Tag Archives: Motorized

Six years in the making, this massive 25,000+ brick haunted house is spookily spectacular [Feature]

From Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion to the clanking metal doors of the midway ghost ride, haunted houses are the best part of any theme park. Tomáš Kašpařík reminds us why, with this incredible 25,000+ piece tribute to spooky amusements. The model debuted at Skærbæk Fan Weekend last month, where we had a chance to explore the display in person.
To make it easier to transport, the model is divided into two sections – the spooky ride queue, with winding lines and a few interior set pieces – and the ride itself, a two-story motorized build. While the physical build is new, the design itself started six years ago as a collab with Jason Pyett of Playwell Bricks. We asked Tomáš about how this project came together and he was gracious enough to share his story:

It all started in March 2019 when I decided I want to build a LEGO Haunted house just like the real thing in theme parks, with carts where people (in this case minifigures) can sit in and enjoy the ride. As you can see from my other builds I am a big theme park fan :-)

Tomáš continues the story of this haunted collab after the break

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LEGO Adventurers meet Jules Verne imagination at the Crystal Palace exhibition

Johnny Thunder and friends must have picked up quite a few souvenirs in their expeditions to distant lands and lost worlds. But, except for that one time Baron Von Baron turned his mansion into a theme park drop ride, LEGO never showed what the Adventurers got up to when they returned home. Bart Marable provides the answer with the breathtaking Crystal Palace Exhibition, an homage to LEGO Adventurers, Jules Verne, and the grand 19th century exhibitions of scientific wonders.

The enormous structure of white girders and glass is modeled after London’s Crystal Palace which stood in Hyde Park from 1851 to 1936. It also evokes 21353 The Botanical Garden at a much larger scale.

The historical Crystal Palace had nothing on Bart’s fantastical version. Have a look at these LEGO exhibits, brought to life with mechanical functions:

Come with me and you’ll see a world of scientific wonders

Delight at these dashing dachshunds

We just took a look at some stellar spaceships from Ted Andes, but that not all he’s been building lately, and the subjects are so polar opposite it felt right to highlight his work again. In a re-work of a previous build, Ted has made his horse racing derby run smaller. And in perfect form for a smaller build, he’s replaced the horses with adorable tiny dachshunds.

If you were at Brickworld Chicago, you might have had a chance to see these hounds race in person. But, if not, check out the video below!

Pixel-perfect Sonic tribute brings Green Hill Zone to life with 30,000 LEGO bricks

Over the last three years, builder and video creator Jason (JustBeardy) has been working on a massive motorized LEGO tribute to Sonic the Hedgehog’s Green Hill Zone. Built from roughly 30,000 bricks, the diorama draws on specific gameplay elements of the iconic level, all lovingly rendered in the 16-bit style of the classic SEGA Genesis game.

While the front view of the level is slick and studless with every pixel in its place, a look behind the Technic scaffolding reveals how much mechanical wizardry went into making the scene come alive. Jason would have been done sooner, but needed a new drive train to power so many motorized elements.

Of course, a project like this is meant to be seen in motion, so it’s best to watch the reveal video to appreciate Jason’s most ambitious work to date. And if you’re interested in how the builder solved all the elaborate mechanical functions, there’s a series of 34 behind-the-scenes videos showing the build process from the beginning. Feeling nostalgic for classic Sonic? Jason shares free instructions for Dr. Robotnik’s Egg Wrecker as seen in the diorama.

LEGO motorization from an era of steam mechanisation

I love seeing old ideas for things that never got beyond the prototype stage. That’s particularly true from the early age of mechanisation – crazy ideas like steam cars or balloon ships look more like steampunk fiction than reality. Take this steam tractor, built by LEGO builder Nikolaus Löwe. Nikolaus is no stranger to sci-fi creations, and indeed that’s what I figured this was. It looks very functional, and yet like nothing I’ve ever really seen… And yet, it was real! This is a model of an early Hornsby steam tractor, of which only one was ever made. The model itself was not a commercial success, by all accounts, but early prototypes did result in the tracks being dubbed ‘caterpillar’ tracks on account of their caterpillar-like motion. Indeed, the Hornsby firm would eventually morph into the company we know as Caterpillar today.

Oh, and speaking of motion – see all those functional-looking gears and Technic axles? They’re not just for show, you know! There’s a great video showing off all the tractor’s functions, including an impressive differential steering mechanism – check it out!

This motorized LEGO Boeing 747-8 truly soars

For LEGO builders who create scale models of real-world vehicles, capturing the distinctive shape of an original is a mighty accomplishment. Doing so with minimal seams can challenge the best builders. Nailing both while also integrating motor functions? That’s the mark of a LEGO modeling master. Max Richter’s Boeing 747-8 in Lufthansa livery is one of the most impressive scale model aircraft we’ve ever seen. At 1.5 meters long (nearly 5 feet!) and with a wingspan of 1.35 meters, clocking in at 12,500 pieces for a weight of 11.4 kg (25 lbs), it’s also one of the biggest, dwarfing LEGO Icons Concorde. The motorized landing gear system is a thing of beauty. This build soars.

