Name: Lego builder recreating local landmarks shares the story behind his incredible work
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Lego builder recreating local landmarks shares the story behind his incredible work

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Breaking NewsFor months, the "Slye Fox" Flickr account has been posting images of local bars, restaurants and landmarks recreated with Legos. Here's the story behind them.7:14 PM CST December 10, 2020MINNEAPOLIS — As Minneapolis nightlife pressed pause a few weeks ago, many locals began to gravitate to, and share, a series of images depicting a sort of 'Mini'-apolis made of Legos.In a matter of days, the account and page generated thousands of views (and a few headlines) for Lego re-creations of famous places like the CC Club, Mickey's Diner, the IDS Tower and Otter's Saloon."In March, when bars were shut down. I thought to myself, I bet I could make the Otter in Lego and that would be a fun challenge," said Ryan Fuchs, the man behind the 'Slye Fox' accounts. "I used to work at the Otter Saloon here for 10 years, but because of COVID and the bars being shut down, a lot of us had to shift gears so... me too."But Fuchs decided to shift back a few gears, filling the hours by rekindling his childhood passion for Legos in a new way.Kent Erdahl: "What's the most common question you've gotten?"Fuchs: "Are these real?"The answer is no, at least in the traditional sense. Ryan builds all the models virtually, using a computer program called .&nbsp;"You still have to stack every brick," Fuchs said. "You can cut and paste a few things and cheat a little bit but you still have to find the parts. The only difference is you don't have instructions so this is all coming from getting to know the bricks and how they're going to fit together."And to achieve his level of detail both outside and inside many of the buildings, Ryan can spend anywhere from a week to a month to finish a build. He uses Google Earth, photos, his own memory and a lot of trial and error to make it happen."The Otter is a triangular building and Legos are square bricks, so I had to use hinges and some other stud techniques to make those come together," he said. "That's what I like about it."He also likes, that digital bricks are free."Lego bricks are not cheap," Fuchs said. "The average brick price goes anywhere from 10 cents to 50 dollars depending on how rare it is."And for his projects, which would often be measured in feet if actually built, you can multiply that cost by several thousand."One of the neat things about Studio is that, as you build, it calculates the estimated price in the corner, so you can kind of see where this project is getting out of hand," Fuchs said. "Like the Hennepin Bridge that I built, it's $16,000."&nbsp;That's because his bridge model would be more than 20 feet long. Fuchs says his peddle pub and Mickey's Diner would be a bit more reasonable, but he says you can't put a price on the reactions they generate. He says that's especially true of the build that has generated the most interest so far: the now-closed Lee's Liquor Lounge."All of these people are so thankful for being able to revisit the bar that they knew," he said.Despite the price, Fuchs says he is hoping he soon gets a chance to build one of them for real."I've been in contact a few times with the owner of the CC Club, and she is quite interested in trying to make that happen for her," he said. "We're scheduled to talk maybe after bars reopen again because obviously budgets are extremely tight for anyone in the industry. I can't imagine someone spending $5,000-$6,000 for a Lego set of their bar right now."Erdahl: "What's next?"&nbsp;Fuchs: "I am currently making the original Nye's. That is my current project. I've spent years there. It was my home away from home before the Otter. After that, I'm not sure. I've got a few ideas. When I'm walking around now. I can't help but see things in Lego."Erdahl: "Maybe it's something we all kind of need right now."Fuchs: "That's true. It strikes people's heart strings and that makes me happy."And speaking of heart strings..."I have to shout out to my wife," Fuchs said. "She's been patiently putting up with this hobby of mine as I was unemployed for so long. I would go down and play Legos and she'd be working all day."Though he keeps building, Fuchs says he has now transitioned to a new job, and he's happy scaling back his hobby a bit.MORE NEWS:MORE NEWS:Paid AdvertisementNotifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings.No ThanksAllow

Breaking NewsFor months, the "Slye Fox" Flickr account has been posting images of local bars, restaurants and landmarks recreated with Legos. Here's the story behind them.7:14 PM CST December 10, 2020MINNEAPOLIS — As Minneapolis nightlife pressed pause a few weeks ago, many locals began to gravitate to, and share, a series of images depicting a sort of 'Mini'-apolis made of Legos.In a matter of days, the account and page generated thousands of views (and a few headlines) for Lego re-creations of famous places like the CC Club, Mickey's Diner, the IDS Tower and Otter's Saloon."In March, when...

Lego builder recreating local landmarks shares the story behind his incredible work

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