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After Hours

Photos: Crowning the newest Lego master

By Bill Detwiler May 23, 2006, 8:59 PM PDT Bill Detwiler on Twitter billdetwiler

Image
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Weighing bricks
Weighing bricks
Photos: Crowning the newest Lego master

Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com

On Tuesday, finalists in Legoland California’s contest for a master model builder went head-to-head to build a model they thought would fit in at the theme park.

rnBefore the “build-off,” contestants chose their bricks from dozens upon dozens of bins. Then, a Legoland store employee (pictured) weighed their selections.

Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com
Photos: Crowning the newest Lego master

For their two skill tests, competitors were tasked with building models of faces and eggs. Legoland master model builders then collected the results and placed them in a room for later examination.

Photos: Crowning the newest Lego master

Master model builder finalist Hanif Payandeh, 24, examines the Lego egg he created during the second skill test in Carlsbad, Calif.

Photos: Crowning the newest Lego master

At the start of the main build-off on Tuesday, finalist Gary McIntire, a 25-year-old construction professional from Highland, Utah, pours his bricks out onto his table in preparation for some serious building.

Photos: Crowning the newest Lego master

Jason Poland, a recent college graduate from Houston, grabbed first place in the master model builder competition. Here, Poland gets started on his winning fire-breathing snowman.

Photos: Crowning the newest Lego master

Poland, as viewed through the mouth of a Lego shark at Legoland California. Poland beat out 22 other finalists from around the country to become the newest master builder at the theme park.

Photos: Crowning the newest Lego master

Throughout the main competition, finalists continually got to grab more bricks from a table covered with tubs.

Photos: Crowning the newest Lego master

Clay Hervey, who finished second, works on his model of a police officer. Hervey, a graphic design student, hails from Mesquite, Texas.

Photos: Crowning the newest Lego master

The crowd favorite, a dragon, is pictured in its almost-finished form during the final round of the master model builder competition.

Photos: Crowning the newest Lego master

Winner Poland’s model of a snowman breathing fire.

Photos: Crowning the newest Lego master

While inspecting the finalists’ models, the three judges got in close to peer inside one builder’s pirate cave.

Photos: Crowning the newest Lego master

Poland reacts after the announcement that he’d won the national master model builder competition.

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By Bill Detwiler
Bill Detwiler is the Editor for Technical Content and Ecosystem at Celonis. He is the former Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and previous host of TechRepublic's Dynamic Developer podcast and Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show.
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