We're sorry, but we could not fulfill your request for /2016/11/20/lego-shophome-vip-exclusive-offers-this-weekend/ on this server. An invalid request was received from your browser. This may be caused by a malfunctioning proxy server or browser privacy software. Your technical support key is: 36b3-f950-1756-6707 You can use this key to fix this problem yourself. and be sure to provide the technical support key shown above. /2016/11/24/lego-shophome-brick-friday-deals/ on this server. Your technical support key is: 36fb-5376-1756-6707 Chicago's skyline to be sold in Lego set Chicago's towering skyline is shrinking — to just four buildings. The city's iconic landmarks, which provide the sprawling backdrop for major city events, including the Taste of Chicago and Lollapalooza, can soon be built in miniature using Lego bricks.Lego will introduce a 444-piece Chicago skyline set for $39.99 as part of its Lego Architecture Skyline series. The Chicago set will feature building blocks for four skyscrapers: Willis Tower, the John Hancock Center, the red CNA tower and the white Wrigley Building.
It also features the Michigan Avenue Bridge and Millennium Park's Cloud Gate, commonly referred to as the Bean, according to a news release. The new set will be available on Dec. 11 in three Chicago-area stores: the Chicago Architecture Foundation retail shop at 224 S. Michigan Ave., the Lego store at Water Tower Place at 835 N. Michigan Ave., and the Legoland Discovery Center near Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg. It will be available online and in stores nationwide in January.Chicago joins other cities in the skyline series — including Berlin, Venice and New York, which features the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, One World Trade Center and the Flatiron Building. Additionally, individual landmarks are sold separately, including the White House, Eiffel Tower and Buckingham Palace. Chicago-area native and architect Adam Reed Tucker, a Lego certified professional, first created the Lego Architecture line in 2008 with the Lego Group, but the line is now designed out of Denmark, a spokesman for Lego said.
His most recent, of San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner, was unveiled July 30 at the the Giants' stadium, where it's now installed as a permanent fixture. Roe gave Tech Insider an exclusive look at what it takes to build massive sculptures of people. Keep scrolling to step inside the Model Shop at Lego's US headquarters. Lego's US Model Shop is located next to its headquarters in Enfield, Connecticut. Approximately 10 people work on the floor every day of the week. When you walk in, there's a "graveyard" of abandoned heads from previous sculptures. Builders at Lego's Model Shop create all kinds of life-size sculptures to promote events and film premieres. Here's the Wonder Woman that Roe designed and built for the 2017 movie. Builders choose their bricks from massive storage containers in a room called "the cage." Each Builder gets a designated brick caddy to put Legos in and bring back to their desk. The bricks are organized by color, size, and shape — there are round parabolas for eyes and half studs (the smallest Lego brick that exists) for subtle details.
A typical life-size sculpture takes between 20,000 to 50,000 blocks, Roe says. Before Roe starts to build a sculpture, he collects dozens of images online to design it. He then maps out the sculpture using Lego's proprietary software program, Brick Builder, as well as the design program Maya — the same one that Pixar uses for animation. Roe's team collects real-life measurements, like a person's in-seam and wingspan, to create the model. Once the design is finalized (which takes about 60 hours), the Brick Builder program tells the builders exactly which blocks to use layer-by-layer. Roe studied art in college and thinks of Lego blocks as different paints when he designs. "It's not as easy as picking up a paintbrush," he says. For large-scale projects, Roe builds layer-by-layer on a platform that can be raised using a hand crank. First, a steel bar is installed to give the sculptures support so that they don't topple over. Roe and his team use a special glue that melts the plastic to bind blocks together.
It's harmless to touch. The greatest amount of detail goes into the sculpture's mouth and eyes, Roe says. For every person, he builds two heads to get it just right. "I learned a lot from the first iteration," he says of Bumgarner's Lego head. Roe, who builds hundreds of sculptures every year, classifies his style as more simple than other Master Builders. "I like to work with silhouettes of form," he says. The team builds around the steel rods, which give a sculpture strength. Roe says he makes the sculptures as hollow as possible, so they're not so heavy. Bumgarner, for example, will only weigh about 120 pounds when complete, which will save on shipping costs to California. For Bumgarner's jersey, Roe used primarily white blocks. For the number 40, he glued plated Legos, which are three times longer than the standard block. He placed black and orange bricks to spell out the team's name. Roe has three assistant builders to help him, and he considers them family.
"We learn from each other," he says. Every so often, the team pulls down a special vent that's built into the ceiling to help dry the glue. Bumgarner's model took nearly three weeks of around-the-clock work to finish. It was one of the most complex life-size sculptures that Roe has ever made. In most models of people, like the Captain America one below, the sculptors usually position them standing in heroic poses. That makes the sculpture easier to support with rods. Bumgarner is now the second life-size model that Lego has created for the Giants. Last year, Roe created a sculpture of catcher Buster Posey. Roe will be there to unveil the sculpture at the Giants' stadium, where the actual Bumgarner (and thousands of people in the stands) will see it for the first time. Roe says he hopes the real Bumgarner likes it. Get the Slide Deck from Henry Blodget's IGNITION Presentation on the Future of Digital Read Business Insider On The Go Available on iOS or Android