LEGO MASTERS ‘Brick Feast’: The Brick Fanatics verdict
The first episode of LEGO MASTERS kicked off with the Brick Feast challenge – three of the Brick Fanatics team give their verdict on the teams’ builds
Warning: spoilers ahead for the first episode of LEGO MASTERS.
The first episode of LEGO MASTERS saw the pairs of builders take on constructing a chair that could take an adult’s weight as well as a complementary banquet. Eight builds were successfully completed and once host Melvin Odoom had tried out the chairs, it was up to regular judge Matthew Ashton and guest judge Roma Agrawal to decide which two build teams would be leaving the contest.
The judges deemed Nicolas and Kobe, and Nate and Steve, to have won the challenge. The pairs of builders who were least successful, and exited the contest, were judged to be Jonathan and Arthur, and Jade and Michaela.
So three of the LEGO experts at Brick Fanatics are weighing on the decision, with their views on whether the judges got it right or wrong.
Jme:
Here we are at the end of the debut episode of LEGO MASTERS, with only six of the initial eight teams making their way to the next round. Perhaps most surprising about the outcome is that all of the teams managed to complete the challenge without any catastrophic failure. It was difficult to tell just from looking which of the chairs would hold an adult’s weight. I would have thought for sure Nicolas and Kobe’s medieval chair, with its four spindly legs, would have collapsed. As it turns out, it was not only a beautifully decorative build, but also structurally sound.
As for those moving on to the next round, I probably would not have chosen Jack and Daniel’s toilet build – not just because of its puerile theme, but also because I didn’t feel they tied the table setting and chair theme together. The food had nothing to do with the toilet (thankfully, I suppose). Instead I likely would have chosen Michaela and Jade, with their royal dinner setting. True, their oddly proportioned fruit left a bit to be desired, but their chair was nicely designed, and the entire theme worked better thank Jack and Daniel’s.
Most of the teams were an easy recommendation for progression to the next round, with Nicolas and Kobe, and Nate and Steve being particular standouts with their respective medieval and Chinese banquet themes. Particular kudos should go out to Guy and Abraham, the pair of nine year old best friends. Their zero gravity theme and clever execution were especially impressive for their age.
Séb:
I was impressed by Nicolas and Kobe’s medieval chair, which, although beautifully made, I initially wasn’t convinced would support the weight of an adult. It did though thanks to careful planning and clever engineering – the judges seemed appropriately impressed, as was I. Their hog’s head was also very nicely sculpted and the accompanying garnish of Christmas trees was an innovative choice.
I was also amazed at the level of detail shown by Steve and Nate with their Chinese feast, but especially in the dragon and ornate design of their chair. It’s a shame the back came off in the ‘sit down test’, but ultimately there was no way they didn’t deserve to proceed to the next round. I also felt remarkably hungry after seeing their crispy duck and prawn toast. Both these teams are strong contenders and while clear winners of this first round, I look forward to seeing what they conjure up next.
A worthy mention also to Guy and Abraham who even against more mature and experienced builders had a great idea with their zero gravity cuppa and displayed a great deal of camaraderie that I’m sure will work in their favour.
Throughout the episode I found myself pretty much agreeing with the judges the whole time, and when it came to the end results I was in complete agreement. Jade and Michaela’s chair was a nice concept but wasn’t executed to the level I imagine some of the other teams might have pulled off, and their feast was somewhat lacking. My wife was disappointed to see the girls’ team knocked out so quickly, but agreed it was the right call.
It also made sense for Jonathan and Arthur to go out given their slightly odd ‘snake and chips’ meal though aesthetically I wasn’t overly fond of Jamil and James’ display either. I’m a big fan of moving parts for which I commend them attempting, but the end result was hard to read and a bit ugly from certain angles.
Daniel:
Overall, I was in fairly close agreement with the decisions of the judges. The two clear winners, as they noted, were Nicolas and Kobe and Nate and Steve with their respective Medieval and Chinese Banquet themes. The intricate building, use of layering, and general sturdiness of their chairs set them a clear step above the rest. Kudos to the judges for noticing that and giving them special shout outs come award time.
In terms of who got eliminated I thought it could have been any two of the following three teams –Jonathan and Arthur, Jade and Michaela, and Jamil and James. I felt that each of these teams did not understand the essence of this challenge which was to make something visually appealing. Jamil and James especially did not appear to understand this, they both come across as more mechanical builders who want to make things move. That felt like an odd fit for this build which, as Nicolas and Kobe and Nate and Steve understood, was about making something visually striking, not gimmicky. I was surprised they made it through.
My final thought was that major kudos should be extended to Guy and Abraham, the nine year old builders. I was shocked to find that they were pitting teams of AFOLs vs teams of kids. Going into the build I suspected that the children’s builds would be the clear losers, but that the judges would advance one of the teams anyway for the sake of drama. While one of the child teams did advance, it was absolutely merited – highly impressive for a pair of nine year olds.
With next week’s builds themed around movement, there are two challenges – a planned build, All the Fun of the Fair, and an unplanned build to see how the teams can improvise. The episode will air on August 31 at 8.00pm on Channel 4.
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