Singapore landmarks such as the Merlion, Fullerton Hotel, Boat Quay,
Riverside Point and even the
world's first amphibious DUCKtours Lego vehicle will be featured at the
upcoming Legoland theme park in Johor.
It is the 6th Legoland park to be built in the world and the very first in
Asia.
The familiar features of Singapore and many others will be part of a Lego
display called Miniland, which is the centrepiece in all of the Legoland parks
and re-creates landmarks from around the world using only Lego bricks.
The models are built on a scale of 1:20 and will feature landmarks from 17
countries around the region such as Angkor Wat (Cambodia), Taj Mahal (India),
Petronas Twin Towers (Malaysia) and many more can be found in the Miniland, the
largest one ever built for a new park.
There are over 15,000 lego models, and all pieces are sprayed with a special
UV coating (similar to what is used on cars) to help protect them against the
elements and maintain their lustre. This will give them a five-year lifespan
outdoors, after which another treatment will be done.
The Malaysian cluster in Miniland is the largest, featuring KL's Petronas
twin towers. The iconic landmark lays claim to being the tallest Lego tower in
the world, requiring more than 540,000 Lego bricks to complete.
One of the unique structure in the Singapore area is the wirelessly
controlled DUCKtours vehicle which will travel around the city. Once it comes
into contact with water, it will travel in a clear acrylic channel that has
been mounted into the water. It is the first amphibious feature to ever be
constructed by Lego.
The most challenging work in replicating a Singapore landmark was the
Singapore Flyer.
"Imagine building something perfectly round out of rectangular bricks and if
that sounds easy, try
building it to scale and then wiring it to make it move like the real thing,
said Miniland project lead Patrick De Maria.
According to Legoland Malaysia, the Singapore Flyer took one person one year
to build, with over 100,000 bricks. It was constructed in Denmark and then
shipped over to the park.
Another challenging landmark, the iconic Esplanade building, was shortlisted
but dropped because the structure "would not have translated well" using Lego
bricks.
Researchers started work in 2009 and spent weeks photographing buildings,
roads, and streets across Asia. The 3D design and production stage took over
two years to complete. Actual models were then built in various parts of the
world, including Malaysia.
Models made overseas were then transported by air and sea for installation
at Legoland Malaysia six months ago and is expected to be completed by the
middle of August.
Singapore is the third largest display in the 10,000 sq m Miniland, which is
one of the seven themed areas at Legoland. The theme park will open its doors
officially on Sep 15, 2012.
The water park will be completed in 2013 and the Lego hotel is expected to
be completed in 2014. There will also be three restaurants and multiple food
and beverage outlets on its premises.
Once fully operational, the 31ha park is set to be the largest Integrated
Resort in Singapore and Malaysia.
klim@sph.com.sg
A giant octopus made of Lego blocks greets visitors.
The Singapore cluster is the third largest in the park.
The Singapore Flyer took one person one whole year to build, according to
Legoland.
The Flyer is one of the more complicated structures to build.
It took over 100,000 Lego bricks to build the model of the Singapore Flyer.
Most of the models were constructed in other parts of the world before being
shipped to Malaysia.
