BRICKS CASCADE 2016
The 5th Annual Bricks Cascade, Portland's LEGO convention, occurred last weekend. Three days of recovery later... and it's time to blog!
The 5th Annual Bricks Cascade, Portland's LEGO convention, occurred last weekend. Three days of recovery later... and it's time to blog!
For
the second year in a row, I was a theme co-coordinator for Town
& Train. Like last year, we had a huge showing of cool, lovely,
creative, unique, and/or amazing creations.
This year we had 3 regular trophies and 3 mini-trophies for honorable mentions to give out.
With over 60 creations in Town & Train altogether, giving trophies
to only 6 of them was painful.
The main trophies were:
This trophy was awarded to Kristina R. for her Copacabana Beach Hotel. Kristina employed some dazzling detail on this building. I was impressed by the simplicity, yet effectiveness, of the color scheme. A beautiful creation.
Stellar Scene- "For a MOC that tells a story and/or is rich in interesting details."
This award went to Dorothy W. for her "Train Repair Workshop," which was a kind of LEGO building I'd never seen done before, so points for creativity. Inside and all around the shop there were these cool features and details. Obviously, a lot of thought went into this, and I really enjoyed looking in and around the workshop.
Classically Trained - "Awarded to a creation in Town & Train that best exemplifies this year's convention theme ('A Modern Classic.')"
Despite having the word "train" in the name, and the trophy having a train on it, this trophy could have gone to any MOC that fit the bill. But, it just so happens, it went to a train... Amtrak Cascades, by David H.
(That's the brown-green-and-white train, in case you're not familiar with the Amtrak Cascades.)
I
chose this one, first off, because of the nostalgia associated with
train travel... I feel that train travel is both a modern way to travel
(because it's better for the environment than driving) and classic
(because it's been carting us around for almost 200 years). Plus, I've
ridden on the A.C. a few dozen times. Ah, memories...
More
importantly, the build itself was gorgeous and finely detailed... and
the train was motorized and even ran around the tracks!
The 3 Honorable Mentions went to:
1. Copacabana Beach, by James R, full of lots of humorous details (and definite runner up for the second trophy above.)
2. Abandoned House In The Forest, by Mark K., which was gorgeous, and makes me think we need a trophy for LEGO Landscaping next year.
And
last but not least, Lori Clarke's "Little Brick Houses," a row of
simple LEGO houses. Each one had a story to go with it, explaining the
minor differences in the surrounding scenes. It was kind of a "What if
my childhood had been different... like this... or like this...?" It was
super creative, and it's a reminder that LEGO isn't just about
building... it's about making us see the world in new ways. Great job!
There was SO many cool new creations in T&T this year. Here are a few more...
^I liked this one because it looked like it could have been an actual LEGO set, circa the 1980s or 90s (or even more recently.)
^A very well-built Safeco Field.
^Classic-looking fire station.
^The Cafe Corner LEGO Set on a grand scale.
^Food carts!
^A fun hotel.
^Ben K.'s Fairground setup.
^Chickens rule!
Below are some other MOCs from around the convention hall that I enjoyed...
Now check out what I brought to the show... :)
^The Carousel Of Gladness (next to Ben K.'s Gravitron.)
^Kitchens through the ages
And finally, my little furry friend...
Another great (but exhausting!) year at Bricks Cascade. See you again in 2017!
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