LEGO Master Model Builder Competition

This weekend, I attended the LEGO Master Model Builder competition at Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills, Michigan.  This competition was actually a job interview.  The winner would be named the official LEGO Master Model Builder for the new Michigan LEGO Discovery Center set to open this Spring.

This was the first LEGO competition I’ve ever attended, and I was glad I went.  It was cool to watch.

LEGO Master Model Builder Competition Rules

There were 80-90 competitors in all.  For the 1st round, they were broken up into four heats and were tasked with building an animal in 30 minutes.  I was a little surprised to know the contestants were told weeks ahead of time they would be building an animal.  What they didn’t know was that the would be building using VERY basic pieces and colors.  Pieces available to them ranged from blue 2×3 plates to white 2×10 bricks.

The pieces were stored in several big bins in the center of the competition area.  Each contestant had a small plastic container that they took to these bins to grab a bunch of parts at once.

Once they had their pieces, they dumped them on the table, and got to work.

Some builders did great.  Others… struggled.  The most common mistake I saw was scale.  The really successful builders built in a smaller scale.  Some tried building models that would have taken hours to complete because of their size alone.

One aspect of the competition I was surprised by was the builder’s interaction with the crowd.  They encouraged people to talk to the builders while they worked; to ask them what they were building, what part they were working on, etc.  I got the impression that the LEGO Master Model Builder will be a public facing role at the Discovery Center.

This model of a lion built by Vincent was one of my favorites from the first round.  It was enough to move him to the second round.  In the second round, the builders once again had 30 minutes, but this time they had to build something from a favorite vacation.

I particularly liked this roller coaster.  Another part of the judging was taking questions from the judges as the competitors built.  This judge, I believe, is the Master Model Builder from the Discovery Center in New York.

I was very glad I went, and it gave me lots of ideas for things to try at LEGO parties I host in the future.  I hope you enjoyed my recap of the event!  And finally, I’ll leave you with a few pictures of other creations I thought were really well done.