Everything is not awesome.
Two of Metro Vancouver’s premier LEGO artists are hoping for the return of their one-of-a-kind and award-winning LEGO models.
Paul Hetherington and his girlfriend Melissa Rekve had been on a four-week road trip to show their work at Brickworld Chicago, the largest LEGO fan convention in the United States. Hetherington was on the last leg of the journey home when their Hyundai Santa Fe was stolen from a hotel parking lot in Spokane, Wa. on July 4.
The couple had weeks’ worth of gear, sentimental keepsakes, gifts for family and valuable collectibles they had loaded up on but most devastating to lose was a series of unique LEGO creations that had been shown around North America.
“Heartbreaking, I guess, is the word,” said Hetherington.
Rekve, who is new to the LEGO arts scene, lost LEGO mosaics of gardens, and the MTV and Beetlejuice film logos. Hetherington lost custom buildings including a model of the Moulin Rouge, a Buck Rogers-inspired castle called Zorlar’s Dragon Fortress, a replica of Vancouver’s Ridge condo building and Casa Baron, an Art Nouveau architecture piece that won his first Best in Show prize and launched his career as a professional LEGO builder.
“So many months of work went into creating them and to just lose them and know that they’re probably just going to be dismantled… so pointlessly is really sad,” he said. “Especially for the sentimental value of the memories of creating these models and having displayed them at different shows over the years.”
They reported the incident to police in Spokane who accessed the hotel’s surveillance footage and confirmed two people showed up in the early morning hours, broke into the SUV and drove off. Investigators told them there is slim chances of recovering their vehicle or its contents. Still, Hetherington holds out hope the irreplaceable pieces can be found intact.
Word has been spreading in the LEGO community throughout Washington state, via social media, newsletters and blogs. Hetherington and Rekve contacted used toy stores and LEGO piece resellers across the state to let them know to be on the lookout.
All told, about 50,000 LEGO bricks were used to construct the pieces of art.
“(The thieves) would have a hell of a time reselling them,” he said. “There’s a lot of eyes looking for these particular models. That’s the great thing about the LEGO community. They really come together and they’ve been extremely supportive.”
Hetherington estimates the value of the items in the car was about $17,000, which he is hoping insurance will cover, but they are even more eager for the recovery sentimental items like the LEGO and a steel stickman made by Rekve’s son.
While the future of Hetherington’s earlier works is in doubt, his current LEGO masterpieces are on display at the West Vancouver Memorial Library. For the Bricktacular West Coast Modern Show, Hetherington faithfully recreated West Coast architectural icons including Arthur Erickson’s Eppich House 2, and other surviving homes designed by Erickson, B.C. Binning, Fred Hollingsworth, Paul Merrick and Geoffrey Massey.
The exhibit runs until July 31.
