Though the submission of entries for the LEGO Ideas Contest – Create Your Most Imaginative Voltron Scene is almost at its end by September 24 next week, the LEGO Ideas Team has launched another contest that challenges LEGO Technic fans to Build the Construction Machines of the Future. LEGO, together with Volvo Construction Equipment invites LEGO builders and futurists to come up with their visions of constructions machines using but of course, LEGO pieces. Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect from this latest brick-building contest.
BUILD THE CONSTRUCTION MACHINES OF THE FUTURE!
Build the construction machines of the future! We’ve teamed up with LEGO® TECHNIC and Volvo Construction Equipment to invite you to build the construction machines of the future – either autonomous or not! What will these construction machines look like, what tasks will they perform? Show us your design of what’s to come!
One Grand Prize winner will win a trip to the Volvo Customer Center in Eskilstuna, Sweden, to an unforgettable VIP test-drive of construction machines, visit to the Volvo Munktell Museum, Volvo Merchandise and LEGO Technics sets. There will also be two Runner Up winners that will get Volvo merchandise, and a collection of LEGO Technic sets.
The top 10 physical entries, to be selected by the judges, will also be invited to be displayed at the Volvo Munktell Museum in Sweden and photographed to be part of a digital campaign.
Similar to previous LEGO Ideas contests, there will be a Submission Phase from today until October 18 (6AM, EST); a Judging Phase from October 19 to November 9; and the Announcement of Winners which will be on November 21. Other than the usual guidelines of submitting an entry made entirely of physical LEGO elements or via LEGO Digital Designer, this particular contest also stipulates that entries must consist or made up of 50% LEGO Technic parts.
Speaking of winners, there will be one Grand Prize winner and two Runner-Ups at the end of the contest. Additionally, top ten physical contest entries will be invited and put on display at the Volvo Munktell Museum in Volvo’s headquarters in Sweden. The Grand Prize winner will also get a once-in-a-lifetime experience to test-drive Volvo’s coolest construction machines in Sweden. Check out what the winners can bring home for the LEGO Ideas Build the Construction Machines contest.
Grand Prize:
A trip to the Volvo Customer center in Eskilstuna, Sweden, to test-drive construction machines and visit the Volvo Munktell Museum
The following LEGO Technic sets: 42079 Heavy Duty Forklift, 42080 Forest Machine, 42081 Volvo Concept Wheel Loader ZEUX, 42082 Rough Terrain Crane.
Be sure to take time to read the complete set of contest rules right here. For the latest LEGO Technic sets, please visit shop.LEGO.com. Happy building!
Last month, LEGO was able to prove the impossible when it unveiled its fully drivable and life-sized LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron during the kick-off of the Grand Prix Formula 1 racing tournament in Monza, Italy last August 30. Powered by 2,304 LEGO Power Function motors, this fully functional LEGO vehicle patterned from its smaller counterpart, the LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron (42083), managed to churn out a max speed of 20 km/h. Though this seemingly impossible MOC is still a far cry in terms of speed as compared to the 420 km/h top speed of its original predecessor, the brilliant engineering that went through in creating this brick masterpiece is simply amazing.
this MOC. According to Promobricks, this life-sized LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron will go on a European Tour, which already started in Milan, Italy. It will make the following road stops at these locations.
Dusseldorf, Germany (Schadowplatz) – September 20-23
Munich Airport, Germany – September 28 & 29
Paris, France (Motor Show) – September 30 to October 14
Utrecht, Netherlands (LEGO World) – October 18 to October 24
Great Britain (exact place to be announced) – October 30 to November 11
Wolfsburg, Germany (Autostadt) – November 11 to December 12
There is no exact location yet where in the UK will this LEGO engineering wonder will make a stop, and I’ll keep you posted once new information comes by. I hope this build will eventually find its way to the US and the rest of the world – it serves as a reminder that with LEGO bricks, building for real, even what seems to be the impossible, can be a reality. For now, check out these images shared by Promobricks. Special thanks also to Francesco Frangioja for snapping these images.
