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The Well-LUGazette - September 2026

pete
Sep 22
9 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

Kia ora Well-LUG members,

Welcome to the very first edition of the Well-LUGazette!

One of the things that makes Well-LUG special is our members. We have talented builders, collectors, event organisers and volunteers spread across the lower North Island, all with great stories to tell.

The aim of the Well-LUGazette is simple.  Every couple of months, we'll share what's happening around the LUG, celebrate our members, showcase amazing builds, and keep everyone up to date with upcoming events and LEGO news.  It’s a trial, so please share your feedback – if we don’t hear that you’re enjoying it, we’ll not know to keep it going.

So, we hope you enjoy the first edition:

👋A Word from our President

Well, what a weekend! The Wellington Brick Show has come and gone, and I wanted to take a moment to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped make it happen.

Our Brick Shows are the public face of Well-LUG, but what visitors see over the weekend is only possible because of the incredible amount of time, creativity and effort our members put in throughout the year. From designing and building amazing displays, to organising, setting up, packing down, volunteering, welcoming visitors, helping exhibitors and solving all the inevitable last-minute challenges - there are so many people who contribute behind the scenes to all of our Brick Shows and events.

And that’s one of the things I’m most proud of about Well-LUG. We’re not just a club of people who enjoy LEGO. We’re a community. We share ideas, help each other out, celebrate each other’s builds and achievements, welcome new members and, most importantly, have a lot of fun along the way.

In my reflection of the year so far, it's been a reminder for me about just how much we can achieve when we all pull together. Whether you spent months building a display, volunteered to be a Red Shirt, helped another member out with sourcing their a missing brick, or simply coming along to Club Days and shared your passion for LEGO, we all played a part in making the LUG what it is.

As we come into the end of the year, I really hope you’ll take a moment to be proud of what we achieved this year together... and to celebrate the contribution of the people around you.

Thanks again for everything you do for Well-LUG. I’m already looking forward to seeing what we build together next.

Happy building!

– Chris, Well-LUG President

Earlier this year, as well as others Well-LUG members Tony and Rachael, Marianne and John, and Alex travelled to Billund, Denmark, the birthplace of LEGO, as part of a group tour for AFOLs.

Their journey took them behind the scenes, through LEGO House, LEGOLAND and around the town where it all began. Along the way they made lifelong friends, rediscovered their inner child, and came home inspired. 👉 Read the full story »

This month we're shining the spotlight on one of our members.

If you've spent any time around Well-LUG, chances are you've met Russell Whitlock. As our Secretary, Russell is one of those members who quietly keeps things moving behind the scenes, while always finding time to lend a hand wherever it's needed.

Russell is a familiar face at Wellington Club Days and is just as

likely to be found driving across the region to support events across the wider Well-LUG community. His willingness to get involved and help out is one of the many reasons he's such a valued member of the club.

When it comes to building, Russell has carved out a niche all of his own. Rather than building large displays, he specialises in miniature LEGO creations, recreating iconic vehicles from film and popular culture in remarkably small scales. One of his favourites is the legendary James Bond Aston Martin, proving that great LEGO models don't have to be built with thousands of pieces to make an impact. Of course, Russell has a perfectly practical explanation for his love of miniature builds... in real life he drives an MX-5, and with a boot that doesn't leave much room for transporting large LEGO creations, building small has become something of a necessity! It's a story that always gets a laugh, but there's no denying he's become a master of the miniature.

Away from LEGO, Russell lives in Stokes Valley, works in Wellington's CBD, and enjoys spending time with his family. Whether he's helping organise the club, supporting an event, or sharing one of his latest creations, he's always approachable and happy to chat with fellow members.

If you'd like to learn more about Russell, and watch his recent Think BIG, build small talk at WBS26, check out his YouTube channel: 👉 Russell Whitlock on YouTube

Thanks, Russell, for everything you do for Well-LUG. We're lucky to have you as part of the team!

Wellington branch

September saw the Wellington Branch head to a new meeting venue at Whitireia

WelTec Campus in Porirua — and what a great turnout! Around 35 members joined us, including several new faces, making for a fantastic afternoon of learning, building, and sharing LEGO ideas.

This month we put the spotlight on water-building techniques, working through an excellent tutorial prepared by Erina Creswell. Members then put those techniques into practice, creating everything from flowing rivers and ponds to underwater scenes and dramatic water features. There was a great range of approaches and some very clever use of parts — check out some of the resulting builds above!

There's plenty happening around the Wellington region over the next few months:

  • 🎃 31 October – Halloween-themed Club Day

  • 🧱 21–22 November – Masterton Brick Show

  • ⭐ 28 November – Community Event: LEGO Star Wars Exhibition (detail tbc)

  • 🎄 Early December – Wellington Branch End-of-Year Event

  • 🎅 20 December – Community Event: Porirua City Council Christmas Activation

It's going to be a busy few months, so keep an eye on the usual Well-LUG channels for more details - Jake, Wellington Branch Next: 📅 31 October 📍WelTec Petone, 21 Kensington Avenue, Petone

Palmerston North branch

The Palmy group has had a good year so far. We've had nine (awesome) club days and a fantastic show over King's Birthday.

This year we've tried something different and rotated the running of club days around our members. From Rob's presentation on the history of LEGO to Chris's build challenges, it's been great to see everyone's different approaches. As we near the end of this year's Club Days, we're already looking forward to seeing what next year's will look like.

A majority of us went down to display in Wellington, and two of our members brought back awards, which were very well deserved. Wellington Show feedback was a hot topic at our September Club Day. The new venue was a hit, with unanimous agreement that the Red Shirts exceeded the high standards they've set in previous years.

