1. A Star Wars X-wingThe world record holder for the largest Lego model goes to the builders behind this recently unveiled scale model of the dogfighting spaceship from Star Wars. The LEGO Model Shop in Kladno, Czech Republic, took more than 17,000 man hours and 32 builders to put together this massive model. It consists of more than 5 million bricks and weighs approximately 23 tons. 2. A mecha robotThe X-wing project took the record away from the LEGO Store in Minnesota's Mall of America. There, a massive "mecha robot" called the "Herobot 9000" consists of more than 2.8 million LEGO bricks, and towers over customers at a height of more than 34 feet. 3. A two-story houseTop Gear host and toy enthusiast James May took on a series of insane toy challenges for a BBC special. That included building a livable, two-story house entirely from LEGO bricks. The final structure consisted of 3.2 million bricks, and wasn't just a giant box with LEGO walls. May's team also put together an entire set of LEGO furniture, furnishings, housewares, and even bathroom fixtures — including a working shower and toilet.
Sadly, the house was eventually demolished. 4. A 2004 Volvo XC60The folks at the model shop of California's Legoland amusement park decided to use their uncanny building powers to pull off one of the most impressive office pranks you'll see in your lifetime. General manager Peter Ronchetti discovered that his car had been towed out of his usual parking space and replaced with a perfect LEGO replica. It was made with exactly 201,076 bricks and weighed more than a ton. Sadly, it wasn't a working model, so Ronchetti probably had to bum a ride from someone in the office. 5. A harpsichordPiano enthusiast and LEGO sculptor Henry Lim combined his two greatest passions to create a working LEGO harpsichord that plays real music. The 150-pound LEGO instrument took two years to design and build, and consists of more than 100,000 bricks. It can play a range of 61 notes with five octaves on a single manual keyboard. (Watch a video here) 6. A jet engineRolls-Royce turned to LEGO to make a replica of its Trent 1000 turbofan engine — the same one found in Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.
The model wasn't just built to look like Rolls-Royce's engine. The 150,000-plus brick model also contained several moving parts that replicated the engine's movements and functions. Of course, it was purely for show, since the LEGO version wasn't strong enough to keep a plane in the air. 7. A Nintendo controllerThanks to some innovative builders, you can actually buy a giant working replica of the Nintendo Entertainment System controller. Baron von Brunk decided to build his own five-foot-wide controller from LEGOs. He constructed the controller's housing, components, and buttons entirely from the toy bricks and wired them to a USB plug that could play NES games on a computer emulator.Lego Artist Nathan Sawaya-one of the only six certified Lego professionals in the world, three in the US-will do a full-size scale Lego replica of yourself for $60,000. You just have to order it from Neiman Marcus, send some photographs, and Nathan will build your natural-size 8-bit version. Given his rates, that amount is quite reasonable and, coincidentally, our remaining budget for the rest of the year.
Now I just have to come with an excuse to order one of myself and get another $60,000 to buy one of Uma Thurman. Update: Nathan came to us with some specifics about this work. Jesús Díaz: On average, how many pieces would it take to do one of these? Nathan Sawaya: I don't keep track of how many pieces I use in a sculpture because it would get a bit tedious. But I am guessing around 15,000-25,000 individual bricks. JD: As you are an sculptor, you work straight from reality, no digitizing process needed. How many photos do you need to do your work? NS: Ideally, I would like 16 photos: Eight full body photos from 360 degrees, and eight of the face and head from 360 degrees. JD: Have you done one of these already? NS: I did myself, does that count? Seriously, the only other full body adult that I have done so far happens to be Stephen Colbert. Acclaimed artist Nathan Sawaya is obsessed with LEGO® bricks. Uh, trust us, he is. He fills his New York studio with more than 1.5 million of the interlocking toy building blocks, and he can sculpt anything out of them - a full-size Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton or a 7-foot-long scale replica of the Brooklyn Bridge, for example.
Given the skill and depth of his devotion to his art, it makes perfect sense to immortalize your own magnificent self with our 2008 His & Hers gifts. Send in detailed photos and measurements, then Nathan gets to snapping and BOOM! One-of-a-kind, life-size sculptures of yourselves in LEGO bricks. We priced our exclusive gift individually, so Nathan can "brickalize" you and the S.O., the kids, Granny and/or anyone else you obsess about. (Just make sure you have the rights to their likenesses; we're not here to judge.) And by the way, if you don't have $60,000, then you should consider entering our Go Miniman Go Lego contest. The vintage shrink-wrapped Lego sets will get you a nice chunk of that money in eBay. But hurry up because the end of the month deadline is quickly approaching. If you want to participate, check the contest rules here and send your video now. It could be the biggest bargain on the property market: a two-storey house that’s being given away for nothing. The only drawback is that this des res is made entirely out of Lego – and you’ll have to find somewhere to put it.
Top Gear presenter James May has just built the world’s first full-size Lego house – including a working toilet, hot shower and a very uncomfortable bed – using 3.3million plastic bricks. Toy storeys: James May and 1,000 helpers built the 20ft-tall Lego house on a wine estate in Surrey Stripe me: A close up of the fully functional house, which was built using 3.3million differently coloured bricks About 1,000 volunteers built the 20ft-tall house in Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking, Surrey – but now the vineyard needs the land back toIf no one collects it by 8am on Tuesday, it will be hacked to bits with chainsaws. May says Legoland reneged on a deal to take it to their theme park in Windsor, Berkshire, after deciding it would be too expensive to move. Meanwhile, miffed Legoland managers criticised May for building the house without their help.May said: ‘I’m very unhappy about it. I feel as if I’m having my arm twisted into saying “knock it down”.
Blocked sink: The bathroom with a working taps and basin made from Lego Cosy: James in the bedroom - and you'll never guess what he made the bed, pillows and slippers from! Purrfect: The home even comes with its own cat ‘Legoland only told us on Thursday they were not going to take it. Block head: The TV presenter built the house for his forthcoming BBC show, James May Toy Stories 'Knocking it down is just wrong on every level. really lovely thing – it would break the hearts of the 1,000 people who worked like dogs to build it.’ May believes that an art gallery, a children’s home or a wealthy private collector might be interested in the house. entrepreneurs hoping to make money from it would face legal problems as Legoland has an exclusive licence to use the plastic bricks as a public Lego has also banned May from dismantling the structure and giving away the bricks, which the company donated for his forthcoming BBC show
James May’s Toy Stories. ‘It would dilute Lego’s sales – we can only give them to charity,’ May said. May slept in the house on Friday night, on ‘the most uncomfortable bed I’ve ever slept in’ – when he also discovered the house was not waterproof. Martin Williams, marketing director of Legoland Windsor, said: ‘We’re disappointed we were not consulted as our model-makers could have advised on building a movable structure. ‘In our opinion, the only way to move the Lego house now is to cut into it, which would compromise the structural integrity and present us with Plastic fantastic: James in the multi-coloured hallway Building blocks: James even used Lego to make kitchen utensils, including a toaster, whisk, bread bin and iron Daily Block: The home, which is unwanted by Legoland, also includes reading material 'We considered all the options but due to timings, logistics and planning permission, we have decided it would