AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Since its inception in 2016, Lego Land Discovery Center Michigan in Auburn Hills continues to be a major attraction for kids and adults.
One of its key attractions is Mini Land where folks can find 50 different Detroit landmarks, all made with Lego bricks — 1.5 million Lego bricks, to be exact.
"I worked on everything that we have," said Clint Parry.
38-year-old Clint Parry is the Master Model Builder.
"Before we opened, we had two builders from California, two from England. They came out and helped me get everything done. But I've had a personal touch in every building that we have," said Parry.
Little Caesars Arena is one of Clint's favorites because this is one structure he built from scratch.
"It took three weeks of design time, and then a month of build time," said Parry.
It was built in Clint's workshop. He says just like other models, it all starts with designing the structure on a computer before being built on a table.
"It's invaluable to be able to do it on a computer because it will also tell me... I've used 205 bricks. It will order out all the pieces I've selected, and if I don't have them in hand, I contact the factory in Europe, and they send them," said Parry.
The Iowa native is the original Master Model Builder in Michigan. In fact, he is one of 15 across the U.S. Clint got the job after competing in Brick Factor, a tournament designed to select a Master Builder.
"What do these colored bricks mean to you?" 7 Action News asked Parry.
"It means the unlimited toy. So when I was a kid, we didn't have a ton of money, but I did get a few loose parts of assortments and used to build my own toys," said Parry.
What was once a childhood hobby is now a full-time job.
7 Action News asked, "What kind of advice do you have for parents who keep getting hurt by these bricks because their kids have left them all over the place?"
"Wear shoes if your kids are that enthusiastic, or designate a Lego zone, where it's more likely you know there is going to be Legos, so you have to either look down or put on your slippers," said Parry.
Now if you want to follow in Clint's footsteps, his advice is to keep using these bricks and build the world around you. For more details on Lego Land Discovery Center Michigan visit, https://www.legolanddiscoverycenter.com/michigan.
