Legos are toys, but they inspire incredible designs. LEGO artists make use of the small plastic bricks to create my explanation everything from robots to architecture. Even the engineers at the company develop new components that allow builders to construct more complex models. Erik Varszegi is a Master Builder at the Lego Group, Billund, Denmark. He has designed a new element for this year, the curving slope. It allows Lego users create more slanted shapes, while adhering to the company’s strict color palette. The slopes can be used to create more dynamic shapes, for example, an incline staircase.
While certain Lego designs are the creations of professional designers, others are the result of the popular Lego Ideas set-design program. The Ideas line allows anyone to create a set, and it’s also possible to produce. It offers fame and 1% of sales for anyone who convinces 10,000 peers that their creation deserves to be created. It’s not a surprise that the most elaborate and stunning sets are the ones that receive the most support, especially when they are based on iconic characters or scenes from films, television shows, or in real life.
Among the best Lego designs are two space-age icons that include the NASA space shuttle Discovery and a model of the Hubble Telescope. Each comes with plaques for display and a miniature Lego version of the scientist that designed the telescope. Other impressive models are a framed rainbow, a steampunk dragon and a model of the Palace of Westminster.