Lego's ain't what they used to be
New book: How to build a working Lego gun
Forbidden Lego, Build the Models Your Parents Warned You Against subverts a playroom favourite since 1958 to provide detailed instructions on how to turn the ubiquitous plastic building bricks into unauthorised working devices.
Lego gun
A lego version of the Uzi
A toy Gatling Gun, a continuous-fire ping-pong ball launcher and a catapult siege weapon are among the designs featured.
The manual, created by two former top Lego research scientists at the Danish company, is mirroring the success of books like The Dangerous Book for Boys to put danger and creative risk back into playtime.
Ulrik Pilegaard, a one time senior designer at Lego and Mike Dooley, a former director of development, told the Danish media that the book allowed them to share all laboratory models they created but were unable to convince company risk assessment teams to let the public play with.
"When I worked for Lego, every once and a while we created some really cool things that couldn't get approved," Mr Pilegaard told the Copenhagen Post.
Mr Pilegaard and Mr Dooley, published by the self-styled "geek" publisher No Starch Press in San Francisco, aim to get both young and older Lego users "to try inventing their own rule-breaking models".
"The Lego Company has its official (and sensible) rules for building that include no cutting or tampering with bricks, creating models that shoot unapproved projectiles, or using non-standard parts. Well, toss those rules out the window," they write.
"You'll learn to create working models that Lego would never endorse."
Perhaps unsurprisingly Lego has responded cautiously to the book that promises to reveal blueprints for "high velocity aircraft launchers" or "a high voltage Lego vehicle" among other dangerous sounding devices.
"When we heard the title, we thought the authors were revealing the secrets of our products," said Trine Nissen, a spokesman for Lego.
"But once we found out what it was about, we were much more at ease."
The book has been enthusiastically welcomed by online reviewers and YouTubehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORcytA4BVjQ&feature=related postings of rapid-firing Lego guns - with the plastic bricks acting as both the construction material and as ammo - have driven meteoric sales.
Andrew Liszewski, writing on OhGizmo.com, confessed that as much as he loved his "army of G.I. Joe figures and armada of Transformers" most of his time was spent with Lego.
"Like any kid tired of engineering my own miniature town I occasionally built a Lego gun or rifle but unfortunately they never actually worked," he said.
Forbidden Lego, Build the Models Your Parents Warned You Against subverts a playroom favourite since 1958 to provide detailed instructions on how to turn the ubiquitous plastic building bricks into unauthorised working devices.
Lego gun
A lego version of the Uzi
A toy Gatling Gun, a continuous-fire ping-pong ball launcher and a catapult siege weapon are among the designs featured.
The manual, created by two former top Lego research scientists at the Danish company, is mirroring the success of books like The Dangerous Book for Boys to put danger and creative risk back into playtime.
Ulrik Pilegaard, a one time senior designer at Lego and Mike Dooley, a former director of development, told the Danish media that the book allowed them to share all laboratory models they created but were unable to convince company risk assessment teams to let the public play with.
"When I worked for Lego, every once and a while we created some really cool things that couldn't get approved," Mr Pilegaard told the Copenhagen Post.
Mr Pilegaard and Mr Dooley, published by the self-styled "geek" publisher No Starch Press in San Francisco, aim to get both young and older Lego users "to try inventing their own rule-breaking models".
"The Lego Company has its official (and sensible) rules for building that include no cutting or tampering with bricks, creating models that shoot unapproved projectiles, or using non-standard parts. Well, toss those rules out the window," they write.
"You'll learn to create working models that Lego would never endorse."
Perhaps unsurprisingly Lego has responded cautiously to the book that promises to reveal blueprints for "high velocity aircraft launchers" or "a high voltage Lego vehicle" among other dangerous sounding devices.
"When we heard the title, we thought the authors were revealing the secrets of our products," said Trine Nissen, a spokesman for Lego.
"But once we found out what it was about, we were much more at ease."
The book has been enthusiastically welcomed by online reviewers and YouTubehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORcytA4BVjQ&feature=related postings of rapid-firing Lego guns - with the plastic bricks acting as both the construction material and as ammo - have driven meteoric sales.
Andrew Liszewski, writing on OhGizmo.com, confessed that as much as he loved his "army of G.I. Joe figures and armada of Transformers" most of his time was spent with Lego.
"Like any kid tired of engineering my own miniature town I occasionally built a Lego gun or rifle but unfortunately they never actually worked," he said.
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hehe,
when I was a kid I had LEGO "pirates" sets with a spring-loaded cannon that shot "cannonball" bricks. When the kid brother got a "pirates" set a few years down the road the cannons were replaced by non-firing versions [xx(]0 -
where do i get a copy of that book?! 0 -
I loved Legos as a kid. Walking through toy stores today and seeing how far they've come and how involved they've gotten, actually makes me a little jealous. But, nowadays I build guns, so I suppose I'm not being put to undue hardship by having outgrown that particular toy. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by wlfmn323
where do i get a copy of that book?!
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1593271379/bookstorenow16-200 -
quote:Originally posted by mongrel1776
I loved Legos as a kid. Walking through toy stores today and seeing how far they've come and how involved they've gotten, actually makes me a little jealous. But, nowadays I build guns, so I suppose I'm not being put to undue hardship by having outgrown that particular toy.
tell me about it,
I was a huge Star Wars fan when I was a kid (I still am a Star Wars fan though hardly a kid anymore) and I thought that Star Wars LEGO would be the greatest thing in the world.
Well guess what? Now that I am in college they have Star Wars LEGOs [:(]
I guess when I get married and have kids I can get them SW LEGOs and be a good dad by playing helping them build [:D]0
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