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LEGO Kinetic Sculpture: Pursuit of Flight Instructions

As you may remember from last week, the LEGO Ideas review team revealed which of the projects will be made into official LEGO sets from the batch that reached 10,000 supporters between May and September of 2019. The two projects chosen were the Medieval Blacksmith by Clemens Fiedler, and Winnie the Pooh by Ben Alder. You can read more about both projects and their creators here.

Amongst the projects that weren’t selected was Pursuit of Flight by Jason Allemann. Many LEGO fans were hoping that this project was going to be made into an official LEGO set, as it is a great introduction to building and operating kinetic models. Unfortunately, the project did not pass the LEGO Ideas review stage, so to help out LEGO fans who still want to build it, Jason released full instructions that you can download for free from his website.

The main model is a small kinetic sculpture of two planes in flight; a Sopwith Camel being pursued by a Fokker Dr.1. The planes move from side to side as the crank on the back of the model is turned. They also tilt as they move, giving the impression that they are gracefully soaring above the countryside below. Building instructions and a full parts list can be downloaded here. There are only 367 parts in this model, and most of them are common pieces, so you should be able to build it on your own with no difficulties (and of course, you can also substitute some pieces).

If you would like to motorize the model, Jason also provided separate instructions for a motor pack that you can easily connect to replace the hand-crank. Building instructions for the motor pack and a full parts list (only 13 parts) can be downloaded here. Please note that the instructions illustrate using a LEGO Power Functions M-Motor, but the newer LEGO Powered-Up Medium Motors can easily be swapped in. Other motors could also be used with some minor changes. You can find LEGO motors at the LEGO Power Functions section of the Online LEGO Shop.

In the video below, you can find demonstration on how to connect the motor to replace the hand-crank. (The model in the video has some minor cosmetic differences from the instructions, but otherwise accurately illustrates how the model functions.) I have also included a couple of other videos by Jason. One is a full demonstration of the Pursuit of Flight model, and the other is a Star Wars version of the same model featuring Luke’s X-Wing being chased by Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced. This last video effectively demonstrates the versatility of this project, and how easily you can swap out different modules to other types of planes, spaceships, and even birds!

What do you think? Did you vote for the Pursuit of Flight project on LEGO Ideas? Are you still planning to build it even though it won’t be made into an official LEGO set? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below!

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

{ 13 comments… add one }
  • Martin February 20, 2020, 11:42 AM

    Lego should have really made this into a set.

  • legofam February 20, 2020, 12:21 PM

    I don’t understand why this wasn’t selected. It’s small, it introduces movement to sets, educational, and so many people wanted it. Anyway, thanks to Jason for posting the instructions.

    • Håkan February 21, 2020, 2:28 PM

      A plausible theory is that it was too war-themed. War is only an acceptable theme as long as it’s part of a purchased license (such as Indiana Jones or Captain America).

      By the way, it seems the quote function works again. I assumed it had been scrapped?

      • Thita (admin) February 21, 2020, 5:01 PM

        I put threaded messages back. I got lots of comments and emails that you guys missed it, so I had no choice. 😀

        I will keep an eye on it and if conversations get too deep, I can readjust or try to figure out something else.

  • jabber-baby-wocky February 20, 2020, 2:07 PM

    Jason is awesome. He shares so many of his builds for free. And he already had two successful Ideas projects that were made into a set. Lego should just hire him. 😀

  • Daniel February 20, 2020, 2:12 PM

    I love building Jason’s models just for the learning experience. Why doesn’t Lego make kinetic sets?

    • yoladiel February 20, 2020, 7:27 PM

      They made the kinetic fish (I forgot what it’s called), but I think it didn’t do that well because they didn’t make any more.

      • Oldtimer February 20, 2020, 7:32 PM

        I think you’re talking about Lego Forma? As far as I know, that was a one time thing. They were successful at their fundraiser.

      • Will February 20, 2020, 9:43 PM

        Yeah, the LEGO Koi was to be the first of the LEGO Forma line. After they did the crowd funding for it they decided not to go forward with the line. If you are in the UK they are selling off any remaining stock of the Koi. The next closest thing to kinnect sculptures are builds in LEGO’s various robotics options, but even these are more remote controled creations rather than just a moving model.

  • j.j. February 20, 2020, 2:24 PM

    I made this myself when Jason first posted a video about it. I highly recommend it. And, like it’s shown in the video, you can easily swap out the planes and the landscape. Lego should have made this set with three customizable options. They’re missing out big time.

    • Emperor P. February 20, 2020, 7:49 PM

      Oh!! I like that idea! They could have made a set with different planes and birds and starships!

  • The Other Mark February 20, 2020, 9:20 PM

    I like this so much! It would have been great if Lego makes it into a set, but I don’t care. I will build it anyway. Thanks for sharing.

  • Sith015 February 20, 2020, 11:56 PM

    I love how he used the clear dishes for the moving propellers! It’s so simple yet so effective. It’s a good reminder that sometimes less is more.

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