LEGO master Andrew Harris to exhibit works at 2019 Brixhibition

In fact, his 'toy box' is an entire room, stacked high with boxes and boxes of colourful bricks.

"The first thing I ever built was a little white truck," he said. "That was about 8 years ago.

"I didn't really play with LEGO when I was a kid."

His wife, Dianne, said she'd bought him that first little kit as something to do, knowing he was interested in transport, and liked using his hands.

"He loved it every bit as much as I thought he would," she said.

"It started out with just that and then... over time we bought another nine or ten.

"Eight years later and, well, we've got it everywhere. There are worse addictions you can have."

Mr Harris has come a long way since that first model, trying iconic buildings, windfarms and more.

Currently, the couple are preparing to transport the LEGO-lover's latest works to Ulverstone, just in time for the 2019 Brixhibition.

After being involved in the show for the past eight years, the Harrises have mastered the art of transporting the delicate structures in custom-built boxes.

"See that big box there? Yep, that's got a half a ferris wheel in it," he said. "I often have to move them in separate parts."

Of course, it's not always smooth sailing for Mr Harris.

Sometimes his exhibition pieces, which take days and even weeks to build, arrive in smithereens after an encounter with an unexpected stumbling block.

"That's the beauty of LEGO, you just rebuild it," he said.

Mrs Harris said she loved the way her husband tackled the challenges LEGO presented.

"Let's discuss the coal digger," she said gleefully.

Mr Harris quickly interjected.

"Don't discuss the coal digger," he said.

Mrs Harris persisted.

"He has built it 10 times, because he keeps putting one little bit in the wrong way," she said.

Mr Harris admitted he had also built and rebuilt his motorised carousel, trying to work out why it was going backwards.

"I didn't realise I could flip the switch in the other direction," he said. "All I could think was, 'you're an idiot'... you have to laugh at yourself."

The 2019 Brixhibition is on this weekend at Ulverstone.

The Advocate