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LEGO art for all ages

'Brick Universe' event draws crowds to Richmond Raceway

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By Ryan Stacy, Special to the Citizen

The line was backed up into the Old Dominion Building parking lot at the Richmond Raceway on Oct 26. People of all ages were eagerly waiting to enter the LEGO fan expo "Brick Universe," where they could purchase LEGOs, see LEGO sculptures, and talk to LEGO artists. 

The doors opened for general admission at 10 a.m. as LEGO fans entered the venue. A large array of vendors with tables that greeted attendees looped around the left of the building and covered the front of the room. Vendors presented discontinued LEGO sets, rare mini-figures, and custom products available for purchase. 

Lia Chan (Photo by Sydney Boehman for the Henrico Citizen)

A woman dressed in a blue NASA jumpsuit warmly greeted those who decided to walk around the vendors and move toward the back right corner. Surrounding her was a collection of space-inspired LEGO builds based on real NASA ships and inventions. Lia Chan had been interested in space ever since she could remember. 

“My science teacher talked about NASA a lot,” Chan said. “I wanted to become an astronaut, but since that did not work out, I combined my love of LEGO and my love of space.”

One of Lia Chan's LEGO creations. (Photo by Sydney Boehman for the Henrico Citizen)

With a smile on her face, Chan talked through the process of her builds with each fan who approached her. Chan was thrilled to show off her skills and passion to everyone attending. 

Spread out across the center of the venue were recreations of historical buildings like the Taj Ma Hall, Mount Rushmore, and the city of Rome. A man dressed in a blue button-down shirt and a color tie oversees his wide array of builds. Architect Rocco Buttliere has turned his knowledge of architecture and love of LEGO into a full-time career. 

Rocco Buttliere, above with several of his LEGO creations, and another pictured below. (Photo by Sydney Boehman for the Henrico Citizen)

“I grew up playing with LEGO bricks and when I started to grow out of the playing phase, I started to build more technically,” Buttliere said. “I studied and became an architect, but I skipped the desk job and started this small business.” 

Buttlier found inspiration in capturing landmarks of history and remaking them in LEGO. He takes his collection to different conventions and sometimes makes personal builds for others to purchase. 

Jim Beute with his LEGO submarine with moving parts. (Photo by Sydney Boehman for the Henrico Citizen)

Towards the back of the venue was a small LEGO contest held by different LEGO clubs, including the Richmond LEGO Users Group and the Hampton Roads LEGO User Group. A LEGO submarine with moving parts was displayed next to its creator, Jim Beute. Beute volunteered at the Navy marina and designed his build based on the 1899 Holland submarine. 

“I used the blueprints of the Holland to get as close to the actual design as possible,” Beute said. “It was difficult to make some of the moving parts, but I had my son to help.”

Another contestant in the contest was 7-year-old Chinmay Sambhu, who created an entire LEGO city that stretched four folding tables long. Shambhu had been working on his creation for nine months and now it was his time to show off his work. 

“My favorite piece was the Notre Dame building which took me four to nine days to complete,” Sambhu said. 

The city featured houses, historic landmarks, stores, and a working train that circled the city. 

A LEGO city, created by seven-year-old Chinmay Sambhu. (Photo by Sydney Boehman for the Henrico Citizen)

Closing off the loop inside the Old Dominion building was another set of tables displaying castles, armies, and boat builds by the LEGO community. On the right edge of the table was a massive castle with a sea of boats surrounding it. Its creator, Harold Ramos, only spent two months on the castle that would have taken most people years. He expressed what building meant to him and why he took on major projects like this. 

Harold Ramos spent about two months building this LEGO castle scene. (Photo by Sydney Boehman for the Henrico Citizen)

“Watching people see my builds and having their faces light up is refreshing,” Ramos said. “It inspires me and makes me want to build more.” 

Virginia is about to become synonymous with LEGO, thanks to the planned LEGO factory in Chesterfield County, set to be completed in 2027. The factory is expected to cost $1 billion and will become the second location in the Americas. In a press release, the LEGO Group estimated that the facility would create about 1,760 jobs.

Since 2014, Brick Universe has been hosting events that celebrate LEGO and its fans worldwide. The organization has another event scheduled in Virginia Dec. 7 and 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Fishersville.