Last week, LEGO teased a project that they deemed worthy of tagging as building the impossible, with the #BuildForReal attached to it. One can easily recognize that LEGO is hinting at something big in the likeness of its recently released LEGO Techic Bugatti Chiron (42083), but was particularly mum on the details of how it will be done. More so, LEGO claims to build this MOC as close to the real thing, which looks and drives exactly the same as the real Bugatti Chiron. It might sound impossible, but LEGO has proven once again that “impossible” is just a word. A few minutes ago at the Grand Prix Formula 1 racing tournament in Monza Italy, LEGO has now unveiled it’s first ever, life-size and drivable custom LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron made entirely of LEGO bricks. In fact, more than a million Technic pieces were used to build this MOC, powered by 2,304 LEGO Power Function motors.
This amazing feat of LEGO building and engineering weighs in at 1.5 tonnes and can generate up to 5.3 horsepower to make it run at a speed of 20 kph – yes, you read it right, it actually runs in spite of its massive weight. Read on for The LEGO Group’s official press release followed by an image gallery on how the project began.
First Ever Life-Size and Drivable LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron Is a Pioneering Piece of Engineering and Design
Testament that with LEGO Technic you can build for real, this non-glued, fully-functional and self-propelled LEGOTechnicmodel can fit two passengers inside and accelerate to over 20km/h
Perfectly recreating the organic design lines of the world’s fastest production car – the iconic Bugatti Chiron – the LEGO Technic life-size model pushes the boundaries of what LEGO builders imagined was possible to build in LEGO elements.
The model is the first large scale movable construction developed using over 1,000,000 LEGO Technic elements and powered exclusively using motors from the LEGO Power Function platform. Packed with 2,304 motors and 4,032 LEGO Technic gear wheels, the engine of this 1.5 tonnes car is generating 5.3 horse power and an estimated torque of 92 Nm.
Lena Dixen, Senior Vice President of Product and Marketing at the LEGO Group said:
“This life-size model is a first of its kind in so many ways and with it, we wanted to push the boundaries of our own imagination. For over 40 years, LEGO Technic has allowed fans of all ages to test their creativity with a building system that challenges them to go beyond just creating new designs, to also engineering new functions. Our Technic designers and the engineers from the Kladno factory in the Czech Republic, the place which also builds the impressive models for LEGO Stores and LEGOLAND parks, have done an amazing job both at recreating the Chiron’s iconic shapes and making it possible to drive this model. It’s a fascinating example of the LEGO Technic building system in action and its potential for creative reinvention.”
A fascinating feat of design and engineering
Seen from a distance side by side, the resemblance of the two cars is striking. Get closer and you will find a fascinating and complex outer ‘skin’ structure, built of interconnected triangular segments made into a LEGO Technic ‘fabric’ designed to mimic the iconic shapes of the original Chiron. Peek inside and discover that every single detail of the original car has been carefully and precisely recreated in LEGO Technic elements – from seats, to dashboard and the steering wheel.
Equipped with a rear spoiler, speedometer, front and back-lights, detachable steering wheel and brake pedal, all fully functional and built of LEGO Technic elements, the model is a dream come true for any LEGO fan. Building it required the use of 339 types of LEGO Technic elements, and over 13,000 work hours of development and construction.
The Making of a Life-Sized and Drivable Custom LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron
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A test drive like no other
Building a one of a kind LEGO Technic life-size car is one part of the task. Testing if it can drive is another. And what better location than the same place where the real Chiron was first tested – EhraLessien proving ground in Germany – a unique facility built to handle speed.
One weekend afternoon, the LEGO model took off and accelerated to everyone’s joy and amazement. And while it may not match the original Bugatti Chiron’s mindboggling 420 km/h speed, the LEGO Technic’s power function motors have managed the impressive performance to propel it to a little over 20km/h – ultimately making the ‘Build for Real’ idea truly complete.
