Before The Brick Post was even an idea in my head myself and a friend used to organise and attend events in the Southampton (UK) area, and it was great fun. So heading out once again to a LEGO inspired show was a must, now that the COVID-19 restrictions were fully lifted.
What better way to spend the day than in the company of other like-minded people, fans of LEGO!
We have spoken to the organisers, TheBrickPeople, quite a bit over the last year through their other well known name of ThatBrickShow. Steve and Lily are a Father and Daughter duo that produce very entertaining content on YouTube, Instagram and other platforms.
The events are a result of Steve and his friend and fellow LEGO enthusiast Gary, after they were both made redundant earlier in the Year.
The event was located in the old Brickworks Museum in Bursledon, which seems very apt as I’m sure you made the same connection that LEGO are bricks also.
I must say I was a little apprehensive about the location as the idea of an old Brickworks mill/factory does sound a bit on the dull side, but I was pleasantly surprised and found myself enjoying that side of it just as much. Reading about the history of the place and how the bricks were made, they even had small room sets made up throughout each decade to show visitors what would have been in a typical house back in the day, we even spotted some LEGO bricks in one of them!
There was another benefit to walking around the museum and what was to find the hidden LEGO built Pumpkins that had letters on them. Finding the five letters meant we could then work out the Halloween related word it spelt out, which I think is now safe to say as the event is now over, GHOST.
We finally made it to the event space and found that there were quite a few people there and the atmosphere was great. The feeling of running and attending events came flooding back and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in and have a good look around.
Heading into the room you first come across a table full of thousands of black, orange, and green LEGO bricks, this was the ‘Halloween creation‘ area. My Son sat down and starting building, he wanted to make a Bat but quickly changed his mind and started work on a 2D Pumpkin.
Moving on into the room further you’re almost overwhelmed by the amount of LEGO on display, and it was hard choosing which amazing creation to see first!
I opted for the ‘Great Ball Contraption‘ which was positioned slap-bang in the centre. There was a continuous low humming sound of all the motors and gears at work, it was music to my ears.
The engineering behind the different sections is mind-boggling to me and way beyond my building capabilities. Reading more about the rules and guidelines surrounding the ‘Great Ball Contraption‘ means you have to keep to the standards set in place, 10 studs wide (outside size) entrances and exits, manage one ball per second, and be able to handle 30 balls at once, are just some that stood out to me.
Walking around to the other display tables and we come across a guy and his modular buildings, unfortunately I didn’t take his name and for the life of me can’t remember it, sorry. But he had a row of 5 or 6 LEGO modular sets that looked absolutely fantastic. He also had the LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse in pride of place, with the side panels open. This is the first time I’ve seen the Firehouse in person and must say it’s beautiful!
In between the LEGO modulars and and the other MOC builders was a very dark room with a bunch of spooky sounds and lights coming from it, this is where the Halloween themed sets were displayed.
Again there were sets I hadn’t seen in the flesh before, one of them being the new, larger, LEGO Ecto-1 vehicle, and it was a beast. The organisers had also installed the light & sound kit into it which made it even more desirable.
Also on display in that area was a LEGO Haunted House, again all lit up, and a relatively big LEGO Harry Potter configuring, with a LEGO Hogwarts Express!
Heading back into the main event area I saw some really cool MOCs to my right, these were the handy work of @higuysitsdisty, who can be found on Instagram.
He has a very impressive MOC collection, with two really standing out to me. One reminded me of a scene from Aliens, and featured a Mech, a handful of Minifigures, and a very well designed scene/backdrop. I loved the colours of it with its red panels, black interior, and hints of yellow throughout.
The other MOC that took my breath away was the one he was still setting up. The scale of it along with the architectural detail really got me and I just had to get a snap of it. The use of the planet ball piece is genius and works incredibly well!
The adjacent table was just as good and featured the work of someone that follows us on Instagram, @barefoot_on_bricks.
Two of his MOCs are based in roomset vignettes and we very apt for the Halloween as they included goings-on with Frankenstein’s Monster and Dracula.
I really like these types of vignettes and have dabbled with small roomsets myself over the years, but have never been as good as these. The use of the CMF Minifigures fit so well and we’re screaming to be added into MOCs like this. I think Frankenstein’s Monster has to be my personal favourite!
Going back into the centre of the room, next to the ‘Great Ball Contraption‘ was a guy from Brickish, one of the UK’s leading LUG (LEGO User Group). He had an awesome selection on show that he and other LUG members have built, one of which I took a liking too, with its older style building and again Halloween theme.
The while Halloween/Haunted House setup is great and really appeals to me, especially at this time of year. It also has some cool Minifigures in costume walking along the street Trick or Treating.
The last table, situated in the top left most corner is where the event organisers had setup their shop, tombola, and display area.
Unfortunately I couldn’t see anything that took my fancy set wise, but I knew I had to grab one of their custom built ‘Brickworks Museum’ mini builds. Having got the last one, the Halloween inspired version was a must!
Image courtesy of ThatBrickShow
The overall event looked like it was a success and when speaking to Steve and Gary they seemed very happy.
It’s so nice to finally meet some of the people we’ve spoken to on Instagram and alike, putting names to faces, and having a good natter about the one thing that connects us all, the humble LEGO brick.
I can’t wait to go back and see what TheBrickPeople have up their sleeve for the next event, which can be found on their website.
You can watch our 30 second Instagram Reel here:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CVifo0Coyxs/?utm_medium=copy_link
Have you been to any LEGO events recently, if so we’d live to know whice one and what you thought of it. Use the comment section below to let us know.
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