What takes about 300 hours of work in seven months, roughly 230,720 Lego bricks and just as many swear words to build? The answer is one of the most eye-catching displays on show at the Brick Expo in Woden.
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Canberra men Andrew Choules and Wayne Brown teamed up to build a scene from the Battle of Hoth in the Star Wars film Empire Strikes Back.
Their work is among 97 exhibits put together by about 150 people from across Australia as part of the Brick Expo. The not-for-profit event is on at the Hellenic Club this weekend and raises money for the charity PaTCH - Paediatrics at The Canberra Hospital.
Mr Choules said his car had been pushed out of the garage early in the year so he and Mr Brown could bring in four trestle tables on which to construct their masterpiece.
"We're both Star Wars fans, so every second year we do Star Wars and other years we build something totally unrelated," he said.
"We get a lot of enjoyment from the kids and raising money for the hospital is fantastic. When the first group of people came in and we saw the kids all excited, it was worth the effort straight away."
Thousands of people of all ages packed into the Hellenic Club on Saturday to see all kinds of Lego artwork, including a train display, a 2.5-metre Titanic built by an eight-year-old boy, and a 13.4-metre Golden Gate Bridge replica that cost about $4000 to construct.
For the little ones who can't resist the chance to get hands-on with Lego, like Nola Rogusz's three-year-old granddaughter Finley, there are also several tables designated for building.
This year's Brick Expo has a space theme to commemorate 50 years since the moon landing, and one of its main attractions is the chance to meet Henry Pinto, who won the TV show Lego Masters, and fellow contestant Adam "Bilsy" Bilsborough.
Mr Bilsborough said using Lego was once a closet hobby for many adults, but its exposure on television had brought it into the mainstream.
"People used to say, 'You've spent how much on Lego?', but [Lego Masters] has broken the stigma and it's amazing how many people talk about Lego and are happy to have it as part of their lives in public now," he said.
"We have everyone from two- or three-year-old kids to their grandparents coming up to us and talking about what we've built, and asking us for tips or photos."
Brick Expo chairman David Boddy said 9000 tickets had been on sale for the event this weekend.
He hoped to reach a fundraising total similar to last year's effort of $50,000 to support paediatric care at The Canberra Hospital.
Money raised at the expo in the past has been used to buy medical equipment for the paediatric ward, while Lego artwork has also been used to brighten up the hospital for children.
Brick Expo is open on Sunday from 9am until 4.30pm. Tickets are available at brickexpo.com.au.
