The Oncoming LEGO Convention

I’m an Adult Fan of LEGO (or ‘AFOL’).  I’m sure that you already got that impression if you read my “22 Things to Do in 2022” post.  Seven of the twenty-two to-do items (nearly a third of the list) were LEGO related. 

I’m also a LEGO convention-goer.  I go to Portland’s LEGO convention (Bricks Cascade) every year, and to Seattle’s LEGO convention (BrickCon) every now and then.  (I not only attend these conventions, I also display some of my own LEGO MOCs at them.  [MOC = My Own Creation.])

The next Bricks Cascade is only five weeks away.  And I’m supposed to be in the LEGO room building for the con.  But instead, I’m sitting at the computer (next to the space heater – it’s cold in the LEGO room!) writing a blog entry.  Hmm. 

Your Typical Bricks Cascade

Bricks Cascade is usually held in late February or early March at the Oregon Convention Center.  This year it runs March 10th through 13th.  Like all LEGO fan conventions, it’s not actually affiliated with the LEGO Group.  And is entirely run by volunteers. 

My attendance at the con in recent years is entirely dependent on my friend Kyle, who gives me a ride to and from the convention in exchange for gas money. 

The convention’s registration desk opens at noon on Thursday.  This is where you pick up your badge, three engraved bricks (one being the official convention brick, and the other two being custom engraved bricks you chose when you registered), and your swag bag which usually contains that year’s convention model, a polybag or small set, coupons for some of the vendors, and other fun stuff. 

The rest of Thursday is primarily MOC set-up.  MOCs are organized by theme (Space, Town & Train, Superheroes, etc.)  At about 6:00 on Thursday evening the exhibition hall hosts a meet & greet / pizza feed for the attendees. 

The con officially begins on Friday, with Opening Ceremonies in the morning, and the Keynote Address that evening.  (During both of these events – and Saturday’s award ceremony – prizes are given out.  Bricks Cascade is the only LEGO convention I know of where pretty much every attendee is guaranteed to get a doorprize.)  Afterward there’s a Family and Friends walk-through of the MOC exhibits. 

Saturday is the first of the two ‘Public Days’, where anyone can buy tickets and browse the exhibits, shop at the vendors, and just generally have a good time.  Saturday also begins the workshops, panels, discussion groups, and whatnot.  That evening (after the public has gone back home) is the Awards Ceremony.  (I, personally, have yet to win a trophy for one of my MOCs at Bricks Cascade.  Maybe this year, fingers crossed!)

Sunday is the second Public Day and the final day of the con.  More workshops and stuff, and then after that day’s public leaves, the closing ceremony.  Then everyone gathers for a massive group photo, and places their SigFig [SigFig = Signature Figure, a minifig built to represent its owner] for a much smaller scale group photo.  Then comes teardown where everyone repacks their MOCs for the ride home. 

My MOC To-Do List

On January 2nd, I put together a list of the MOCs I wanted to build for the con.  After a great deal of consideration, I came up with a list of 10 MOCs.  I figured that 10 MOCs over the course of a little over 9 weeks was doable. 

Then I contacted Kyle, just to confirm that his Space Western collaborative build was a ‘go’.  Which is when he informed me that Space Western wasn’t happening this year.  So, my to-build list of MOCs went from 10 to 6.  Sad. 

A day or so later I discovered that the Superheroes theme I used to run at the con – which was absent from 2020’s Bricks Cascade – was now back with a new theme coordinator.  Upon discovering that, my list went from 6 MOCs to 8. 

But then I sat on my ass and did absolutely nothing LEGO-related (except for placing orders on Bricklink) for about two weeks.  (Whoops.)  After which I took another look at the list, and adjusted it from 8 MOCs down to 5.  Which is where it remains, right up until this post gets published.  Probably all the way up until the con, but who knows? 

Prepwork

With seven and a half weeks before the con, I finally started prepwork for building.  Step one was simply waiting by the mailbox for Bricklink orders to arrive.  Step two was harder.  I had to be able to work in the LEGO room. 

I spent a couple of days moving large stacks of totes from the LEGO room into my living room so that I had the space to more easily move around.  I also cleaned off about a third of my build table. 

(A week later and I decided that I needed access to containers buried deep behind other stuff in the LEGO room, and moved even more boxes and totes out of the room.  Now I can barely move about in the living room!) 

Bricklink orders (mostly) in hand and a little bit of clear workspace on the build table, and I was finally able to begin building. 

The World Cookie-Eating Championship

The first MOC I worked on this year wasn’t something I was building but instead rebuilding.  I had originally built the final round of the World Cookie Eating Championship for last year’s Bricks Cascade event (a one-day outdoor gathering called “the Bricknic”). 

 

The World Cookie-Eating Championship, version 1

First I built it a sturdy base to replace the comparatively floppy extra-large baseplate I used the first time around.  The next step is to reconnect the completely shattered conveyor belts.  I tried doing this, but had to quit in frustration when I discovered that some of the parts are now missing.  A dilemma for another day. 

I also plan to switch out the older Santa figure with the new Santa that has dual-molded legs to give him red pants and black boots. 

JLO Headquarters

 My main MOC this year goes into the Superheroes theme, and is possibly the largest (surface area-wise) MOC that I’ve attempted.  I’m building the headquarters of the Justice League from an alternate reality where instead of humans and human-looking people being the dominant force in the universe, it’s orcs and orc-looking people. 


The Justice League of Orc-Kind:  Superorc, Batorc, Wonderorc, Hawkorc, Aquaorc, Cyborc, the Flash, and Green Lantern. 

What I’m building is nine levels of the JLO tower.  So far it’s just nine extra-large baseplates, each surrounded by eight-brick-high walls.  When I’m done it’ll be the primary meeting room, the teleportation chamber, the monitoring room, the trophy room, the training area, the lounge, medbay, and the prison level… along with one level I haven’t quite decided on yet.  (Current frontrunner is a workshop / laboratory.) 

So far it exists mainly in my head, but my favorite level is the trophy room.  Contained therein are several nods to the fact that the JLO is a team that does a fair bit of travelling between alternate realities. 

The Dream Bunkers Collaborative Build

At the 2020 Bricks Cascade, the Post-Apocalypse theme had a collaborative build called Dream Bunkers.  It was so popular that it’s making a return at this year’s con. 

There’s a collab guide on the web that details the dimensions and build style of the basic dream bunker.  You then pick a minifigure and furnish the bunker for their wants and needs. 

I’m building two bunkers for the collab.  The first one is the ACME Bunker, which is home to Wile E. Coyote.  The bunker includes his drafting table where he comes up with plans to catch the Road Runner, and the tons of ACME products that he’s used over the years. 

Work in Progress – The Unfurnished Bunker

The second MOC is entitled “B is for Bunker”, and includes extra tall minifigures representing Jim Henson and Frank Oz, underneath and operating Bert and Ernie in the upper part of the bunker. 

Work in Progress

I’m having an absolute blast designing and building these. 

Garbled Communications

The fifth and probably final build on this year’s Bricks Cascade MOC to-do list is a small build that’s a really dumb joke that only fans of The LEGO Movie will even get.  I’d include a photo, but I haven’t even started on it yet.

Five Weeks and Counting

Wow, look at the time!  The con is rapidly approaching, and I’m still sitting here writing a blog entry instead of building. 

You’d think that five weeks for five MOCs would be plenty of time.  But that gigantic JLO HQ MOC is easily the size of nine regular MOCs.  Making it more like thirteen MOCs in five weeks. 

This would put me way behind schedule.  So, back into the LEGO room I go! 

 

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