A real-life Lego Master: 'It’s a healthy way to play — it gets kids off their screens'
Ryan McNaught is a Lego Master and judge on Lego Masters Australia.
“I have a bit of an unusual job alright,” admits Ryan 'The Brickman' McNaught, laughing.
One of just 21 people in the world who are Lego certified professionals, the Australian spent the past few weeks in Dublin creating an interactive exhibition now open to the public.
“It’s a team effort,” McNaught, who hails from Sydney, explains. “The whole exhibition took over 6,000 hours to put together so there’s a lot of blood sweat and tears in those models.”
McNaught, who is also judge of TV Show , was a chief information officer before he became a Lego certified professional.
He created an Airbus A380 model incorporating Lego Mindstorms technology and that brought him to the attention of Lego company representatives.
Now, McNaught and his team specialise in making interactive models and cutaways, as well as record-breaking Lego creations including a life-sized car, motorcycle and even the tallest Lego model in the southern hemisphere — a 7.5m tall rocket with lights and sounds that you can see in his current Irish exhibition.
They used more than one million bricks on the project, which has transformed Dublin’s Theatre of Light into a colourful brick wonderland.
So how did McNaught’s passion for Lego begin?
“You can’t go to college to become a regular professional in this field,” he explains. “It’s not an appointment exactly but you do go through a process with Lego building interesting creations. I really enjoyed the challenge of it and feel extremely lucky. I’ve held this title since 2011.”
“People always ask me how I got into this, but Lego can capture your imagination at any age,” he tells us. “I was just three years old when I got my first Lego set. As a teen, I stopped playing with Lego, but it wasn’t until me and my wife had kids that I got back into it.
McNaught has twin boys who are 16 now. “We always played together, but at their current age Lego isn’t seen as cool at the moment but I’ve no doubt that will change as it did for me. “
So what does he believe it about Lego that keeps generations returning back to it?
“There’s just something about it that captures those childhood joys,” McNaught points out.
“There’s a nostalgia to it too that we shouldn't underestimate.
It’s also a very healthy way to play for children. It gets them off screens, to use their fine motor skills, to show off their creativity and obviously the collaboration and teamwork if you are building with friends or family.”
In fact, his rediscovery of the tiny bricks prompted McNaught to write a children’s book called , which is full of techniques and ideas the Lego certified professional has learnt over the years.
“It’s like a dictionary. I put all the amazing creations I built into the book. Then it was transformed into an interactive exhibition which has now been touring Asia, the US, and now Europe. We only opened a few days ago and we’ve been pretty much sold out each day.”
With more than 150 models to inspire, millions of Lego bricks to build and play with as well as interactive build zones, including an earthquake challenge and mystery mosaic, guests can help create enormous Lego murals. Fans can also see models from the much-loved TV series . The models range from wildlife to astronomy, giant trees, and imaginary buildings.
With hands-on challenges featuring more than one million Lego bricks, participants will learn how to turn dreams into Lego brick reality for both adults and children.
McNaught believes there is an enduring affection for Lego that is not going anywhere, any time soon.
“Play is such an important part of growing up. Often, it’s how children rationalise and work through scenarios. One of the greatest things about Lego is that as a child’s taste develops, the creations they build will change too. One day, for example, children can be into rocket ships and their Lego can be used to build a rocket ship.
"Another time, they might want to be an architect and they can build any type of building. This extreme versatility means the Lego adapts as the child evolves. I don’t know any other toy or play material that does that so successfully. I don’t see Lego ever going out of fashion for that reason.”
- The exhibition Bricktionary — the Ultimate A-Z of ego is now running at Dublin’s Theatre of Light