#BuildForReal
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Andy Wallace – the driver behind the LEGO Technic Chiron – former racing driver with multiple wins of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Daytona, as well as many other races, and today official Bugatti pilot, said:
“When I first saw the LEGO Chiron, I was immediately impressed by the accuracy of the model and the minute attention to detail. In fact, from about 20 metres away it’s not obvious that you are looking at a LEGO car. I can only imagine how much time and effort went into making this model.”
“Driving the LEGO Chiron was a great experience, which I thoroughly enjoyed. All those years ago I could never have imagined that one day I would actually drive a LEGO car!”
The Chiron is the ultimate super sports car and the latest interpretation of Bugatti’s brand values ‚Art Forme Technique‘. With a power output of 1,500 HP, unprecedented for production vehicles, an exceptionally high torque value of 1,600 Nm between 2,000 and 6,000 rpm and a wide variety of technical innovations, the Chiron sets new standards in every respect. The Chiron is not only designed for maximum speed, but also meets the highest possible demands in terms of luxury, comfort, everyday drivability and durability. The Chiron combines the best in all these areas which makes it the world’s most complete super sports car.
After the awe-inspiring reveal of the next LEGO Technic supercar model via live streaming from the LEGO House, LEGO has now uploaded to its servers the official images of the LEGO Technic Chiron Bugatti (42083). Truth be told, several images of this set were leaked online a few weeks ago, but the LEGO Technic Chiron Bugatti ought to be enjoyed in its pristine, crisp details. This latest supercar-inspired model follows the likes of its predecessor such as the LEGO Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS (42056) from 2016. This latest Technic offering comes in at 3,599 pieces and will be available for retail starting today at shop.LEGO.com for $349.99.
Here’s the complete product description for the LEGO Technic Chiron Bugatti (42083), together with its official images. In case you missed it, here is the set’s unveiling that streamed earlier inside the LEGO House in Denmark.
US $349.99 – CA $399.99 – FR 379.99€ – DE 369.99€ – UK £329.99 – DK 3199DKK
*Euro pricing varies by country. Please visit shop.LEGO.com for regional pricing.
Discover the Bugatti Chiron!
Build, experience, and display this quintessential super sports car, featuring aerodynamic bodywork with an active rear wing, spoked rims with low-profile tires, and a detailed cockpit with movable paddle gearshift.
Celebrate innovative engineering and design from one of the world’s most prestigious car manufacturers with this magnificent LEGO® Technic 42083 Bugatti Chiron model. Developed in partnership with Bugatti, the model captures the magic of the iconic supercar with its gleaming aerodynamic bodywork, logoed spoked rims with low profile tires, detailed brake discs and W16 engine with moving pistons. Open the doors and you’ll discover an elaborate cockpit, featuring a Technic 8-speed gearbox with movable paddle gearshift and a steering wheel bearing the Bugatti emblem. Insert the top speed key to switch the active rear wing from handling to top speed position or lift the hood to reveal a unique serial number and a storage compartment containing a stylish Bugatti overnight bag. A classic Bugatti duo-tone blue color scheme reflects the brand’s signature color, and a set of cool stickers for additional detailing adds the final touch to this exclusive model! The set is delivered in luxurious box packaging and includes a color collector’s booklet with comprehensive building instructions.
Exclusive 1:8 scale LEGO® Bugatti Chiron replica model with a wealth of luxurious features, including aerodynamic bodywork with an active rear wing, spoked rims with low-profile tires, detailed brake discs and a W16 engine with moving pistons.
Open the doors to access the detailed cockpit featuring a LEGO® Technic 8-speed gearbox with movable paddle gearshift and a steering wheel bearing the Bugatti emblem.
Insert the top speed key to switch the active rear wing from handling to top speed position
Lift the hood to access a compact storage compartment containing a stylish Bugatti overnight bag.
