3D Printing a Massive LEGO Castle
YouTuber Nate From the Internet is 3D printing a life-size replica of the 1984 LEGO set King's Castle—all 664 pieces, only 20x the size!
It has been scientifically proven time and again that LEGOs are the perfect building blocks and also that it is totally not at all embarrassing for an adult to still play with them. It’s definitely engineering or something. I’d cite all the references, but there are just too many.
With that out of the way, I was excited to see YouTuber Nate From the Internet’s recent project. Nate has been hard at work 3D printing a life-size version of the 1984 LEGO set number 6080, better known as King’s Castle.
I had a King’s Castle set as a child, so seeing it come to life in this way was incredibly nostalgic. However, it may not be quite so nice for Nate. He is using the original instructions to 3D print each individual part — only 20 times longer, wider, and taller. That means 664 huge pieces have to be printed, which is not only going to be a huge pain, but it’s also going to take a huge amount of filament.
As you might expect, many of the blocks are too large to produce in a single print. In these cases, they are printed in several segments, then attached with a system of interlocking rails. Once assembled, these pieces are clicked together with the standard (but much larger) studs and tubes we all know and love.
Before getting to the printing and assembling work, Nate had to individually design each unique piece. Now that is some serious commitment to a project!
Fortunately, the result is worth the effort. Or at least I can say that as someone who put in none of the effort. The life-size King’s Castle looks perfect, down to the last detail. The archway of the gate is tall enough for Nate to walk under, turning him into the minifig. Now if he could just 3D print himself some armor, it would be a childhood dream come true.