By Alex Jones
A FULLSIZE replica of an iconic campervan has been painstakingly built out of FOUR-HUNDRED-THOUSAND LEGO BRICKS.
Incredible images of the VW T2 Bulli van, which was unveiled at the German leisure and tourism fair ‘f.re.e’ last week, show exceptional attention to detail with working headlights, a step for easy access and even a LEGO spider making themselves at home next to the camper’s kitchen unit.
More stunning shots shows a toothbrush and toothpaste set in a washbag, and pictures hanging up on the motorhome’s walls at the Munich exhibition.
The extraordinary creation was built by LEGO builder Rene Hoffmeister, one of only twelve certified LEGO model builders worldwide, and his colleague Pascal Lenhard who spent six weeks straight completing the epic project.
The LEGO camper weighs a remarkable 1543 pounds and matches the dimensions of the famous Volkswagen camper, which was released between 1967 and 1971. It is 197 inches long, 75 inches wide, and 118 inches tall, including the trademark Westfalia pop-up roof.
Unsurprisingly, it smashed the world record for largest LEGO campervan constructed. Equally predictably, for any LEGO model builder at least, the project almost came unstuck due to time restraints.
“With the help of 3D programs, the two builders created a construction plan in advance, from which the exact quantity of bricks required was calculated,” explained Daniel Keppler, who masterminded the project.
“The stiffness of the side walls and windows was decisive in order to guarantee stability later.
“The first brick was set quickly, and the start went without a hitch.
“However, around three weeks into the project 20,000 transparent bricks for the windows of the Bulli were missing and all constructions were stopped for a short time.
“In spite of the exact pre-planning the two model builders got into time stress, so that the missing time could only be made up by night shifts and weekend work.
“For the model builders, this meant ‘playing’ with LEGO bricks from morning to night and on weekends. The effort was worth it.
“In the end, the LEGO camper van was on time.
“The details of the camper van are mind blowing. Even the refrigerator is filled with things of daily camper life – of course made of LEGO.”
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