A designer determined to “put Scotland on the Lego map” has come one step closer to making his dream a reality.
Michael Dineen’s model of Scotland’s iconic Forth Bridge, measuring almost five metres in length, has now entered the official review stage of Lego’s product idea competition - after it last week achieved an incredible 10,000 supporters.
It will now be professionally assessed by Lego designers, and if they decide they want to produce it as an official set, the design could be coming to shelves near you.
Mr Dineen, who lives in Clarkston, Glasgow, thanked everyone who had supported his Forth Bridge LegoIDEA and said he was “overwhelmed” by the support he’s received over the past 18 months.
“It’s so heartwarming to know that something that means so much to me, does so to many others and I sincerely hope Lego will chose to add this set to their official range, for sale all over the world”, Mr Dineen said, adding it would be incredible to “finally put Scotland on the Lego map” in the form of its 6th World Heritage site.
No other official Scottish kits currently exist from Lego.
Voted Scotland’s greatest man-made wonder in a survey by VisitScotland, the Forth Bridge represents an incredible feat of Civil Engineering that Mr Dineen was passionate about replicating.
The structure, erected in 1890, was designed by Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker and survived two world wars before becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site today.
It continues to operate as a functional bridge to this day and dominates the skyline over the Firth of Forth where it bridges the gap between Edinburgh and Fife.
The cantilever bridge in its true form covers a distance of 1.5 miles with its three towers reaching over 100 metres into the sky, which Mr Dineen shrunk down to a more Lego-appropriate size at 4.7 metres long and 30cm high.
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It took Mr Dineen four challenging months to complete the set, applying the same engineering principles used in the real world to that of a Lego model, before settling on the final design of the complex structure in ‘miniature’ form.
“Many people are not aware just how long the bridge is in reality (2.4km) and just how slender it is in relation to its length”, he said. “I found it very rewarding to design something so unique.
“During construction of the real bridge, engineers had to construct the arms on both sides of each tower at an equal rate, as an imbalance in the weight at either side would make the tower topple over. This is replicated in my model. Yet, once completed it is an absolutely solid structure.”
Mr Dineen, who is passionate about educating and inspiring others about Civil Engineering, says he built this model to do just that.
"I built my bridge out of pride and passion. I’m incredibly proud to live in a country that is home to one of the greatest and most iconic structures around the world.
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"Many people share my passion for this bridge and feel this is an incredible structure, so unique in design that it’s never been replicated anywhere.
"This model could help promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects amongst children and within schools.
"It could also highlight why any World Heritage site around the world is so important and should be given appropriate recognition.”
The team from Lego will now assess Mr Dineen’s design, with a decision on whether it will be adopted as an official set expected within three months.
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