It does not happen too often to hear that a LEGO construction got exhibited in a museum, but this gargantuan LEGO Colosseum made it, probably because it is world’s first such construction and because it includes more than 200,000 bricks.
I’d like to think of such reproductions as tributes to ancient architects and engineers. After all, they managed to design some of the world’s most fascinating structures. World’s first LEGO Colosseum is the work of Ryan McNaught, who apparently is a certified LEGO builder. I mean… how addicted to LEGO bricks must one be to become a certified builder? Nevertheless, the creativity, the great attention to detail and the effort that were put into this project are incredible. These will most certainly bring Ryan some well-deserved praises.
What is even more awesome about this project is that it is presented as a cross-section. Half of the model replicates the Roman structure as it was in its days of glory, almost 2 millenniums ago, while the other half is a perfect representation of today’s amphitheater, in its ruined form. Make sure you keep reading after this long series of pictures.
As Ryan McNaught stated for The Sydney Morning Herald, this model is “the most technically challenging thing I’ve ever built. […] I’ve really got a new appreciation for the Romans and how they made things. For me, the challenge of making something oval-shaped out of square bricks was mind-boggling.” Due to the incredible complexity of the project, I tend to believe him when he says that making the LEGO Colosseum was technically challenging. More than that, I’m looking forward to see what this certified LEGO builder has in store for use.
As seen in the above pictures, the model includes more than just the Colosseum. Out of the 200,000+ LEGO bricks that the project required, around 60,000 were used for the structures found underneath the main stadium. More precisely, those structures are dungeons full of gladiators and prisoners condemned to death, as well as cages full of rabid animals that would take care of the previously mentioned unlucky characters. On the surface, there are Roman soldiers on one side and cars, tourists and even the Popemobile on the other side.
The model is currently exhibited at the Nicholson Museum in Melbourne, Australia, and it will be there until January 2013 when it is meant to return to the University of Sydney, the institution the LEGO Colosseum was built for, in the first place.
If you liked this post, please check the world’s tallest LEGO Tower and the DIY LEGO candy machine.