Check out the detailed W16 engine with moving pistons.
Includes a unique serial number located beneath the hood.
Comes with a classic Bugatti duo-tone blue color scheme that reflects the brand’s signature color, plus a set of cool stickers for additional detailing.
Delivered in luxurious box packaging.
Includes a color collector’s booklet with comprehensive building instructions.
This LEGO® Technic model is designed to provide an immersive and rewarding building experience.
Bugatti Chiron measures over 5” (14cm) high, 22” (56cm) long and 9” (25cm) wide.
In our last leg of new 2018 LEGO sets to be officially revealed today, and hot on the heels of the latest 2018 City and Creator sets that were unveiled earlier, we now have five (5) more sets added to the roster of the LEGO Technictheme. I’m not an avid fan of the Technic line, especially with its oversaturated vehicle builds. However, I have to say that I am impressed with the Racing Yacht (42074) and the mechanics of its steering mechanism.
I’m also curious how the WHACK! (42072) and BASH! (42073) are designed since they seem to complement each other. Here’s the rest of the images. We’ll update you as soon as more official images are uploaded via LEGO’s servers.
Toy Fair season is definitely upon us, with the London Toy Fairjust being recently concluded, we now move on to the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2017 – the next leg of international toy fairs that give us a glimpse of things to come especially in the world of LEGO bricks.
The Nuremberg Toy Fair 2017 in Germany, dubbed as the largest toy fair in the world, has now opened its doors to all retailers and guests, and covering the action right there at the LEGO booth are the ever-reliable teams of Promobricks and Zusammengebaut. Credit goes to their kind efforts in sharing these images with the world.
Suffice it to say, LEGO did a good job of having its active themes covered on the opening day of the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2017, so let’s take a while to break down what was revealed so far during the past hours. We’ll try to comment on these images as the opportunity arises, but in the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts on these sets. A huge thanks to Promobricks for sharing these images!
This may come as a surprise for LEGO Technic fans. LEGO has revealed at the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2017 a building guide that allows you to combine this year’s Technic sets particularly, 42057, 42061, and 42063, to come up with the iconic Technic chassis from 1977.
We know that LEGO has a sweet spot for the Technic theme since it is one of the longest lines of sets that it has ever came up with. If the inclusion of the 40th commemorative beam in its 2017 sets is already a very much welcomed token, then the presence of the commemorative building guide as revealed at the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2017 (which will be made available for free during the second half of the year according to Zusammengebaut) is a great bonus.
The 40th-anniversary commemorative building guide will allow Technic users to combine sets 42057, 42061, and 42063 to come up with iconic LEGO Technic chassis from the 1970s.
The entire range of 2017 LEGO Architecture sets is also on display at the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2017, with the Guggenheim Museum (21035) and Arc De Triomphe (21036) making their first public debut.
The latest line of sets coming from the LEGO City theme were also displayed at the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2017, including two people packs, and the Jungle and Coast Guard sub-themes.
The latest sets under LEGO Creator were also revealed, with familial scenes to boot and two sets dedicated to space travel and road racing unveiled at the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2017.
Though LEGO has not revealed any images yet, it’s great to know that The LEGO Group has finally confirmed its latest line of superhero sets dedicated to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Comics Super Heroes. The box art that was on display at the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2017 confirms that we’ll be seeing several sets all dedicated to the much-awaited films such as Spider-Man: Homecoming (sets 76082 & 76083), Thor: Ragnarok (sets 76084 & 76088), and DC’s Justice League (sets 76085, 76086, and 76087).
Also on display were the recently revealed LEGO Marvel Superheroes:
There seems to be another previously reported ‘fake’ news that turned out to be true after all. Hot off the trail that the rumored LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Men Tell No Tales (71042) was eventually legit, the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2017 has revealed that LEGO indeed has its sights in coming up with a line of sets dedicated to the third comeback of Lightning McQueen in Disney Pixar’s Cars 3. These watermarked box arts were put on display bearing set numbers 10730, 10731, 10732, 10733, 10742, 10743, 10744, & 10745.
