MEGATech Showcase: Dog Days of LEGO Beth Snyder July 21, 2013 Features OK, that was a bit of a stretch, as the dog days of summer aren’t technically until August. But we’re more than halfway through July, so whatever. Anyway, it’s time once again for a vast collection of nifty or quirky or just plain neat creations made from LEGO. Some of them are kits you can buy, a lot of them come from the creative minds of LEGO craftsmen, but one thing they have in common is they are all born from a love of LEGO. Shall we? First up is a kit you can purchase! This 756 piece set is the Pirate Ship Ambush, from Lord of the Rings. It comes with a ridiculous number of weapons and other accessories, and measures 13? (35cm) high, 23? (60cm) long and 5? (14cm) wide. The catapult measures 1? (5cm) high, 3? (8cm) long and 2? (6cm) wide. Oh, and the Army of the Dead glows in the dark (as they should, really). If you want this one for your collection, you’ll have to shell out about $100.00 US. Source: 7 Gadgets This one you can also buy, believe it or not. It’s an enormous Tower of Orthanc (also from LOTR, in case you didn’t know), and it was designed by three LEGO creators working together to create awesomeness. I’m not kidding about it being enormous…it has 2,359 pieces, and stands 28 inches tall. It’s got so many intricate little features and accessories I’d be here all day listing them, but suffice it to say you can easily re-create your favourite bits from the movie, including the Ents. I’m guessing you won’t be surprised to find that this one is not cheap…$200.00 US will put one in your hot little hands. Source: Nerd Approved While I’m on a movie theme…how about a theatre? This is the LEGO Creator Palace Cinema, and it packs a whopping 2,196 pieces. Up to six minifigs at a time can enjoy a movie on its big screen in reclining seats, and there’s a ticket booth and concession stand. The structure measures 15″ high, 10″ wide and 10″ deep, while the limousine out front measures 16″ high, 59″ long and 19″ wide (wait…that can’t be right, can it? But that’s what it says.). You wouldn’t want your minifigs to have to walk to the theatre, would you? I didn’t think so. This is another $200.00 US kit, but considering all the stuff you get with it, it’s totally worth it. Source: 7 Gadgets Continuing with movies…look what was just unveiled at Comic-Con! This is one of those projects that got submitted to LEGO CUUSOO, and became reality. Of course, what you’re looking at is the Back to the Future Time Machine set, and if you’re a child of the 80s, you need one. Heck, you need one even if you’re not, because not only do you get a really cool LEGO set, but royalties on each one will be donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Also…it’s got a Flux Capacitor. I love that. These will be available starting August 1st for $34.99 US. Source: Gadget Review Han Solo’s face made out of LEGO. I honestly don’t know what more to say about that, because it’s fabulous. It was made from 20,000 single LEGO bricks, put together to make a 3-foot-square pixellated portrait of everyone’s favourite smuggler. I am amazed. This debuted at the Sydney Brick Show, and I really wish I could tell you who its creator was. But I can’t, I’m sorry. Whoever it is, I’d love to buy them a beer or three. Source: Nerd Approved Love Game of Thrones? Want minifigs? Turns out you can, albeit in limited edition custom pieces. The Throne of Bricks figures in series 1 include: The Imp, Underfoot, Warden of the North, The Bastard, and Mother of Dragons (along with a pet dragon). They are not official LEGO products, but they are created using 100% genuine LEGO parts. Which means someone somewhere is skating a very thin line. But hey…they’re neat! And they’re being called Series 1, which could very well mean there will be more characters later. You never know. The set is going to cost you $70.00 US. Source: Geek Alerts This could be fun in the pool! It’s a LEGO Coast Guard Patrol, and it even has two water cannons. I have no idea if it shoots water, but the cutter and dinghy really do float. It also has a submarine, which deploys with a rotating propeller, and a bunch more stuff. This kit contains 449 pieces, and can be yours for about $90.00 US. Source: 7 Gadgets It’s been said since the dawn of LEGO that what you make is limited only by your imagination. Well, Siercon & Coral decided to make a giant piece of sushi roll for a competition on Flickr. The seaweed portion is actually blacktron baseplates, but the rice is loose white LEGO bricks and the other ingredients are made of Bionicle Tridax Pod Halves. I just think it’s neat. Source: Gizmodiva I hate having to carry a purse. In the summer it’s necessary, though, since I don’t have nearly as many pockets. This, however, this I could carry and be happy about it. I mean…a purse made of LEGO? Why didn’t I think of that? Agnieszka Biernacka creates these by first sewing the bricks together into a clutch purse, then lining the entire thing with satin. This makes the bricks flexible, but pretty impossible to come apart. To close the purse, you snap two