Brick By Brick - LEGO Back To The Future Delorean

I recently wrote a story about LEGO's CUUSOO program, and share some examples of video game-inspired projects that have a chance of reaching the 10,000 supporter mark needed for official consideration. My introduction to LEGO CUUSOO wasn't a videogame set though, I was hooked by the Back to the Future Delorean (complete with Marty McFly and Doc Brown minifigs).

As you can see, the kit is designed to support all three versions of the time-traveling Delorean. Switching among them doesn't take much time, with the most cumbersome part being the wheels (if you can get yourself four more rubber tire pieces, it will make that much easier). This build took a little while, because I'm out of practice and wanted to make sure that my assistant daughter got to do some of the building. I'd set aside an hour or two depending on your skill.

In order to get ready for this 401 piece set, I decided to steal my son's currently disused Batman set. This went very quickly (especially since it was only half as complex).

Yes. That's Aquaman frozen in the ice block. I wonder if he can talk to seals. Once I got warmed up, I was ready to begin the Delorean.

Searching for parts was taking a long time, so...

Much better.

Why are there different colored pieces on the front and back? It's a smart way to make sure you are aligning with the right part of the car. It was very helpful to have them.

Time circuits!

1.21 Gigawatts!

Starting to look like a car...

"Oh no! It's the Libyans!" (Back to the Future Delorean build complete!)

"Where we're going, we don't need roads!" (Back to the Future II build complete. Note the "Mr. Fusion.")

1985 and 2015... make sure you use the right license plate!

"I hope you're considering the future, Mr. Eastwood." (Back to the Future III build complete... except for Mr. Fusion, which fell off. Oops.)

For the most part, the Delorean is a great kit. There are a couple of things to know, though. First, the car really isn't wide enough to put both Doc and Marty in comfortably (unless you get creative). Doc's already huge hair being made of plastic can also give the low roof some problems, so position him carefully in the car. Both minifigs have two faces (one smiling, one frightened). The weakest part of the build are the gull-wing doors and the angled windshield pieces. Those tend to disconnect with anything more than minimal manipulation, but they aren't hard to replace.

The clear "stand" pieces for the car in hover mode are a wonderful touch, and perfect for display. It's absolutely worth the $35 for the set, and if I ever manage to get my hands on a tiny dog that fits Einstein's appearance, I'm definitely going to get it to complete the set.

You can get your own on LEGO's online store (retail stock sells through very quickly I was told this weekend). You can also see some of the other fantastic LEGO CUUSOO projects here. The Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary firehouse and Ecto-1 is very close to hitting the 10,000 mark. It's looking like a $150-$200 set, which isn't unheard of. For reference, the Death Star is $400, the upcoming Ewok Village (complete with Stormtrooper helmet drum set) is $250, and The Lord of the Rings Tower of Orthanc is $200. The Millennium Falcon that I purchased is $140. 

LEGO models are expensive, but the fun I had building this with my daughter was well worth it. I'll share pictures of future builds right here. Here are some upcoming builds with links:

• Star Wars Millennium Falcon (comes with Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, Ben Kenobi, and Darth Vader)
• Star Wars Droid Escape (comes with C-3PO, R2-D2, and two dusty Sandtroopers)
• Star Wars Jabba's Desert Skiff and Sarlacc Pit (comes with Lando Calrissian in disguise, Luke, Boba Fett, and Kithaba)
• Marvel Spider-Man: Spider Cycle Chase (comes with Spider-Man, Venom, and Ultimate Nick Fury)
• Marvel Cosmic Cube Escape (comes with Loki, Iron Man, and Hawkeye)