EDITORIAL

I KNOW WE’VE been down the Lego track before in regards to the little bricks being a catalyst for careers in engineering, but I came across an article in the magazine of the Smithsonian that confirms Lego is constructing the next generation of engineers. Another generation is probably what it should have said because the little Danish bricks have been around for more than 80 years and have probably spawned more than a few engineers in their time. But it is nice to know that Lego is still around ( except when you stand on it) and that it ’s an enduring pastime for fans long after childhood. At the Hamilton brick show late last month Dave Critcher showed off his more than 300,000 Lego piece model of the Whakamaru Dam. To get it right he had the help of the original blueprints and the dam’s engineers and is three years into the five-year project, by which time he estimates he will have used half a million Lego pieces for his 2.5 square metre creation. Significant buildings all around the world have been recreated in Lego including the White House and the Sydney Opera House. The Mona Lisa and Girl with a Pearl Earring paintings have been recreated in Lego, the world’s largest Lego bridge is 37m long, the longest Lego train track 1500m and tallest Lego tower nearly 33m. Apparently it would take 40 billion eight- stud Lego bricks to build a stack to the moon. Better start collecting….