To learn how to create the amazing 3 dimensional models found at LEGOLAND California, our Model Builders start by building a round, rolling ball. Using graph paper and a compass, you can try to create one at home! Once you have mastered this skill, try more complex shapes like a teacup, a football, or an Easter egg. Did you know that if you stack 5 2X2 plates on top of one another, it makes a perfect square? If you top 4 plates with a 2X2 tile you can turn it sideways to fit in a 2 knob wide space. We do this often to create complicated lettering or greater detail on mosaics. All of the models in the LEGOLAND California's Miniland are hollow, but for strength, we build columns of LEGO bricks to support the roofs as well as beams that go across the length of the model, similar to the engineering you would find in real buildings. Use TECHNIC bricks and TECHNIC pins to attach decorative elements to your models. A radar dish becomes a models eyes, A sideways attached roof brick can be someone's nose, A row of LEGO flowers become a decorative carving on a building. The possibilities are endless!