Throwback Thursday - Vintage shop display models
Posted by FlagsNZ,
It has been a while since my last showcase of models from The BLOCKS Collection.
One of the themes that I have been wanting to showcase is The BLOCKS Collection's impressive range of vintage shop models.
All of these models have been glued together as part of their original construction.
They have all been used as part of a permanent shop display. Some of the larger models have been assembled with a mixture of System and DUPLO bricks.
Read on as I showcase this extensive range of vintage shop display models.
Can you help The BLOCKS Collection?
In some instances, these models have been repaired as they were purchased with some missing elements.
The team at The BLOCKS Collection would be interested in any information you may have regarding these models.
- Have they been repaired correctly?
- Have you seen examples of these models elsewhere?
- Do you know anything about their origin or age?
The BLOCKS Collection would welcome any information you might have regarding these unique vintage shop display models.
The BLOCKS Collection of vintage shop display models
Most of these models are quite large, and some are too big to be photographed in a typical photo backdrop. These images have been taken in front of a neutral coloured pair of doors.
Many of these models were received into The BLOCKS Collection in a damaged condition or missing parts and have, subsequently, been repaired. They all show signs of weathering and many white elements show signs of yellowing due to age.
They are showcased here in no particular order.
The Clown
This clown model is made with a mixture of regular System bricks as well as DUPLO elements. It has been glued together into one solid module.
Mushroom Windmill
This model has a red windmill house sitting on top of a blue mushroom.
The mushroom is home to several Homemaker figures.
Red balloon
Coming from a similar era as the Mushroom Windmill, the Red Balloon also has Homemaker figures in the balloon's basket.
Turtle House
Dated as being assembled in 1983, the yellow turtle is carrying a red house on its back.
I am sure that the Homemaker figure sitting on the turtle's head should have reins to control the turtle.
Carousel
This brick-built carousel rotates around the red base. The Homemaker figures are sitting on a range of brick-built animals and vehicles.
The brick-built animals and vehicles on the carousel look like they have originated from some of the small builds contained in the LEGO Ideas book 222 from 1976.
Pelican
The motorised red pelican stands on a brick-built rock.
The pelican's bill is easily removed to reveal a blue fish held in its gular pouch (or throat sac). The upper mandible (beak) is motorised and moves up and down to reveal the fish.
Similarly, the back of the pelican can be easily removed to reveal the mechanism that drives the pelican's wings.
These Technic gears originated in 1977 and have been used in a few of The BLOCKS Collection's models showcased here.
The Emperor Penguin
Standing quite upright, the Emperor Penguin stands guard over the other vintage LEGO models.
Darth Vader
The BLOCKS Collection gifted this Darth Vader model. It came without the head. The head as shown here has been assembled without any reference to an actual model.
Did The BLOCKS Collection assemble the head correctly?
Olly the Octopus
The BLOCKS Collection originally attempted to purchase an example of this model through an online auction that fell through. Fortunately, another model came up for sale which was snapped up.
To me, it looks like someone could sit on this model.
The Clown Head
This clown head originally sat on top of a clear acrylic tube. The tube was filled with 2x4 bricks. The acrylic tube was very brittle and has since disintegrated into extremely sharp shards.
The BLOCKS Collection wonders whether the clown once had a whistle in its mouth.
The head was attached by bolts. You can see the boltholes here.
The image below shows what this clown model looked like when it was attached to the acrylic tube. A rainbow-coloured arm held a brick-built banjo.
Note that the blue shelving rack behind this model is not part of the model.
DUPLO Chicken
Assembled fully with DUPLO elements is this DUPLO chicken. It once had a full sized DUPLO Baseplate glued to its feet.
Monkey in a tree
The BLOCKS Collection suspects that this model originated from a public LEGO display that toured New Zealand and Australia from 1984 to1985.
It looks like the monkey should have something held in its hand. This is likely to be a banana. The team at the BLOCKS Collection originally had the monkey holding a LEGO brick-built flip phone!
Here is a scan from the brochure of that exhibition tour. The model of the monkey, above, looks like it could fit in with the family of monkeys, below.
Football player
The BLOCKS Collection acquired this model from an op shop in Wellington. The BLOCKS Collection added the cup held in the footballer's hand. That is why the discolouration of the cup and handles differs from the footballer.
The LEGO badge on the footballer's shirt was once bright red.
LEGO Chipmunk
The BLOCKS Collection is not actually sure what breed of animal this model represents. They added the wooden base, which is, perhaps, too small for this model!
