A few of my buddies have been trying to convince me to get involved in building Legos. I keep hearing it is “a relaxing way to mentally decompress” after work and the kids.
So this weekend, the Geeky Family met up with my high school buddy Elon (Lego enthusiast and advocate) and his daughters for the Lego Brickworld show at the Surburban Collection Showcase Center in Novi Michigan.
I was floored at the creativity and skill levels they had on display! (We left our mark on the graffiti wall!)
The world of Legos is so much more vast and complex than the basic solid color blocks I remember it as a kid.
From basic child Lego Duplo blocks to their ultra realistic Architecture collections, Lego has kits and collections for every age, interest or skill level.
Here is just a taste of what we saw. (Please keep in mind that pictures and videos can only do these sets so much justice)
Walking in the door, the first thing you see is a gigantic recreation of the U.S.S. Missouri battleship.
This ship was made famous in 1945 when representatives of the Japanese Empire officially surrendered on its deck, ending World War II.
But enough with the history lessons.
How about some “Geeky” stuff!
Like a space mining colony!
One vendor had an amazing set up (over a hundred linear feet) of motorized Lego factory sets linked in unison. Utilizing computers and timing software, they were able to create an assembly line that moved tiny soccer balls along the entire circuit!
How about some cool Lego Star Wars sets! Like the Battle of Jakku!
Or a little more classic Star Wars like the Moon of Endor and the second Death Star from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi!
The Lego sets were not just limited to good Star Wars movies either. There was also a gigantic set depicting a scene from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. (Sorry for the video being horizontal, not sure what happened there)
There was lots of local flair as well as the Detroit area was well represented by the Lego creators!
General Motors Renaissance Center
Ann Arbor’s Michigan Theater
Detroit’s Griswold Building
Detroit’s Dime Building/ Chrysler House
Detroit’s Guardian Building
The Wayne County Building
The Renaissance Faire!
Even the Grand Hotel on Machinac Island complete with horse poop (thankfully, Legos are not scratch ‘n’ sniff)
But the show wasn’t just for the adults, there were plenty play areas for the kids to do their thing.
Which, for Lil’ G-Man, meant crawling around aimlessly and tossing things on the floor. Just like home.
It was a lot of fun, we met some great people and are looking forward to the next Brickworld event! Thanks Elon!
Geeky Daddy 
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