LEGO pieces together. Pricing starts at $180.00 US, but I still want one. Source: Technabob Hero Factory Jet Rocka! Yeah, OK, I admit it. I have no earthly idea. But it’s still LEGO, and you can even buy it! This will be available August 1 and contains 290 pieces, including a detachable jetpack, and stands over 9 inches tall. But wait, there’s more! You also get a code worth 3,000 game points for LEGO” Hero Factory Brain Attack mobile app and online game. There, now aren’t you excited? Pick one up for around $50.00 US. Source: 7 Gadgets I would like to think that if something happened where I for whatever reason lost a leg, I would still be able to keep my sense of humour. Christina Stephens aka AmputeeOT, however, holds that crown and I can’t see anyone taking it. She made herself a prosthetic leg out of LEGO bricks, and I love her for it. The best part is, it not only looks cool, but it actually supports her weight and she can walk while wearing it. I’m just floored. Source: Gizmodiva It’s very, very wrong of me to follow up the LEGO prosthetic leg with a LEGO creepy-crawly walking monster, but I’m gonna do it anyway. I’m like that. This one comes from the mind of Jason Allemann, inspired by Theo Jansens series of kinetic Strandbeests. This is not only made of LEGO bricks, but includes a power system that can be controlled remotely so the creature will walk across the floor. Imagine the fun you could have with your dog or cat…or your little sister! If you want to build one, Allemann has posted instructions. They’re a little beyond me, but maybe you can figure them out. Source: Nerd Approved From walking to towing, LEGO can do it all. LEGO expert Bricksonwheels built this incredibly detailed, amazingly realistic LEGO Peterbilt tow truck because he could. Its based on a real-world Peterbilt 379 truck, fitted with Miller Industries massive Rotator towing crane attachment. I cannot get over the attention to detail. Source: Technabob Why do I not already own this? I carry my lunch to work on a regular basis, so of course I own lunch bags, but this…this is wonderful. It’s made of plastic-polypropylene, and is PVC free and food safe. There are smaller LEGO containers that fit inside the larger one to divide the various elements of your lunch. We can all take one home for around $15.00 US, but we’ll have to shell out an additional $15.00 US for the water bottle, which is not included. That’s OK with me. Source: 7 Gadgets This is really neat looking, but can you even imagine trying to wear it?? I would last maybe ten minutes. Japanese designer Hosokai Rie created this wedding dress out of LEGO bricks for Tokyos Piece of Peace charity, and it is modeled after her more traditional wedding dresses made of fabric. At first glance, it seems pretty simple, but the more I look at it the more impressed I become. And also the more convinced that there is no way anyone would ever actually wear this thing. I think that isn’t a real model, but rather one of those really lifelike robots. Source: Gizmodiva Can’t afford a 3D printer? Why not build one out of LEGO? Matthew Krueger (known as Mastermind), created the Legobot based on the first Makerbot Replicator. He admits it’s really more of a prototype than a finished product, because while it does print, it doesn’t print well. But hey…the fact that it works at all is pretty amazing to me. A LEGO Mindstorms NXT brick drives the printer, and other than that and the power supplies, the entire thing is made of regular LEGO bricks. Source: Walyou While we’re on a science-type kick, how about a LEGO microsope? Merriam created this one, and it has a magnifying glass and working focus knobs. Nothing more high tech than that, though, but whatever. According to him, I used a planetary gear system to allow both coarse and fine adjustment of the objective ‘lens.’ A little more tinkering and I connected the focus to a magnifying glass and fiber optic light in the eyepiece, so adjusting the focus knobs would actually bring the writing on a LEGO stud in and out of focus. Source: Technabob Minecraft and LEGO pretty much go together better than bread and butter, don’t they? LEGO unveiled two new Minecraft kits at San Diego Comic-Con 2013, because the first set (which came to life through CUUSOO) was so very popular. The Village will include Pig, Villager, and Zombie, while The Nether will have one Zombie Pigman and a double dose of Ghasts. Both will be available September 1 for a price of $34.99 US. Source: Slashgear Here’s another one for my list of places I simply must visit before I die. Of course, this is going to require a trip to Malaysia, but that’s a detail I’ll work out later. Legoland Malaysia is opening the world’s biggest LEGO water park, and it’s going to contain more than 50 million bricks. Wow. Just wow. It’s going to have 70 display models and 40 rides, shows and attractions. And of course there will be a Legoland hotel next to it for easy trip planning. I wanted to go to the Legoland Hotel in California, but this blows that one out of the water. Pun intended. Source: Gizmodo Share This With The World!
