Lego Imagine Nation tour, Canada's largest Lego event, kicks off in Calgary
'I hate to say it, we have to glue each and every piece on' says Lego master builder, 1 of just 8 in the world
Spoiler alert: Lego master builders actually use glue.
Christopher Steininger is one of just eight Lego master model builders on the planet, tasked with designing and creating life-size models of people, cars and anything else you could imagine.
But the complex, 3D models require special tools, the most important of which happens to be a sticky school staple.
"I hate to say it, we have to glue each and every piece on," Steininger told CBC Calgary News at 6.
Steininger is in Calgary to kick off Canada's largest ever Lego event: The Imagine Nation Tour, where enthusiasts of all ages can compete in construction, experiment and learn from experts at the BMO Centre until Sunday.
"Unlike the Lego Movie where the good guys are master builders and they don't glue everything together, it turns out that master builders are the bad guys, and we have to glue everything together," he joked.
Some might consider it cheating, but it's purely practical, said Steininger.
The finished products are shipped around the world and "would never survive a truck ride if we didn't glue 'em," he said.
The work is arduous and requires expertise in 3D visual arts. A life-size person takes as many as 200 hours to build, whereas a scale model car could take 2,000 hours, Steininger said.
Each model is hollow, which saves on lego bricks, time and shipping costs, he said. Some also make use of steel reinforcements, in case a child decides to try to hang off an extended arm, Steininger explained.
15 thematic pavilions on display
Canada's first Lego Imagine Nation Tour event unfolds over more than one hectare of space, featuring 15 thematic pavilions and activities for fans of all ages in Calgary.
Interactive stations allow fans to see their creations come alive on the big screen, as they witness an immersive 60-second experience with their constructed object.
A reproduction of the Saddledome will also be built out of Lego bricks during the event.
The tour has five events planned for Calgary through Sunday, before it continues on to Vancouver and Toronto.
Tour dates are:
- Calgary Sept. 9 to 11
- Vancouver Sept. 30 to Oct. 2
- Toronto Oct. 14 to 16
With files from CBC Calgary News at 6