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LEGO competition offers job of Master Model Builder at Rivercenter location

January 14, 2019 By Ben Olivo Leave a Comment

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Brick Factor 2019 contestant Mario Salazar (left) and Tristan Ingram, 9, compete in the nationwide competition Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Kevin Hintz, 25, from Michigan, gets a container full of Legos dumped on him as the winner of Brick Factor 2019 Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Brick Factor 2019 contestant Mario Salazar (left) and Tristan Ingram, 9, compete in the nationwide competition Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Mario Salazar is all Lego before competing in the finals of Brick Factor 2019 Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Stanton Bain of Waco explains his Lego creation to fans and the media during Brick Factor 2019 Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Thaddeus Bennett of San Marcos adjusts his AT-AT from Star Wars during Brick Factor 2019 Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Sam Ward of New Braunfels builds his Lego creation during Brick Factor 2019 Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Bradd Waki's Lego creation during Brick Factor 2019 Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Brick Factor 2019 contestant Mario Salazar (left) and Tristan Ingram, 9, compete in the nationwide competition Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Brick Factor 2019 contestant Mario Salazar (left) and Tristan Ingram, 9, compete in the nationwide competition Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Brick Factor 2019 contestant Mario Salazar (left) and Tristan Ingram, 9, compete in the nationwide competition Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Contestants and their assistants participate in Brick Factor 2019 Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Fifty applicants participated in Brick Factor 2019 Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Mario Salazar is all Lego before competing in the finals of Brick Factor 2019 Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Timothy Howell of Houston shows off his Lego creation to a young audience during Brick Factor 2019 Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Toni Harkewicz supports Brick Factor 2019 contestant James Keeling Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Cindy Salazar, wife of Brick Factor 2019 contestant Mario Salazar, cheers during the competition Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Kevin Hintz (second from right) is interviewed as the winner of Brick Factor 2019 Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Kevin Hintz, 25, from Michigan, gets a container full of Legos dumped on him as the winner of Brick Factor 2019 Sunday at Rivercenter Mall. Fifty contestants participate in Brick Factor 2019 Sunday at Rivercenter Mall.

On Sunday afternoon at Rivercenter Mall, when Brick Factor 2019 came to a close after a grueling two days of playing with LEGOs, Kevin Hintz of Michigan got exactly what he traveled to San Antonio for: a container full of LEGOs dumped on his head and his dream job.

After winning the competition over the weekend, Hintz, 25, will become the full-time Master Model Builder of LEGOLAND Discovery Center, a two-story attraction scheduled to open at the mall in May. It also includes the SEA LIFE Aquarium inside a 65,000-square-foot space where the old Joske’s section connects with the rest of the mall.

Hintz will work with LEGO design teams to fabricate and maintain models throughout what’s described as a giant LEGO playground, and he’ll also lead free creative workshops, held on a daily basis.

“My passion has always been LEGO, so I’ve been just practicing LEGO on my own,” Hintz said while donning a white LEGO hardhat and holding a “gold” cup made of yellow LEGOs. “Just from a little kid, when I first got that first set and started building, I realized how much potential of creativity there is in a single LEGO piece.”

Hintz body of work throughout three themed rounds include the Guadalupe bass (the state fish of Texas for the aquatic theme), the Alamo (for the Texas theme), and a series of autobiographical objects that represented his life.

Overall, 50 applicants competed Saturday and Sunday. They traveled from as far away as Hawaii, but most were from the San Antonio area.

Among the local competitors was Mario Salazar, a 39-year-old LEGO fan who wore a black baseball cap that had the peg-like cylinders on the bill and face so he could attach members of Marvel’s The Avengers to it. Young, up-and-coming builder Tristan Ingram, 9, saw Salazar and his special gear on social media before the finals on Sunday, and became an instant fan, making his own Spurs cap like Salazar’s.

“He put them together this morning, and he wanted to meet him,” Tristan’s mom, Kristi, said.

Young Ingram found Salazar and the two teamed up for the finals, but, unfortunately, Salazar didn’t place.

Contact Ben Olivo: 210-421-3932 | ben@saheron.com | @rbolivo on Twitter

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Filed Under: Events, Retail Tagged With: LEGOLAND, Rivercenter Mall

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