Tag Archives: Kinetic Sculptures

Reverse engineering the LEGO Forma shark with a brick-built “skin”

Last month LEGO revealed Forma, an experimental kinetic sculpture set designed to target the adult market. The product was launched via crowdsourcing platform Indiegogo but is currently only available to buyers in the U.S. and U.K. The product was of interest to Jason Allemann since he enjoys building LEGO kinetic sculptures. Because Jason lives in Canada and is unable to order the Forma set, he decided to reverse-engineer the design well-before its official release!

Jason’s shark is more than a direct copy, as it contains his own personal touch. Since the Forma skins are not currently available, Jason created a stunning brick-built skin. The brick-built shark body doesn’t interfere with the model’s functionality and will likely appeal to LEGO fans who were not impressed by Forma’s plastic skins. Jason modified the mechanism to achieve a more realistic swimming motion, and the lower level consists of a small school of fish swimming beneath the shark. Finishing off the entire model is an attractive coral reef base, which offers a nice splash of color.

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Perpetually skiing through the Canadian snow [Video]

There are certain building styles you can spot miles away; maybe even… Cross Country? With every creation it becomes more and more clear that Jason and Krystal of JK Brickworks are the king and queen of kinetic sculptures. Jason’s latest model, this Canadian Cross Country Skier, uses slightly similar techniques to past builds, like Sisyphus, but is still unique. This time we have a really interesting crank-shaft mechanism providing natural movement.

As always, this build is mesmerizing, polished, and genius. Personally, I’m quite jealous of Jason’s ability to see just how to make things move so smoothly. Anyone who has tried to build similar sculptures knows it’s not that easy. And even though I’m sure there were a few iterations, this outcome is a sure medal winner. Check out the video to see just how it’s done!

It’s little and has working parts? That’s sew amazing!

Vintage sewing machines might not be the same as antique cars, but nevertheless, there exists a community of people who enjoy stitching with old equipment. This small brick-built antique sewing machine by Pixeljunkie might just leave them in stitches. In addition to being wonderfully detailed, a turn of the crank handle reveals this piece of equipment is functional. Sew what if it doesn’t actually sew? The foot pedal moves back and forth while the needle bobs up and down, just like the real deal!

Click to see a video of the sewing machine in action

Upgrade your Tron lightcycles to add cool movement [Video]

Builder Jason Allemann, (aka JK Brickworks) has made a name for himself building kinetic LEGO sculptures, from Sisyphus eternally pushing a boulder to a ball maze that was turned into a real LEGO set, or even a tense Death Star trench run. But now he’s turned his hand to the new 21314 Tron: Legacy set to give it a bit of dynamism, making the lightcycles bob and weave as they cut their way across the grid.

What we love about Jason, though, is that he’s never content to simply show off something cool and leave us wondering how he did it. Instead, with every build he walks us through the steps of how his mechanisms work. Check out the video below.

Click to see the video and discover how they’re built

That armor’s too strong for blasters!

Building a Technic mechanism to make a LEGO model actually move can be daunting for those who mainly build static models, but perhaps this excellent Star Wars kinetic sculpture by Josh DaVid will inspire you (and me) to give it a try.

The model features a circling snowspeeder, and moving legs on the AT-AT, which can be powered by hand or with a Power Functions motor. The builder has done an excellent job compacting and simplifying a seemingly complex mechanism into such a small space. Check out the video below to see the model in action!

We’re mesmerized watching Luke dodge Vader in this Death Star trench run kinetic sculpture [Video]

We recently featured a World War I dogfight kinetic sculpture by Jason from JK Brickworks. In his video, Jason promised to share variations on the theme, and he’s done so with this fantastic trench run scene from A New Hope. The little starfighters and greebly Death Star surface are excellent in their own right, but the movement takes this LEGO creation to the next level.

The video shows Luke’s X-wing evading Darth Vader’s TIE fighter, with turbolaser turrets swinging back and forth as well. Jason also takes the kinetic sculpture apart to explain how he added the extra motion for the turbolaser emplacements.

A little aquarium comes to life as these LEGO fish really move [Video]

Brick-built aquariums are often extremely cool, but how many can say their LEGO sea-creatures actually move? My guess is not too many. But one clever builder, Mark Smiley, has managed to create an adorable little “LEGO Clockwork Aquarium” that does just that! With the turn of a crank, the fish move in a circle along the tank perimeter. There’s also a crab that hops up and down, and a starfish that spins! If you look closely, you can even see a little Easter Island head in the corner, and a shrimp in the helmet. The whole thing is modular and customizable. But just wait until you see it in action!

Click to watch the video of the tank coming to life!

Mesmerizing LEGO Kinetic Art with Video [Instructions]

Kinetic art is fascinating to me for both the seemingly impossible nature of its function as well its ability to evaporate a similarly impossible amount of time from the lives of those who are awestruck watching it. This video of a LEGO kinetic sculpture by aeh5040 is sure to entrance anyone who dares press play.

If you’d like to make your own copy of this piece of LEGO kinetic art, you’re in luck. Check out instructions and related materials for this build over on Rebrickable.

Motorised journey to Bethlehem [Video]

Kinetic sculptures are a fascinating genre of LEGO building, combining “regular” brick-modelling with clever Technic motorisation techniques. Josh DaVid proves he’s a master of both these elements with his latest creation — The Journey To Bethlehem. The figures are nicely-sculpted, particularly the donkey and its precious cargo. I really like the road and the rockwork too, especially when you consider the gubbins contained within which drives the motion.

Don’t miss the video of the sculpture in action…

An amazing kinetic LEGO sculpture celebrates the 150th anniversary of Canada [Video]

Kinetic LEGO sculptures have already become Jason Allemann’s (JK Brickworks) signature builds, and we interviewed Jason last year about his LEGO Ideas Maze set. However, it looks like he can build a moving creation for any occasion. His most recent work, Voyageurs Automaton, is designed to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canada. Even before the electric motor is turned on, the build impresses with a rugged pair of French Canadians who are busy transporting furs in their canoe.

Click here to see the canoe in motion!

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