LEGO Masters USA - Bricking Wind

LEGO Masters U.S

Season 2 Episode 7 – Recap

Bricking Wind Challenge

After a couple of weeks away, we are back! And we are off to a flying start… literally! The teams walk in and are confronted with a giant fan blowing paper all over the place. This sets the stage for a brand new challenge: Bricking Wind. The goal is to create a build that looks great getting hit by a gust of wind that blows at 60 miles an hour (96kms). As always storytelling is on the judges list with a note to use the wind to help tell the story along with aesthetics. Jamie points out movement is key to getting over the line. The teams have 12 hours.

The Builds

Zack and Wayne – Oasis

Basing their build on their Californian ranch with a wind turbine powering it. Halfway through their realize their windmill isn’t going to hold up to the test fan and have done a rebuild which pits them against time. Adding to the complexity is the fact they are aiming to have the windmill power other moving elements across the scene. The fan gets turning and gets up to 55 miles with all of the pieces moving as intended, but then the fan belt gets blown off followed by the whole windmill. Amy gives points to the extra details from all the spinning pieces as well as the length of time it held up for.

Mark and Steven – Wind Power Terraforming

The idea is to have their windmill act as a power source that terraforms the planet. They still have the golden brick to play. Amy loves the new range of colours that makes the build pop along with the sculpting. The judges do feel the space land is a bit lost. The fan starts up, with many of the bendy elements moving nicely and the structures remain standing up to 65 miles.

Natalie and Michelle – A Child’s World

Based around a toybox with the idea the wind moves around toys. Amy loves the nostalgic look of the build and the storytelling potential with the windmill being tied into the build. The fan gets up to 45 miles before blowing the windmill off.

Maria and Philip – New Tinkerton City

They have a small city of windmills populated by a city of tinkerers who live in stacked houses. The windmill proves a challenge as the first build is too flat to be effective to pick up wind and needs a redesign. The end result is full of small stories, but Amy points out the rather basic building techniques. The fan goes on and with some elements blowing around nicely the blade snaps off at 20.

Dave and Richard – Gnome Matter The Weather

Deciding to use wind to create noise the team go on a slightly different direction by creating giant flowers on bendy stalks for a gnome’s village. The test fan proves their builds are quite fragile and they reassess. The concept of a sound garden also gets questioned as the fan is too loud for the effect to be heard. The effect works as intended with some nice moments of pollen flying out and the sound being heard. But they only reach up to 50 miles.

Caleb and Jacob – Portal To Atlantis

An underwater build where the currents power a windmill that spins fast enough to become a portal. They add coral and other pieces which they hope will withstand the gust. Amy loves the story building and setting with the fish elements being strongly used as decorative carvings. The fan kicks off and the windmill starts moving off at 25. AT 55 some pieces start blowing off but the tower remains strong.

Bryan and Lauren – Tidal Turbine Tango

Another underwater build that is based around a turbine that powers a party under the sea. As the final hour kicks in, Jamie and Amy drop by and notice there’s not alot of colour in the scene as the landscape is very gray. The team hopes to decorate the scene with more contrasting creatures and elements. As it’s wheeled out for judging Amy notes their attempts to hide the gray has somewhat backfired as the creature are beginning to blend in. The build reaches 50 miles as the blades push into the main tower and break off

The Verdict

With the main event over the two strongest teams are picked, Caleb and Jacob and Mark and Steven, however, this isn’t about strength, aesthetics are also key to winning. The top two picks are eventually Caleb and Jacob along with Dave and Richard. Caleb and Jacob’s detailing in their main tower was well received. Dave and Richard also had strong aesthetics and held up with the winds. The winner of today’s challenge: Dave and Richard, clocking up their third win.

The bottom two: Maria and Phillip along with Lauren and Bryan. Maria and Phillip had a colorful build but the simpler building techniques of plain stacked bricks didn’t win points. Lauren and Bryan were let down by over decorating making their lively scene flat by hiding too many details. The team that goes home is Maria and Phillip.

Next week – Everybody loves puppets!