Please confirm you are not a robot by checking the box.Mind the gap … between all 637,903 Lego bricks used to make this life-size Tube carriage. It is on display at the world’s largest Lego store, which opened today in Leicester Square. The London flagship has been two years in development and also features models of a dragon, the Elizabeth Tower and Big Ben and a Royal Mail postbox. The creations on display are made from 1.7 million bricks and together weigh five tonnes. More than a third of those bricks went into the London Underground carriage, created in partnership with Transport for London. It took 4,000 hours to make and features an unusual passenger — a model of Shakespeare. Dylan Collie, 12, was given a sneak preview of the store and said: “There is so much to do. It was bigger than I expected and sitting on the Tube carriage makes it feel like the whole world has turned into Lego.” The 914 sq m store also has a 1:15 scale model of the Elizabeth Tower and Big Ben, which is 6.5m tall and weighs 1,035 kilograms.
It took six model builders nearly 3,000 hours to create from 344,030 bricks, features a working clock and chimes with the sound of Big Ben. There are also models of a telephone box, the Leicester Square Tube roundel and an Underground map. Attractions include the world’s first Lego Mosaic Maker, which allows shoppers to buy a personalised Lego mosaic portrait. The machine captures the portrait before producing instructions and the bricks required to complete the image. There are also play tables where children can sit and build. John Goodwin, executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Lego Group, said: “We want to inspire and develop children through creative play experiences — and this store is all about that.”I love deciding which sets I am interested in, I like reading and researching it, building it, playing with it and then making something else from it. I play with it for hours. With the world's biggest LEGO store opening its doors in Leicester Square I took my love of LEGO one step further and actually became a LEGO masterpiece
Among the 1.7 million bricks used to build the vast models in the store there is a booth that turns people into 4,502 pieces of LEGO. The Mosaic Maker is a world exclusive to the London store which scans the face like in a passport photo booth, and then converts the image into a LEGO pixels. I am now officially a LEGO set. For me it was the highlight of my visit to the store, which began by walking through the Victorian tube station 'iron gate' made out of tens of thousands of black bricks. After just a few minutes taking it all in I realised the shop had been made just for me... and the millions of other LEGO enthusiasts. The flagship store is made up of two floors with jaw-dropping replica models which took 10,000 hours to create. The centrepiece is a beautifully intricate, two-storey chiming Big Ben with a working clock face. The hourly chimes were the only clue to how long I had been in there. Brickley the dragon, complete with iconic London accessories of a bowler hat and black umbrella, is also coiled ready to welcome visitors.
As I sat in between life-size models of William Shakespeare and a Queen's Guard, and just a few inches away from Her Majesty the Queen, I thought there couldn't be anything more English. The walls of the store are lined with sets to buy, from Architecture, Star Wars, Ninjago, Nexo Knights, Friends, LEGO City and to the cars and buildings of the Creator series. It is an experience where you can play at the activity station, although you might be rudely interrupted by an insistent remote control R2-D2. There is also the pick-a-brick wall- the master build station where you can add your own flair to London landscapes but get help to build an original design. It is the subtle yet stunning details that make LEGO so appealing to all ages and all levels of ability, from the stunning 3D landscape that cascades on the stairwell , to the "Mind the Gap" tube station platform for people waiting to get in the lift, complete with dirt, litter and a tiny spider. The store will be a must-see for Lego enthusiasts of every age, as well as tourists from all around the world descending on the capital.
Find the store at 3 Swiss Court, W1D Follow Lizzie Edmonds on Twitter @LizzieEdmo For any enquiries, please use the contact details below or view our FAQs Online EnquiriesMonday to Saturday: 9:00am - 9:00pmSunday: 11:00am - 6:00pm UK Landline: 0333 300 1000International/Mobile: +44 (0)20 3626 7020 In-store EnquiriesMon - Sat: 9:45am - 9:00pm Sun: 11:30am - 6:00pmT: +44 (0)20 7730 1234 Monday to Saturday: 10:00am - 9:00pmSunday: 11:30am* - 6:00pm *Browsing only between 11:30am and 12 noon , sign up below Submit your enquiry using the boxes below and add items to your favourites by clicking on the heart icon. My recently added itemsCome join the fairground fun at the LEGO® Friends Amusement Park Tour which brings the LEGO Friends Amusement Park sets to life across the UK this summer! This summer The LEGO® Friends Amusement Park tour is visiting LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort, selected Smyths Toys stores and Bluewater shopping centre, inviting families along to join in the fairgroundfun to celebrate the launch of The LEGO® Friends Amusement Park ranges!
This exhilarating tour recreates the Heartlake City vibe where the LEGO® Friends request that you ‘scream if you wana go faster’. Grab your LEGO® brick plate entry ticket at the LEGO® filled turnstile and head in. You can build whatever your imagination desires at the bumper car brick pits, play the slam dunk game, meet Nate the Hot Dog Guy and capture all the action at the photo stand. When the excitement is over, all visitors will leave with a free goodie bag*. *Visitors at LEGOLAND Windsor Resort will receive a free LEGO® Friends poster The free family event will be taking place on the below dates: 10th June - 11.00am – 17.00pm 11th June - 11.00am – 18.00pm Smyths Toys Store, Leeds Crown Point 25th June – 9.00am – 18.00pm 26th June – 10:30am – 16:30pm Smyths Toys Store, Speke 2nd July – 9.00am – 18:00pm 3rd July – 11.00am – 17.00pm Smyths Toys Store, Wallsend 9th July – 9.00am – 18.00pm 10th July – 11.00am – 17.00pm
Smyths Toys Store, Hull 16th July – 9.00am – 18.00pm 17th July - 10:30am – 16:30pm Smyths Toys Store, Slough 23rd July – 9.00am – 18.00pm 24th July – 11.00am – 17.00pm 26th August – 11.00am – 18.00pm 27th August – 9.00am – 17.00pm 28th August – 10.00am – 16.00pm 29th August – 10.00am – 16.00pm Everyone is welcome to join in the fun, but those aged 4-12 will enjoy it the most (along with grown-ups of course!). We kindly request that all children under the age of 16 are supervised by an adult at all times. There will be staff on hand at the experience, but all children under 16 years old must be accompanied by an adult at all times. The LEGO® Group accepts no responsibility for visitor supervision or visitors’ possessions at The LEGO® Friends Amusement Park events. You’ll find The LEGO® Friends Amusement park at LEGOLAND® Windsor in the entrance circle of the park. Selected Smyths Toys stores - please ask a member of Smyths Toys staff on the day if you need helplocating it.