This beautiful medieval chess set has a cute story to go with – deserves LEGO Ideas official set status

Why buy a chess set that looks like any other on the market shelves when you can carve them yourselves? That kind of inspiration you are bound to derive when your little daughter picks up the game so well at a very early age. LEGO Ideas user [JonnyBrickz1820] has one of the cutest stories behind this inspiring medieval chess set design proposed to become a LEGO set.

The idea is to LEGO’fy a chess set with a medieval theme while maintaining its aesthetics to accommodate the pieces when not in use. As a novice chess player I have to say the design looks amazing, and one that’ll lure me into playing a game with my best buddies. The project has already been backed by 1,400 users and I hope this one becomes an official LEGO set one day.

Designer: [JonnyBrickz1820]

It all started when Jonny noticed his 5-year-old daughter playing chess on his phone and castling against him. A few months later, she came up and asked him, if she could get her own chess set. Then came the inspiration to design one, instead of buying one since she had a keen interest in the game. After a lot of thinking and trials, he started off the crafting process for each of the pieces. Some pieces like the rook and pawns took less time while the knight was a bit of a grind for him. The major challenge was to craft them in a medieval theme while ensuring they fitted snug inside the box at the bottom when now in use.

Once the basic design was sorted, it was time to embellish the chess set in gold accents to make it pop. To maintain continuity of the design, he located weapons or items in similar pearl gold finish, or ones that could be assembled using smaller pearl gold pieces. Thereafter, it was time to design the board which derives inspiration from other LEGO creations. After much brainstorming, he decided to use a single drawer design with two separate sections for stashing the color pieces.

The interesting thing is this build is crafted without using any computer-aided design and purely on trial and error. In the end, it turned out better than any other chess set on the market!

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This miniature LEGO Billiards Table comes with every accessory from cue sticks to powder cubes!

You’ve got Foosball, you’ve got Mini Golf, but have you ever heard of mini billiards? This tiny (yet somewhat playable) LEGO billiards set from the mind of LEGO builder Golden Eye captures the grandeur of a full-scale billiards table, but at a fraction of the size. Built with all the trims and fittings (including pockets, a gutter, and a cue-stand), Golden Eye’s Vintage Billiards Table is an adorable tabletop build that you can potentially even interact with, playing a game on its faux plastic turf!

Designer: Golden Eye

Golden Eye’s MOC (My Own Creation) is a meticulously crafted homage to classic pool tables, incorporating both form and function in a way that LEGO enthusiasts and billiards fans alike will appreciate. It taps into the nostalgia of vintage recreational games while presenting an innovative challenge for builders. The table includes thoughtful design details, such as nets for catching balls, a built-in scoring system with chips, and hooks for accessories like a bridge stick. Every element is designed with precision to replicate the essence of a real billiards table, but in LEGO form.

The underneath tray is practical, offering a space to store additional balls, while also contributing to the table’s structural integrity. The cue stand on the side features both 9-ball and 8-ball racks, giving you the opportunity to explore different game styles, playable with the striped and solid balls that come with the table. As for the accessories, the inclusion of two chalks, two felt brushes, and even a hand-powder stone showcases the level of detail considered to make this as realistic as possible.

Although it isn’t possible to play a proper game on the table (the bricked surface is far too unreliable and the plastic balls have very little weight or inertia), you could totally engage with it on a purely fidget level, using it to pass time and probably settle quick wagers with friends/colleagues.

Golden Eye’s LEGO Vintage Billiards Table is currently a submission on the LEGO Ideas Forum, an online community for fans to share their own creative builds. With just under 2,000 votes, the entry is slowly making its way to the 10,000 vote mark, following which LEGO’s internal team considers it for review before deciding whether to turn it into a box set for people to buy. You can vote for the LEGO Vintage Billiards Table on the LEGO Ideas website here!

