If you can make two fully functioning air conditioning units out of Lego – what else can you make? The possibilities are truly endless from complete houses to board games and life-size models of celebrities.
As if building stuff out of Lego for a living wasn’t cool enough already, York-based artist Nathan Sawaya has really outdone himself with this fully-functioning air conditioning unit. Commissioned by an air conditioning manufacturer, this is quite literally the coolest thing we’ve ever seen made out of Lego. So impressive was his first effort, he was asked to do it all again by a competitor.
Now we were so fascinated when we saw this life-size replica of a Volvo SUV, we couldn’t resist finding out the back story. This bricked-up model was actually created as part of a prank at Legoland California, where staff replaced manager Peter Rochetti’s real car in the parking lot. As it turns out, there are several other similar Lego replicas out there somewhere – so Volvo drivers beware!
Possibly Top Gear presenter James May’s most ambitious project to date was a house made completely of Lego. Using 3.3 million plastic bricks and taking around 1,000 volunteers to help build it, this multi-coloured mansion featured a working toilet, sink and shower. Thumbs up for effort James! It’s just a shame no-one wanted to live in it. The two-storey house was knocked down shortly after being built because no-one wanted to buy it. Perhaps it was the Lego-brick mattress that put them off!
The creators of this fully-functional Lego pinball machine confidently declared that it is made almost completely of plastic bricks. Perhaps the most impressive thing about this creation is its bespoke Lego motors, sensors and control boards – which function using their own programming language. Makers Gerrit Bronsveld and Martijn Boogaarts were so keen for this machine to work properly, they even took into consideration the size and weight of the ball. Eventually they decided on a 1″ glass sphere rather than the typical 1 1/16″ steel one so as not to burn out the motors or break some more delicate mechanisms.
As far as Lego creations go, this is perhaps the most ambitious of the lot and is certainly a personal favourite of ours. Not only does this replica V8 engine look really cool, it also fully functional. Creator Colin Cunningham actually upgraded to the more engineer-friendly Lego Technic for this project, but we don’t mind. Check out the video to watch the electric engine in action, we’re pretty sure you’ll feel the same way!
This isn’t the first time the worlds of Lego and fashion have collided, and we’re pretty sure it won’t be the last. But one thing we are certain of is that this is one of the most audacious efforts we’ve ever seen. Black Eyed Peas will.i.am was clearly so pleased with his Lego baseball cap, he decided to add to his brick accessories with a Lego chain. Well, it’s the obvious thing to do, isn’t it?
It appears it’s not just humans who have an unusual obsession with Lego. This hermit crab happened upon this discarded Lego when he was on the lookout for a new home, and eventually decided this looked far cooler than a discarded shell. We’re inclined to agree, although we’re undecided as to whether or not this will enhance or reduce his survival chances in the wild. This is perhaps the most conspicuous home he could have gone for, albeit the coolest and potentially geekiest ever!