Lego Masters Australia: The Brickman Ryan McNaught’s warehouse, previously a Lego workshop, up for auction

Alesha Capone

First published 13 October 2022, 12:00pm

The Brickman, Ryan McNaught, at his Keilor Park warehouse and former Lego workshop in 2016. Picture: Kylie Else.

Professional Lego artist and TV icon Ryan McNaught aka “The Brickman” is selling the workshop he moved his mammoth Lego collection to after running out of space in his garage.

Mr McNaught is the southern hemisphere’s only certified Lego professional, and one of just 20 adults recognised with the title worldwide.

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He’s also a familiar face as the main judge on televisions Lego Masters Australia.

In between TV appearances, Brickman has put together five global Lego touring shows, with projects including a 4m-long “Elvis” firefighting helicopter, a 250,000-brick “Love Boat” and an AFL Premiership Cup Lego replica.

LEGO builder Ryan McNaught pictured with a life-size LEGO model of the Honda Type R car in his Keilor Park warehouse. Picture: Ian Currie

Lego Masters host Hamish Blake and judge Ryan ‘Brickman’ McNaught with storm troopers in a scene from the show’s Star Wars themed challenge.

After Mr McNaught’s home garage became too small for his large-scale Lego models, he fitted out the 317sq m warehouse at 7/35 Logistics St, Keilor Park, as the Brickman workshop in 2015.

When the his team did a stocktake at the site a few years ago, they counted more than 5 million pieces of Lego stored in the building.

Ryan ‘The Brickman’ McNaught pictured with his Lego whale created for his exhibition, ‘Brickman Awesome’ at the Melbourne Museum Plaza.

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“There are lots of great memories there and we made models that went all over the world,” Mr McNaught said.

“We were sad to leave, it was like a family member as we had been there a long time.

“Earlier this year before we left, we made a model of Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 car for the Grand Prix.

7 of 35 Logistics St, Keilor Park - for herald sun real estate

The exterior of the warehouse.

Inside the main workshop area.

The Honda car that McNaught built inside the warehouse. The car was built by McNaught over 1,300 man hours and used more than 320,000 LEGO bricks. Picture: Ian Currie

“It didn’t drive so well, we had to put it on a truck to get there.”

His Lego warehouse will go under the hammer Friday with $800,000-$850,000 price hopes.

The Keilor Park property has a container-height roller door, first-floor office, a mezzanine area, three phase power supply, a kitchenette and three car parks.

The warehouse has multiple rooms and a first-floor office

Colliers industrial manager Corey Vraca said potential buyers included investors who wanted to lease the site out, local residents wanting to store cars or caravans in it, small businesses and tradespeople.

“Location wise, it’s a very tightly-held area,” Mr Vraca said.

“It’s well connected to the Tullamarine and Calder Freeways nearby.”

Lego maestro Ryan ‘The Brickman’ McNaught pictured at his exhibition at HOTA on the Gold Coast. Pictured with ‘Tree’ which has over 200,000 bricks. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

The Brickman team has now moved into a new warehouse that is “five times bigger” than their former workshop.

The Auction Company’s Paul Tzamalis will conduct the auction.