From Pandemic Pastime to Dream Job: How a CT Native Built a Career with LEGO

Groton native Cody Avery got his first Lego set when he was 4 years old.

Now, the submarine and scuba diver Avery built as a child sits on display at his workplace — Legoland.

Avery works as a Master Model Builder for the Lego theme park in Goshen, New York. In his role at Legoland, Avery is in charge of designing and building Lego models for the park and supervising the model shop, where Avery works with other model builders and animators who help make motors and machines to help the park's Lego models come to life.

Avery started his career in art after attending Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in Old Lyme. He worked on concept art for an indie game studio and did freelance illustration, but he said he "always loved working with Lego" and making builds in his spare time.

"I've always loved making stuff...I kind of stopped building for a while, but during COVID, I got into building for myself again," Avery said. "I met a bunch of cool people online and I started talking to them, so I kept building and then I had a portfolio. When the position opened up here for model designer, I applied for it."

On an average day working at Legoland, Avery said he and other model builders will start by taking care of " Miniland ," an area of the park that features mini replicas of major cities and landmarks, including mini versions of New York City and a mini singing Mount Rushmore. The park attraction is built entirely by hand by Master Model Builders like Avery and its models are comprised of over 22,231,368 million Lego bricks, according to Legoland's website.

"It's all made out of Lego, so we have to take care of that," Avery said. "We go through there, make sure everything is standing up, make sure there's nothing that broke overnight. If something is broken, we have to work with our animators, so they work on all the motors and the machines to make sure that that stuff is running, and we just make sure that everything looks good."

Legoland models are glued together, have large structures inside them to help them stand up and have a UV coat so that they're not impacted by the weather.

"The models are in guest contact, so people bump into them, stuff gets knocked into them, wind and weather can make them break or they chip," Avery said. "Part of the job is taking care of them and making sure they look as nice as possible."

The other part of Avery's job involves designing Lego builds to fulfill briefs from other Legoland departments. When Legoland's entertainment team hosted a "Brick or Treat event at the park last Halloween, Avery helped design Lego jack-o'-lanterns that lit up using solar panels and 3,000-piece cauldrons for the event.

"I'm kind of constantly working on something big or small, and bounce in between things," Avery said. "It depends on the ask."

To design a Legoland piece, Avery will draw a Lego model, then use a computer software to construct a model, Lego piece by Lego piece, which Avery said is "just like if you were building at home."

To make a model, Avery said he and his team order pieces directly from Lego and get pieces in special colors for large sculptures that don't come in sets, but they can't make new Lego pieces.

"We have to use pieces that already exist. I can't make up new pieces or produce new elements, so everything that we do has to fit within the Lego system," Avery said. "It's a fun challenge to think about how this thing is going to look, where it's going to live, what it's going to do and how to do that within the Lego system elements."

Avery and his fellow model builders come from a variety of different backgrounds, but they share a common passion.

"One of the guys who works on our team is a retired postman, but he's really good with tools and he's handy. He also loves Lego. We have some people who used to work in toy design, somebody went to school for music education," Avery said. "There's no one specific path to take (to become a Master Model Builder) but loving Lego, being creative, loving to make stuff."

Avery's advice for anyone wanting to build Lego for a living?

"Keep playing with it, and one day, you can," he said.