Mt Gambier's man of Lego Malcolm Sparrow with his favourites, Han Solo, and his namesake, Captain Jack Sparrow. Lego lovers show-off impressive collections at Queensland event Forensic police recover stolen Lego banana artwork north of Townsville 'The Brickman': Living the Lego building dream When he was just a child growing up in the 1960s, an eager Malcolm Sparrow used to begin badgering his mum for the newest Lego sets before every birthday and Christmas."Mum used to say to me, "Are you really going to play with it Mal? I never stopped," said now-58-year-old Mr Sparrow, Mount Gambier's biggest Adult Fan of Lego or AFOL.In the five decades since he built his first basic house, Mr Sparrow's building skills have gone gangbusters and he is now designing and creating intricate models of anything from motorised Ferris wheels to helicopters to scale versions of the city's historic buildings.Unlocking the door of a room out the back of his home Mr Sparrow opens up both a collector's delight and a big kid's fantasy land.
The room is jam-packed from floor to ceiling with finished models, rows upon rows of Lego men or "mini-figs" and drawers filled with every shape and colour block or bit you can dream of. Ferris wheels, rock concerts to Malcolm's own version of the Munster Koach — part of his extensive collection. Taking up most of one corner is a project he has dubbed the Aussie House — a miniature version of every working man's dream home, complete with his and hers cars, block chooks, a caravan in the shed and a swimming pool and a pizza oven in the backyard.The detail is incredible, even down to the lady of the house splashing about in a bubble bath and an Aussie muscle car bedspread in the boy's bedroom. Mr Sparrow explains the project is a 'MOC', which in Lego lingo means 'my own construction', a personal deviation from the precise sets released.Sitting casually on a shelf is one particular piece that would set collector's pulses racing — a Star Wars Millennium Falcon, released in 2007 and now worth around seven times its original value on auction sites.
In the crazy world of collecting, once supplies dwindle, prices can skyrocket as people search for limited edition pieces.Showing off a simple grey strip of rigging on the back on the Falcon, Mr Sparrow casually adds the 7-centimetre long piece is now worth $500.In a land designed for kids, sometimes an adult sense of humour sneaks in.In what he calls his "R-rated collection", there is a blonde haired mini-dominatrix, complete with a big black whip, with tiny block nipples. You can't do that with Lego?! Malcolm Sparrow's R-rated block dominatrix. Even more amusing is the submissive man he has designed to complete the tableaux — complete with red butt cheeks and his own wall of "instruments" behind him. Lego does not produce a range of sex toys, so Mr Sparrow has had to make do with a carrot, microphone and ping pong bat masquerading as what he needs. As Mr Sparrow explains, "you are only limited by your imagination". Mr Sparrow's more sedate creations have come to local attention in his local area of Mount Gambier recently, when he posted pictures of his intricate model of the city's Old Town Hall on local history sites.
People were bowled over by the intricacy of the 10,000-piece model, featuring a historically accurate plaque, a foundation stone and a mayor with a top hat, a robe and a tiny medallion around his neck.He even improved history, adding public toilets, which were absent from the actual building. Mount Gambier's Old Town Hall in brick form and complete with a Lego mayor. Now Mr Sparrow has turned his attention to another grand old historical building — the city's old hospital.Using a computer design program and scouting old photographs and aerial maps of the site, Mr Sparrow is most of the way through designing the model — now he has just got to find the $3,000 to $4,000 it will take to build it — a project he estimates could take years. "I'm up to 12,154 bricks so far," he said. Despite many requests to display his work, Mr Sparrow had to stop showing his creations at the city's annual show, due to the logistics of transporting the fragile pieces.As he explained, speed humps and stop signs were not a friend to his creations."
I was doing up to five or six trips at 40 kilometres an hour so they wouldn't fall apart," he said. Some pieces from Malcolm's collection date back to his childhood days in the 1960s. His hobby has now turned into an investment, which is growing in value every day, according to Mr Sparrow.The replacement value of his collection alone is worth an astonishing $88,000.Should a fire happen to engulf his house, the wife and kids come first, then Malcolm said he would save the Lego — piece by piece.As for how his wife feels about his hobby room, Mr Sparrow called her his "Lego widow". "I'm not down the pub and I'm not gambling and she knows where I am, so she doesn't mind," he said.His son Benjamin used to play right alongside his dad and has a large collection of his own, but at the age of 22, he has since gone to what Mr Sparrow has called "the dark ages"."He's found cars and girls," Mr Sparrow said with a chuckle. "Once he has his own kids, he will come into the light again."
