“I get to play with Legos as my job,” Thaddeus says. He also plans to use Lego bricks to recreate Johannes Vermeer’s famous painting, “Girl With A Pearl Earring,” and Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night.” Thaddeus also has some big projects in the works, including a mosaic Mona Lisa that looks like the original painting from one side and features her as a Lego woman from another side. Some of his more recent builds include a tiger for the Chinese New Year and a mosaic of Martin Luther King Jr. /rebates/2fen-us2fthemes2farchitecture&. “I can just see a piece and I can think of all the different possibilities and connections and what it can be used for,” Thaddeus says. This helps him pitch ideas as he can get a rough estimate of how many bricks he’ll need, how long it will take and what the overall cost will be. Thaddeus starts projects by building them out digitally using Lego software. Thaddeus’ responsibilities include building new Lego models and maintaining current ones, including a small-scale Lego version of the DFW Metroplex that features AT&T Stadium, the Stockyards and Globe Life Field.

After nine months, Thaddeus reentered the competition and won in the fall of 2019, officially becoming one of only 25 master model builders for all of Legoland and the Legoland Discovery Centers. After that, Lego offered him an entry-level office job, where he took the opportunity to learn more about the company. In his first competition, Thaddeus finished in third place out of over 100 participants.

“Each round has a certain theme, and the contestants only have a certain amount of Lego bricks to build with.” “It’s three rounds of Lego building, timed with single elimination,” Thaddeus says. Working at the Legoland Discovery Center in Grapevine, Thaddeus is a master model builder, a job one gets only after winning the Lego building competition, Brick Factor. But I was always kind of preparing myself for this job, even though I never dreamed in a million years that this could be something obtainable.” “I had my own little Lego page… and would upload pictures to a nonexistent audience. “I’ve collected ever since I was a little kid,” Thaddeus says. It all started in 1999 when he bought his first Lego “Star Wars” set, which he still has to this day. Minifigures are four bricks high, excluding hats.Thaddeus Bennett has built his career one Lego brick at a time.Lego is an abbreviation for the Danish words 'leg godt,' meaning play well.That meant he could get back into one of his childhood hobbies, too.įollow Ethan Genter on Twitter: Founded in 1932. Lam was glad to see his son and daughter get into Legos. Ever since he was 1,' Aidan's father, David, said. Aidan Lam and his sister Aliza, of Los Angeles, were working on a rocket. Some wished they could be in Coffey's shoes, building for a paycheck. On Sunday, Coffey sat with children around a cafeteria table, helping them build models of robots, cars, boats, and 'une petite maison,' as told by a small French youth. He received more training from another master builder in Kansas City. But the frustrating moments are outweighed by the good, he said.Īfter winning the master model builder competition, Coffey was sent out to Legoland in California to learn the ropes. The upper lip of a vase with a snake face adorned on the front took him a whole day to complete, causing tempers to flare with Coffey and his assistant. 'I get paid to do my hobby,' Coffey said Sunday at the event.īut not everything has been sunshine and rainbows. It was enough, and Coffey was showered with bricks in the victory ceremony. He made a self-portrait with his dog on a sunny day, that, when flipped over, became three-dimensional. He then progressed into the final round, where he had to make something that inspired him. He teaches and inspires children and adults to create and learn through physical play.

He even threw in a Jamaican-flag-colored bobsled to win points with the 'Cool Runnings' crowd. This exciting role will have you designing, building, removing, installing, and repairing all models at the attraction. Kieran Jiwa is a Maker/Educator, and a former Master Model Builder at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Melbourne. Coffey had been living in Albany, New York, and built a model of the Olympic ski slopes of Lake Placid.

Master model builder lego