Building a LEGO model or contraption by following the directions in the box is one thing, but it takes ingenuity and, yes, engineering ability to create an original LEGO composition. And there is no shortage of tinkerers determined to push the LEGO-mod envelope. The biggest drawback of the medium, according to LEGO artist Henry Lim, is also one of its most redeeming qualities. "If [the object] gets knocked over, it falls apart," he says. "However, it is made of LEGO, so it can be rebuilt."

The LEGO Difference Engine

(Photo by Andrew Carroll)

In 1822, Charles Babbage proposed the idea of a difference engine, a hand-cranked machine that could evaluate high-order polynomials with precise accuracy. The idea wasn't realized until 1991, when the London Science Museum built the machine according to Babbage's updated 1847 design. The motivation to build a LEGO difference engine, which can calculate up to third-order polynomials to four digits, is in part "a wistful sort of 'what might have been' had Charles Babbage actually gotten his machine to work," says Andrew Carroll, the designer.

Pinball in Parts

(Photo by pinballnews.com)

One of the world's greatest pinball-machine mods, this is a real coin-operated pinball machine made out of more than 20,000 LEGO blocks. Gerrit Bronsveld and Martijn Boogaarts of the Netherlands crafted the machine, whose internal computers are composed of programmable LEGO Mindstorm parts.

Block Cello

(Photo by brickartist.com)

"It was very challenging to attach cello strings to the cello, but I wanted the authenticity for the piece," says LEGO brick artist Nathan Sawaya. Sawaya only uses rectangular LEGO bricks—7000 of them for the cello. "I use this as a medium because I enjoy seeing people's reactions to artwork created from something with which they are familiar," he says.

A Fully Functional Air Conditioner

(Photo by brickartist.com)

The challenge was steep when an appliance company commissioned Nathan Sawaya to build a full-size functioning air conditioner out of LEGO blocks, especially the task of creating a cooling effect. "In the end I used LEGO robotics to create a fan that could be regulated within the LEGO air conditioner," Sawaya says.

Toy Harpsichord

(Photo by Henry Lim)

Every part of this (playable!) harpsichord—except the wire strings—is built from LEGOs, says designer Henry Lim. The most challenging aspect was engineering a machine that could withstand the tension of the strings. "Building it wasn't too time intensive, but researching and designing prototypes took about two years," Lim says.

DIY Telescope

Madeline Bodin

(Photo by Madeline Bodin)

This mod, from the Stellafane Convention in Springfield, Vt., was built by Alan Rifkin, who modified only five of the more than 1000 LEGO pieces he used to fashion the fully functional telescope.

Plastic ATM

(Photo by Ron McRae)

Made with LEGO Mindsource NXT parts plus an infrared link and RFID sensor, Ronald McRae's automatic teller machine makes change, can be calibrated to any type of banknote, and features a numeric keypad that uses both on touch and light sensors. Don't enter the wrong PIN three times, or the machine will retain your plastic.

Volvo's LEGO SUV

(Photo by Bernadette Ann/Flickr)

In 2004, LEGO teamed with Volvo to create a replica of the 2004 Volvo XC90 SUV. The replica, which is not drivable, was constructed by LEGO Master Model Builders at the company's U.S. headquarters in Connecticut. It now sits at the LEGOLAND theme park in California.

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