Guess how long it took to build Legoland KLCC? You’ll probably get it wrong

Don’t we all wish we were kids again where our only problem may be insufficient LEGO pieces to finish up our masterpiece? Well recently, we were lucky enough to visit #LEGOLANDMalaysia Resort for a quick review and re-live our childhood. We also managed to cover all the parks in LEGOLAND Malaysia which consists of 8 themed areas (theme parks) and a water park.

As kids, we may be used to building small structures but the builders at LEGOLAND Malaysia actually built replicas based on real buildings! We were really stunned, especially when we saw…

 

…yeap, the Petronas Twin Towers aka KLCC structure made of #LEGO.

Although it is a miniature based on the real KLCC (and it looked so real too), it actually stands at 10 metres tall (!) and…

 

LEGO KLCC is the tallest structure in LEGOLAND Malaysia!

Just in case y’all are wondering how tall 10 metres is, we actually made a chart to compare this structure to… Henry Golding!?

Ok ok, let’s be a bit serious. But before we proceed to how the structure was built, can y’all guess how many LEGO bricks does it take to build the LEGO KLCC?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the answer is… more than 785,436 LEGO bricks! So if ugaiz answered more than 700,000 LEGO bricks, then give yourself a pat on the back. But, OMG, imagine how many boxes of LEGO you might need to build this structure, considering a LEGO Classic set only has 890 LEGO pieces.

We spoke to Kurt Stocks, General Manager of LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort, who shared with us how the structure was made. We’ve always wanted to know how different the LEGO structure is to the real building and found out that the scale of LEGO KLCC to the real KLCC is 1:45.

Okay la, sorry not full scale, but mebe the builders actually wanted to ensure that the structure can fit nicely with other buildings and garniture (aka the decoration around it like buses and LEGO-people) which is in the scale of 1:20.

Unlike the LEGO structures you build at home, the #LEGOKLCC is deemmmmmm steady. So steady that it won’t topple even if you accidentally hit it (although it is quite impossible to do so tbh). This is because the structure is screwed to the ground and 100% assembled using glue to prevent it toppling in the long run.

“Following the layout given, the buildings are placed and assembled (in 32 parts, separately), starting with the base building or largest towers and then generally staggered from one to the other.” – Kurt Stocks told CILISOS.

But Rome LEGO KLCC wasn’t built in a day and we found out that it took the builders a whopping THREE weeks just to weather-proof it! And that’s apparently not even all…

 

The builders took about THREE YEARS to complete this LEGO KLCC structure

Actually, an ang moh named Eric Hunter, a Master Model Builder (wah) from LEGOLAND California was the one who came up with the idea to build this LEGO KLCC structure. As a matter of fact, he was the designer for this structure.

Although LEGOLAND Malaysia was officially opened in 2012, the process to build this KLCC model began way back in 2008.

“Our site research team went to the location (KLCC) to research and take first-hand photos. Every possible building parts that might be produced are photographed. After that, they pass the materials to designers to start the designing process.” – Kurt Stocks for CILISOS.

Yeap, designers would then make a prototype based on the pictures taken. And guess what? They’re verrryyyyyy detailed especially when it comes to designing windows and differently-patterned floor.

But that’s not all. The designers must also ensure that the structure is suitable for a bunch of special tourists known as the Minilanders aka Emmets (the main character from The LEGO Movie) to go inside. On top of that, the designers also have to take into consideration other technical aspects like lighting and would share a work file of other information which are not included in the prototype to the builders.

Eric also mentioned that anyone who wants to recreate this structure will probably take about three years to complete it. And he’s not wrong too, as according to Kurt, the builders took about 6,116 hours to produce this model. That’s like… 3 years of working (if you’re working on a fixed 9-5 job la)!

And Eric wasn’t the only person in the team too. Kurt told us that it took 32 LEGO Model Builders plus another 4 LEGO Tech Builders (aka technicians la) for light installation, wiring process and steelworks. And remember how we said the building is weather-proofed? That took another 3 UV Coaters to do some more.

