My latest experiments with the LEGO roller coaster track system have led me to design this custom rendition of an Ouroboros, a snake eating its own tail. These symbols are traditionally depicted in the form of a circle, but due to the tight curve radius of the roller coaster track, a simple circle would have ..read more

I am quite intrigued by the relatively recent art style line of LEGO sets, and have wanted to try designing one of my own for a while. Since Kristal and I enjoy getting out on the water in our canoe, I thought a silhouetted ‘print’ of a canoe at sunset would be a good model to start with. The build is pretty straightforward, but I am quite happy with how it turned out. The canoe, sun and hills are built on top of the banded background, and some strategically placed ‘1×1 plate with tooth’ pieces are used to achieve the rippled reflections. If you would like to build one of your own you can fin ..read more

It’s been a few years since we designed our original kinetic sculpture of a group of prairie dogs, and we’re happy to say it is now available as a fun new set from CADA. This newly updated model features 4 of the cute rodents hanging around the entrance to their burrow, each one moving in a different way. You can see it in action and get all the details in the video below, or continue reading for more info. https://youtu.be/ieN1Xn8rhOgVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: CADA Prairie Dog Kinetic Sculpture (https://youtu.be/ieN1Xn8rhOg) The set features 1148 pieces and is now a ..read more

Kristal and I have started working on a large LEGO project to recreate the Canadian Museum of Nature here in Ottawa. This is actually part of a larger project that our local LEGO club (ParLUGment) is spearheading, to build various landmarks in the Ottawa region, and since Kristal and I love this museum so much, we decided to make it the subject of our build. You can continue reading for more details on the model, along with some progress photos, but I also put together an update video going over all the details, which you can watch below. https://youtu.be/zL9RiXz7_uQVideo can’t be loaded becau ..read more

With Easter coming up, I finally decided to revisit one of Kristal’s ideas from 6 years ago, which was a bunny rabbit that would poop chocolate eggs. I know, right? It’s a super fun idea. This time, I decided to take a completely mechanical approach (the original was designed around the LEGO BOOST robotics kit), and with the LEGO White Rabbit set (31133) being currently available, I decided to use that model as a starting point. It has a capacity of three chocolates, and dispenses (poops) one out every time you press down on the head. You can see it in action in the video below, and continue r ..read more

When the LEGO Avengers Tower set was first announced, my attention was immediately drawn not to the tower itself, but to the Chitauri Leviathan model it included. It looked to be about the same size as my Flight of the Luck Dragon model, and thoughts of making it move in the same way started running through my mind. As soon as the set was released, I downloaded the instructions, cobbled together a Leviathan with parts I had on had, and set out to recreate the scene from The Avengers where The Hulk faces off against a Leviathan on the Park Avenue Viaduct in New York. You can see a demonstration ..read more

Last year, LEGO’s Build To Give campaign challenged people to build and share a heart, and I really wanted to build one that incorporated some sort of movement. I decided to keep it simple, and ended up with this stylized heart that would ‘beat’ when you turned a crank in the back. You can see a demonstration of it in action in the video, and continue reading for more details and free building instructions. A full build kit is also available from BuildaMOC. I think it would make a great gift to a loved one, especially with Valentine’s day on the horizon. https://youtu.be/CmdtJZKJ06AVideo can’t ..read more

I have finally updated the design of my working minifig ski hill and finished making instructions for it. If you are not familiar with this model, it is a fully operational ski hill that allows your minifigs to go endlessly skiing on their own. You can see a demonstration of the model in the following video and read more about it below. Building instructions are available on Rebrickable, and a full building kit is available from BuildaMOC. If you build it, or are thinking of building it, be sure to read the build notes below to get the most out of it. https://youtu.be/DOLayF67lhoVideo can’t be ..read more

This is an updated design to my kinetic stand for the shark from LEGO set 31088 Deep Sea Creatures. This version of the stand has a much simpler design than the original, using less Technic pieces and more System parts. It also adds the opening and closing the Shark’s mouth, which really brings the shark to life. You can see a demonstration of the model in the video below, and continue reading for the building instructions and design notes. A full kit for this model is also available from BuildaMOC, if you want to conveniently get all the pieces needed to build it. https://youtu.be/tGe31ojasa8 ..read more

Continuing a fine annual tradition in our household, I designed this robot to help deliver sugar to the children that come to our door at Halloween. It launches a mini lollipop, using a catapult mechanism, whenever it senses something in front of it. It is built entirely using only parts from the Mindstorms Robot Inventor kit (51515), and the instructions are freely provided below if you would like to build it yourself. You can see how the model works in the demonstration video, and continue reading for the instructions and build notes. https://youtu.be/K5s7myoCt04Video can’t be loaded because ..read more