LEGO Masters judge Ryan McNaught talks his favourite builds and how you can create like a contestant.

Can we build it?

This is part of the reason Ryan decided to pen Brickman’s Family Challenge Book. “With the popularity of LEGO Masters, people ask me all the time how they can do some of what they’re seeing on TV at home. They want to know if they can do any of the challenges. So the idea for the book evolved from there.”

The book is a compilation of 30 different LEGO build challenges, all of which can be completed by beginner, intermediate or advanced creators—meaning there are endless hours of fun for LEGO lovers of every level. It’s also packed with the Brickman’s own pro tips—not to mention a ‘know your bricks’ glossary to make sure you get the most out of the challenges.

And, yes, every single challenge has been carefully tried out by Ryan and his family! “To write the book, we had to test all the challenges, so the kids have been subjected to doing them all a few times!” he laughs. “Obviously LEGO plays a bigger part in my life than perhaps other people’s, but certainly when we’re stuck inside—particularly during lockdown in Melbourne—those challenges really helped us pass the time.”

Of course, at its heart, LEGO is about having fun, so if Ryan’s kids don’t feel like doing a mega build, they don’t have to. “If we are going to do LEGO together, it’s whatever they want to do,” he says. “You have to let kids be kids! I’ll play with them and get involved in whatever it is they’re doing but I won’t force anything on them—that’s not how LEGO works.”

Yes, we can!

But while he lets his children’s imaginations run wild, a lot of thought goes into Brickman’s professional builds. “A lot of research and planning goes into a big build, particularly the really huge ones—life-sized cars, for example, take months,” he explains. “You have to understand what you’re trying to build really well; you can’t just pick up a brick and go for it.”

So what kind of challenges does Ryan like to sink his teeth into? “My favourite thing is doing LEGO in unexpected ways; creating things people don’t think LEGO would be. For example, I’ve made giant flowers in gardens, and I did a Christmas tree in the square in Melbourne,” he explains. His favourite build ever? “I’ve been doing it for quite a long time so I’ve built a lot of things!” he laughs. “But the one that sticks out in my mind is the Colosseum [in Rome]. To make something oval shaped out of squares and rectangles is really quite a difficult thing.”

And his biggest project? “A rocket—it will take me to Mars eventually!” he laughs. “It’s enormous. It’s 7.5 metres high, so that took a very long time to build—the better part of three months.”

With so many amazing structures and no wrong way to build, there really is something for everyone. “I think the fun thing about the book is that those challenges can be done in a million different ways,” says Ryan. “If you look at the contestants on LEGO Masters, even though they all have the same challenge, they all make totally different things and the builds in the book capture that idea, too.”

It’s also about learning new skills along the way. “The challenge might be to build the tallest tower, but the second time that you build it, it’ll be taller again because you’ll have learnt something new the first time,” says Ryan. “That is key for me.”

Mastering the small screen

If you haven’t watched LEGO Masters yet, grab the remote because this is one reality show worth watching! “Even though we’re a reality show, we’re not nasty,” insists Ryan. “It’s all very positive and everyone’s there to support each other—and that’s another key thing about the book, too. It’s about being positive.” But, Ryan admits, he doesn’t like watching himself on TV!

“It’s pretty embarrassing!” he laughs. “I don’t know if you get used to it; I mean, I’m still very nervous, but it’s not like I’m a mega celebrity. I don’t get recognised in the street!”