From firemen to cavemen and prisoners to pirates: just a tiny section of Malcolm Sparrow's vast collection of mini-figs.Oops, no events here!Try searching for an event, or return to the home page.Connecting to the iTunes Store.... We are unable to find iTunes on your computer. Brickman Wonders of the World Exhibition Tuesday, 20 Dec 2016 - Sunday, 5 Feb 2017 Open daily from 9.30am Closing times vary, please check preferred date for the last entry time Closed Christmas Day - 25 December 2016 Viewing time is approx. 90 minutes Visit the Empire State Building, Arc De Triomphe, the Great Wall of China and other world-famous landmarks in this unique exhibition. Thanks to Ryan ‘The Brickman” McNaught you can explore a world of epic LEGO® masterpieces, where some of mankind’s most amazing achievements from all over the globe come together in a world first, fully interactive experience. More than 50 awe-inspiring and never-seen-before models will be on display at the BRAND NEW “Wonders of the World” exhibition.
Visitors will be taken on a historical, storytelling journey through time, with the opportunity to discover more about each attraction – real life and LEGO life! Can I park at the venue? ICC Sydney has 800+ secure car parking spaces available to the public once open in December. Additionally, visitors can make use of a number of secure car parks located in and around Darling Harbour, the closest located at Harbourside Car Park, 100 Murray Street, Pyrmont. Find more parking on Google Maps. How do I access ICC Sydney? ICC Sydney features multiple public access points, and can be accessed on foot, by car, coach, and light rail from various stops along Darling Drive, Darling Harbour. Entry and Parking: ICC Sydney provides accessible car parking spaces as well as lift access from car parks. Accessibility: The venue provides step-free access to every entertainment, exhibition and conference venue, wheelchair seating with adjacent carer seat in all theatre venues, lowered counters at key retail/service points and wheelchair and ambulant accessible restroom.
How far is the airport from ICC Sydney and what type of transportation is available? Taxis and trains are available to and from the airport. The Sydney Airport is 8kms from ICC Sydney, with an average drive time of 25 minutes. Is the centre close to shops and local attractions? ICC Sydney is at the heart of its very own Sydney harbour waterfront precinct, set amongst restaurants, retail and a vibrant public domain on Darling Harbour yet only a moment's walk to Australia's largest CBD, Barangaroo, local universities, Sydney Harbour Bridge and The Sydney Opera House. Situated along Darling Drive, the world class venue also allows visitors to get a taste of local cuisine with various restaurants only a short walk away including in Harbourside Shopping Centre including, Hurricane’s Grill, Cyren Bar Grill Seafood, The Watershed Hotel, Criniti’s Restaurant and Blue Fish. What are the public transport options? Located in the heart of Darling Harbour, ICC Sydney is easily accessible by train, bus, light rail, coach and foot with only a 10-minute walk from Central and Town Hall train stations.
Secure parking is available and conveniently located within Darling Harbour precinct. ICC Sydney has multiple public access point with step-free access to every entertainment, exhibition and conference venue. Train: Town Hall and Central Stations are a 10-minute walk from ICC Sydney Light rail: The Light Rail travels right through a number of Darling Harbour stations including ICC Sydney’s stops, Convention Centre and Exhibition Centre. The Light Rail starts at Central Station in the CBD and travels to Dulwich Hill in the inner west Bus: Bus routes 389 and 501 stop at Harris Street near Allen Street – a 10-minute walk from ICC Sydney Ferry: Cruise into Darling Harbour on a ferry with direct services from Circular Quay, King Street Wharf or Pyrmont Bay Wharf Taxi/Drop off: The best taxi drop off and pick up locations include the new Iron Wharf Place and Zollner Circuit, both accessed via Darling Drive Parking: There are a number of secure car parks located in and around Darling Harbour, closest located at Harbourside Car Park, 100 Murray Street, Pyrmont.