LEGO builders create fully working machine — just to move balls

I loved LEGO when I was a kid, when it was just the basic block sets, and I was still into it when they started designing the various Space LEGO sets. I've watched, with interest, the development of the toy over the years, and now they have LEGO sets for pretty much every big nerdy movie franchise.

When the Mars Curiosity rover was making news, I saw this amazing LEGO model of the rover, built by Doug Moran and Will Gorman, and I wanted it, although LEGO themselves may be putting out a smaller version someday. The Ultimate Collector Series Imperial Star Destroyer remains my favourite official LEGO set of all time.

One thing I didn't know about, though, was The Great Ball Contraption (GBC). A sub-group of LUGNET — the LEGO User Group Network — GBC is a loosely-organized group of LEGO enthusiasts that build machines, entirely out of LEGO, with one purpose in mind — to move balls.

[ More Geekquinox: How recycling your old gadgets can lower prices for new ones ]

One of the latest projects from the group is a 31-metre-long Rube Goldberg inspired masterpiece.

The planning and design that went into this machine is incredible. According to the builder's website (Warning: it's all in Japanese), it took 2 years to make, and he goes into great detail about exactly what sets he used to build the various parts of the machine.

If you'd like to try this kind of thing for yourself, the GBC website sets some standards, and has some great examples of their work.

[ Related: Comet ISON could outshine the moon next year ]