A Proposed Clockwork Solar System Made out of LEGO

By Andy Tomaswick - September 23, 2021 at 9:28 AM UTC | Solar Astronomy
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One of the best innovations Lego has had in the last decade is leveraging the power of the internet to help choose what kits to create. Innovative designers can buy piece parts, make their own masterpieces, carefully document how to recreate them, and then lobby Lego to release them at a kit. One of the more creative recent projects is a Clockwork Solar System designed by Chris Orchard and Brent Waller, and it is absolutely stunning.

At around 3000 pieces and measuring 52cm x 44 cm x 56 cm, their creation is on the larger side of Lego projects. But, it is surprisingly precise, with the project creators claiming that the orbital timing of the planets is 99.8% accurate to how they are in real life.

Product video of the model solar system.Credit - Waller Customs - Lego Creations YouTube Channel

That level of accuracy results from hours of design and a whole lot of testing, totaling 15 months of work. Technic, the Lego system that includes gears, axles, and motors, allows the system to move accurately but is almost some of the most challenging types of LEGO to build. In addition, each planet has a unique model to represent it, and the clockwork system is brilliantly displayed in an accompanying video the project creators released.

They will need more than a fancy video and a well-written proposal to bring this project to fruition, though. A project needs 10,000 votes on the Lego IDEAS platform to get on the company's radar for an "Expert Review." If the reviewers give it the go-ahead, the company could adopt the idea into a kit of its own.

Luckily, the project started strong. Having only been released three weeks ago, it already has over 7000 supporters as of the time of writing, and almost two full years to collect the next 3000 supporters needed to get it to that review. With that level of support and the amount of time left, the Clockwork Solar System is a shoo-in to at least get reviewed by the company. If it passes inspection, space enthusiasts everywhere can look forward to having it in their hands soon.

Learn More:
Lego IDEAS - Clockwork Solar System
UT - Want a LEGO James Webb Space Telescope? It Even Folds Up
UT - A LEGO® Version of the Very Large Telescope. It Even has a Laser Interferometer
The Register - The Register speaks to one of the designers behind the latest Lego Ideas marvel: A clockwork solar system

Lead Image:
Image of the fully assembled Clockwork Solar System.
Credit - Chris Orchard / Brent Waller

Andy Tomaswick

Andy Tomaswick

Andy has been interested in space exploration ever since reading Pale Blue Dot in middle school. An engineer by training, he likes to focus on the practical challenges of space exploration, whether that's getting rid of perchlorates on Mars or making ultra-smooth mirrors to capture ever clearer data. When not writing or engineering things he can be found entertaining his wife, four children, six cats, and two dogs, or running in circles to stay in shape.