“He’s bringing his latest creation which is fully automated and has lots of wonderful bells and whistles and has an audio story and all sorts of things.”
There will also be a selection of sets available from a Toyworld pop-up store as well as second-hand sets on sale.
The idea for the first Brickanui came from a personal association, with Creswell’s son going to RDA and herself volunteering.
In 2019 the organisation was looking to raise funds for a land purchase, to which she suggested a brick show.
“And they looked at me and said, ‘What?’... ‘Why?’ and I said because people will come.”
She got local businesses involved and the inaugural show was a success.
“People came and people came and people came and RDA we’re like, oh my gosh it worked ... can we do another one?”
A second show was going to be held in 2021 before the final Covid-19 lockdown scuppered plans the week of the show.
“So it’s been a four-year break but we’re hoping that means people are a bit more curious to come again and see because all our exhibits are all different, they’re all new,
She hoped to make the show a biannual event.
The brick-building scene in Whanganui had grown since the first Brickanui was held, as there was now less of a stigma associated with playing with Lego as an adult.
Whanganui has also been made an official branch of the Wellington Lego Users Group (Well-LUG) and plans to start holding club days either on a monthly or six-week basis later this year.
A large number of builders in Whanganui were also women, which she said was unusual compared to other cities.
“Mostly its a lot of men but we have a lot of women for some reason, so we have more of a nurturing style for newbies and children where we believe children are the future of Lego displays and we want to encourage them to build,” she said.
For a lot of Adult Fans Of Lego (AFOLs) the hobby often started from playing with Lego as a kid and then coming to a brick show later in life.
“It starts you on the dark journey of reliving your youth.”
Fellow AFOL Coralee Allen said she got into Lego through her husband Richard when he gave her a small red truck model in 2015.
Nowadays they build together and have a dedicated room in their home for sets.
“It’s a way of us spending time together and doing something we enjoy and it’s introduced us to a whole group of people who are awesome,” she said.
This year she will be displaying a larger red truck as part of one of their scenes, a farmer’s stall, with another one being a miniature supermarket.
“I’ve done it very realistic, I wanted it so you could almost think you were a little person walking around the supermarket.”
She hoped it would inspire people to take up the hobby, as the only limits to it were people’s imagination and pocket depth.
“I just hope they have fun and they’re maybe willing to have a go at building something so they can be part of the next show.”
Brickanui is being put on at the War Memorial Centre on Watt St on July 8 and July 9 from 9.30am to 4pm.
Entry to the event is $5 for adults, $3 for children (under-3 free) while family passes are $15. The event is a fundraiser for Riding for the Disabled Whanganui (RDA).
There will also be a special 30-mintue session at 9am each day for people with sensory issues.
