Leonardo da Vinci is a man of many talents. He created plans for objects that could only be built in the twentieth century (he died in 1519). He had a ninja turtle named after him. And he’s been immortalised in Lego. More than once, now.
Lego is preparing a more technical rendition of one of da Vinci’s works. You can grab a version of the Mona Lisa that looks suspiciously like British comedian Jimmy Carr right now for R1,900 but if you wait a few weeks, you can get something a little more practical — Leo’s flying machine.
Lego my invention, dammit
The 493-piece set is part of the Danish brick brand’s Icons lineup. Officially called Leonardo da Vinci’s Flying Machine, it’s set to drop on 1 January 2025. Launches tend to be rather universal so don’t be surprised to see it in local outlets at the same time. Pricing probably won’t be far from the international R1,300 ($70) the pre-order page currently sits at.
Despite the low piece count, Lego has rated this build for adults over the age of 18. Part of this is the engineering involved. It’s a proper replica, possibly a little simplified from the deceased polymath’s original ideas, and that means it’ll take some thinking to construct.
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The wings flap, thanks to a series of pulleys and cables worked into the design, and it also looks as though Lego has created a few custom pieces specifically for the Flying Machine. We certainly haven’t seen the canvas ‘wings’ in anything else the Danish company has put out in recent years.
And the relatively low price? That’s what happens when you don’t have to pay the likes of Disney (or Manchester United) license fees to create something. And Leo’s invention would look pretty sweet sitting on a shelf where small kids can’t get to it.
