Let’s face it, everyone would love their own BB-8. I know I would. However, not everyone can shell out the 150 bucks for the Sphero version. Well, now there seems to be a new way to build your own BB-8 for a reasonable cost, and without having a robotics engineering degree.
Over on the LEGO Ideas page is a new fan creation for a personal, mobile BB-8! Check out the video above!
How awesome is this thing? This version of BB-8 was submitted as a joint effort by two brickheads in the hopes that their dream can become a reality. In just over a week on the site, it has already gained the support of nearly four thousand people who want the opportunity to construct their own ball droid… from the base up.
But how exactly does this BB-8 work? Well, you could give it a push to get it rolling on any flat surface, or you could choose to keep him rolling on his desert base (which would be included). Thanks to magnets, the head attaches to the LEGO-built axis; by weighing down the base of the axis, it ensures that BB-8’s head stays at the top of the droid at all times.
It’s actually a real ingenious LEGO set that you could create on your own… as long as you had the pieces and the painting skills to create BB-8’s distinctive look (this version was painted by its creators).
The possible coup de grâce for this LEGO creation is the two arm attachments. Allowing your personal BB-8 to not only deliver a shock, but to also deliver a fiery thumbs up.
Now, if you’re screaming at your computer screen, “Shut Up And Take My Money;” sorry to be the bearer of bad news. The LEGO Rolling BB-8 won’t be hitting shelves any time soon. With LEGO Ideas, the concept first needs to reach ten thousand votes (and it will most likely reach that). Then it needs to be approve by LEGO. Once it makes it that far, then it can head into production and onto shelves. It’s the same process that led to the creation of the LEGO Delorean from Back to the Future, as well as ECTO-1 from Ghostbusters.
So if you want the chance to purchase your own rolling BB-8, then throw in your support. Who knows, by the holiday season this year you might be the proud recipient of a build-it-yourself BB-8.
