LEGO Masters season one was a smash hit with LEGO fans and casual viewers alike. This Sunday at 7pm the show returns with new teams and new creations. Thanks to Channel 9 I got to check out the first episode – here’s everything you need to know before the show kicks off (no spoilers).
The Show
LEGO Masters seems like the exact thing we need at the moment – wholesome family entertainment. The show continues to be the lighthearted fun that made it such a hit last year. There is some clear talent among the teams with the first episode featuring some amazing builds and awesome story telling.
There’s definitely no easing in to things as the first challenge is a huge 15 hour build. The Golden Brick is back but this year there is also another surprise in store. I won’t spoil anything but it’s an unexpected addition that I thought was brilliant and hilarious.
Hamish is back and still the same as last year – I know not everybody is a fan but I find his humour works really well with the show. He seems to have a bit more opinion on the builds this year.
Judging duty is once again handled by Ryan McNaught. Ryan clearly knows his stuff but I’d still love to see a second judge or some guest judges.
Meet the Teams
Here are the 8 teams that will be competing to take out the LEGO Masters season 2
ANDREW (49) AND DAMIAN (43) – Queensland
For best friends and LEGO lovers Andrew and Damian, LEGO MASTERS could not have been a more fitting competition to take part in – they’re two big kids who are absolutely in it to win it, and they plan on being extremely strategic with their builds. Andrew and Damian are a team to watch, as they are sure to come up with an intricate and complicated game plan when it comes to their masterpieces, discussing every little detail before embarking on their creations. They love being able to put their creative minds together to design new builds.
Although he can find multi-tasking difficult, Damian is determined to be working to the best of his ability, taking advantage of his eye for detail and desire to have a job well done. A lifelong LEGO builder, Damian’s earliest memories revolve around what has become a lot more than just a hobby. The bricks have been his favourite toy since he was six years old, and he remembers some of his treasured sets including a mechanic’s workshop, a snack bar and a roadworks digger.
For Andrew, LEGO has always been a huge part of his life, a source of happiness he can share with his family.
ANNIE (30) AND RUNA (29) – Victoria
These two LEGO-loving friends could not be more different, yet they have more in common than first meets the eye. Runa’s first interaction with LEGO came in 2016 when she attended Brickvention with her younger brother, and she’s been hooked ever since. Annie, on the other hand, was struck down with a rare brain infection at 15, and during her long recovery she turned to LEGO as her rehab.
No stranger to complicated health problems herself, Swedish-born Runa had to undergo brain surgery, and she says LEGO building helped to retrain her brain. Runa believes that the creative challenge of LEGO gave her a chance to practise her fine motor skills and recover.
Self-described “spooky” Annie is a fanatic. LEGO makes her feel calm and creative in her crazy life of being a mother to two young boys. After being diagnosed with her brain infection, which led to being told that she wouldn’t make it to her 18th birthday, Annie now says she is living her best life, as 10 years after the diagnosis she is married to her best friend, sharing her health story, playing with LEGO, and raising two perfectly healthy humans.
JACKSON (29) AND ALEX (29) – Western Australia
Jackson and Alex have been best friends since high school. They both fell in love with LEGO at a young age and have managed to use their favourite hobby to influence their careers. Jackson is a multi-disciplinary visual artist and Alex is an environmental engineer.
Jackson has lived, worked and travelled around the world, including the United States, South-East Asia, India and Japan. A true artist, he seeks creative inspiration everywhere he looks. Finding comfort in LEGO building, Jackson often lets the LEGO take control, allowing it to give him a sense of relaxation. He says: “When I have a great idea and all the pieces on hand I can get into a very relaxed, meditative state of flow when building.”
A fellow creative, Alex too allows LEGO to transport him to a relaxed place, believing that the build itself is a hugely rewarding process as it plays to his strengths. A problem solver and creative thinker, LEGO is his perfect pastime. Alex, who entered the exciting world of LEGO when he was a little kid, describes his building style as pretty dynamic and dramatic. So it makes sense that his favourite build is one of real drama: vignettes of a dive bar with a drunken brawl going on outside.
JAY (42) AND STANI (41) – New South Wales
Jay and Stani have shared a passion for LEGO since they were seven and now work as a team to expand their collections. Jay digs anything that incorporates moving parts or technic. He loves to get stuck into the details of the build, while Stani is definitely the bigger picture guy, with the ability to foresee how a build will turn out.
Jay is obsessed with all things LEGO, and as an illustrator by trade he relishes the ability to be able to create something purely out of his own imagination. This confident and chatty father likes to be challenged in a build and performs best when pushed out of his comfort zone to think on his feet and use his technical mind. That makes him the perfect foil for Stani.