LEGO Primo
This LEGO Primo coat rack was a gift to The BLOCKS Collection from The LEGO New Zealand head office.
DUPLO Knight
This model is a bit of an enigma. It is clearly a character from the DUPLO Castle theme.
Despite extensive searches undertaken by myself and the team at The BLOCKS Collection, we have been unable to identify this character. We cannot identify the logo or device built into the knight's chest plate.
Any help would be greatly received if anyone was able to shed light on details of this character.
Leo the Lion
One of the more popular vintage store models in The BLOCKS Collection is Leo the Lion.
An interesting feature of this model is that there is a symmetrical pattern of the yellow discolouring of the white bricks around the lion's nose.
The BLOCKS Connection believes that the lion model may have had whiskers and that these whiskers could have been made with fibre optic elements.
The BLOCKS Collection also believes that the lion model once held something in its paws such as a dumbbell. The model could have also held some sort of sign. There has to be a reason why there is a recess built into both paws with the 2x2 yellow tiles.
What do you think? Have you seen this model elsewhere?
Leo the Lion is the unofficial mascot for the New Zealand charity Disability Connect.
Disability Connect is an information provider for disabled people and their families. Disability Connect supports people with all disabilities, including learning disabilities, ADHD, autism, and long-term health conditions. The work of this charity featured in my article for the 2025 Auckland Brick Show.
LEGO Witch on her broomstick
Suspended from the ceiling is a LEGO witch flying on her broomstick.
The broom and LEGO label are original.
Here is a close-up of the witch's face. The BLOCKS Collection believes that the witch model once had feet that are currently missing.
Ivan the Viking
This LEGO Viking model has been named Ivan. Ivan the Viking was the first vintage model purchased by The BLOCKS Collection and, yes, The BLOCKS Collection is aware that Ivan is not a Nordic name!
The model was quite damaged when it was acquired. It has been restored to this condition.
The BLOCKS Collection is aware of a similar LEGO Viking model that has a full-sized sword that reaches down to the floor and that the sword includes cross-guard or quillons.
This model easily disassembles down into three subcomponents. A square steel rod strengthens the model. It is quite common to find this reinforcing in these larger LEGO display models.
The BLOCKS Collection frequently offers their Ivan the Viking model as a display stand at brick shows. This is a popular location for people to take images or selfies.
Bob the Bike
Bob the Bike is also a popular feature at brick shows.
Children can sit on this bike and when they press the button there is a sound of a motorbike diving around.
Bob the Bike has its original sound module and speaker.
You can listen to the sound module built in Bob the Bike in this short video. There are also three other short clips from two models discussed later in this article.
Dutch Doll
One of the smaller display models is this Dutch doll.
Cowboy and Cactus
This small, motorised display model includes its original electric motor. The cowboy on the horse rocks back and forth.
The 220 volt AC, 50 Hz, 2.8 watt geared motor is unprotected in the model. Having such a piece of unprotected electrical equipment is highly illegal, and it does not comply with any electrical regulations.
LEGOLand Denmark glued model
This model is not a shop display model. This small dragon has been included in this line-up as these models were sold to the public as a fully glued finished model.
Bell Tower
The Bell Tower is the largest display model in The BLOCKS Collection. The apex of the bell tower has been removed to enable this model to fit inside!
The motor causes the bell to sway and the owl to rotate its head back and forth.
The translucent bricks are all original and the original incandescent light is still inside.
The model includes most of the original wooden internal structure, and the original electric motor for the bell and the owl.
There used to be a LEGO woodpecker attached outside the tower and an electrical actuator made the woodpecker peck at the tower. Unfortunately, this solenoid has since seized up and the woodpecker has been removed.
The LEGO builder's name and date of manufacture can still be seen inside.
When purchased, some of the wooden framing was rotten and this has all been replaced.
I'm Batman!
Here are some of the other display figures from The BLOCKS Collection. These will have to feature in a future Throwback Thursday article.
Your feedback
The team at The BLOCKS Collection appreciate and enjoy reading all your comments on the previous articles I have written and would welcome your comments on this topic today.
If you are in Auckland, come and visit The BLOCKS Collection
The BLOCKS Collection is located in central Auckland, New Zealand.
Visiting The BLOCKS Collection is by appointment only. You can contact The BLOCKS Collection through Facebook and Instagram.
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22 comments on this article
These looks like fun displays! Somehow that second clown figure looks strangely familiar, but perhaps it's modelled after a more common clown design from that era? Or it's just because it's super generic.
Also, pre-Stars Wars LEGO Vader!
