Although they are toys, Legos inspire amazing creations. LEGO artists use tiny plastic bricks to create everything from robots and architecture. Even the company’s engineers create new components that allow builders noelsbricks.com/2023/05/05/lego-building-instructions-apps to construct more complicated models. Erik Varszegi is a Master Builder at the Lego Group, Billund, Denmark. He has designed a new element for this year’s model, the curved slope. It lets Lego users make more slanted designs while adhering to the company’s strict color palette. The slopes can be used to create more dynamic shapes, such as a curving staircase.

While some Lego designs are the creations of professional designers, others are the result of the popular Lego Ideas set-design program. The Ideas line lets anyone design a set, and it is able to be made. It offers fame and one percent of sales for anyone who convinces 10,000 peers that their design is worthy to be made. It’s no surprise that most elaborate and impressive sets typically garner the most support — especially when they contain iconic scenes or characters from television shows, films or from real life.

Two space icons are among the most impressive Lego models: the NASA shuttle Discovery and the Hubble Telescope model. Each telescope comes with a display plaque and the miniature Lego version of its inventor. Other impressive models include a frame Rainbow and a Steampunk Dragon and a model of the Westminster Palace.