The Brick Connection – A novice Lego fan explores the great brick world of LEGO

Happy last week of April LEGO fans! (Sorry, but I will never get good at these greetings.)

Two weeks ago I covered the coveted job of LEGO designer. This week I will be talking about another amazing LEGO job, which involves a little less creativity and a lot more building: Master Builder.

I think they are also called Master Model Builders…unless that is actually a completely different job. I couldn’t get a clear answer from the internet. Master Builders might just be a higher class of overall Master Model Builders.

Either way, this line of work is so significant to the LEGO brand that it got a major role in The LEGO Movie.

If you remember, a group of characters (minifigures) in the film were called Master Builders. They were a group of elite builders and creators that made the LEGO universe. Emmet met all of them at a Master Builders meeting in Cloud Cuckoo Land.

By the end of the movie Emmet proves himself to also be a Master Builder.

And Master Builders were actually essential to the film in real life as well. As I learned from watching A LEGO Brickumentary, Master Builders were enlisted to build the live-action version set of The LEGO Movie.

In fact, you can visit the set from the movie at LEGOLAND California as part of The LEGO Movie Experience. Check out a write-up about it from the blog, Adventures by Daddy: THE LEGO MOVIE EXPERIENCE Now Open at LEGOLAND California

You can also see more from the video below:

Speaking of LEGOLAND…

The LEGO Movie was a special project that Master Builders worked on, but Master Builders’ normal jobs are at LEGO’s Discovery centers, and its six LEGOLAND theme park locations (Billund, Denmark; Windsor, England; Günzburg, Germany; Nusajaya, Malaysia; Florida, California).

As you can see, with creations like this one above, Master Builders make LEGOLAND parks and discovery centers fantastic places to visit for LEGO fans. But although building the attractions for LEGOLAND is their main job, Master Builders also build many projects outside of LEGOLAND that are used for public display.

Yahoo did an interview with a Master Builder right after The LEGO Movie came out, which is a great read: Lego Master Builder Interview. Paul Chrzan from Connecticut began working with LEGO in 1988 and became a Master Builder about five years later. When asked what creation he’s most proud of, he said it was something he built for Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital in 1993. It was a life-size replica recreating a scene from one of the books about elephant doctor “Babar.” (Pictured below)

Master Builders were also enlisted to build life-size replicas of Star Wars characters for the The Force Awakens premiere last year:

In case you were wondering if there was an official job description for master builders, when the LEGOLAND Discovery center in Boston was hiring Master Model Builders, this is the job description that was provided for potential applicants:

This exciting role will have you designing, building, removing, installing, and repairing all models at the attraction. As the resident LEGO® building expert, you will help teach others by running workshops, speaking with media and participate in events. We are looking for someone with flair who has the ability to create a wide range of models. Must follow design briefs to build LEGO® models for displays and marketing promotions.

I can’t say for sure how many Master Builders there currently are. The article with Chrzan in February 2014 claimed there were only 40 Master Builders in the world; 7 of whom were American. But Merlin Entertainments, the company that owns and operates all the LEGOLANDs, was looking to hire 20 Master Model Builders for their factory in Florida just this year and one article said there were about 100 model builders working in facilities in California, Malyasia, and throughout Europe.

This could be me confusing Master Builders and Master Model Builders, but with at least 3 LEGOLANDs opening in the next couple years, it makes sense that the Master Builder workforce is growing.

So how does one become a Master Model Builder. Well much like the interview process to become a LEGO designer, the Master Builder interview process is intense and competitive.

Unlike, LEGO designers, Master Builders have multiple opportunities to interview and not always in the same location.

I found one news piece from 2012 about a unique interview process that was done at the LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Chicago. In the piece you find 8 people competing for one Master Model Builder position. There were at least 3 rounds of building challenges for the interviewees. And to make things even more interesting, it was all done in front of a live audience of LEGO fans. In the video, one of the judges of the competition talked about what he and the other judges were looking for, which included: eye-hand coordination, how participants are looking at the bricks in unorthodox ways, how they’re thinking about the process, and how they’re problem-solving.

Check out the 4-minute video below:

More recently, an article from August 2015 had 21 people interviewing for seven positions. The “interview” took place at a LEGOLAND hotel in Florida. The tasks included building a LEGO duck figure based on a provided graphic, a “blind build” that had participants working in teams, and a freestyle build, as well as some additional interviews. Much like the LEGO designer interview, it was a two-day event.

The participants were found by Merlin Entertainments through LEGO fan events. It was a diverse group. A spokesperson for Merlin said a college degree was preferred, though not required, and previous builders have been engineers, graphic designers, teachers and longtime Lego enthusiasts.

