LEGO MASTERS Episode 4 ‘Final Master Build’ review

The grand final sees the remaining three pairs building like never before to earn the title of LEGO MASTERS

It is hard to believe that the four episodes of LEGO MASTERS are over already. In tonight’s final, three pairs of builders became two, as the teams took inspiration from the imaginations of children before the final finalists produced completely original masterpiece builds to see who would be crowned LEGO MASTERS.

The first challenge saw the three remaining pairs hear stories from children, which they had to interpret as a LEGO model. The children would both tell the stories and then judge the models, with the three young storytellers all very charming. Kip in particular had the TV judge persona down to perfection, stroking his chin and delivering all of the classic judge lines.

This was a great concept for a challenge, but the builds ended up rather limited thanks to the measly three hour timeframe. Additionally, this challenge felt rushed through during the episode to get to the main final, so it was hard to get a good sense of what the builders had planned and why they ended up with what they did.

Seeing the children react to the models was absolutely wonderful, a great reminder of just how their imaginations can be inspired by toys, models and art. It was a shame to see Jamil and James leave on such an oddly punishing challenge, particularly with each team producing something of a similar standard.

The final square off made for an exciting match up, as Nate, Steve and Nicolas are all AFOLs who build impressive models and exhibit at events. Kobe of course is a talented LEGO builder and must have grown up with some great inspiration, having helped Nicolas with builds he has displayed. So two formidable teams were up against each other for the big finale… but only one could win.

The last build that the teams would work on could be anything at all, a masterpiece build that would showcase their talent. It was a real shame that more screen time was not spent on this final challenge, as it would have been fascinating to see a bit more of the process at each stage. The episode showed the pairs conceptualising their builds, then working on them – then bam, they suddenly had just minutes left to complete the models.

With risks to the builds both teams had chosen, in Nate and Steve’s case attempting to recreate people in full scale and in Nicolas and Kobe’s case going for a very large landscape, it was tense stuff as they utilised their bespoke workshop full of bricks to put together the models that needed to wow Matthew Ashton.

 

Kobe stands out in this episode even more so than usual, as a delightful young LEGO fan who both enjoys building and is thoughtful towards others. He even reflected at one point on being mature for his age, and his thoughtful comments certainly emphasised this. It was nice seeing all four of the remaining contestants work during the final masterpiece challenge, as at times it seemed relaxed and a lot of fun.

It turned out that the builders had not been cutting it as fine as was implied, with the models displayed looking very complete indeed. Both are very different and very impressive, as was noted by guest judge Dara O’Briain and regular judge Matthew Ashton. They noted the characters in Nicolas and Kobe’s build, and the accuracy of details such as the scrunched up paper in Nate and Steve’s build.

Ultimately, Nate and Steve were the pair crowned LEGO MASTERS – which was probably expected by anyone who has been following closely, as the duo frequently produced builds that met the briefs perfectly while using some impressive techniques.

The series ended on the absolute perfect note, with Steve telling viewers, ‘throw away the instructions and have a go.’ LEGO MASTERS has provided a show that is accessible for casual viewer with enough depth for LEGO fans to enjoy – as a first series it was successful, and it would be great to see it return to become an even more polished brick building contest.

LEGO MASTERS is over after four weeks of brick building action. You can relive the series with the Brick Fanatics coverage that has been published each week. Share your thoughts and impressions of the show in the comments below, on the Brick Fanatics Facebook page or @Brickfanatics on Twitter.

More LEGO MASTERS coverage:

Interview with LEGO MASTERS host Melvin Odoom

Episode 3, ‘Nature’ verdict – did the judges get it right?

Episode 3, ‘Nature’ review 

Episode 2, ‘Movement’ verdict – did the judges get it right?

Episode 2, ‘Movement’ review

Episode 1, ‘Brick Feast’ verdict – did the judges get it right?

Episode 1, ‘Brick Feast’ review

Meet the builders