Cromer local Alex Grbas may have discovered LEGO later in life, but that hasn’t stopped her from a hat-trick of LEGO Masters appearances.
BY ALEX DRISCOLL
Warringah Mall McDonald’s might seem to be the unlikeliest of places for a LEGO passion to begin, but that’s exactly what happened for 28-year-old Cromer local Alex Grbas.
Alex was working there in her early twenties and saved some money after a few burger-flipping shifts. “I thought I’d spend my money on some Star Wars LEGO, and fell in love with it,” she explains. “It just grew from there. It was that (first set I bought), the LEGO ‘Star Wars’ BB-8, that really kicked it off.”
A self-proclaimed nerd, a love for LEGO seemed only natural, considering her affinity to franchises like Star Wars and Harry Potter. Collecting sets and filling the walls of her rooms with the creations, this love would end up taking the makeup artist down an interesting road on game show television.
When the casting call for season four of Channel 9’s hugely popular LEGO Masters series rolled around, the passionate collector found herself auditioning. “Believe it or not, my first creation was in the audition for LEGO Masters,” she admitted, “I just thought I’d give it a crack.”
And give it a crack she did, not only making it onto that season, but finishing as runner-up. With teammate Caleb, Alex’s builds week in week out impressed the judges, developing her signature building style along the way.
“I think for me, a lot of my stuff is based in humour, comedy, cartoony, silly kind of things,” she explained, “And I think a signature of mine is that it always has to be an animal.” Her final build that season was evident of this style. ‘King of the Jungle’ depicted a regal lion sitting atop a throne, with other animals such as birds and mice bringing him gifts.
Since then, LEGO has not only become another creative outlet for the TAFE teacher (whose students recognise her from her time on the show), but a new community for her to be a part of, continuing her passion for her own creations.
“It feels nice to build what I want, and not what I have to build for the show. Me and my partner love building together.”
Alex’s newfound love saw her back on the show for LEGO Masters Grand Masters in season five, where she and Caleb managed to finish third on. Now she is making her third appearance, in season seven’s LEGO Master Grandmasters of the Galaxy, which includes previous participants from Australia, and also Sweden, Canada and Finland.
Asked why she keeps coming back, Alex replies: “I think it’s just the opportunity to keep building with the ‘brick pit.’” She admit the allure of a fourth show was tempting: “Honestly, I probably would. I’m starting to get pretty good now! I’d love to do it in another country. That would be the ultimate experience!”
Despite her modest and warm demeanour, Alex is a formidable builder and will be chasing down that elusive first-place finish on Grandmasters of the Galaxy. Until then though, she is mainly focused on expanding her own collection.
“I think my next set will be the Twilight house (from the vampire book and movie franchise).”
You can catch Alex on LEGO Masters Grandmasters of the Galaxy series 7, Sundays 7pm on Channel 9 and catchup on 9Now.
