The Saskatchewan Lego Users Group (SLUG) is returning with its block masterpieces for the eighth year of Brickspo, and this year’s display promises to live up to expectations.
Taking over the aviation gallery at the Western Development Museum on July 27 and 28, Brickspo is set to feature complicated builds from around 45 different builders.
Ray Morton, head of the organizing committee and member of SLUG, promises that whatever theme you’re interested in, Brickspo will have something relevant.
“When you come to the show, you will see every flavour of builder you can possibly imagine,” said Morton.
The displays range from portraiture to moving, functioning 3D works, all of which were designed and built from scratch — no instructions provided. Lego displays of this skill are an impressive feat, one that Morton hopes the event will show off.
One of the larger displays, Morton spoiled, will be a collaboration from many SLUG members he calls the Universal Studios Tour. Each member involved constructed a scene from a movie, which were then combined with a moving trolley that runs through them — just like a real set tour.
This year, Lego enthusiasts can expect more of the mind-blowing same: from fantasy to history to popular media figures, to remote control vehicles and Rube Goldberg tracks.
The SLUG will also be hosting a few talks about what they do, including how to sort your Lego and an account of an inside tour of the Lego factory in Denmark, as well as live challenges for the audience to watch SLUG members do their thing.
Vendors selling Lego will be returning, and the Brick Chick will be present to engrave blocks with whatever you’re heart desires.
The SLUG will also be bringing back their Yard Sale, where members are selling pieces, kits, and projects of their own, both new and used.
The Friendly City Optimist Club will be running a concession throughout the weekend, and attendees should keep in mind that both the concession and all vendors will only be taking cash and there is no ATM at the museum.
Morton and the SLUG plan the event each year as a chance to showcase what it is they do so well, because he finds that Lego building at this level isn’t something just everyone knows is possible to pursue.
“We actually want people to come and see what we have to show,” said Morton. “We're a bunch of artists and Lego is just the medium that we like to use. So we hope we inspire young and old alike.”
He encourages people to come out and enjoy the craftsmanship, and maybe take a dabble in the satisfying hobby as well. Really, the limit is your own imagination — and your wallet, Morton joked.
Brickspo will be open on July 27 and 28 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Entry is included with regular admission to the WDM.
