MEGATech Showcase: Can There Be Too Much LEGO? Beth Snyder June 1, 2013 Features I know, I know…that’s pretty much blasphemy. There is no such thing as too much LEGO! But I’ve been cruising around the internet for apparently longer than I thought, bookmarking various LEGO creations as I run across them, and just now I looked in the folder. There is an ungodly number of bookmarks in there. Which, if you’re as obsessed with LEGO as I am, will make this a very fun and interesting post, so I guess it’s not actually a bad thing. I just had no idea it had gotten that far out of hand. As I’ve said a number of times before, what can be created from LEGO bricks is limited only by your imagination and engineering skills. Off we go! Up first is R2-Pi, which is an oddly-coloured R2-D2 figure made from 2,000 bricks. This one was created by Matt Armstrong specifically for LegoLand Star Wars Days, and it’s pretty darn fabulous. He made it using the directions from kit #10225, but using bricks from his own personal collection and customizing it somewhat (and it only took him four days!). You could probably figure out how to make one for yourself if you want one for your very own. Source: Damn Geeky Meet Neon Genesis Evangelion. This is a four-foot-tall, 20-pound, fully articulated sculpture by Moko. I have to admit I have no earthly idea what character (I assume it’s a character) this is built to resemble, but it’s pretty darn neat. You even have to look pretty closely at the pictures to tell it’s made from LEGO bricks. Of course, it goes without saying that this isn’t a kit that can be bought. Source: Nerd Approved I can’t decide if this is really neat or kind of disturbing, but I’m leaning toward the former. You’re familiar with the Volkswagon bus, no? This one is also an AT-AT, and it’s made of LEGO. It comes from the mind of Craig Callum, and is again not a kit you can buy. I can’t stop looking at it…I mean, it’s an AT-AT VW bus, for heaven’s sake! Source: Oh Gizmo! When I was a kid, having a Polaroid camera was a really big deal. Only the really cool kids had one, while the rest of us had to wait for our film to be developed (sometimes for a week!). Of course, digital cameras have done away with all of that, but when I saw this creation by Chris McVeigh (aka Power Pig), I went back to my childhood. It’s smaller than the Polaroid Land Camera 1000 its modeled after, but it does have a LEGO picture that pops out of its front slot. I like it! Source: Gizmodo Who wouldn’t want an XBox 360 disc changer? Especially one made of LEGO? Well, me, really, since I don’t own at Xbox 360, but still. Zwenkka created this one out of an amazing array of LEGO products: three LEGO Mindstorms NXT micro-computers, seven NXT servos, an R/C motor and a light sensor for a total of about 3,000 pieces. It holds 32 discs, and is controlled by a mobile app. This seems like one of those things that would be neat to have, but ultimately impractical. But then who builds something out of LEGO to be practical? Source: Technabob When I first looked at this article, I was intrigued by the guitar. But then I was immediately captured by the Whack-a-Mole. Because, seriously…how are you really gonna play a decent game of Whack-a-Mole using a set made of LEGO? I have visions of it shattering all over the place. Anyway, these are LEGO Mindstorms EV3 kits, and they’ve designed the aforementioned guitar and game as well as a dinosaur. There are, of course, endless other possibilities. It makes me want to be a kid again. Source: Geeky Gadgets Now, this is neat! It’s a Swiss Army knife, made of LEGO! This one is brought to you by Robiwan_Kenobi, and uses Technic and Bionicle parts. The four included tools fold in and out, and they even mostly work. Which is pretty good, as it would never have occurred to me you might actually be able to screw or cut something using plastic LEGO pieces. He’s got this one up on LEGO Cuusoo, in case you want to see this one become a reality. Source: Gamn Geeky Sometimes there is a combination of things and I can’t help but think, “Why?” This is one of those times. I love R2-D2. I even love Cthulhu in a way. But together? I’m not convinced. There is a version without Cthulhu, which I like better. These are created by MonsterBrick, who shows off his creations on a regular basis at Legoland. What’s weird for me is the use of rainbow bricks doesn’t actually bother me, but instead I find it neat. Source: Nerd Approved I literally gigglesnorted. Daft Punk out of LEGO? Sign me up! Not that I’m much of a fan, but this is just silly and I love it. This one comes from Jake Meier (aka “autorazr“), and includes not just minifigs of the duo, but also their audio equipment. All out of LEGO. Still giggling, although the snorting has mostly tapered off. Source: Laughing Squid This is one of those things that just demands to be mine. I’m something of a cook, and I love LEGO, so when you combine the two into this fabulous hand mixer I simply cannot resist. You know what’s even better? It actually works! Now I definitely need one. Hippotam is the creator, and he’s dubbed this the Hippmikser 2000. I have got to find someone smarter than me who can make me one. Or someone with a bunch of money so this one can be mine. Source: Gizmodo More giggling, sans snorting (at least so far, anyway)! If you don’t recognize an alien facehugger when you see one, I don’t know what to tell you. But I’d bet having one made of LEGO would be a lot less disconcerting (and probably a whole lot less deadly) than a real one. This was created by AL13N163NA, and I love it. Source: Geekologie Our own Dylan Duarte did a post on this the other day, but it definitely deserves a place here as well. It’s a life-sized LEGO X-Wing replica, and it’s nothing short of