Never in my wildest tinkering with construction toys would I come up with building New York City’s Central Park, London’s Olympic Stadium (complete with a parachuting Queen Elizabeth), or Moscow’s St. Basil’s Cathedral out of Lego bricks. Lego lovers prepare to be wowed. Warren Elsmore’s new book Brick City (Barron’s, 2013) blew my mind with page after page of realistic global landmarks constructed completely out of Legos. The book is a veritable trip around the world for fans of the popular building bricks.
Elsmore, a professional plastic model builder, begins by giving a brief overview of the tools you’ll need to pull off some of the fascinating feats accomplished within the pages of Brick City. Computer-Aided Design software, such as Lego Digital Designer, can help in creating a complete blueprint for any ambitious building project. Elsmore gives tips on finding bricks, customizing minifigures, and other preparations and tips you’ll need to embark on your Brick City journey.
Elaborate landmarks, such as the neo-Gothic Chicago Tribune building, often take some 27,000 or more bricks. London’s Olympic Stadium takes 120,000 bricks! Not all landmarks in the book come with directions. You won’t find a step-by-step guide to building, say, the Abraham Lincoln Memorial or a grand version of Westminster Abbey, but you will get guidance for smaller projects. Build a Brooklyn Brownstone building, Buckingham Palace, the Arc De Triomphe in Paris, or a tiny version of Westminster—all super cool. Readers will also get two glossy posters that feature Lego landmarks.
Brick City is available this month from booksellers and specialty retailers.
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