Lego Master Builder search

October 15, 2003 6:26 AM

Lego Master Builder search
"After kicking off at The Art Institute of California – San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 30, the official LEGO Master Model Builder Search will head to Art Institutes in Washington D.C., Boston, Charlotte, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Los Angeles before its final stop in Orange County, California. Winners from each city will be invited to travel to the LEGOLAND theme park in Carlsbad in 2004 to interview for the ultimate job – and the chance for the coveted spot as the seventh LEGO Master Model Builder." Ladies and gentlemen, start your brick building!
posted by Irontom (6 comments total)

I will not be satisfied until Eric Harshbarger holds this title.
posted by junkbox at 8:04 AM on October 15, 2003

One of the best freelance jobs I ever had was laying out a Lego magazine...at a desk overflowing with every conceivable kind of Lego.

BTW, they 'cheat' & use glue to stick the pieces together.

One quote caught my eye tho':
'It’s the thrill of dreaming something up and creating it that makes this the coolest job imaginable.

Geezer, you want to borrow my imagination for an hour?!?
posted by i_cola at 8:16 AM on October 15, 2003

pah - I just want them to approve my application for:

http://www.seriousplay.com/
posted by jkaczor at 8:42 AM on October 15, 2003

I worked with the LEGO Master Model Builders through a good part of the 1990's (although not in the main Connecticut shop .. I worked at a secondary location, but traveled with them on several occasions to work on some off-site collaborative projects). Like any job, it had its highs and lows.

High: Being employed by a "cool" company (in the eyes of many people, at least.)
Low: LEGO Systems, Inc. is a giant corporation, and the culture there is exactly the same as any other large company: mostly stuffed shirts and "Cover Your A**"

High: Some of the models I worked on were extremely complicated and interesting to figure out (i.e. the 15-foot high replica of Cinderella's castle I worked on at Disneyworld).
Low: The builders have relatively little creative input. There are just a handful of LEGO master Model Designers that work in the shop who get 99% of the creative control.

High: Getting to travel for work (going to E3 in Atlanta to build an 8-foot tall LEGO minifigure replica stands out as being pretty fun).
Low: Repetitive strain injuries, skinned knuckles (those damn bricks are sharp), and 8-hour stints of breathing in toxic methyl-ethyl keytone fumes from the glue used to make the models permanent.

High: You meet some interesting people.
Low: They're mostly freaks and geeks.

Anyhow, it is my opinion that this isn't really "the ultimate job." Not a bad job, but definitely not a career path that leads anywhere. But then again, I am a bit jaded from the experience.
posted by ScottUltra at 8:49 AM on October 15, 2003

I always thought this whole thing was silly until I actually went to Legoland in Carlsbad. It's not a job I would want, but the stuff they create is pretty cool. But I went with kid's. Going by myself might get old fast.
posted by y6y6y6 at 9:39 AM on October 15, 2003

Not a bad job, but definitely not a career path that leads anywhere. But then again, I am a bit jaded from the experience.

yeah, like get a frikkin website that works.
posted by clavdivs at 7:53 AM on October 20, 2003