THOUSANDS descended on Swindon this weekend causing standstill traffic as the much-anticipated Great Western Brick Show returned.

There were reports of two hour queues as people followed the Lego brick road to see all the masterpieces created out of tiny plastic bricks.

Around 5,000 attended on Saturday and even before the doors opened at 10am on Sunday hundreds were queuing outside.

But it was worth the wait as inside STEAM Museum were some astonishing models being exhibited; lovingly crafted for hours, months and even years on end by enthusiasts from around the world.

A massive Red Dwarf spacecraft, which took Stephen Deaville, 38, and Stephanie Cotter, 39, 160 hours to make, was one of the stand-out pieces.

“We reckon we used 5,000 pieces of Lego but I think that is a very conservative estimate,” said publisher Stephanie, from Hatfield in Hertfordshire.

“This is our first off-the-cuff creation, it’s totally our own. When you build it, you build it because you want to make the models, so it is a real surprise when you come here and see how well people react - it’s one of the best things.”

A Flying Scotsman billowing steam, made by Bright Bricks, also proved popular, as did the Empire State Building by Warren and Teresa Elsmore, and the model of Star Trek’s Captain Kirk.

But transporting the extraordinary art does come with its issues. One exhibitor’s model of a cathedral came tumbling down in transit and did not make it to the show in one piece.

Meanwhile many were taking pictures of the huge haunted fairground, complete with a moving roller-coaster.

It was the brainchild of Mike Grieve, 40, from Reading and his daughters Chloe, eight, and Holly, four, who go by the name of 3 Brick Friends.

Mike, who has a room in his house devoted to Lego building, went to extraordinary lengths to complete the fairground, focusing on the tiny details from a hot dog van to a hook a dead fish game, coconut shy, ferris wheel and circus tent full of skeletons.

“Since the show last year we have been working on it in our spare time,” said Mike.

“Everyone is doing trains and nice stuff so we thought we would do something grottier and Hallowe'en-ish.”

Even when Mike is working as a document editor for an IT company he sometimes makes notes and draws sketches in the back of his book with inspiration for future models. He plans to extend the fairground for next year’s show with more rides and LED lights.

And he added: “It is an expensive hobby. The next problem is what I do with the model after. It’s very big and I am going to have to work something out in the shed.”

A million pieces of Lego were used to build Brick to the Past’s scene of a Viking invasion of Saxon Britain in 793. Children and adults gathered in awe around it.

The group – James Clinch, Dan Harris, Tim Goddard, James Pegrum, Simon Pickard and Steve Snasdell – are planning to dismantle the 16-metre model to make something even bigger next year, but they are keeping tight-lipped over what it will be.

They also admitted they can’t imagine a time where they will stop building with Lego.

Elsewhere Martin Long, president of the Brickish Association, which organises the show, was busy making sure the event went smoothly.

The 46-year-old got his first Lego set when he was aged three and the rest they say is history.

“We are all massive Lego fans here,” said the IT project manager, who is a father-of-two from Faringdon.

“This show in Swindon is probably our favourite for several reasons – it’s our longest running event as we are now in our 14th year, and it’s just an amazing place.

“The show itself is not that big but what we have is the best of the best builders, plus people from Europe that want to come here.”

Youngsters enjoyed making their own models and getting tips and advice before contributing to the giant Lego mosaic celebrating Swindon 175.

Meanwhile Aleksander Stein, 29, an architect, flew from Norway to exhibit his military vehicles.

He had on show a Volvo wolfhound AMPV to a Sepecat Jaguar ground attack aircraft, originally used by the British Royal Air Force and French Air Force.

“It does take a fair bit of research,” he said. “And when I’m building there is a fair bit of trial and error as well which is why for more complex pieces I build a prototype."

Youngster Milo, five, from North Swindon was very impressed with what he saw.

He said: "I wish I could make big things like this."