These builders aren’t only responsible to build LEGO models in LEGOLAND Malaysia too, as…

 

These Malaysian builders have also contributed for LEGOLAND Dubai, Japan and even the US!  😮

Yeap, everything is awesome when you’re the chosen one.

We’re already amazed by the miniatures we saw at Miniland but we were even more amazed when Kurt shared that there is a local team who built those structures!

Apart from the team of builders who built the KLCC structure, Malaysia actually has a studio, Merlin Magic Making Studios (MMM), which houses more than 60 locally trained LEGO model builders (yea, 60 Asian Emmets). And just like how Melaka used to be the regional trade hub, this studio in Johor is the hub to support the growing demand for LEGO models in Asia.

The studio – which has been operating since January 2009 – first housed six pioneers who were actually trained at LEGOLAND California for two months to sharpen their skills and knowledge on building models using LEGO bricks! In addition, there are only 13 Merlin Magic teams across the globe including the ones here in Malaysia.

But aren’t LEGO bricks just a child’s play? Well, if you look closely at the details of these LEGO structures, you may understand why these builders needed training.

“What we are doing here is actually bringing in something from the real world and turning it into a LEGO and that requires a lot of experience and skills because we also need to know what kinds of buildings that we can do, what kinds of buildings that the public want to see.” – Tim Burnell, MMM Production Director for Front Desk.

If you think the number of LEGO bricks used to build KLCC structure is a lot, then you may be surprised by how many LEGO bricks are generally used to build various structures. Apparently, these builders at MMM Studios actually used over 900 MILLION different brick combinations to build various LEGO structures. Amagad, how fun is that??

“There is never a dull moment in our job, it’s like a game but you have to be very precise and meticulous in assembling the LEGO bricks.” – Siti Fatimah Ibrahim, one of the pioneers at MMM Studio, for The Star.

It was reported that Siti Fatimah has constructed over 500 miniature buildings from LEGO… together with other model builders la, ofcos. And that’s not all, these builders get to showcase their works worldwide to even #LEGOLAND Dubai, Japan, Germany and Florida, US.

Having said that…

 

Ugaiz may want to see their masterpieces for yourself… and catch other exciting promotions too!

Aside from Miniland where the KLCC structure is located, we were actually very fortunate to have experienced snow in Malaysia a Brick-Tacular Holiday at LEGOLAND Malaysia. We walked ugaiz thru some main attractions during our Facebook Live such as the Igloo Winter Wonderland and Advent Calendar Draw (aka lucky draw). While we were there, there was even this random kid who actually won a Star Wars LEGO set series worth RM1,023.70!

And you can actually win moreeeee than that. Apparently, the grand prize for Advent Calendar Draw is a trip to #LEGOLAND Denmark for 4 people, sponsored by Finnair on 25th Dec. OMG, how #Bricktacular is that?!

And we also couldn’t miss the LEGO Duplo Christmas Tree which was built using 427,695 blocks of LEGO bricks. There will also be a lighting ceremony of the tree among other activities at #LEGOLANDMalaysia.

But here’s the best part of it all. LEGOLAND Malaysia is also promoting a Premium Annual Pass which is a one time ticket purchase that enables all year entry. The tickets are priced as low as a 1-Day full price ticket… and you can enter LEGOLAND anytaim you want in a year!

If you’re already a Premium Annual Pass holder, then ugaiz may stand a chance to win daily prizes or even a Nissan Almera. All you need to do is redeem your Annual Pass, fill in a form upon your pass redemption and drop the form into a lucky draw box by 15th December 2018. But dun worry la, if ugaiz win the car, we’re preeeeety sure it isn’t made of #LEGO bricks. 😉

And if you’re going to visit #LEGOLANDMalaysia this holiday, don’t forget to hashtag them la on your social media platforms: #LEGO #LEGOLAND #Bricktacular #LEGOLANDMalaysia !