Lego Ideas is a nifty project that allows folks to submit their visions for Lego products, then the public gets to vote, and the most popular ideas get official kits! There are some really nice ideas in the running at present – I’m hankering for the London Natural History Museum myself.
Dave recently surprised me (plus a number of other sciencey women in his circles) with the Research Institute kit which includes a paleontologist, an astronomer and a chemist – all female characters. I got stuck into my kit straight away and loved the builds – they’re all small (built on a 6×6 base plate), but have some nifty design characteristics: the constructions of the dinosaur fossil and the telescope are particularly fun.
Once the 3 models were built, they needed a home, so with the aid of a brown envelope and a chat to our local planning manager, we managed to secure a quick change of purpose for the upper floors of the Grand Emporium from retail to exhibition space, and signage was added to the front of the store to alert passers by. The chemistry and paleontology sections went on the top floor, and an al-fresco observation station was installed on the roof. The results are quite pleasing. 🙂
