Could there be a better place to exhibit LEGO than at the biggest gathering of comic book, fantasy and sci-fi fans in Africa? zaLUG was privileged to again be invited to exhibit at Comic Con Africa from 22 to 25 September 2023.

Hosted at the Johannesburg Expo Centre (Nasrec) once more, this epic event has grown bigger and bigger each year and zaLUG has been a part of it since the very beginning! As in previous years, we were located at the heart of the action, right next to the main stage, which meant we got to experience all the great guests and the wildest cosplay competitions from right up close.

20 zaLUG members displayed a range of MOCs and set builds across 16 tables with a strong focus on the themes of fantasy, Harry Potter, Marvel, DC and, of course, Star Wars.

Alongside a prominent Harry Potter display, DC’s Batman was very well-represented with, among others, the Batwing and 1989 Batmobile and mosaic portraits of the Heath Ledger Joker, Michelle Pfeiffer Catwoman, Margot Robbie Harley Quinn and Batman himself — all of which were MOCs.

Our sci-fi special interest group (SIG) once again did us proud with their collaborative Tatooine display which extended across five tables. With support from the zaLUG train SIG, this time Tatooine included a Stars Wars-themed train which ran along a track in front of the desert-like landscape, garnering much attention — especially from younger visitors. Tatooine also featured many Easter eggs which, fortunately, not even the most rabid of Star Wars fans took exception to. These included a hidden Batcave, a Star Trek Borg cube, a Wizard of Oz portal and the Spanish inquisition, among many others. These proved a huge hit with visitors with a keen eye for detail.

But, at an event where the star guest was Anthony Daniels (C3PO) from the original Star Wars trilogy, the definite highlight of the display was a custom-built C3PO which caught the attention of the man himself on the first day. A very good-natured Daniels even posed for his photo with the build and later signed it, sending our zaLUG nerds into a collective frenzy of excitement. Total fan moment!

With a huge and wonderfully diverse audience popping by to view the builds, zaLUG had another truly memorable experience at Comic Con Africa, even meeting a cosplayer who turned up as a LEGO minifig.

We’d like to say a big thank you to the event organisers for inviting us back and we hope we get to visit again next year!