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Golden Girls get their own fan-made LEGO kit featuring characters Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia

I’m a 90s kid myself, but the beauty of growing up in the 90s was to see sitcoms building on the success of great comedies of the 70s and 80s. I was raised on Full House, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon, but also on the greats before it – Diff’rent Strokes, Small Wonder, Three’s Company, and Golden Girls. I was raised on these shows because of how mom would watch them on TV, while I hung around in the background, chuckling away at funny moments. Decades later, LEGO sets like these bring back that familiar feeling, as they capture the intricate details of our favorite shows. Designed by Martin_Studio, this fan-made recreation of award-winning show Golden Girls captures the iconic kitchen setting where protagonists Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia tackled important issues like aging and friendship in a way that was both relatable and uplifting.

Designer: Martin_Studio

“The Golden Girls won Emmys and Golden Globes, showcasing its quality and impact on television. The show’s clever writing, exceptional performances, and heartfelt storytelling have left an enduring legacy that continues to delight audiences,” says designer Martin_Studio. “A LEGO set based on the show would not only celebrate its remarkable history but also offer a unique way for fans to engage with it.”

Imagine building the iconic Miami home of Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia with LEGO bricks. This fan-made set offers a detailed recreation of the show’s most recognizable rooms, from the cozy kitchen where countless conversations were shared over cheesecake to the sun-drenched lanai where the girls enjoyed their morning coffee. The minifigures, each with their own distinctive personalities captured through facial expressions and accessories, would allow fans to recreate their favorite scenes or create new adventures entirely.

Beyond the nostalgia factor, a Golden Girls LEGO set offers a delightful building experience for fans of all ages. Although Martin_Studio doesn’t declare how many pieces the set uses, it caters to both casual builders and experienced LEGO enthusiasts. The building process itself is a fun and engaging activity, allowing fans to relive cherished moments from the show while putting their creativity to the test. The kitchen scene even features studio lights on the top, bringing the feeling of being on set down to the small LEGO mini-scale.

The appeal of this potential set extends far beyond just fans of the show too. LEGO is known for its ability to bridge generations through its building sets, and a Golden Girls set could be a wonderful way for families to connect. Parents who grew up watching the show can introduce their children to the characters and themes in a new and interactive way, quite like the Full House LEGO Ideas set we covered just last month. Building the set together can spark conversations about friendship, aging, and the enduring power of laughter.

The LEGO Ideas Golden Girls set is currently a submission on the LEGO Ideas forum, where fans build and share their own creations with the global LEGO community. You can vote for the set on the LEGO Ideas website, and if it hits the 10,000 vote mark, LEGO might turn it into a retail kit for everyone to buy!

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LEGO Coldplay Music Of The Spheres Kit crosses 10,000 votes after being endorsed by the band itself

Considered to be the biggest band on the planet (with nearly 80 million monthly listeners on Spotify), it’s sort of a shame that Coldplay still hasn’t gotten a LEGO set of its own. Getting your own LEGO set is almost a rite of passage to icon-dom, and we’re at a point where the Brit pop-rock band is well on its way to being immortalized in the brick form. LEGO master-builder MIKEYDENDEN decided to build is own kit based on Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres tour, featuring the band members, two stages, and even hovering fireworks. With an official nod from Coldplay themselves, the fan-made build cruised past its 10,000 vote mark on the LEGO Ideas forum, and is currently being reviewed by the LEGO internal team. If things go smoothly, Coldplay could have its own official LEGO kit for fans to buy!

Designer: MIKEYDENDEN

I had the privilege of attending the Music of the Spheres tour during its Asian leg, and while the LEGO kit doesn’t even scratch the surface of how grand and awe-inspiring the production was, it’s definitely something. It has its own easter eggs, so to speak, with the presence of a main stage along with a smaller C-stage that the band often takes to in the middle of the show for acoustic covers of their songs. For added flair, you’ve even got fireworks at the top that go off during the songs Fix You, Sky Full of Stars, and right at the end of the show.

