The average LEGO mecha we feature here are heavily armed, anthropomorphous robots. In other words, they tend to stand on two legs and go “pew! pew!” As much as I’m a fan of Gundam-inspired mecha, it’s nice to take a break and think about what mecha might really be like in the future — the blue-collar workbots of the space docks and maglev yards.
To that end, Izzo presents his “Sci-Fi Industrial Mecha Competition“.
Here’s one example from Izzo’s own repertoire — a railroad bot:
Okay, this one’s bipedal, but still a great example of a construction mecha:
Although Izzo is only accepting contest entries from builders over the age of 19 in Japan, that doesn’t mean you can’t take his contest as a challenge and build something cool yourself. Even if it’s not for a prize, I for one think the world could use more rail-laying, cargo-hauling, sewer-cleaning, reactor-scrubbing mecha.
To get you started, here’s Izzo’s great list of inspirational links:
- Izmojuki
- Sci-Fi Industrial Expo
- Industrial Man Comboru (manga)
- Ball Wars Mechanics
- Model World
- Screwheads
- Timberjack (John Deere) Walking Machine
- Direct Industry Robots
- chalk2-Blog
Izzo gives Izmojuki a LEGO makeover:
Who needs prizes to motivate you when the end result can be this cool? Get building!