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Ahead of Olympics, LEGO Recreates Rio de Janeiro With Over 900,000 Bricks
As the countdown to the start of 2016 Rio Olympics on August 5 continues, fans of the sporting event now have the opportunity to check out a different kind of impressive feat: a large-scale replica of Rio de Janeiro made of over 935,000 LEGO bricks.
A collaboration between LEGO and the Danish government, the structure was created as a legacy gift to Rio de Janeiro. Master builder Paul Chrzan tells The Wall Street Journal that the installation took over 2500 hours to complete, with over 50 people from three different countries working to recreate local landmarks like the Christ the Redeemer statue and the Maracanã Stadium using the multi-colored bricks.
The sculpture—the most expansive official LEGO structure modeled after Latin America—uses 10 different scales, Chrzan explains, so that the buildings and other elements could fit within the confines of a space that's roughly 16 by 20 feet wide. Check out the video below to learn more about the model and the work that went into building it.
[h/t The Wall Street Journal]
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