Zoom in deeper and the kit has a few more surprises, from butterfly and star confetti, to a colorful piano that Chris plays, ‘Believe In Love’ written on the stage backdrop, and Chris in his signature ‘Everyone Is An Alien Somewhere’ tee shirt.

The set obviously also has the usual suspects – band members Chris Martin, Will Champion, Guy Berryman, and Jonny Buckland all with their signature instruments. The only thing really missing here is the B-Stage, which extends off the main stage, connected through a ramp. The B-Stage is arguably where most of the action happens, as Chris performs on it, sometimes solo, and at other times with his crewmates. Given it’s the Music of the Spheres, it would also make sense to have some of the floating spheres that get thrown into the audience during the show! Maybe the redesign post LEGO’s internal review will feature these details.

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Someone Made A Deadpool & Wolverine LEGO Set in 2022 And We’re Only Discovering It Now…

Popular LEGO stop-motion animator Hachiroku24 gave us a taste of Deadpool & Wolverine two full years before the real deal. Even though the final movie was star-studded with more cameos than we could possibly hope for, Hachiroku24’s LEGO build is no less, featuring a fight scene between Logan and the merc within the hallways of X-Mansion, with Prof. X, Cyclops, and Storm in the background watching with what I can only assume is a sense of despair as the two immortals absolutely trash the mansion.

Designer: Hachiroku24

Given that the diorama was created two full years before the movie, a lot is left to Hachiroku24’s imagination… and with good reason – the LEGO scene fun, chaotic, and captures a slow-motion build-up of the two superheroes going at each other’s throats – something we all expected early on. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s because of Deadpool either being outright obnoxious or flirting with Storm. Wolverine has his claws out, lunging towards a suited Wade Wilson, who has his non-golden pistoleros pointed in obvious self defense.

The rest of the scene is literal chaos. Furniture broken, curtains and decor knocked over, a marble bust on the floor along with a croissant and a mug of coffee. Meanwhile, rather than intervening, Xavier, Cyclops, and Storm just stand aside and let the two supes go at each other’s throats, knowing that Logan’s temper and Deadpool’s incessant blabbermouthery cannot be controlled.

Although LEGO won’t sell this set, the fact that Hachiroku24 built it on his own means it’s technically possible to source the parts required to put this diorama together. If you’re reading this, Hachiroku24, we’re waiting for you to drop a DIY video on YouTube!

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Popular Sitcom Full House gets its own LEGO Ideas Kit with a minifigure Tanner Family

A LEGO set that instantly has you saying “Have mercy!”

Kids of the 80s and 90s practically grew up in the Tanner household. Whether it was being charmed by Uncle Jessie’s killer personality, humored by Uncle Joey’s quips, or just feeling the warmth of single dad Danny Tanner’s approach to parenting, the Tanner house felt like home to all of us. LEGO builder obiblock considers himself one of those kids, having religiously followed the sitcom Full House through his young years. As an homage to the TV show, obiblock recreated the Tanner home in stunning detail out of LEGO bricks. The LEGO Ideas Full House set comes with a detailed model of the home’s living room and kitchen – the most iconic and memorable rooms on the set – complete with furniture, decor, tiny details like paintings, and minifigures of all the main characters, including Danny, Uncle Jesse, Uncle Joey, D.J., Stephanie, Michelle, and Aunt Becky. Sorry, but Kimmy Gibbler didn’t make it on the list!

Designer: obiblock

“I built this set out of my love for Full House and its significant impact on pop culture,” says designer obiblock. “The show has a special place in the hearts of millions, offering timeless family values and memorable humor. As a lifelong LEGO enthusiast, I wanted to merge my passion for building with my appreciation for this iconic series. Recreating the Tanner home allowed me to relive the nostalgia and share it with other fans, both of the show and LEGO.”

