Star Wars - 100 Lego Stories

LEGO^® Story # 33

Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack

A rising star in the LEGO^®-sphere is about to Super Nova! Her name is Mati Stack. Her LEGO^® journey began at the age of seven when her “papi”(Spanish for father) gifted her first LEGO^® set.

She hails from the Bronx, in New York City and is of Puerto Rican descent, just like “JLO from the block,” and is affectionately our LEGO^® JLO from the “Brick” (pun intended). Even more intriguing about Mati is she attended the prestigious Aviation High School in New York City, where she learned technical skills, including the building of aircraft out of wood and metal structures.

She learned to work with her hands, and building is now simply an intuitive skill for her. Mati is a lifelong Star Wars fan. And in 2015 she was inducted back into the LEGO^®-sphere through the Star Wars micro sets. She became infatuated with the ability to build using LEGO^® bricks. Then, in 2016, she attended her first LEGO^® convention, where she was introduced to artists and artwork using LEGO^® as the creative canvas.

Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack

Influenced by these artists, she repeatedly attended more conventions as a novice artist herself. At the premiere of LEGO^® Masters she connected with a few contestants, and her passion blossomed.

Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack
Photo submitted by: Mati Stack

She became an exhibitor at conventions and immersed herself into making LEGO^® art and tryout for the LEGO^® master show as well. Her LEGO^® building team is affectionately named the “Puerto Brickans,” paying homage to her own cultural heritage. Mati and her daughter are the creative power house of this team. They made it as far as alternates and strive to appear in the LEGO^® show. She received commissions to build LEGO^® art pieces for wealthy clients in the past two years and was encouraged to display her works in a studio. Her LEGO^® passion filled every part of her life.

While spending weekends creating LEGO^® art with her granddaughter, she saw that something more was happening: They created art and icons of the time they spent together and served as a memory of the smiles and laughter they shared together. That’s when her concept of building friendships and memories with LEGO^® bricks was born. She then launched the “Brick Cre8” concept and business model.

Mati Stack – Florida, USA

Find out more about Mati’s new venture, Brick Create:

Instagram: @brickcre8

Facebook: Brick Create

LEGO® Story #32

LEGO® has been a part of my life since I was a child in the 1970s, and I feel the brand has grown over the years with me. I had an abundance of LEGO® kits, mainly LEGO® system and Space. One thing I remember was that I used to build ‘play sets’ and ‘ships’ for my Star Wars figures as a kid. I had Star Wars toys, but I had this massive box of plastic bricks that I could literally build anything I wanted and created so much to entertain myself.

Growing up with LEGO® and Star Wars, you can imagine how blown away I was when LEGO® had the franchise to produce sets. LEGO® is a premium product, and I simply cannot, like millions of others, bring myself to buy third party stuff. But I find now that I work for a living and I can afford to buy bigger and better sets, so for me the dream, the childhood escape continues.

During lockdown in 2020, I started working from home, and the amount of money I noticed that I was saving by not spending it on fuel, I discovered the very slippery slope of buying the modular buildings and more expensive sets, and I love them! The minifigs really make it for me too. I know there are thousands, but I have a small collection of the ones I really love, and treasure them more than some of the bigger sets I have. The whole notion that anything is possible in the mind of a child still runs through my veins even though I’m in my late 40s, from the sane to the ridiculous, there are no limits.

When I bought my first modular, the Bookstore, I just had this idea that I would get the mini figures to actually build the building. I’m always posting on social media, so what better thing to do than to document the construction of this new kit. Blending the characters from different genres was also a fascinating concept to me, because in this world of mine anything was possible. The notion of Darth Vader’s troopers building a building is nuts, but that’s how my mind works. We know these characters from films, but to give those characters additional quirks, such as they are hooked on donuts, or have some sort of unhinged quality is comical to me.

Dear old Darth Vader kind of a helping to build the LEGO® bookstore!

Recently I had been re-watching the classic 1990s tv series Home Improvement, and simply love the show, and I’d seen on LEGO®Ideas someone had created a small Tool Time set, and I used the concept, and designed my own version in Bricklink Studio, filled it with tools, and then spent a fortune building it for real. Then I spent a fortune buying random minifigure parts to try and fit together characters that matched those of the television show, and after so many variations I’d like to feel I did a reasonable job.

I did a series of skits over the Christmas period which were studio based with the characters interacting with various guests, ranging from various Star Wars characters to Santa Claus, with all the ensuing catastrophes that happen due to the nature of Tim’s character. This lead to a Tim and Al special ‘acquiring’ the parts to build a LEGO® Galaxy Commander ship, one of my childhood favourites (which I’d acquired on eBay for a great price) have them testing it out, and being picked up on the scanners of the Imperial Empire, with Vader insisting they track the ship.

Also I did a ‘Tim and l’ build the LEGO® Diner, and friends and family seem to really enjoy these nonsensical pieces of harmless fun. The whole idea that a character can be killed off and returns in a future skit, via some sort of magic, or invention by a character such as Dr Strange from the Marvel Universe, or Doc Brown from Back to the Future…..is crazy yet hilarious.

I also love LEGO® Technic, and I plan to buy the new Lamborghini next. I loved the intricacy of the working parts, and the fact that I put the sets together. It’s a great way to learn mechanics and physics, and great for those with an interest in engineering. I have built many Technic sets, but don’t tend to do the step-by-step pictures of documenting the build, and just simply enjoy the build. It’s a different type of build compared to the comedy modular builds I do. Although that being said, I did have two LEGO® Death Troopers, the larger format figures, and made out that they built the LEGO® Technic Ducati motorbike, as it was perfectly scaled to them, but that was a one off.

2 LEGO® Death troopers riding in a cool Ducati!

Will I grow up, I doubt it…..but whilst friends, family and the dozens of people that enjoy what I’ve done continue to love what I do, I’m happy to carry on! If you want to check my latest adventure you can check it out here!

Long live LEGO®……these little plastic bricks have certainly, and continue to shape my life!

Chris Thomas, South Wales

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Category: Star Wars

From the Bronx to the Brick

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Exploring Creativity: Unveiling My LEGO® Odyssey