Friday, May 24, 2013

   Largest LEGO Model: Star Wars X-Wing breaks Guinness world record (VIDEO)

 NEW YORK, NY, USA -- Danish toymaker LEGO unveiled a replica of the famous X-Wing fighter from the "Star Wars" films in Times Square, New York; it took 5.3 million LEGO bricks, painstakingly clipped together, to give form to Luke Skywalker's vehicle of choice; coonstruction is said to have involved 32 people working 17,000 hours; the life-size version is 11 feet tall, 43 feet long and has a 44-foot wingspan, setting the new world record for the Largest LEGO Model, according to the World Record Academy: www.worldrecordacademy.com/ .

  Photo: The world's largest Lego model is on display at Times Square in New York, May 23, 2013. The 11-foot-tall, 43-foot-long model, which has a 44-foot wingspan, will be on view in Times Square May 23-25, 2013. Photo: LEGO ( enlarge photo )

 The Guinness world record for the tallest structure built with interlocking plastic bricks was 30.52 m (100 ft, 1 in) high and was constructed by the Stichting Limmen Ludiek (Netherlands) foundation on in Limmen, Netherlands.

  Guinness World Records also recognized the largest image built with interlocking plastic bricks; it measures 112 m² (1205.55 ft²) and was made by Emilio Georgiou-Matson (UK).

  To celebrate the upcoming premiere of The Yoda Chronicles on Cartoon Network on Wednesday, May 29 at 8:00 p.m. (ET, PT), the massive replica took 32 master builders, five million LEGO bricks and over 17,000 hours to complete.

  The world's largest LEGO model weighs nearly 20,865 kilograms, stands 3.35 meters tall and 13.1 meters long, with a wingspan of 13.44 meters.

  The Largest LEGO Model in the world will "take off" for a summer landing at LEGOLAND® California Resort where it will be installed through the remainder of the year.

  "Just as kids love to test and hone their LEGO building skills and imaginative storytelling, our LEGO Master Builders are always testing their creative skills to top their last larger-than-life sized creations," said Michael McNally, Brand Relations Director for LEGO Systems.

  "The size and structural complexity of a freestanding model 42 times the size of one our retail sets was a challenge they could not resist."

LEGO Star Wars X-Wing Starfighter Model Fun Facts
  • Contains 5,335,200 LEGO bricks
  • Weighs 45,980 pounds/20,865 kilograms
  • Height: 11 feet / 3.35 meters
  • Length: 43 feet / 13.1 meters
  • Wingspan: 44 feet / 13.44 meters
  • 32 builders spent 17,336 hours to construct – about 4 months
  • Built in the LEGO Model Shop in Kladno, Czech Republic
  • Is a one-to-one replica of LEGO Star Wars set #9493; The model is 42x the size of the retail building set
  • The model was heavily engineered to withstand all the transportation, setup/break down and to ensure it was safe for Times Square given the subway system below and California's seismic requirements for the LEGOLAND California Resort installation.

  LEGO Star Wars is the original and most successful licensed product collection in The LEGO Group's history and remains among the best-selling global toy lines.