The LEGO Master Model Builder
Every LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre has its own Master Model Builder. They’re in charge of all the LEGO® models built on site and some people would say they have the best job in the world!
Our Master Model Builder is Heike Theilmeier, and you can read all about her in her interview below.
Heike also writes a blog about LEGO building right here on the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre site! It’s always an interesting read, and if you have a good question for her, or an idea for her next blog, maybe she’ll write her next one about you!
Name:
Heike Theilmeier
Date of Birth:
25/09/1975
Birthplace:
Verl, NRW
Favourite LEGO Colour:
Any transparent colour
Favourite LEGO Element:
I like the LEGO Plates, e.g. the 1x2 plate, because you can build nice details with them.
Favorite food:
Spaghetti with tomato pesto
Non-LEGO hobby:
I read a lot and once a week I go to Tai Chi classes.
How did you get your job?
In a multi-stage interview, in which I had to build different models and take a small test. In the last stage I had to build a model of something from the sea in fifteen minutes. I made a small fish – and apparently it was quite good!
What is the best thing about your job?
:It’s never boring, because with every model that I build I learn something new.
What is the best model that you have ever built?
A Ferris wheel on a scale of 1:45, which will soon be available in MINILAND®. I needed a relatively long time to figure out how to build the outer rings, but once I solved that it went very quickly.
What is the largest project you have spent the most time on so far?
This funfair, which will soon be available in MINILAND, with three different rides, stalls and lots of minifigures. Planning, designing and ordering the right pieces lasted a month. The engineers had to devise how to power the lighting for the models and ensure a stable substructure. The construction of the models themselves took another five months, although I have not been working exclusively on the funfair, but on multiple projects in parallel.
Did you build all the models in the Duisburg LEGOLAND Discovery Centre?
No. That would be nice, but one person alone would take years to make that many, and I'm only here for one year! The models come from LEGO model builders in different countries, e.g. the MINILAND was built in Billund, Denmark.
Model Builder is the best job in the world, but if you could have another job, what would you choose?
There are many different jobs in the trades sector that I’d consider. I like working with my hands and I find making something tangible is very satisfying. So, if I were not a model builder, then I might have taken an apprenticeship as a carpenter.
Do you have a university degree?
Yes, I studied Object and Spatial design at the Fachhochschule, Dortmund. When I started, I wanted to make children's playgrounds. The course consisted of a lot of modelling with a variety of materials. A degree itself is not a must-have for a job as a model builder: the most important prerequisite is simply a passion for LEGO!
Read Heike's blog