LEGO Masters USA
Season 2 Episode 4 – Recap
Fashion Challenge
We are into week four of LEGO Masters and we open with Will Arnett striking a pose for the fictional magazine STUDS setting the tone for this week’s challenge. Amy and Jamie join the stage sporting what Jamie describes as “my usual clothes”.
The theme is revealed to be ‘Hat’s Incredible’ with the objective to build fashion-forward hats that the contestants have to model at the end in front of the judges. The judges inform the team what’s hot and what’s not for this challenge. Amy wants to see the humble brick elevated from a toy to a fashion icon.
Jamie also points out they have to walk down the runway and keep a pose for five seconds. The hat has to stay on and not fall apart. They are looking for visually dramatic builds and don’t want to see a LEGO model simply being placed on someone’s head. Helping the team with their looks a series of garment bags with colour themes await them.
Tune in tomorrow when we chat live to Brickmaster Amy and recap all the episodes so far!
The Builds
Zack and Wayne – Green / Archery Hat
Drawing from their love of archery they tap into a certain ruffian of Locksley and create an archer’s hat. They use brick bending techniques to create sloping curves, but the judges do warn them they want something a bit more than a costume. They step up to the challenge with a bold floral design accompanying a bow, arrow and target motif.
Such is their confidence the hat makes it down the runway unsupported allowing for a pose to be struck. Jamie applauds the way the hat was contoured allowing for solid support as well as creating an elegant shape. Amy notes the colours were well used.
Mark and Steven – Brown / Pirate Hat
Recovered from being in the bottom last week. They are hoping to make up this week by creating a large bicorn hat. One side has a dolphin and the other some turtles with a nice day/night features complete with waving flag and the centre of the hat looking very ship-like. The ship wobbles on the waves, but manages to get back to shore. Amy loves the duality of the mosaics on both sides which are bright and colourful and contrasts strongly against the brown. Jamie loves the technical achievement of the build.
Syreeta and Randall – Blue / Sunday Best
Drawing from their grandmothers being regular churchgoers they decide this hat is a homage to their Sunday best. They also want a regal Egyptian look. Jamie points out that the two theme subjects are quite a contrast, can there be a way to tie the design together so it’s not clashing? A purple and blue hat makes the trip, with a surprise of “QB” built into the back. Amy loves the ambition and scale of the hat. But notes the attempt to marry Egyptian and Sunday best didn’t really work leading to gaps in the design with negative spaces leaving the eye wanting more.
Natalie and Michelle – Black / Abra Couture Top Hat
The team are excited about their colour, as “anything goes with black” and start rushing off to the pit. Taking on a bit of a magician theme they aim for an Haute couture build that’s asymmetrical with a tux and a spinning motion inside. It’s a lot and Amy does warn them about stability, especially with motor-driven parts.
The heavy hat manages to make its way down with Amy declaring it “fashion with a capital F!” This hat gets praise from Amy as the approach was done from a fashion design perspective creating a bold look with a daring asymmetry. Jamie also gives them praise for NPU with the use of netting to create a veil and pulling off all of the technical skills.
Paras and Moto (Michael) – Tan / Serpent Safari Hat
Moto reveals he has some experience in building wearable LEGO with a life-sized cat head shown. Going with the kahki clothes given they aim to have a snake coming out of a nest and wrapping around a tree.
The judges are concerned about their ability to pull this off as while they have no doubt of their building skill, the time it takes to pull off the technical requirements worries them. The team has split their building duties and Jamie is worried that they may not come together.
The build comes together, but backstage just as they are called, the snake stem separates from the basket and threatens to fall apart. Paras tries to keep it together on the runway, but the hat falls apart at the two-second mark.
Jamie loves that they were trying for an organic build but note that the rigid mixed with flexible construction was a weakness in the design and lead to its failure. Amy hoped the snake had been used as a support structure as it was too heavy being so tall.
Maria and Philip – Yellow / Celestial Hat
Spinning off from the yellow theme they aim to have a hat with the sun and stars beaming out from it. The hat fans out with some clouds and adds some lighting and glides across the runway and back. Amy loves their use of the colour yellow that contrasts nicely with the great winged cloud design and the wizard hat. And Jamie gives them points for being the only team using lights for stars.
Susan and Jen – Grey / Feather Hat
Inspired by Susan’s great-grandmother’s feathered hat, which seems to contain most of a bird. They focus on keeping the hat light so it won’t topple off on the runway. Amy likes their use of pink as a contrasting colour.
Jamie loves the energy the movement of the hat gave as the light build gives the feathers a bounce and it survives the journey.
But Amy points out that the back of the hat lacked the extra details and looked plain.
Dave and Richard – Pink / Pride of Carnival
Richard draws from his Jamaican roots and taps into the theme of Carnivale with vibrant and massive feathers. These turn out to be quite tall. The team realises at the last two hours the feathers are too big and heavy. But not wanting to break away from their goals, they keep as many as possible. The hat is the tallest of the lot and wobbles as Richard takes his hands off…. nearly topples into the judges!
Richard manages to save the hat before the weight of it throws it back off his head. A heartbreaking finish to an ambitious design.
Jamie mentions that so much was riding on this hat as they saw it coming well before they arrived but notes the design was too heavy. Amy also picks up on the detailing on the back is not as filled in as the front.
Caleb and Jacob – White / The Baker’s Crown
Citing “bigger is better” they start building a gigantic circle of a hat with a cake tray which features. Some motion feature involving a section on wheels that causes the tray of cakes to sway. A test run realises they may have gone far too big to be comfortably worn.
The heavy hat manages to make its way down and the tilt features get a twirl in front of the judges. Amy loves how they put on a show with the motion. Jamie gives them points for the physicality of the build as well as the skilful building of the food.
Bryan and Lauren – Red / Phoenix Rising Hat
Strongly inspired by their colour red, they are going for the idea of a phoenix rising from the hat. With fire ribbons wrapping around the hat as the bird bursts out of the flame. The bird manages to get wings and makes it down the runway and keeps up unsupported for five seconds.
Jamie and Amy give marks for the ribbon effect that covers both sides of the hat and made for a memorable impression during the walk.
The Verdict
With the show and judging finished the top two are: Zach and Wayne and Michelle and Natalie with Jamie declaring the latter to be this week’s winners.
The bottom two are Dave and Richard along with Paras and Moto. Amy reads Dave and Richard on their ambition getting the better of them burning precious time on the details. Jamie echoes similar sentiments for Moto and Paras. The team that bids farewell is Moto and Paras. “Play well everyone”.
Next week two things hang in play, the golden brick and the build!
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