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So here’s the lowdown...
The local LEGO train club (GPLR) was invited to participate in a pilot program
to set up a display inside one of the cases at our local LEGO Brand store. We’re
one of three clubs participating, and the last one to install their display.
Short and pithy version:
Kelly dropped the display, shattered it in the mall parking lot. Picked up the
pieces, toted them in, received much warranted ribbing about klutziness, GPLR
rebuilt it in the store, installed it, and left happy. Pictures here after
moderation: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=156352
Amusing yet lengthy anecdote version:
Steve Barile and I spent last Saturday building a mountain scene with railroad
bridge, sized to fit the store display. Needless to say, Steve did most of the
cool stuff while I slapped bricks together. Steve thought he wasn’t going to be
able to attend the Thursday night installation, so he brought it to my place. It
turns out he was able to attend, which was very fortunate - as you’ll see.
Thursday evening rolls around, and I bring the 31-inch tall display downstairs,
picturing every step of the way tripping and watching bricks fly everywhere. You
know the feeling: the sigh of relief as you reach the bottom stair unscathed and
intact. Strap that puppy into the van, pick up Bob, and cruise slowly through a
cold, rainy December night to the just-about-to-close mall. The parking lot is
nearly deserted, fortunately, so I got a good parking space under a light, near
the entrance.
I’d like to say I slipped on an oil slick. Or tripped over a discarded fast food
container. Or twisted my ankle. But those would all be lies, lies, lies. Display
in hand, I made it nearly ten feet away from the car before I let the display
become overbalanced.
The moment: you know it, you fear it. The visions on the stairs? Coming true
before your eyes. Time slows, but reflexes can’t match. It’s happening, and you
can’t stop it. Gravity rules as the mountaintop slowly dips forward, picking up
speed. There’s a point where you just know it’s past the point of recovery. My
shout (two words, unrepeatable here) bounced off the storefronts even before the
heavy brick construction split in the middle, rushing groundward. Going down on
my knees, captain going down with the ship, trying in vain to keep it as intact
as possible before the inevitable sickening plopshattertinkletinkle.
The sound of disassembling bricks hitting wet pavement is one you will not soon
forget. Trust me.
On the one hand, hey, they’re not my bricks, right? On the other hand - oh
CRAP, those aren’t my bricks...
Bob Kojima, who rode with me, fetched the cavalry as I picked up the remnants of
the display and put them into a container I swiped from the back of my wife’s
minivan. By the time Frank, Ben, and Steve arrived at the crime scene, I had the
debris mostly picked up. Steve’s reaction: “Not much point in bringing it in, is
there?” (Actually, his first reaction was “You didn’t drop my train, did
you?”[1]) Then he saw that the carnage was relatively limited, and there were
several big chunks intact.
We can rebuilt it. We will rebuild it.
The ribbing was good-natured (at least that’s how I choose to take it) and far
less than I deserved. No shouts, no accusations, no criticisms - it’s times like
this when you really understand why you hang out with these guys. There but for
the klutziness of Binky go they. Smiling and shaking their heads, they helped
pick up the pieces - literally - and tote them into the mall and into the LEGO
store.
The yellow-shirted employees stared as a conga line of adults strode in, each
one carrying a section of dripping, twisted brickage. Fortunately, since it was
just before closing time, the store was deserted and we were able to spread out
near the Pick A Brick wall to commence surgery. Tom, the manager, didn’t even
raise an eyebrow. “Need a few minutes?” he asked, and I humbly nodded. “No
problem.”
A busy but (relatively) fun 45 minutes later, six members of GPLR (including
Jeremy, who walked in shortly after The Incident) had reconstructed the
mountain, trees, and bridge. The store personnel swept up around us and were
extremely sporting about it all, tolerating the invasion and even pulling up
Brickshelf so we could see tree placement. They later helped take pictures of us
posing in front of... well, you’ll see.
Once the display was reconstructed (with the inevitable few bits left over), the
next challenge was fitting it into the display case. It turns out the top and
sides of the case are removable, but the front was screwed in, almost screwing
us. In addition, the measurements Tom and I had taken earlier of the interior
were tighter than we’d thought. With the yellow cardboard backing, we were
almost 3 studs too deep. Ben, after pondering the sitch for a minute, figured we
could set the backing up on a metal lip just a tad, giving us the required extra
studdage room.
Moment of truth, Take 2: Steve and Frank carefully toted the construct to the
display area. Kelly was not allowed to touch, upon pain of... pain. Ben (aptly
of Big Ben Bricks) lifted the entire mountain over the top and down into the
display area, where Steve and Frank gently guided it into place, like a train
gliding into the station. (Given the nature of the club, I’m required by law to
include a minimum of one train metaphor.) The front scenery that Steve had built
(and did not hit the pavement, thankfully) slid right in front. The house is a
miniature version of a current set, and the trees are versions of ones also
currently available in bins at the front of the store - no shoving, there’s
enough for everybody.
Greebling only took a few minutes. A few rock-climbers here, a couple of falcons
there, train positioned on the bridge, and that’s it, we’re done!
We posed for a couple of quick pictures, which the store employees were gracious
enough to help with, and chatted with Tom as he gently ushered us out of the
store. I’m sure we kept them later than normal, but they never said a word to
hurry us. Big props to Tom and his staff for putting up with the disruption and
chaos. We promised next time would go better, but I think he knows me too well
to actually believe me.
Final tally:
1 Successfully Installed Mountain Display
6 Tired But Smiling GPLR Members
1 Gashed Thumb
~50 Leftover Bricks
1 Embarrassed Kelly who has now proven to the world just how much of a dork he
is
2 Smooshed Bricks[2]
1 Funny/Embarrassing Story
13 Pretty Good Pictures of the Tragedy and Its Redemption
3 of 3 LEGO Stores with Club Displays
My biggest worry now is not being allowed to play with Steve’s toys anymore ‘cuz
I’m such a klutz. Next time, my house, my bricks.
Kelly
[1] Nope.
[2] One of which had one of its studs pushed flush with the top of the brick -
never seen that before. Cool!
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Message has 8 Replies:
 | | Re: LEGO Store Display Install in Portland: Oh, The Drama
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| 2 Smooshed Bricks[2] (...) here is a pict of the smooshed brick: (URL) there rest of my pics are here after moderation: (URL) it was a fun night. it was kind of cool seeing such a big object fall and break up. remindes me of the ISD at Brickfest (...) (19 years ago, 2-Dec-05, to lugnet.general, FTX)
| | | Re: LEGO Store Display Install in Portland: Oh, The Drama
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| In lugnet.general, Kelly McKiernan wrote: (URL) Wow, someone was awfully quick with their camera. A great story and I really like the display a lot. Great use of a vertical space, especially since train displays are usually horizontal. (...) Cool. (...) (19 years ago, 2-Dec-05, to lugnet.general, FTX)
| | | Re: LEGO Store Display Install in Portland: Oh, The Drama
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| (...) Ah, you never forget your first time...here's mine: (URL) Needless to say, that particular creation became MASSIVELY structurally reinforced after that incident. It stood up for a year straight after that incident. Ignore Lar on this one, (...) (19 years ago, 2-Dec-05, to lugnet.general, FTX)
| | | Re: LEGO Store Display Install in Portland: Oh, The Drama
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| (...) Kelly- Great story, well told with the righ ring of righteous truth and penitent humility. Made me think of some of our LEGO disasters. 1. BrickFest PDX. We unwrapped the two 60 inch cable stayed bridges that we had shipped as baggage. Boy, (...) (19 years ago, 3-Dec-05, to lugnet.general, FTX)
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