Great article and pictures!
That clown and chipmunk are the stuff of nightmares!
That motorised pelican looks amazing
Very Interesting! Thanks for sharing! Loved this article!
The one that stood it for me was a large garage with 853 chassis on the ramps.
There was loads going on and more than one chassis being repaired.
So this must have been 77/78/79 and was in Coopers toy shop window in Rotherham South Yorkshire.
Now I am curious if the old displays from the Lego road shows still exist somewhere. I remember going to at least two different ones and the display were huge.
Someone put the clown head on Darth Vader.
You know you want to.
Excellent article.
I recall Clarice Toys, in Tenby, South Wales, had a window display figure of Indiana Jones. The shop is long gone now, but there are some images on search. When I started collecting minifigs around series 7, I was happy to find they still had boxes of series 4, 5, and 6 on their shelves.
Fantastic article. Thank you, more of this please!
The monkey is fantastic! As well as the windmill, more closeups of that one please :-)
Would be good to know the provenance of some of these pieces - where did Vaughan get them from and when etc ?
If that Vader is a vintage model, like everything else in the article, then the head can't be built quite right because the grille slopes up by his nose area would be anachronistic: that part design, according to Bricklink, wasn't introduced until 2008! Best guess, that part would have just been built with stacked plates to match the rest of his rather blocky aesthetic.
Some of these models quite take me back; not that I recognise them specifically, but they what I recognise is the design style, they would have looked quite at home in the LegoLand parks of the mid/late 90s. Neat to see them!
On the subject of models that were too modern for this article, I don't suppose you have any of the large-scale builds of Bionicle figures, or other minifigure characters from the early 2000s era like the Adventurers or Rocket Racer, in your collection, do you? I remember seeing ones of them in LegoLand back in the day, and sometimes wonder just what happened to them once they were removed from the park...
@ThatBionicleGuy said:
"On the subject of models that were too modern for this article, I don't suppose you have any of the large-scale builds of Bionicle figures, or other minifigure characters from the early 2000s era like the Adventurers or Rocket Racer, in your collection, do you? I remember seeing ones of them in LegoLand back in the day, and sometimes wonder just what happened to them once they were removed from the park..."
Displays from inside the parks are probably incredibly rare, I imagine like most entertainment franchises they have employees destroy the property after it is done being used...
What we're primarily seeing here are displays from independent shops that eventually sold off these displays when they were phased out years later or when the shop closes.
In the photo archive of my late father I found a photograph made in 1991 from the clown from the first point of this article. It was standing outside on the main shopping street of my hometown Oud-Beijerland in The Netherlands during queensday (our national celebration) . On the photograph it is standing next to different clown figure, so there where at least two of them. On the photo I see that the white border around the LEGO logo is not there, but it shows a smaller black border. Sadly I can't show the photograph here.
Unfortunately, I have no knowledge to offer, but I just wanted to mention how much I enjoyed this article and seeing all these cool vintage models. The old blockiness is so charming. I can't help but wonder how they'd look today if recreated using the many, many new pieces and advanced techniques introduced since then.
I suppose any model can be sat on if you're brave enough - but in fairness, I don't think I'll ever be brave enough to sit on that clown.
I like the spider around the speaker in the bike
@FlagsNZ
The clown is 100% system, but the sign is Duplo.
How old is Vader? I had a look at the helmet. According to Rebrickable, part 6091 was introduced in 1992, 61409 “cheese grater” slope was 2008, and if 2x2 downward bracket pieces were used, they came out in 2002.
Edit: I see I was beaten to it on the slope parts!
Here’s Brickset’s entry for the dragon:
https://brickset.com/sets/4260547-1/Dragon
I love that Darth Vader, what a cool thing that would be to have!
@ThatBionicleGuy said:
"If that Vader is a vintage model, like everything else in the article, then the head can't be built quite right because the grille slopes up by his nose area would be anachronistic: that part design, according to Bricklink, wasn't introduced until 2008! Best guess, that part would have just been built with stacked plates to match the rest of his rather blocky aesthetic."
Or maybe parts 3044 or 3048
Did the windmill not turn? Some of the other models had motorized functions, but you don't mention any such thing about the windmill. Also, I like that Primo coat rack.
I worked the next town over from Billund, and someone had in the lab a large blue wizard, that could have been one of these models:
https://1drv.ms/i/c/4d2e106991a548e7/IQBKbUCcUQowTrKBIrSr_58lAaoyuw2IzLGp929u1--ZdvM?e=EV9rJa