See you at the next Palmy monthly meeting - Julie, Palmy Branch Next: 📅 November, date and location to be confirmed

Hawke's Bay branch

Things are starting to get busy in the Hawke’s Bay Branch, with the team turning their attention towards the Hawke’s Bay Brick Show in April.

Over the coming months, the Branch will be shifting into show-preparation mode - planning displays, working on builds, and getting everything ready to showcase the creativity of our local LEGO community. It’s a great opportunity for members to get involved, whether you’re an experienced exhibitor or are thinking about bringing a build along to a show for the first time.

There’s plenty to do before April, so keep an eye out for updates from the Hawke’s Bay team and, most importantly, save the date for the Hawke’s Bay Brick Show! We’re looking forward to seeing what the Branch - and its builders - have in store.   - Richard, Hawke's Bay Branch Next: 📅 17 October📍Napier Intermediate School

Whanganui branch

The Whanganui Branch have been keeping things creative over the past few months, with a mix of LEGO building, puzzles and games at our Club Days.

June and July saw members switch things up with puzzles and games, before getting back to the bricks in August with a Trees and Gardens challenge. The results were a fantastic collection of colourful trees, flowers, gardens and natural landscapes, showing just how much detail and creativity can be packed into a small LEGO build.


There’s also plenty happening in Whanganui, with the upcoming Festival of Design Aotearoa featuring Preparing for a Better Future: Learning by Design LEGO Talk on 18 October. The talk explores how LEGO and design can support creativity, learning and problem-solving — a great fit for our local LEGO community. Find out more >

It’s great to see the Whanganui Branch continuing to mix things up, giving members plenty of opportunities to build, play and spend time together. - Michelle & Erina, Whanganui Branch Next: 📅 24 October📍Elms Restaurant at St John's Club, 158 Glasgow Street


The Masterton Brick Show is coming up in November, with another great weekend of LEGO, creativity and community at the Copthorne Hotel Masterton.

This year’s show is also a significant fundraising event for Alzheimer’s Wairarapa, so your visit helps support a great local cause. Come along, check out the amazing LEGO displays and support a great cause!

📅 Saturday 21 November: 9:00am–4:00pm 📅 Sunday 22 November: 9:00am–3:30pm 🎟️ Door sales tickets: Adults $10, Children and Gold Card holders $5, Family Pass $20.

New LEGO sets released in September September has brought another batch of new LEGO sets, with highlights including SpongeBob SquarePants: Bikini Bottom, the Star Trek: U.S.S. Enterprise Bridge, the Batman Returns Batmobile, Shrek Minifigures and Doctor Doom Bust. Plenty of new builds to add to the wish list!

Read more:

What’s That New LEGO Fan Community Logo?

You may have spotted a new logo at the Wellington Brick Show, or popping up across our social media and wondered, “What’s that all about?”


Well, there’s been a bit of a change behind the scenes in the LEGO fan community world, and we thought we’d explain what it means for Well-LUG and, more importantly, for you as a member.


Well-LUG is now a Recognised Fan Community

The LEGO Recognised LEGO User Group (RLUG) programme has changed, and Well-LUG is now officially recognised as a Recognised Fan Community. Don’t worry though, we’re still Well-LUG, and we can still call ourselves a LUG (LEGO User Group)! Our community, our events and what we do together aren’t changing. What has changed is the way LEGO supports and connects with fan communities around the world.


Welcome to the LEGO Fan CoLAB

The former LEGO Ambassador Network (LAN) has evolved into the LEGO Fan CoLAB. You can check it out here: LEGO Fan CoLAB


Along with the new programme comes some new terminology. The role previously known as an Ambassador is now called a Community Representative.


However, because our Well-LUG Constitution specifically refers to an Ambassador, we'll continue to use that title internally. So I'll be known as our Well-LUG Community Representative and Ambassador.


So… what does this mean for you?

On a day-to-day basis? Not much!

You can carry on doing what Well-LUG members do best — building awesome LEGO creations, coming along to events, sharing your builds, meeting other fans and generally enjoying being part of our community.


Behind the scenes, though, the support programmes available to recognised communities are changing. This opens up opportunities for Well-LUG to take part in a wider range of activities and experiences.


For example, you may have seen Ham-LUG's involvement in the recent Maersk activity. Opportunities like this are part of the broader range of activities that fan communities may be able to participate in. And don't worry, one of the most familiar programmes, LUGBulk, is continuing into 2027.


A few new principles

As a recognised LEGO fan community, Well-LUG has also signed up to the LEGO Fan Community Principles. These provide a set of guidelines for recognised fan communities and help set out the principles we agree to follow as part of the LEGO fan community.

You can read more about them on the LEGO Fan CoLAB community page.


In short… New logo. New name. New opportunities. Same Well-LUG.


The way LEGO connects with and supports fan communities is evolving, and we're looking forward to seeing what opportunities this creates for Well-LUG and our members.


If you have any questions about the changes, feel free to get in touch with me, Lisa Kinghorn, Well-LUG Community Representative/Ambassador, at lisa@well-lug.nz. And, of course, keep building!

Two Legends of Well-LUG recently met Brickman at the Christchurch Brick Show... oh, and Barny and Tyla were there too.

We'd love your feedback

This newsletter is for our members, and we'd love your help shaping future editions.

Have an interesting build? Been to a LEGO event? Got a collection you'd like to share? Know someone who deserves a Member Spotlight? Drop us a line - contact@well-lug.nz

Just email with your ideas, stories and photos. Till then, see you next edition of the Well-LUGazette!

 

How would you rate this edition of the Well-LUGazette?

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