They are known as AFOLs, or adult fans of LEGO, and where others might just see coloured, plastic bricks they see unbridled creativity with a hint of whimsy.
Bruce Abdilla is one such man, and at the Canberra Brick Show he was in good company.
"You're only bound by your own imagination," he tells The Canberra Times on Saturday.
He stands next to a display of dizzying train tracks, light-up locomotives and detailed scenery. One pint-sized creation is inspired by Bungendore station, another Hogwarts, and motorised trains whizz around the tracks.
Children and adults alike point excitedly, they lean in and admire the details while following the all important "do not touch" rule.
Mr Abdilla designed the layout but the physical build was a collaborative effort between about a dozen people and took two days. Remarkably, it will only take two or three hours to pack up.
He says all the effort is worth it when "seeing the smiles on the kids' faces when they see what we've produced, or seeing the looks of nostalgia on the bigger kids when they remember stuff they had when they were younger".
Mr Abdilla has been seriously building LEGO for the past 12 years and finds it the perfect way to unwind while still being creative.
"It's really good after a long day at work to just do something that's productive but not necessarily a high level thought process," he said.
"It challenges the brain without over exerting it."
The self-professed AFOL explained that each of the hundreds of stalls at the event tell a different story.
"It's like turning a page in a book that can be completely somewhere else from one page to the next," Mr Abdilla said.
"The breadth of things that you can use LEGO to build is limitless."
Another LEGO fan spoke of his collection of 700 sets, and the logistical nightmare of moving house. Each set needs to be dismantled, neatly packaged and labelled. Then once you've finally settled into the new abode, they need to be constructed again.
The Canberra Brick Show, hosted by the Canberra LEGO User Group, is running until 5pm on Sunday at Thoroughbred Park.
Proceeds from the event go to Black Mountain School, Cranleigh School, Malkara School, The Woden School, The Marymead Autism Centre, and Roundabout Canberra.
