Epic Sandcastle for LEGOLAND Lifetime Members

Name of Model: Ambassador build

Created by: MrGSnot / Gary McIntire (photo by monsterbrick / Matt Armstrong)

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/monsterbrick/4939810838/

Details: LEGOLAND master builder Gary McIntire designed this sand castle model as an exclusive for lifetime members of LEGOLAND California. Lifetime members get exclusive access to one model builder session per year - during which they get a personal "building lesson" with a master builder from the park and get an exclusive kit with rare or unreleased parts. LEGOLAND parks frequently have access to parts that are not available in kits so that their master builders don't have to worry about tracking down "rare" part/color combinations. This sand castle set includes some yet-to-be-released tan cheese slopes, as well as some larger tan slope elements that aren't available in any kit. Occasionally, you do see a part that was once LEGOLAND exclusive appear in later sets, but the lifetime member exclusive sets will always have some parts that haven't been available anywhere else yet. Oh - did I mention that this is also a really nice model? Note the use of a flag element as a drawbridge, the use of 1x1 plates with teeth on the tallest tower, and the clever use of two different scales. UPDATE 9/7: More photos of the ambassador class have now been uploaded to flickr by Mariann Asanuma 9/20: ...and now she's also blogged about it.