A virtual version of Newcastle Brickfest has allowed Lego lovers to be inspired from the comfort of their own homes to start building and creating their own displays.
The annual event usually draws around 6000 people of all ages over two days in July and raises funds for local schools and charities, but was held for the seventh year online and for free via the event's Facebook page.
Organiser Kevin Evans said he was determined to amend and then proceed with the popular event during COVID-19, both to engage followers built over the past seven years and "give people something to watch and look at when they want to, especially during the school holidays".
He said he posted content from about 15 exhibitors every five minutes between 10am and 12noon on Sunday, including a colouring in competition, live videos, a tutorial about adding movement to a display, timelapses, behind the scenes footage and photos.
People can still visit the page to catch up on posts they missed.
"We have a city display with a train that's too big for everyone's houses," he said. "We needed to have somewhere to be able to put it up and so we hired a local community hall just to set up the city. Four of us contributed to it and it was nine tables big. When we do Newcastle we usually have 20 tables."
Other displays constructed using the interlocking plastic bricks included replicas of Newcastle's Civic Park and Perisher, Disney on Ice, Heartlake City Adventure Camp, Harry Potter and Star Wars scenes, a Lamborghini, dinosaurs, castles, a pirate themed diorama, a haunted house and Mickey and Minnie Mouse buildable characters.
Mr Evans' family emigrated from England to Australia when he was 11 and he packed the dozen LEGO sets his parents had bought him over the years.
They were given to his nieces and nephews and eventually to his son, who also received other sets as gifts.
"For 20 years I had nothing to do with it, but he was a bit young to have the patience to sit and build and so Dad got to build," Mr Evans told the Newcastle Herald last year.
"Then LEGO released a London Tower Bridge set and I thought 'I've got to have that'. That was it."
Many builders and creators have credited television show Lego Masters with sparking or reinvigorating their love of Lego. The Lego Group was founded in 1932 and is based in Billund, Denmark.
Details: facebook.com/NewcastleBrickfest/