Although obiblock doesn’t mention how many pieces make the set, it does contain a fair amount of detail, down to the plants on the kitchen window, and even the front and back door. The set features the very nucleus of the home – the living room, with its signature couch, fireplace, and the staircase behind that leads to everyone’s individual bedrooms. A door to the right guides you to the kitchen, with the coffee table, kitchen island, and the backdoor through which Kimmy would often make her entrance every few episodes.

Even the characters on the show are represented beautifully. Danny and his 3 daughters can be found in the kitchen (Michelle has her own stuffed teddy too), along with Uncle Joey. Meanwhile, Uncle Jesse is spotted on the living room couch, wooing Aunt Becky with dulcet tunes on the guitar. The characters can obviously be moved around, recreating different scenes from the popular sitcom.

obiblock’s MOC (My Own Creation) can currently be found on the LEGO Ideas forum, where fans submit their own ideas for new LEGO creations and kits. Just shy of 2,000 votes, the LEGO Ideas Full House kit is well on its way to hitting the coveted 10,000 vote mark, following which it may just get turned into a retail kit for all Full House fans to buy and proudly put on display!

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Bob Ross gets his own LEGO Ideas Kit with a foldable Miniature Art Gallery

Designed by LEGO-builder Bricknificent, the “Bob Ross: Studio & Paintings” kit perfectly immortalizes painter and art-instructor Bob Ross, known for his calming, almost meditative painting videos. The fan-made LEGO set contains Ross himself as a minifigure, within his own recording studio attached to an art gallery. The gallery, which folds open or shut, contains 6 of Bob Ross’ most prolific artworks, all made from a total of 1,234 LEGO bricks.

Designer: Bricknificent

“As a nature lover who likes to draw and paint, Bob Ross is truly an inspiration. I admire his passion, reassuring voice, and limited selection of tools and colors. With this in mind, I created the ultimate Bob Ross experience in LEGO,” says Bricknificent, the creator behind the LEGO Ideas Bob Ross kit. The kit is more than merely Ross’ studio, or his paintings. Instead, it’s practically a diorama of sorts, capturing the television setup that Ross used to film his painting sequences for his show, The Joy of Painting, along with his great works.

The studio set comes with a foldable design that can either be fanned out to display the entire collection in one go, or folded together to make a closed-loop gallery that forms a shape of the heart. The top of the heart, where the upper curves intersect, is where Bob’s studio is located, complete with studio lights, a camera, and a director filming Bob painting away. You’ve got a black curtain backdrop, and art supplies in the corner, capturing the entire recording setup’s nitty-gritty details… including even Peapod, a pet squirrel that featured in his episodes.

Move away from the setup and you’re greeted with 6 of Bob’s most prolific works – Mountain Retreat, Misty Waterfall, Winter Night, Campfire, Sunset, and Winter Solitude. Known for his unconventional approach to painting that broke down the process into simple, easy-to-follow lifehacks, Ross helped millions of people pick up a paintbrush and make actual, close-to-realistic landscape art. The LEGO Ideas set captures six such landscapes across various terrains.

6 of Ross’ most famous paintings use unconventional bricks from existing LEGO sets, like ice-cream scoops for waterfalls, and baby bottles as paint-tubes.

The entire set comes made from 1,234 bricks, ranking fairly on the easier end of the LEGO difficulty spectrum. Sadly, the set is just a fan-made creation for now… however, with nearly 2,500 votes as of writing this article, it’s racking up immense support on the LEGO Ideas website, where enthusiasts go to vote for their favorite fan creations or MOCs (My Own Creation). If Bricknificent’s MOC reaches the 10,000 mark, there’s a chance LEGO may turn it into a retail box set, so go ahead and cast your vote for this gorgeous kit on the LEGO Ideas website!

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Fan-made LEGO Technics Turntable features rotating disc, movable tonearm, and sliding faders

Short of actually playing music, this Technics SL-1200 MK2 turntable made from LEGO bricks is as near the real deal as it could possibly get.

