Bricks Cascade, Year 9
Portland, Oregon
February 27-March 1, 2020
As I do every year, I'm going to talk about Bricks Cascade (Portland, OR's LEGO fan convention). However, if you want the full scope of my experience, you'll ALSO want to check out the two videos I've produced:
Video #2 (4 Things That Made This Year's Con Special, My top 5 favorite MOCs, & around 100 MORE Photos!)
So there's those. But you know what I didn't talk about in those videos? My MOCs! Games I played! And trophies!
This year I brought several new creations the con....
Clutchmoor Elementary School
I spent a lot of time on this build because I wanted to make a structure that can be easily modified. So each of the classrooms is the same size, with the doors and windows in the same place on each. Meaning they can all be moved around. They just slide in and out... well, usually. That way if I ever want the school to have a cafeteria instead of a music room, I can (more easily) make that happen.
I bought some battery-powered lights to help illuminate the interiors.
For this version of the school, I attempted to make a 1960s-1970s-era school, complete with chalkboards, a climbing rope, desks with chairs attached, a film projector, and not a singular computer in sight.
The film projector was my most "innovative" element. (And yes, my standards are pretty low.) The projector had a battery-powered light. And across the room, on the "screen," was my old iPod Nano. And playing on THAT was a stop-motion LEGO film I made back in 2012. The effect worked pretty well, I thought. Unfortunately, the MOC was pretty far back on the table and I don't think many people actually got to see the "film."
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Also new this year: I built a bunker for a post-apocalyptic collab called "Dream Bunkers."
I dubbed mine "Gingerbunker"...
I had a lot of fun designing the details within, including chocolate-chip-cookie bunk beds and a cloud-and-candy floor.
I also brought some builds to the Old West collab...
...including this Schoolhouse, which is designed to look like a late-Victorian country schoolhouse.
I swear I'm not obsessed with schools. Really. I only have... uh... three?... LEGO schools!
I also went on two "LEGO Photography" excursions this winter, and got some fun shots. I chose my favorites and had them printed. I entered them in the Photography category.
^Ducks
^Bike on cement
^Naked bike ride
I've posted a few photos from these excursions on my Instagram (@MoMakesStuffUp), and plan to post more as time goes on. Be sure to follow me on there if you'd like to see more pics!
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I also brought some other MOCs I've come to Bricks Cascade with before, including "Random Things From My Childhood." (The "doll house" was new, though. I covered it in this video.) I also contributed a build to the "Marina" collab by bringing a singular building that once had a home in the Steampunk theme.
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I participated in two games at the con this year: "99 Pieces" and the Team Speed Build. (I also participated in Dirty Brickster, in which I came away with a small set, plus a cool older minifig I'd never seen before!)
For the Team Speed Build, I'd put together a team of folks who varied in building experience. In fact, one had never done a speed build before! Nevertheless, we persisted...
^We built this.
The games coordinator added an extra ounce of malice to the whole thing. He opened the boxes at some point before the game, took all the pieces out of all the bags, mixed them up, and put them all back in the box.
Niiiice.
This was the first year that Bricks Cascade did game sign-ups online. I was happy they did that, as I've found it difficult in the past to get into the Team Speed Build. Especially when the sign-up process has involved being the first in a line that begins to form during other events.
In fact, I don't think I'd done a Team Speed Build at this con since 2014, when a group of us assembled that giant tower from LOTR.
I do wish they'd follow BrickCan's suit and do two Team Speed Build events at Bricks Cascade, as this is typically the most sought-after event. I think this con is going to have to offer more games next year to meet the demands of 500+ attendees.
Then there was 99 Pieces....
99 pieces (sometimes played as "101 Pieces") is a game in which you get a series of build prompts, and, using only the small assortment of LEGO elements you've brought, you are required to build something in just a few minutes. I've seen this played at many conventions, and it's always a little different. Sometimes you get a chance to talk about your build; other times, you just have to show it without explanation. Sometimes the person running the game picks each round's winner -- other times, other people's votes are considered. I won this game once at BrickCon, and was a runner-up at one time at BrickCan.
This time, I won! Barely. ;) Here were some of my builds...
I got a fun trophy made out of -- what else? -- 99 pieces!
I didn't get any other "official" trophies over the weekend, but I did receive two little appreciation tokens that made me happy. Someone from the Women's Brick Initiative left a memento next to my Random Things MOCs, and one of LEGO Masters, Jessica ("Ragzy"), left a signed wooden minifig next to my "Bare Essentials" photo (above.)
Speaking of the LEGO Masters, ten of the contestants were present at the con, and they were just so nice. I know... it's like, "Well, of course they were nice. They had to be." But really, they didn't. They weren't officially there on behalf of the TV show. They came as fans. But they also posed for numerous photos, signed autographs, and chatted with anyone who approached them. And they kept up the positive energy the entire weekend, it seemed. Great job, all.
^The LEGO Masters at a "Special Builders" panel.
I'm already thinking about things I want to build for next year. If you're interested in attending the con yourself, keep an eye on the website at BricksCascade.com.
They're saying the theme for 2021 is "A Decade Of Bricking Around." Hmmm... March 2021 will be only 8.75 years since the first Bricks Cascade....
But who's counting?
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Previous Bricks Cascade blog posts:
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