winner of the May 2004 Model of the Month contest. The following is a transcript of that interview.

LDraw.org: Hi Chris, please tell us about yourself and your hobby

Chris Parkinson: I’m a 33-year-old control systems engineer that lives in Kennesaw, GA just outside of Atlanta. I have 2 young boys who I hope will become as fond of LEGO as I am. I started with Lego when I was 3, so I have roughly 3 decades under my belt. One of my earliest sets was a farm set that had the greenhouse made of clear bricks. But the theme that really grabbed me was the Space theme. I think the first space set I got was the classic mobile lab and I think one of the all time greatest Space sets was the mobile rocket launcher (the one with 8 wheels and the yellow space suits). I really liked the original Blacktron but just missed them when I "came back" to LEGO.

LDraw.org: Your model is a pretty detailed recreation of a BattleTech model - are you a BattleTech player?

Chris Parkinson: I have never played the BattleTech game. I do have a lot of the Technical Readouts and I played the Activision MechWarrior 2 and Microsoft MechWarrior games.

LDraw.org: You mentioned that the file was created after a real-life model built a while back. Do you still have the original real-life model or did you recreate the file from memory?

Chris Parkinson: That model existed for years (which is a first - most models have a life of a few days at best). I was so proud of the model that it moved with me several times (and got a little dusty). I wanted to make a hangar for it and did so, but I was never satisfied with it and eventually gave up. I wanted to preserve it and when I learned about LDraw I could think of no better model to be my first. So I sat at the computer with it and re-created it. The actual model had pneumatic cylinders in the legs and tubing that ran up the legs to a pair of valves piped in a closed loop. With the valves open you could tilt the model up and then close the valves and it would kind of stay. At the time there were no pneumatic parts and no way to make the tubing.

LDraw.org: What are some of your strategies for recreating a complex model such as this one, which contains over 700 parts?

Chris Parkinson: I started at the bottom and worked my way up. When I first made it, the model was a single dat file. After I learned about submodels, I went back and grouped the parts to make posing it easier.

LDraw.org: The file uses submodels but not building steps - have you ever been tempted to create building instructions for your models?

Chris Parkinson: Honestly I haven’t tried. My main goal is to preserve the model so I can take it apart and use the pieces again. If I ever wanted to re-create it I think the model alone would be enough.

LDraw.org: Your model has some pretty cool functional mechanisms - are you ever tempted to go further and add motors to your real-life models ... or perhaps CGI animations?

Chris Parkinson: I’ve done some work with CGI animations. I dream of making an animation where this model is walking. I did some primitive animations using POVRAY but my software of choice is TrueSpace. I have been able to get my models into TrueSpace (.dat to LightWave .lws to TrueSpace .cob) but after they come from LightWave there are just too many polygons to do any efficient animation.

LDraw.org: How would you describe your use and familiarity with Ldraw software?

Chris Parkinson: I use it in spurts of creativity. I’ve been using it for several years now and I’ve seen many versions of MLCAD.

LDraw.org: What other 3D software outside the Ldraw universe do you use?

Chris Parkinson: As I mentioned before TrueSpace. I also have used MilkShape 3D for making Halflife models and Hammer for making Halflife maps.

LDraw.org: Can you share your motivations to participate in the Ldraw contest? (Other than the fact you keep winning!)

Chris Parkinson: I just want to share some of the models I’ve made over the years. I enjoy seeing what others have created and the diversity of subject matter that the contest brings together.

LDraw.org: What would make the contest better?

Chris Parkinson: I agree that standard renderings of the models keep the focus on the model and not of the rendering skills of the author. However, I would like to see all the entries rendered with radiosity.

LDraw.org: Which is your favourite Ldraw app?

Chris Parkinson: I’ve used MLCAD from the beginning. It has done nothing but get better with time.

LDraw.org: What would be THE dream addition to the Ldraw software universe?

Chris Parkinson: An export function to a 3D file format such as .3DS. Or perhaps a .dat converter. Even better, how about some animation tools ?