Ryan McNaught
‘LEGO Porch Thoughts’
Some of the most imaginative Australian inventions such as the wine cask (very handy, thank you Thomas Angove from Adelaide) were created in the 1960s. During this particular decade, Australia also welcomed a surge of international company representatives to our shores.
In 1962,one keen English sales representative, John Peddie, packed his suitcase full of colourful bricks, tiny doors and plastic windows and made his way to Australia to introduce the Danish invention, LEGO, into our Aussie way of life. (Thank you, John!)
Five decades on and LEGO has stood the test of time. It’s not uncommon to hear stories that children (and their parents who profess to still be young at heart but just teaching the kids how to build), are choosing to create brick LEGO masterpieces over playing digital video games in lounge rooms.
Melburnian Ryan McNaught, also known internationally as ‘The Brickman’ from Down Under, is one man who admits that he never quite grew up when it comes to LEGO. The difference between Ryan and anyone else in the Southern Hemisphere (he is the only one), and is one of the 12 LEGO Certified Professionals in the world. In other words, he is paid to travel the world to create and showcase spectacular LEGO masterpieces.
Among his estimated 5 million bricks in his single garage at home which he transformed into a workshop studio he proudly calls, ‘Garage Mahal’, I caught up with him as he was strategically placing the final blocks to complete one his many creations that are on display at the LEGO Brick Zone at Eastland Shopping Centre until Sunday 6 October.
When did your journey with LEGO begin?
I grew up in Bendigo where my Nanna bought my first LEGO set when I was 3-years-of-age. I went on to read store catalogues and enjoyed building trains, space ships, castles and cities. I stopped playing LEGO when I was 13. I didn’t get into LEGO seriously until much later in life.
Looking back to your school days, was there a particular class that has helped you with professional LEGO building?
Definitely maths! All those crazy maths methods you thought you would never use again in life. Who knew?
You are a LEGO Certified Professional, what is the process of obtaining this qualification?
It’s a long and arduous process. There are only 12 of us in the world (there used to be 13 but one recently retired). It involves lots of interviews, some tests and most importantly being able to interact very well with the public.
Did you have to build a construction to qualify, or are there LEGO scouts on the prowl looking for new talent at LEGO conventions?
There is no ‘one’ build to qualify, but I did get noticed by LEGO after building a giant LEGO Airbus A380 at the LEGO Brickworld convention in Chicago. It required approximately 16,000 bricks including the LEGO Mindstorms technology I built which had a touch screen computer to make things happen in the plane. It took a couple of months to build.
One of the largest models you’ve ever built is the LEGO Love Boat model that is on display at Eastland. How many bricks did that model require to complete?
I used just over 250,000 LEGO bricks! At 4m long, it’s a monster.
What does a LEGO Certified Professional actually do?
I have a few roles. I am the guy that builds the store display models that you see in department stores; I build interesting models for events and specific locations such as museums, and I also write a column in the LEGO club magazine which is a lot of fun.
I recall squabbling with my mates building LEGO constructions in our lounge rooms. Do LEGO Certified Professionals help each other out on projects or is there brick envy?
Sometimes we work on builds and projects together. My closest colleague is in Singapore, so it gets tough with the distance between us. Each year we all head to LEGO HQ in the city of Billund in Denmark for training and to catch up with each other.
What do you find most rewarding about building masterpieces?
The favourite part of my job is when a model that I’ve been working on for months is unveiled. There is nothing better than seeing the looks on kids and parents faces when they see something cool made from LEGO.
What is your most memorable build?
Last year I built a large version of the Colosseum out of LEGO. It was amazingly difficult to build but it’s probably one of my favourites.
What is the common misconception about being an adult playing with LEGO?
Most people think I play with bricks all day, which is only a half truth. There is a lot of planning and process before we even start picking up a brick on a project. Generally I work about 50-60 hours a week. My 6m tall Saturn V rocket for example, took about 6 weeks to build.
What does 50 years of LEGO in Australia mean to Australians?
I think it’s safe to say that its part of the family now, everyone has it, and chances are that everyone’s parents had some too.
Where do you see LEGO positioned in another 50 years, particularly in light of digital media and electronic games for children?
Given that electronic games have been around for a long time now I don’t see much change. LEGO has already integrated very well into that media so the crossover is already very strong.
What is one thing you've haven't built, but is on your wish list?
I have a huge list of things I'm itching to build, but like always there is never enough time. I’ve been working on a really big Sydney Opera House for a few years. I would like to finish that.
What is your Porch Thought For The Day?
“I do like to start really early and get a lot done, so carpe diem – seize the day.”