With a build of over 2,000 pieces, the LEGO build pays tribute to the SL-1200 MK2, an iconic turntable from 1979 that became the club standard for all disc jockeys in the day, helping pioneer the scratching trend and even allegedly being the technical epicenter of movements like disco and house music genres. The submission comes from the mind of LEGO builder Tamás Borján, aka Tomasso Builds, who created the design from scratch, building it smaller than scale but exactly the perfect size to fit a 7-inch vinyl disc.

Designer: Tamás Borján (Tomasso Builds)

Tomasso’s SL-1200 MK2 may look undoubtedly brickish, but it’s as detailed as they come, with buttons, faders, settings, a weighted tonearm, rotating discs, and even a motor on the inside to power the entire experience. The built-in motor drives the turntable, which you can also spin manually to ‘scratch’ the disc, and Start and Stop buttons toggle the motor. The tonearm has adjustable weights and an anti-skating knob, and right under it is a pitch slider that deejays famously use to mix songs with different pitches or scales. Right beside the Start/Stop buttons is also a toggle switch to let you alternate between 33RPM and 45RPM speeds.

The movable parts and rotating turntable really make this build more than a sum of its bricks. The entire piece contains 2,215 LEGO bricks, which may sound like much, but a lot of the bricks go into building the turntable’s flat surfaces like the outer housing and the upper disc. A motor on the inside controls the disc’s rotation, and runs on a battery that also sits under the hood, giving you an overall LEGO kit that’s wireless and can be placed as a collectible anywhere around the house. We recommend keeping a few 7-inch vinyls nearby too to complete the look!

This isn’t the first LEGO turntable we’ve seen, though. Back in 2023, someone built a highly detailed version of the Pioneer CDJ 2000 that featured actual controls, a rotating disc, a dynamic display, and even a USB stick. Spiritually, however, the SL-1200 MK2 has a good 2 decades on the CDJ, given the fact that it absolutely dominated the 70s and 80s.

Tomasso’s build is currently a submission on the LEGO Ideas website – an online forum where LEGO builders and enthusiasts share their own creations and accept votes from the larger LEGO community. Entries that cross the 10,000 vote mark eventually get reviewed by LEGO’s own internal team and turned into box kits that us commonfolk can then buy. Tomasso’s submission is picking up votes at a surprising speed, having just crossed the 800-vote mark as of writing this piece. If you want to see an SL-1200 MK2 LEGO kit in the future, head down to the LEGO Ideas website and cast a vote for this fan-made build!

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Lisbon’s Iconic Bica Funicular Railway gets a stunning 2997-brick LEGO recreation

Anyone who’s visited Portugal has undoubtedly encountered the Ascendor da Bica… either in person or through a postcard, a fridge magnet, or perhaps a tourist recommendation. The Ascendor da Bica is more than just a mode of transportation; it’s a vibrant thread woven into the fabric of Lisbon’s identity. Christened “The Bica Funicular,” it scales the steep hills of the Bica district with a unique charm. LEGO builder Peter_Designs’ creation reflects this spirit faithfully. The tram itself is a marvel of LEGO engineering, built at a 20.5-degree angle to mirror the real tram’s ingenious solution to conquer Lisbon’s challenging topography. This intricate build utilizes 2997 pieces (with 773 being dedicated to the cart alone), ensuring not only structural stability but also a remarkably accurate representation of the tram’s distinctive design.

Designer: Peter_Designs

The set extends beyond the meticulously crafted tram, offering a delightful recreation of the surrounding cityscape. With a staggering 2224 pieces dedicated just to the scenery, the build incorporates colorful buildings in a style reminiscent of Lisbon’s architecture. A detailed platform completes the scene, providing the perfect stage to display the tram in all its glory. The total piece count reaches a substantial 2997, promising a rewarding and immersive building experience for LEGO enthusiasts of all ages.

