One of the many sacred rituals of childhood includes the annual summer tradition of pumping quarter after quarter into a carnival claw machine game, in an attempt to capture that one elusive toy trapped under a pile of less appealing playthings. Fortunately we all grow up and (mostly) grow out of that frustrating trap. But it’s only because we realize it’s less work to buy more expensive toys, indulging in costly LEGO sets rather than trying to win them. Now, one very skilled builder has managed to combine both of those desires into one amazing item, by constructing a fully functioning, life-sized LEGO toy claw machine.
YouTube user Luke99 built this fully-operational claw machine, which we first learned about when Beyond the Brick highlighted it among the many great works at this year’s Brickworld in Chicago. It is made up of “over 13,000 individual LEGO pieces, all laid by hand, locked together with no glue.” Standing 30-inches wide by 30-inches deep and six feet in height, all of the machine’s mechanics, “including all the motorized elements and coating,” were built with the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 system.
An EV3 power brick that directs the claw, along with four motors that guide it along the top and down into the toy pit, transform this from something that would still be an incredible LEGO replica into an actual machine. In fact, it’s one that you can stand at for far longer than anyone reasonably should.
Don’t worry about having to dig deep for lots of quarters to trying your hand at this though. Luke walled off the slot where they used to go. That truly makes this a dream come true for claw machine enthusiasts of all ages, whether those enthusiasts are kids begging their parents for quarters or the moms and dads who have to hand them over.
That’s one part of the claw machine ritual no one will be upset about losing.
Featured Image: Luke99