Legos float? Who knew

[BobSch]

The best Lego sculpture yet:

http://www.villiard.com/porte-avions-lego.html

[crokett]

I don't think it is floating on its own. There is a board or something in the water underneath the ship. That is a very impressive sculpture though. I could never do that. I wonder how long it took?

[radhak]

Seems to me the water just 2 inches deep...

Wonder how many people made that, and in how much time?

[Uncle Cracker]

I wonder how long it took?

'Bout 20 feet, from the looks of it...

[Bigbit]

Lego's are normally molded from either polycarbonate (specific gravity of 1.2) or ABS (specific gravity of 1.05), and if solid, would be heavier than water. With entrapped air, the overall density may be less than water - hard to call without knowing the details on the internals of the ship.

But I agree with the previous posts. It looks like the structure is on some sort of platform in less than 6" of water, so the speculation is probably moot.

[Mr__Bill]

Yup they float

Not only do they float but they are mapping the oceans currants with a container load of them that went overboard.

Scroll to the bottom of this for how to register your found floating Lego.

PROJECTED ROUTE OF LOST LEGOs

[Kristofor]

Looks awfully vulnerable without the rest of the battle group. Better hope there aren't any mega-block subs or Exocet armed Conext speed boats in the area.

[cabinetman]

Who cares if it floats or not. Maybe it ran aground. Maybe it's just low tide. It is some cool piece of work.
.

[Richard in Smithville]

I wonder if the builders got yelled at as kids for leaving their lego's all over the place?

Impressive work though.

[lebomike]

That is a great looking ship, I was thinking how many tools I could buy with what it cost for all those Legos. I think I could outfit a shop very well.
I don't care if it floats or not it is a labor of love for the builder, GREAT JOB

Mike

[leehljp]

Where is my royalties?

I want my royalties!

Wikipedia: "To claim the English crown, William invaded England in 1066, leading an army of Normans to victory over the Anglo-Saxon."

The original "Lee" name was from Normandy and was LEGO. Got it on my family tree! (But mom told me that nothing clings to the family tree like the sap. )

I want my royalties!

[LCHIEN]

Looks like is supposed to be modelled on the USS Harry Truman (CVA-75), the scale is off a bit (superstructure larger in proportion to the deck) but its a good likeness. At first i though it might be a Frenchie because the website and language was French but they only have one carrier now.

[Len]

If the hull is made up of a 'shell' of Legos then it should displace enough water to float on it's own. Same reason a steel hull ship can float. The board may just be a launching ramp.

Len

[LCHIEN]

when i was a young lad i built many "boats" out of Legos. and tried to float them. Nothing on this scale but they ran to a foot long maybe.

As for displacing water, they will for a while but inter-brick leaks can't be stopped and they'll fill the bilge.
As for the desnity of plastic (polycarbonate) being 1.2 (denser than water) making them sink, the individual pieces will, but when you put a brick in the water it traps air. The air will keep a brick afloat as long as the brick does not turn over (open side must stay down) and discharge its air. Keeping a lego boat afloat involves then a balance that the boat cannot capsize and must keep the air trapped inthe bricks but it rides pretty low in the water (density with air trapped is less dense than water but not much) - kind of like an iceburg, 90% submerged. Its hull would have to be solid bricks (e.g. the only way to trap air, a hollow hull would leak from between the bricks. Its also looks to be top heavy and would want to roll unless there was ballast in the hull. My coclusion: That aircraft carrier to be sitting that high in the water must be supported from the bottom.

Also I watched a pofessional lego builder earlier this year working on a large contracted sculpture and he actually glued the pieces together, not so much that it would seal the cracks but so it would be more or less permanent.

[ironhat]

When I see great 'assembleges' such as this I wonder if all of the parts are stock offerings or if some are altered. Not being around much in the way of Legos, other than the large bucket of loose, odd parts that we had for the kids and now, grandkids, I'm just ignorant of what is out there. Very cool piece, however.