After Hours

Photos: Going for the Lego gold

By // July 18, 2006, 8:40 AM PST // billdetwiler

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  • Los Angeles actor Mikhail Blokh contemplates which brick to add next during the first-round skill test Thursday at the Master Model Builder finals in Carlsbad, Calif. Blokh said the plastic bricks were his "fantasy place" as a child.

    Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com

  • Arthur Gugick, a high school math teacher from Cleveland, made this Lego face during the first round of skill tests at the Master Model Builder competition in Legoland California.

    On Tuesday, the finalists will square off in a two-hour "build-off" in which each will be tasked with building a model based on something they think would fit in well at the theme park.

    Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com

  • Sarah Hall, a finalist in Legoland California's Master Model Builder competition, poses with her bin of bricks. Hall is a 23-year-old insurance claim processor from Louisville, Ky.

    Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com

  • Jason Poland, a recent college graduate from Houston, shows off his model after the first-round skill test. Poland also draws cartoons in his spare time.

    Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com

  • Hall was one of eight members in the group of Master Model Builder competition finalists who had to build a face in a first-round skill test.

    Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com

  • Gugick shows off his model of a face during the Master Model Builder competition at Legoland California.

    Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com

  • After finishing his model of a face, Blokh poses for a picture.

    Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com

  • Master Model Builder competition finalist Gary McIntire poses with the model of a parrot that won him a spot in the finals after the regional event in Phoenix on March 17. McIntire, a 25-year-old construction professional from Highland, Utah, has been a Lego addict since age 4.

    Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com

Los Angeles actor Mikhail Blokh contemplates which brick to add next during the first-round skill test Thursday at the Master Model Builder finals in Carlsbad, Calif. Blokh said the plastic bricks were his "fantasy place" as a child.

Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com

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By Bill Detwiler

Bill Detwiler is Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and Tech Pro Research and the host of Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Prior to joining TechRepublic in 2000, Bill was an IT manager, database administrator, and desktop supp...