We know that Series 17 of LEGO’s CMF is just around the corner. In fact, leaked images of some of its minifigs are already out there in the wild. However, LEGO has been particularly tight-lipped with its next line of cinematic CMFs, particularly on its next theatrical offering, The LEGO Ninjago Movie.
Though the box on display at the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2017 was sort of the generic type, the number of minifigs (20 in this series) gives us a hint that LEGO intends to repeat its minifig offerings, the same as that from the LEGO Batman Movie. The picture also below somehow gives us an idea of how our teen ninjas will look in their first-ever cinematic debut.
Other LEGO Highlights at the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2017
Some of LEGO’s highlights at the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2017 also include a demonstration of its upcoming LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox (17101) and the official launch of the social media platform for LEGO fans, the LEGO Life app.
So what do you think brick fans? What other sets will LEGO reveal in the next few days? Drop us a note in the comments below or head over at our Facebook page and join in the conversation.
A custom LEGO Paper Airplane Folding Machine? Why not.
We’ve seen a lot of cool stuff lately on the different ways LEGO bricks can be used to make things easier: from dispensing tasty, chicken legs and nuggets, to dispensing toothpaste on a brush.
These LEGO MOC contraptions were meant to make things easier for us human beings in a funny, unusual way. So when someone thinks, “Hey, let’s build a LEGO paper airplane folding machine,” it’s kind of hard putting it in the right context. Not at least if you’re going to build as a tribute for a major electronics think-tank firm, and the one who’s doing it is a name that will appear on your screen when you Google, “World’s Best LEGO Robotics Designer.”
This Custom LEGO Paper Airplane Folding Machine is a Marvel on Its Own
Truth be told, building a paper plane factory around the LEGO Mindstorm project is not exactly a novel idea. The idea was spawned already by a YouTuber that goes by the name ‘Hknssn’. Using more than 7,000 LEGO Technic and Mindstorm parts, she (he) showed that building the LEGO paper airplane folding machine and being able to launch its product at the same time, is indeed complex rocket science. That was almost four years ago and as they say, technology eventually caught up.
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In a similar vein, Arrow Electronics launched its campaign ‘Five Years Out’ with the expressed goal of encouraging innovation among young minds. What better way to do it than with the help of the creative minds behind promotions and marketing firm, Elevation Digital Media and the brilliant engineering and design skills of Arthur Sacek – and yes, it was his name that came up when Jon Stevenson, Director of Production for Elevation Media, Googled the flashy title.
Gizmodo has a pretty neat round-up of Sacek’s work including a Lego Pinblock animator, a copy machine, and a 360 degrees Milling Machine but none have been as wonderfully complicated as the LEGO paper airplane folding machine that can turn a single piece of paper into a flying contraption, and even launches it the end of the assembly line.
The mission-inspired video excellently pictured Sacek’s machine, and the spirit of innovation behind Arrow’s work. You could almost feel that you’re part of something greater than yourself, as you listen to JFK’s ‘Why We Choose To Go To The Moon’ speech… OK, let’s put a break on the nostalgia, shall we?
Using multiple LEGO Mindstorms intelligent bricks, and quite a bit of custom code, Sacek’s design looks far more streamlined and reliable than the one we previously mentioned, both in aesthetics and the final output of this custom LEGO paper airplane folding machine.
Arrow Electronics shared some of the behind-the-scenes action in the making of this LEGO masterpiece, showing how some parts of the paper airplane folding machine were designed and assembled. However, as it seems, Arrow and Sacek are a little keen on guarding and revealing their ‘trade secrets’, so it’s wise not to expect any instructions or building guides. Perhaps we’ll have a better chance with Hknssn – if we can get in touch with her (him?).
