Hogwarts Awarded Best in Show

The BrisBricks Strathpine 2018 LEGO® Fan Expo set new records this year with the number of fans filing through the doors to see the awesome displays. One of the most enchanting displays at the show, that had to be seen to be believed, was the huge LEGO Hogwarts display.

The Hogwarts display, awarded best in show, is a collaborative effort by long term BrisBricks club members Magnus Hindsberger and Russell Bates.

The Hogwarts display has consumed over five months of build time and almost 60,000 LEGO pieces, but it was not always an epic masterpiece.

Wayback in 2013, Magnus put together his first custom Harry Potter LEGO display, alongside the hype of the movies and newly release LEGO sets. The display started out small in 2013, however a few major upgrades saw it rapidly double in size throughout 2014. Several scenes from the first two Harry Potter films were featured in the display, before it was cast away into a dark garage for many years to follow. In early 2018 the remnants of the original build were resurrected, the dust expelled, and the foundations paved for an extreme make over of the Hogwarts Castle.

After sketching up some concept drawings of the planned build, Magnus teamed up with master builder Russell, who would contribute a monster 9×6 baseplate display lining up with Hogwarts. Russell would introduce Hogsmeade Station, the Forbidden Forest, a bit of London and the famous railroad viaduct (actually at Glenfinnan in Scotland). The expansive greenery and impressive architecture of the viaduct come together to more than double the footprint of the Harry Potter mega build.

This epic build, filling a total of 96 baseplates, is definitely one that must be seen in person in order to fully appreciate its sheer size and attention to detail. The display depicts many settings from the Harry Potter film series, such as Hagrid’s Hut, the Slytherin common room, the Chamber of Secrets and the Gryffindor common room, to name a few.

If you didn’t make it to the BrisBricks Strathpine 2018 Expo, then you’ll have another chance to check out the Harry Potter Hogwarts display at BrisBricks’ even bigger event which is held at Chandler later this year.

Here’s a few more photos of the brilliant build Magnus and Russell have put together.

A few close ups at Hogwarts