But the Ascensor da Bica’s appeal transcends its impressive brickwork. This set offers a unique opportunity to add a historical landmark with a touch of whimsy to your LEGO world. Imagine this iconic tram, painstakingly recreated in LEGO form, gracefully navigating the slopes of your existing LEGO City. The set even includes functional tracks, allowing you to integrate the tram seamlessly into your cityscape and transport minifigures (not included) on a scenic journey, just like their real-life counterparts.

Peter_Designs’ motivation behind this creation is evident – a love for Lisbon and a passion for LEGO. Their design choices reflect a deep appreciation for the city’s charm and the Ascensor da Bica’s undeniable appeal. Whether you’ve had the pleasure of wandering Lisbon’s cobbled streets and marveling at the Bica Funicular, or simply dream of visiting this vibrant city someday, this set offers a delightful way to celebrate Portugal’s rich heritage and experience the magic of Lisbon from the comfort of your home.

The Ascensor da Bica LEGO Ideas project is currently in the crucial stage of garnering support from the LEGO community. With enough votes from passionate LEGO enthusiasts like yourself, this little piece of Lisbon could become a reality for LEGO fans worldwide. Imagine gifting this set to a friend who has fond memories of Lisbon, or displaying it proudly in your home – a constant reminder of the beauty and ingenuity that LEGO bricks can bring to life! Head down to the LEGO Ideas website if you want to vote for the LEGO Ascensor da Bica.

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LEGO Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figurines are fully articulated and can eat pizzas and fight crime

Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Sure, your first instinct is to think of the famed sculptors and painters of the Italian Renaissance… but for a very specific generation, these names conjured up images of four turtles, fighting crime while snacking on NY slices in their sewer bunkers. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were an absolute craze in the 80s and 90s, rivaling He-Man, GI Joe, and the Transformers for air-time on television. The premise, absurd at best, but it resonated wonderfully with a section of pre-teens and teens looking for something to validate their sense of rebellion. Four vigilante turtles, mutated to have humanoid characteristics, fought crime on the streets of NY using only an eclectic blend of martial arts and martial weapons. LEGO builder Teljesnegyzet decided to give these crime-fighting creatures their very own LEGO-based action figure set. Behold the LEGO Ideas TMNT kit, a rather accurate representation of the four turtles in their superhero garb. The set features the turtles in their four colored bandanas and bands, with their weapons of choice. Each turtle has a belt with their initials labeled on the buckle, and they’re even color-matched to their originals, showcasing four shades of green!

Designer: Teljesnegyzet

The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles burst onto the scene in the late 1980s, captivating audiences with their unique blend of action, humor, and teenage angst. The concept revolved around four anthropomorphic turtles, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo, trained in the art of ninjutsu by their rat sensei, Splinter. Together, they battled the villainous Shredder and his Foot Clan in the sewers of New York City, fueled by their love for pizza.

The LEGO Ideas MOC (My Own Creation) captures the essence of the classic TMNT characters. The concept features buildable figures of all four turtles, each equipped with their signature weapons. Leonardo wields his katanas, Raphael his sai, Donatello his bo staff, and Michelangelo his nunchakus. While official build instructions aren’t available, judging from similar LEGO minifigure designs, we can expect the figures to stand around 4-5 inches tall and feature a range of articulation points for dynamic posing. Designer Teljesnegyzet does mention that the entire superhero quartet takes about 2522 bricks in total, which makes it a fairly complex build, but then again, nobody under the age of 20 will probably even remember the TMNT craze, right? (Not even the atrocious 2014 film with Megan Fox)

Teljesnegyzet’s fan-made build currently sits on the LEGO Ideas forum, an online community where LEGO enthusiasts gather to share their creations and vote for their favorites. With just over 1,700 votes, Teljesnegyzet’s MOC is looking to gradually hit the coveted 10,000 vote mark, following which LEGO’s internal team may turn it into a box-set that anyone can buy. You can vote for the LEGO Ideas Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle set on the LEGO Ideas website here.

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