Stani takes LEGO to the limit, and as a builder and collector has an entire LEGO world (complete with airport and bridge) taking up his two-car garage. A perfectionist, he never considers a build complete until every minute detail has been perfected. Stani and Jay complement each other’s skills perfectly, as Stani says that “Jay helps to balance my perfectionist side while we’re building”. Stani is the proud owner of what he estimates to be around 3 million pieces of LEGO – that’s almost as much as our Brick Pit holds.
JENNIFER (31) AND JODIE (38) – Queensland/South Australia
Jennifer and Jodie plan on combining their skills to make LEGO sculptures unlike anything ever seen. They will be creating builds that showcase their love of playing with textures and using different bricks in weird and wonderful ways.
Jennifer is a researcher and program coordinator whose love of LEGO is supplemented by creative activities such as knitting and other crafts. She appreciates the way LEGO sparks a childlike enthusiasm in people, creates wonder and encourages creativity. She describes her strengths as being intuitive, playful, and awesome at problem solving.
Stay-at-home mum by day and LEGO “Batman” by night, Jodie is a member of Southern Bricks in South Australia. She is such an expert that she was recently on the committee for – and displayed one of her builds at – Brixpo, her LEGO User Group sold-out event, where she dressed up as LEGO Batman to excite all the children in attendance. Jennifer refers to herself as “Jen-gineer”, saying: “I like to experiment, build, innovate and design with a childlike enthusiasm.” Her dream build would be a library bookshelf where the books magically come to life and the characters break out to escape into the real world. Jodie started playing with LEGO when she was six and says it now makes her feel creative and relaxed.
SUMMER (19) AND IONA (18) – South Australia
Despite their different dispositions, the aptly named Summer a sunny extrovert and Iona a deep-thinking introvert, these two have been best friends their whole lives. They have extensive experience in building LEGO as both competed in the First LEGO League, making robots. Summer competed nationally, while Iona reached an international level.
Although super-extroverted, Summer is the logical and level-headed one. She’s studying engineering at university and says that being in a male-dominated field empowers her. Her favourite build is the Mindstorm robots she created and went on to use in robotics competitions.
Iona is the one more likely to be indulging in creative activities. She loves LEGO because it makes her feel calm in an otherwise hectic life, and says she knew LEGO MASTERS was the perfect competition because of all the time she spent at school letting her imagination run free. Like many enthusiasts, Iona’s favourite technique SNOT (studs not on top), a great catalyst for fun as it allows a build to be shaped to any extreme.
TIM (25) AND DANNII (26) – Victoria
High school sweethearts Tim and Dannii met when they were 12 and have been by each other’s side ever since. Though polar opposites they are a perfect team, regardless of the fact that they often question why that really is so.
For furniture salesman Tim, LEGO was a crucial aspect in his recovery after being diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2014. It motivated and inspired him to get better, set goals and undertake tasks he wouldn’t usually commit to. This young couple are now parents of two, which is perfect for Tim, who Dannii describes as “Peter-Man like Peter-Pan, but he’s had to grow up”. Tim is a big kid with an overactive imagination. When he’s not playing with LEGO, he’s into role playing games (RPGs) on various video consoles.
Straight-shooter Dannii is taking part in the experience of a lifetime with LEGO MASTERS to support her husband. She’s bringing her superb problem-solving skills to the contest to give them a competitive edge. When she isn’t busy building unusual creations like a life-sized axolotl or a handheld music box complete with spinning dancer, Dannii does pole fitness and realism art to pass the time. Dannii loves the thrill of LEGO when it pushes her critical thinking to the max, and the satisfaction she gets from solving a hard problem. Her build style is rather whimsical and the hinge is her favourite piece, allowing her imagination free reign.
TRENT (38) AND JOSH (27) – South Australia
Big kid Trent and primary school chaplain Josh are an unlikely duo sure to build some out-of-this-world creations. These fanatics were lovers of LEGO before it was cool, and with Trent’s feel for the 80s and Josh’s love of fantasy, their talent will certainly make for some intricate and complex builds.
Though he is an accountant by trade, Trent loves to create builds that are big and bright with fun characters. He says of his sets, “the more hilarious the better!” If he could have any job in the world, Trent
would be a professional LEGO designer, the curator of a toy museum, or a TV host discussing the latest in the toy and pop culture worlds. In fact, he has a whole room at home dedicated to housing his vast toy
collection.
Josh, from Adelaide, is a school chaplain and children’s ministry worker who spends a lot of time with kids. He gets a kick out of seeing his hard work coming to fruition, especially when it involves problem-solving skills to build something special. (He also has the secret skill of representing South Australia in netball, competing in tournaments all around Australia.) Josh’s favourite build is a big skyscraper he made when he came into possession of a huge number of white bricks.