To fully appreciate Max’s model, I highly recommend watching his video tour. As a bonus challenge, can you find where he uses a droid body, hockey stick, and pirate hook in the build?

Buckle up for more details on Max’s remarkable LEGO aircraft

Many motors make this massive LEGO MAZ mobile!

Earlier this year, Nathan Hake debuted this huge LEGO model at a convention, and we have finally been graced with pictures! This behemoth is a MAZ-537, a former Soviet vehicle used for carrying… Well, pretty much whatever you want, from armaments to heavy machinery. It’s typical of vehicles of its ilk and era, with great big tyres and utilitarian styling. In LEGO form, Nathan has combined Technic and System pieces to pull off the MAZ in terrific detail. And of course, there are plenty of play functions: it’s got working suspension alongside motorised steering and propulsion!

But how do you level up such a huge undertaking? With an equally huge diorama, of course! This makes for a very nice display piece, with the colours of the river, grass and appropriately autumnal birch trees providing some pleasing contrast to the grey hulk of the truck.

I recommend heading over to Nathan’s Flickr to check out some of the videos of this creation in action – even in the real wilderness!

Wondrous music box castle spins right ’round, baby

As just an example of medieval architecture in LEGO, this castle model from builder Feanor001 would be worth heralding, but the creation is so much more. The round diorama tells a story in four acts, brought to life with motor functions and music. Here you can see the music box come alive, spinning on an ornate turntable as motorized minifigs tell the story of King’s fall and a kingdom’s rebirth.

Take a spin below for a closer look at this mechanical marvel.!

15,000 piece LEGO Space Mountain is a motorized E-Ticket wonder

Cinderella’s Castle and fantasy may have become the face of Disney Parks, but founder Walt Disney’s heart was always in Tomorrowland. Space Mountain, first built in 1975 at the Magic Kingdom, has endured as the crowning achievement of Tomorrowland and cemented itself as one of the most beloved roller coasters in the world. One of Space Mountain’s most enthusiastic fans is builder and LEGO Masters Japan contestant Kon, who has spent much of the past year focused on a incredible and functional recreation of the attraction built at minifig scale from 15,000 bricks.

Hop on the FastTrack and see more of Kon’s creation!

Chinese lake in LEGO brings memories to life

Earlier this summer, our old friend Nannan Zhang recreated a the quintessential American playground of the sort he’s experienced as a new father. For his latest LEGO achievement, Nannan draws on his childhood memories of growing up in China in the 90s to create “A park from yesteryear.” Even though it’s an amalgam and not a recreation of a specific park, the traditional architecture, weeping willows, lotus plants on jade water, and swan boats make Nannan’s memories so specific and tangible.

Nannan pulls his usual magic trick of making clever technique look effortless. The hexagonal pavilion, where older residents share snacks and gossip, is a lovely build on its own. The balls stacked on rollers skates make for excellent decorative elements, and the heart tiles in the eaves are a great detail. One of my favorite techniques is seen along the bottom of the railing where curved slopes fit neatly under window arches, adding a subtle texture to the stonework. The cotton candy machine is a very clever and instantly recognizable mini build. I also admire the attention paid to the lotus plants, with leaves popping from the water at angles, and some flowers and leaves aloft on long stems, differentiating them from lilly pads. But the stars of the show are the swan boats, which hold a secret…

See the swan boats in action!

This Bavarian beauty goes full steam ahead

Should you find yourself in the 1920s and need to get from Munich to Nuremberg in record time, then you’ll want an express ticket to ride behind the Bavarian S3/6. This majestic steam locomotive is meticulously recreated in LEGO by Bricks_n_Trucks. At 10 studs wide, the engine is comparable in scale to the Hogwarts Express Collector’s Edition, but unlike LEGO’s largest steam engine model, this train is fully motorized with a BuWizz engine (see the video below the fold!). The version you see here is an update to the builder’s first iteration, and spotting the differences highlights how much thought went into the smallest details.

But what’s a Bavarian steam engine without luxurious cars to pull?

Click to see the train cars and video!

This Star Wars AT-ST was made for walking. That’s because it’s motorized!

LEGO builder xelabricks tells us that this is their first time posting on Flickr, and yet already they’ve dialed in on the formula for success. Anything Star Wars will pretty much become a blip on our radar but it’s great detail like this that will perk our senses. I love the trees and the forested base, but the real star of the show is the highly-detailed AT-ST, or “chicken walker” seen on the forest moon of Endor in films such as Return of the Jedi.

But what pushes this creation into the stratosphere is the Power Functions that make this walker appear to…well, walk. Check out the video below to see what I mean. With LEGO creations this good, we’ll surely look forward to whatever else this builder comes up with.