Donny Chen is a musician, piano teacher, and piano tuner. That would explain the epic mastery behind this phenomenal LEGO instrument. I’m a piano player myself, and grew up fascinated with the inner-workings of our own (life-size) grand piano. I must say, this little marvel is basically the complete package!
While it doesn’t have all 88 keys that a real grand piano would have, it does have a very similar mechanism.
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LEGO has announced it is going green with the re-release of an old fan-favorite set currently owned by very few: the 10268 Vestas Wind Turbine. The original set (numbered 4999) was released a decade ago as a limited production run for Vestas, a sustainable energy company, and never saw wider availability. That changes on Black Friday.
Following in the path of the last year’s re-released 10256 Taj Mahal, LEGO is “opening the vault” once again with a slightly updated rendition of the Creator Expert Vestas Wind Turbine. The set comes with 826 pieces (11 more than the first version), three minifigures, a dog, and Power Functions motor and lights, as well as the first spruce tree element made from plants available in a retail set.
The set is slightly more than three feet tall (one meter) and will retail at $199.99 USD from LEGO (coming in at $249.99 CA and £159.99 UK respectively). It will be available for purchase by everyone starting Friday, November 23 (also known as Black Friday). Click to take a closer look at the Vestas Wind Turbine
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Builder Shadow Elenter dubbed this the “3D Dizzy” and subjected Technic figures to do the Technicolor Yawn (aka barf). This is an imagined thrill ride at a theme park that spins ever so smoothly like a gyroscope and will surely induce nausea and leave anyone vertiginous with the constant spinning and rotation.
This feat took 14 motors that spans from Power Functions to custom SBrick controllers. It weighs almost 115.8 lbs (7.2kg) and measures 54x24x19 inches (90x59x47cm) in its dimensions.
Don’t let the spinning structure steal the show. The ride actually takes you through the full experience from buying tickets to access paths and ramps for the figures. The safety bars are programmed to secure the adrenaline-hungry humans just like in a real-world ride, and the ramp access automatically moves out of the way. Perhaps this will indeed inspire a real-world theme park ride!
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The new City train sets have been revealed last week partially confirming the long-rumored updates of the Power Functions system. With only the pictures of the front of the boxes it was pretty hard to say whether the new system will support Bluetooth connection or not, but now, as pictures of the rear side have appeared online, the answer is “yes”; the new trains can be both controlled with a remote controller (included in each set) or with a smart phone.
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Builders of all ages struggle to keep LEGO pieces off of the floor. But those days may soon be over thanks to The Brick Wall! Rather than buying an autonomous floor cleaner, The Brick Wall brought us an invention that could revolutionize any LEGO fan’s life. It’s called the Lego Rumba.
This fully motorized and untethered device can sweep up small technic pins, medium plates, large bricks—even minifigs—from a flat service into a holding bin. Two sets of treads provide the business end of the creation, with rubber strips stuck into the grommets for sweeping power. A robotic grabbing arm allows the model to pick up extra-large items like Technic tires. Click the video below to see the LEGO Rumba in action.
While not conventionally beautiful, the open sides of the model provide an unobstructed look at the functional components that make this contraption go. Check out more of The Brick Wall’s marvelous creations on YouTube.
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In the future when humans have colonized other planets, they still have to get their bacon somehow. Pangeran Panda builds a solution in his meat processing factory where livestock is directly processed into consumable goods.
The transparent walls let you see the motorized conveyor belts in action, but wait, something isn’t quite right. Take a look at the video and see if you get a laugh out of the builder’s sense of humor.
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Nothing screams American metal and gasoline-fueled testosterone like the Dodge Viper. This remote control Technic Dodge Viper comes courtesy of MRX Lego.
Of course, a model couldn’t claim the title “Viper” without a white body and blue racing stripes. Additional stylistic details include a front air dam (made of SYSTEM plates), racing seats, a moving (but fake) shift knob, and a massive rear wing spoiler. The interior includes an actual headlight switch under the dashboard that operates the front headlights.
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With the original Tomb Raider video game released back in 1996 and yet another movie this year, it’s clear that there’s a lot of mileage in the Lara Croft story. The mix of adventure, exotic locations and history also makes Tomb Raider great inspiration for LEGO creations. Kevin Wanner has created a Tomb Raider diorama that has some powered features — a cascading waterfall and a perilously angled B-25 that moves as Lara Croft crosses. The negative space lettering is nicely constructed and there’s a lot of character built into the overgrown crash site.
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Apparently German builder Quanix knows about engineering with LEGO something that I can refer to simply as “magic”. With only 3 Power Function motors (plus 1 servo-motor) he somehow controls 17 independent pneumatic cylinders, which are capable of moving 1200 LEGO basketball/soccer balls around the circuit in an hour. This monstrosity is built with more than 3,000 LEGO bricks including more than 150 cm of conveyor belt.
Not sharing a video of this beauty in action would be a terrible mistake. Make sure nobody disturbs you during the next 10 minutes of this mesmerising performance:
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This Technic Silo Truck by Designer-Han shows that sometimes boxy is sooo good. The design elements of the model are pretty simple, with beam-built body panels and a SYSTEM brick-built “silo” as cargo. The roof of the cab shows some thoughtful details, including a rack of lights, top air dam, and CB antenna.
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This model demonstrates an excellent use of Technic panels for the body side panels, hood, and trunk lids. It also features a detailed front bumper. The removable hard top provides a nostalgic touch. I like how the model uses flexible hoses on the hood to add contoured ridges to the model’s hood.
Powered by the BuWizz motor and remote control, the Corvette drives and turns thanks to a Power Functions M-Motor and Servo Motor.
If you want to build this classic yourself, the building instructions begin at 2:28 in the video.
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Combining LEGO Technic and System bricks into a cohesive model can be challenging, but Arjan Oude Kotte is a master LEGO engineer. Arjen brings us this incredibly detailed model of the Caterpillar 7495 Electric Rope Shovel built to minifigure scale. This model of the titanic heavy equipment machine towers over the minifigures and pickup truck in the image below. I love the attention to detail evident in the catwalks, ladders, and upper deck of the model visible from its left profile.
The model also includes a dizzying array of realistic power functions. An operator can remotely lower and raise the digging arm, close the bottom trap of the shovel, move on its treads, and swing the model side-to-side on its base. Check out the video to see it in action.
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