I may be closer to figuring out the difference between master builder and master model builder! Another article I found interviewed someone whose job was “LEGO Model Designer.” (So basically Master Model Builder, right?) She said she started out as a model builder and then worked her way to being a model designer. From what I can gather, the difference is that she started out being told how to build each model and then she got to the point where she could design models and build them. (This is not to be confused with a LEGO designer. Even as a model designer, she is being told what she has to create; for example the NYC skyline or a giant BB-8. )

Another thing she mentioned is that she works for Merlin Entertainments, not for The LEGO Group. Perhaps Master Builders are those who are actually employed by TLG, while Master Model Builders is just an annoyingly similar name Merlin gave to its builders.

Or maybe there are levels of master building that have to be unlocked and only a select group have unlocked all the levels!

Okay I’m really starting to lose it. It may be time to wrap this up.

Here is some career advice for potential LEGO professionals that I gathered from people that are building LEGO models masterfully and may or may not use the word “model” in their job title:

• have a portfolio, something that shows off your creative skills. It doesn't have to be LEGO
• practice building things with LEGO and learn the system. Knowing the difference between plate and brick, and that three plates equals a brick is very useful.
• if you don't succeed at first, try again the next time around. Many employees were hired on their second try.
• just build, build, build. Just keep playing with the bricks. Don't build the house and the spaceship. Build your family pet. Build a family portrait. Go beyond what people usually do with the bricks.

What is LEGO (and Merlin Entertainments) typically looking for in a potential employee:

• someone with a bachelor’s degree in either an art-related field (architecture, design), or engineering (mechanical, aeronautical, structural).
• some level of 3D modeling experience with programs like Maya, 3ds, AutoCad, and SolidWorks; this prepares them for the work they’ll be doing on Lego’s custom-built computer-aided design platform.
• a strong portfolio showing off a variance of Lego skills.
• a high-energy and inventive individual who understands the colorful world of LEGO

Remember that working for LEGO doesn’t mean you have a lot of freedom when it comes to what you build. While being a LEGO designer may allow you to create a completely original set (within the parameters of an already established theme), model building is creating a LEGO version of something that already exists (in fiction or reality).

There is still a ton of creativity involved in what LEGO pieces to use and how to shape each model. And the large scale of some of the models involves some hardcore engineering skills. Everything built for LEGO though would have to be kid-friendly. I don’t think you’ll find an official Master Builder building anything based on The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones.

Another piece of not-so-fun information I learned about this job is from someone named Zachary Crockett, who wrote a book called, Life as a Lego Professional. According to him, “the career path to Master Builder can be long and winding and usually begins with a role as an apprentice builder or ‘glue minion,’ who works long hours adhering thousands of LEGOs together and up-keeping massive sculptures and exhibits for around $10 an hour.”

Did you like how I informed you of the negative parts of the job at the end of the blog post? Really, is anyone still reading this?

Random final notes:

• From 2011-2013 LEGO sold products under the theme Master Builder Academy. These were kits that were supposed to “help you use the expertise and official techniques of the real LEGO Master Builders to discover how to create better, stronger and cooler-looking models that you design all by yourself.”

• At the LEGOLAND Hotel in Florida there are Master Model Builder Sessions for kids. The website offered no detailed explanation, but according to the website it is a one-of-a-kind experience.

• Thebrickblogger.com has a post about how to become a LEGO Master Model Builder based on a Discovery Center infographic. Soak up all this advice and information here.
  

• In 2012, LEGO Club TV gave us a tour of “the LEGO Master Builder Model Shop”: 

Well I hope some of you are inspired to go out and make your LEGO career dreams come true. If anything, you are at least very informed, (if not a little confused) about one (or two) more potential career(s) one could have playing with LEGO. 

Have any of you thought about this as a potential career path? Would you prefer to be a master builder or a LEGO designer? Let me know your thoughts!

Until next time...remember that starting at midnight this Saturday...

Sources:

http://www.adventuresbydaddy.com/2014/02/25/the-lego-movie-experience-legoland-california/

http://time.com/4190556/legoland-hiring-lego-model-builders-designers/

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-legoland-model-builders-20150825-story.html

http://www.clickondetroit.com/community/lego-looking-for-master-model-builder-for-michigan-legoland

http://lifehacker.com/career-spotlight-what-i-do-as-a-lego-model-designer-1686123935

http://www.payscale.com/career-news/2015/07/jobs-to-thrill-your-inner-child-a-life-of-lego

http://priceonomics.com/life-as-a-lego-professional/

*Compliments, general feedback, and constructive criticism are welcome. Any haters that are gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate can go step on some Lego with their bare feet.*