One quote I overheard at Brickworld 2011 pretty much summed it up — “This is beyond cool!” And it was. From a replica of Lucas Oil Stadium complete with a retractable roof to towns with moving trains, Brickworld 2011 is a feast for LEGO® lovers’ eyes. The first room had several areas where kids of all ages could build with the LEGO® bricks. The main room had so many cool designs to look at including replicas of actual buildings, scenes from movies, original creations and even LEGO®. Of course, there was also many vendors selling new kits, discontinued kits and many different mini-figures.
LEGO® Putt Putt Golf
In the first room, there were many displays where kids of all ages could build to their hearts’ content. At one table I saw a 4-year-old and a 43-year-old! There was also a very fun interactive LEGO® putt putt golf display. Our son took a swing and it was a little harder than it looked. In the second, larger room, there were many displays and vendors from all over the Midwest. Here’s a few we really liked…
It’s a Block Party!
Doug Davis claims his group is the world’s biggest LEGO® fans! (Well, I’m not sure about that as I live with a huge LEGO® fan myself.) This was the first display that caught our eye. In fact, our son immediately spotted a solid gold C3PO mini-figure in Davis’ collection. Davis says his passion has turned into hosting LEGO® themed parties complete with custom made LEGO® character cakes. They will run the party for you including games and taking photos, so you can relax and enjoy the festivities. Don’t even worry about trudging about town looking for the perfect gift. They even sell rare and hard to find LEGO® sets, LEGO® figures and accessories. They so parties from small to enormous based on your chosen theme.
For more information or to book your party,
e-mail Doug@BuyBuildSell.com.
Robotic Chess
Robotic Chess
First LEGO® League
These are groups of LEGO® enthusiasts ages 9-14 who enjoy getting together to research, plan, design, build and compete. What really makes these groups special is that they use robotics and they compete. In 1992, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) created the FIRST Robotics Competition for high school kids. After that success, FIRST and LEGO® Partnered in 1998 to create FIRST LEGO League for children age 9-14. All you need is 10 kids ages 9-14 to start a group — and at least one adult. Each team then orders supplies and get started conducting scientific research, preparing presentations, designing, building and testing a fully autonomous robot. Teams can attend local, qualifying, or the championship tournament.
To learn more about FIRST LEGO® Leagues, visit www.usfirst.org.
To learn more about the Indiana FIRST LEGO® Leagues, visit www.etcs.ipfw.edu/fll
Nightly News at Nine is a stop-motion animated webseries.
The Nightly News at Nine: An Animated Webseries
One of our favorite displays was NNN — Nightly News at Nine which is a stop-motion animated webseries about a TV news team that lives in a fantastical world made of plastic bricks. Our son liked this stop as he has played around with stop motion animation a bit himself. We met the creator David M. Pickett who spent a good bit of time discussing his creations with our 9-year-old son. He introduced us to one of his very own mini-figure creations — The Pinchbot. Of course, we know have a Pinchbot of our very own.
To find out more about NNN, visit nightlynewsatnine.com.
To learn more about animating, visit davidmpickett.com.
Lego® Carnival
Brick Forge
Love mini-figures? Who doesn’t, right? Kids especially love mini-figures. Our son often determines which LEGO® sets he wants based on the mini-figures included. Many vendors were offering mini-figures at BrickWorld. Some, like Brick Forge, even offered custom made mini-figures. You won’t find these in any LEGO® sets. When asked why custom figures, they told me it was to fill in the gaps…to offer figures that LEGO® does not offer.
To find out more about Brick Forge, visit brickforge.com.
Lucas Oil Stadium
Cincinnati Bricks
Their slogan — bricks by the piece, set, and more — pretty much sums it up. Here you can purchase discontinued sets, current sets, mini-figures, parts and more. They had a lot of merchandise at Brickworld, but there is much, much more available at their website.
For more information on Cincinnati Bricks, visit cincinnatibricks.com
Brickworld 2011 Chicago
Sorry you missed Brickworld 2011 Indianapolis? No worries. Drive a few hours north on June 18 and 19 for Brickworld 2011 Chicago. The Windy City’s event promises to be even bigger.
For more info, visit Brickworld.us.