amazing. It even set world records! A team of 32 people spent 17,000 hours with five million LEGO bricks, and what came out at the end was this 43-foot-long, 45,980-pound Rebel X-Wing fighter replica. It has broken the record for the largest LEGO model in the world. It’s currently in New York, so if you’re anywhere near there you really have no excuse good enough to not go see it. Source: MEGATechNews Speaking of records…look at this LEGO railway, which has been declared the longest plastic train set ever. Designed by Henrik Ludvigsen, this required 80 people and two days to build. It measures 4,000.25 m (13,124 ft) long, and comprises 93,307 pieces. The record-keepers at the Guinness Book of Records were on-hand to document its four-hour journey from start to finish, and declared it the winner. Source: Gizmag The trend in Steampunk has alternately baffled and amazed me. I’ve seen some pretty neat things, and I’ve seen some pretty awful things. This falls squarely in the former category, which is only to be expected. LEGO is releasing Steampunk sets this July, and they’ll include things like steam-engine cars, paddle boats, high-rise buildings and airships. No word on pricing, because no one cares. This is one of those “shut up and take my money” situations. Source: Nerd Approved Oh, Mortal Kombat…where would a whole generation of us be without you? And then there’s this. Sub-Zero performing a fatality. What makes it even better for me is that it’s not only Mortal Kombat, but it appeals to my love of cheesy horror films as well. I think it’s the puddle of blood that does it for me. This one comes from the wonderful mind of Chris Maddison, and is a custom build. Which is really too bad…I would totally buy this one. Source: Gadget Review Sometimes people think they’re too old for LEGO, because they’re toys. Those people really need to loosen up a little, and this looks like a good start. It’s still LEGO, but this minifig is made of sterling silver for the grownups. It even works with the regular plastic bricks, so you can sort of ease them into playing for real. Jonathan Brady came up with this one, although the sad part for me is that his Kickstarter campaign was cancelled early within a very short distance of its goal. Source: Technabob Here’s one you can actually purchase (you were beginning to wonder if I’d found any this time around, weren’t you?). Consisting of 2,359 pieces, this is the Tower of Orthanc from LOTR. This would make an excellent addition to either a LEGO collection or a LOTR collection. And the odds are pretty good you or someone you know is a collector of both. Because that’s how it works. This one is coming in July, with a price tag of a fairly hefty $200.00 US. Source: Geekologie Peter Jackson did a darn fine job in creating on the silver screen something within the ballpark of what I pictured in my head when reading about Helm’s Deep. But he’s got nothin’ on this LEGO creation by Goel Kim. This diorama contains 1,700 minifigs and 150,000 bricks, all set up to depict the start of the epic battle. Represented by those minifigs are 300 Helm’s Deep armored soldiers, 100 Rohan peasants with pitchforks, and 200 blond elves fighting for King Théoden, while on the other side there are 1,000 Uruk-hai orcs fighting for Saruman and Sauron. I am in awe. Source: Geeky Gadgets Here’s something you’re going to need if you want to create some of the cool stuff I’ve been showcasing: an encyclopedia listing the various minifigs available. This includes the characters from Series 1 through Series 10, and features more than 160 entries. It even comes with the pieces so you can build an exclusive Toy Soldier minifig, which is something you can’t get without the book. Pick one up for you or the LEGO lover in your life for right around $11.00 US. Source: Geek Alerts I’m honestly not sure how I feel about this. Obviously, I am aware that it’s possible to build pretty much anything under the sun (and a few things that aren’t) out of LEGO. But an entire book of realistic-looking guns? Just not sure. This book gives you the plans for building five different replica handguns out of LEGO. And I’m betting somewhere in there is a disclaimer that you should probably not walk around with one…it would be a horrible thing if someone were to mistake a LEGO gun for a real one. You can pick the book up for around $30.00 US. Source: The Gadgeteer Usually I don’t include videos, but I’m closing out this particular showcase with a series of videos I can’t stop watching. Because I can. Lord Voldemort…oh, sorry…You-Know-Who, goes shopping for a wand. And it’s captured on video in LEGO! This brilliant little video set at Ollivander’s in Diagon alley comes to us from BrotherhoodWorkshop, and features a surprise visit from Gandalf. I love this stuff. Source: Nerd Approved Stop-motion LEGO Iron Man 3 Trailer? You betcha! This one comes from the creative mind of Antonio Toscano, and it actually makes me want to see the movie more than the real trailer does. Source: Laughing Squid LEGO Breaking Bad the Video Game. Seriously. Well, not so seriously, as it’s a parody, but you know what I mean. Brian K Anderson created this one, and I kind of love him for it. Of course, if you haven’t seen the show, it won’t make sense. But I should warn you, if you intend to see the show, this might spoil some of it for you. Source: Walyou Finally, we have Casino Royale. Sure, the movie is almost a decade old, but this work by Duncan McConchie is pretty brilliant. He re-created the opening of the film in LEGO, taking several months to film it. If you love James Bond, and you love LEGO, you are required by law to watch this video at least once. You wouldn’t want to break the law, now would you? Source: Nerd Approved Share This With The World!
