LEGO Nut Kickstarts Epic Mario Project

Mike Kayatta

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Aug 2, 2011
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LEGO Nut Kickstarts Epic Mario Project



An artist seeks to recreate level 1-1 using one brick per pixel.

With so many independent developers using Kickstarter to fund game development, it's easy to forget that there are numerous people out there trying to use the service for some gloriously weird stuff that could only ever hope to find funding with the help of a loosely affiliated group of internet wackos willing to lay out some scratch to see it come to fruition. Such is the case with LEGO enthusiast Zachary Pollock's latest project, in which he seeks to build a ninety-foot by six-foot LEGO brick mosaic that faithfully recreates the opening level of Super Mario Brothers, using an individual brick for every single pixel on the map.

Such an undertaking will, of course, require a ridiculous number of LEGO bricks, which Pollock estimates at approximately 780,000. Unless you own a plastic mold and a whole lot of synthetic blue, green, and red goop, acquiring three quarters of a million bricks would take some significant buying power. Once you add that to the plywood, Plexiglas, and mounting hardware needed for the final installation, you get to about $26,400 (if Pollock's Kickstarter goal is an accurate representation).

"This project has a couple goals," Pollock writes on his Kickstarter page. [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/plaidsquirrel/epic-mario] "First and foremost, I want to inspire a new generation of LEGO enthusiasts. I also want to show people what they have forgotten, that building with LEGO can be done at any age. My second goal is to use this project to test the waters for a foundation I would like to start that will work with children doing healing art projects using LEGO bricks."

Once finished, Pollock plans to take his creation to BrickCon, Comic Con, PAX, and beyond ... if he can afford it (labor and transport are not covered in the money he's asking for on Kickstarter). If he's able to slap this thing together, Pollock also believes that it will be the longest LEGO project in history. Even if he's wrong, it will certainly be longer than anything the rest of us have ever assembled with tiny plastic cubes.

Image: Taken from Pollock's Kickstarter page. [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/plaidsquirrel/epic-mario] The panel represents the look of his project, but only 1/60 of it's final width.


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Bobic

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Nov 10, 2009
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It's good to know he's carrying on the artistic nature of the Pollock name.

Hell, I'd rather see a Lego Mario recreation than a bunch of squiggles anyway.

Philistine away!
 

Therumancer

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Nov 28, 2007
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Interesting project, but not the kind of thing I imagine I'll ever fund on Kickstarter. I wish him luck with it, however part of the "fun" of hearing about projects like this is the time and effort the person puts into accumulating the money on their own. To me at least the awesomeness of the project is sort of dilluted by trying to collect money through kickstarter.
 

BehattedWanderer

Fell off the Alligator.
Jun 24, 2009
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Good idea...good idea....but how about something other than 1-1? Everyone does 1-1. Why not 1-2? It's almost equally as iconic, and its a bit more distinct. Of maybe even 1-1 of SMB3? We know that one at first sight as well. Maybe this is petty, but 1-1 of SMB seems a bit done to death.
 

Beautiful End

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Feb 15, 2011
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Pollock. Huh. Nice name for an artist.

I wanna help this guy but...after Double Fine's Kickstarter, I'm a little short on cash. D:
 

Fijiman

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Dec 1, 2011
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If I had money I would totally support this project. Sadly I don't have money, but I'm still hoping that he gets to do this.
 

Nouw

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Mar 18, 2009
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That's a lot of bricks. I hope this guy gets the suppourt he needs since the end-product is going to look kick-ass.
 

CruisingForBiddies

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Oct 30, 2011
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That looks amazing! That makes me want to break out all of my old lego and build something. Something most likely less impressive but still...
 

Ectoplasmicz

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Nov 23, 2011
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That is absolutely brilliant,can't wait to see the finished product.

In however many centuries that may be...
 

Zefar

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May 11, 2009
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I was under the impression that KickStarters was for GAME companies and not just gamers who needed money to make kinda pointless things.

As for it being cool? Not really, it's the first Mario stage. If he'd gone for Zelda: A link to the past or MegaMan X it would be far more impressive.

Also doesn't be basically cash in on the Mario brand?
Seeing that he is making Mario and the first stage and he's gonna get people paying him to do it.
 

Proverbial Jon

Not evil, just mildly malevolent
Nov 10, 2009
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Zefar said:
Also doesn't be basically cash in on the Mario brand?
Seeing that he is making Mario and the first stage and he's gonna get people paying him to do it.
This was my first thought. Aren't Nintendo usually all over this sort of thing? What with other companies like Bethesda being so tight on copyright infringement of late I can't see this sort of thing flying for long.

HOWEVER, saying that I do hope this project takes off and that Pollock is successful with his eventual goals. The idea of working with children to heal with lego is most admirable.

At least this art makes more sense than his namesake's work ever did. /controvosy
 

frobalt

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Jan 2, 2012
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Zefar said:
I was under the impression that KickStarters was for GAME companies and not just gamers who needed money to make kinda pointless things.

As for it being cool? Not really, it's the first Mario stage. If he'd gone for Zelda: A link to the past or MegaMan X it would be far more impressive.

Also doesn't be basically cash in on the Mario brand?
Seeing that he is making Mario and the first stage and he's gonna get people paying him to do it.
I'd say no, he isn't, as he isn't asking for money for the labour costs (which would be him earning from it) all he is asking for is money to cover the materials.
 

getoffmycloud

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Jun 13, 2011
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frobalt said:
Zefar said:
I was under the impression that KickStarters was for GAME companies and not just gamers who needed money to make kinda pointless things.

As for it being cool? Not really, it's the first Mario stage. If he'd gone for Zelda: A link to the past or MegaMan X it would be far more impressive.

Also doesn't be basically cash in on the Mario brand?
Seeing that he is making Mario and the first stage and he's gonna get people paying him to do it.
I'd say no, he isn't, as he isn't asking for money for the labour costs (which would be him earning from it) all he is asking for is money to cover the materials.
I doubt that will stop Nintendo from sending him a cease and desist what with their fear of free PR and everything
 

Alterego-X

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Nov 22, 2009
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Zefar said:
I was under the impression that KickStarters was for GAME companies and not just gamers who needed money to make kinda pointless things.
Kickstarter is not a gaming project, it also includes all other pointless creative projects, such as movies, music, designer objects, and inventions.
 

Tiger Sora

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Aug 23, 2008
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Funnily enough, I was at work training yesterday for BOS. And we did a team exercise in following instructions and adapting by building a tower with lego.

My group got all the infractions cause we dived in and started work before finishing instructions. Ian lost all his fingers to toxic yellow bricks and I lost one hand. But even through all that because we built a much larger tower thanks to me half way through prefabricating sections we won.

Anyways, this is cool. And though I'm not gona donate, I'd love to see it finished.

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