A Walk Through Brickvention 2021
/Australia’s longest-running LEGO fan event, Brickvention, was held over the weekend of January 16th and 17th last month. For the first time in its 15-year history, the event was held online due to COVID-related restrictions. Although this meant local AFOLs were unable to gather in person, it did open the event to a wider audience online with many more international attendees! Here is a quick recap of the event and some of the things on display that caught my eye.
The convention typically holds an AFOLs-only day, but since that was not possible in-person this year, Brickvention replicated the day by presenting a range of videos and livestreams targeted toward hardcore LEGO fans via its YouTube channel. Each interview was edited, showcasing a conversation with the speaker. Choosing a favourite amongst the videos was challenging but I did particularly enjoy Jan Beyer’s video where he was able to announce that Brickvention would become an official ANE in 2022. That means that the company recognizes the convention as one of the few events around the world that qualify as an “AFOL Networking Event”—quite the honour!
In addition to the YouTube videos and livestreams, Brickvention featured a podcast and an online game. The LEGO themed podcast, For the Love of the Brick, featured a special episode entitled Humans of Brickvention compiled from attendees’ memories of past Brickventions. It was a fascinating look into what has made the event special for so many people.
The Brickvention Game was created using Unity by a longtime committee member, Travis Matheson. It was a short, but fun two-level 3D platform game where you were challenged to collect the trophies whilst trying to avoid the shooting turrets. A number of past Brickvention event models were included as part of Level 2 of the game adding a lovely touch of nostalgia. There are plans to develop additional levels throughout the year and to have a new version of the game for Brickvention 2022. The best time for the game on the weekend was noted to be 3:33 which is just above the best score achieved by the creator of the game!
Speaking of Brickvention event models, this year’s model was specially designed by Jason Cichon to capitalize on common pieces found in the average LEGO collection. The “birdstructions” are available to download from the website. As part of his design, he has included a number of colour variations to inspire builders to create their own versions with the parts they have available. It is hoped attendees of next year’s Brickvention will add their own birds to a collaborative diorama featuring a large tree.
For many people, the highlight of LEGO fan events is the MOCs. Brickvention is no exception and this year, they were highlighted via a Flickr gallery, the Brickvention Facebook page, and the BrickventionOnline hashtag on Instagram. Additionally, they were presented in a virtual exhibition space using Art Space Gallery. I found this to be an intriguing way to view the creations as each one is treated like a work of art hanging in a gallery with brief notes about the design. Although you are limited to only one viewpoint of the MOCs, each one stands out and is not overshadowed by its neighbor – as often happens at in-person events.
Some personal favourites from the Expert Competition category included the following:
Tamara Dadswell’s Christmas in 2020 features an Elf on the Shelf relaxing after a busy time observing the members of the household. I particularly like the micro scene in the snow globe, the details of the bow on the wrapped present, and the drip on the bottle of hand sanitizer. Tamara’s work often includes interesting parts usage and this model is no exception.
Pine Valley by Ryan Masters celebrates Christmas time in a snow-covered village. With many interesting and quirky details, it took Christmas-obsessed Ryan around nine months to build. This is the first time it has been displayed at Brickvention as he would not, normally, have been able to transport his creation from one side of Australia to the other.
Jen Sasson has been exhibiting Harry Potter themed MOCs at Brickvention since 2012. This year she took on the challenge of creating a full minifig scale Knight Bus. Inspired by the official 10258 London Bus LEGO set, Jen has been able to capture the details of the Knight Bus in all of its dark purple glory.
The Princess Theater (Melbourne) by Alexander McCooke receives a special mention as he presented both a minifig and microscale version of the building. Capturing the magnificent architectural detail of the original structure, both models feature the building as it appeared during the run of the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The addition of extra lighting on the minifig-scale version made it sparkle and really brought it to life.
In some respects, Brickvention Online was a superior event to the in-person, regular version. The heat from the Australian summer was not an issue, there were no crowds or queues for food or to use the facilities, you could watch the interviews at your leisure, and you could take your time to view the MOCs in detail. From an organizational point of view, the event was cheaper to host and did not require as many volunteers in the weeks leading up to and at the event.
Having said that, catching up with your AFOL friends and meeting new ones cannot be overlooked. It’s a major part of most LEGO fan events and, despite the Zoom parties, the event was somewhat lacking in this area. Brickvention 2022 will be its first year as an ANE, and I’m hoping it will combine many of the fun things from Brickvention Online and merge them with a traditional in-person event to create an event that is the best of both worlds.
For now, all the components of Brickvention Online will remain available from the website for viewing at your convenience. If you were not able to attend last weekend, I recommend doing so at some time in the future and take a stroll through the gallery of Australian AFOL’s best LEGO models.
