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Description

Instructions now available on Rebrickable! rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-12175…

Steam Powered Science

A participant in the BrickLink Designer Program

Be it heavens above or oceans deep, no mystery is too remote for science!

Set Features

3,457 pieces
Hinged Frame – Open to view interior or Closed for a stand-alone building
Retractable Telescope – The telescope is stored inside & raised through a circular door on the roof.
Oceanic Microcosm – This rotatable aquarium contains a variety of oceanic life in a self-contained ecosystem.
Hinged Lighthouse & Crane – Pull the lighthouse out for easy dock access or spin the spotlight to pull up the crate.
Steam-Powered Dynamo – Turn the waterwheel and watch the steam-powered piston come alive.
8 Minifigures – 2 Professors, 1 Musician, 2 Invention Thieves, 1 Old Mariner with Diving Suit, & 1 Submersible Pilot
Steam Powered Submersible – Including 8 different arm attachments!
Minifigure Orrery – A Minifigure scale model of the solar system.

About the Set

The Steam Powered Science (previously known as the Exploratorium) is a Steam-Punk themed research facility whose mission is to delve into the mysteries of the universe. One half of the facility is dedicated to researching celestial motion while the other is dedicated to traversing the ocean’s depths. The set was designed as part of the Flight Works Series, a group of Steam-Punk themed submissions on LEGO Ideas.

Originally, Steam Powered Science took about a year and a half to develop before being submitted to LEGO Ideas. It has then been part of the BrickLink Designer Program for nearly as long. There were many challenges getting the Steam Powered Science ready for crowdfunding. 90% of the bricks had to be swapped out to meet the program requirements and all the functional elements went through at least one revision. Half of the set was at risk of being cut for non-standard building techniques at one point or another and the whole design was in danger of being kicked out of the program more than once. The revision process was incredibly stressful, as my building techniques pushed the limits of what could be allowed.

At the end of the day, the competition sold faster. Round 3 was decided in about 23 minutes and Steam Powered Science came in sixth with around 2,000 pre-orders out of the 3,000 needed to go to production.

I've worked hard these last few months to provide the best instructions possible for those who still want to build the set. Several features that were cut at the last minute have been reintegrated into the design and refined where necessary.

Keep exploring,
~ Scott Nussbaum

Author Bio

Hello everybody, my name is Scott Nussbaum. I live in the United States in a small city in Wisconsin and am currently employed as a Behavioral Technician, doing work with Autistic children. The study of philosophy and theology is one of my favorite pursuits and I’ve been a LEGO fan since I was a kid. I’ve always thought becoming a LEGO designer would be fun and my interests in LEGO revived after I started using my old sets for a tabletop RPG. Eventually, I learned about LEGO Ideas and decided to see how far I could get. Being part of the BrickLink Designer Program has taken up more of my life than I’d originally thought it would, but it’s been interesting to experience my hobby on a more professional level. Thank you for all your support.

Description

Instructions now available on Rebrickable! rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-12175…

Steam Powered Science

A participant in the BrickLink Designer Program

Be it heavens above or oceans deep, no mystery is too remote for science!

Set Features

3,457 pieces
Hinged Frame – Open to view interior or Closed for a stand-alone building
Retractable Telescope – The telescope is stored inside & raised through a circular door on the roof.
Oceanic Microcosm – This rotatable aquarium contains a variety of oceanic life in a self-contained ecosystem.
Hinged Lighthouse & Crane – Pull the lighthouse out for easy dock access or spin the spotlight to pull up the crate.
Steam-Powered Dynamo – Turn the waterwheel and watch the steam-powered piston come alive.
8 Minifigures – 2 Professors, 1 Musician, 2 Invention Thieves, 1 Old Mariner with Diving Suit, & 1 Submersible Pilot
Steam Powered Submersible – Including 8 different arm attachments!
Minifigure Orrery – A Minifigure scale model of the solar system.

About the Set

The Steam Powered Science (previously known as the Exploratorium) is a Steam-Punk themed research facility whose mission is to delve into the mysteries of the universe. One half of the facility is dedicated to researching celestial motion while the other is dedicated to traversing the ocean’s depths. The set was designed as part of the Flight Works Series, a group of Steam-Punk themed submissions on LEGO Ideas.

Originally, Steam Powered Science took about a year and a half to develop before being submitted to LEGO Ideas. It has then been part of the BrickLink Designer Program for nearly as long. There were many challenges getting the Steam Powered Science ready for crowdfunding. 90% of the bricks had to be swapped out to meet the program requirements and all the functional elements went through at least one revision. Half of the set was at risk of being cut for non-standard building techniques at one point or another and the whole design was in danger of being kicked out of the program more than once. The revision process was incredibly stressful, as my building techniques pushed the limits of what could be allowed.

At the end of the day, the competition sold faster. Round 3 was decided in about 23 minutes and Steam Powered Science came in sixth with around 2,000 pre-orders out of the 3,000 needed to go to production.

I've worked hard these last few months to provide the best instructions possible for those who still want to build the set. Several features that were cut at the last minute have been reintegrated into the design and refined where necessary.

Keep exploring,
~ Scott Nussbaum

Author Bio

Hello everybody, my name is Scott Nussbaum. I live in the United States in a small city in Wisconsin and am currently employed as a Behavioral Technician, doing work with Autistic children. The study of philosophy and theology is one of my favorite pursuits and I’ve been a LEGO fan since I was a kid. I’ve always thought becoming a LEGO designer would be fun and my interests in LEGO revived after I started using my old sets for a tabletop RPG. Eventually, I learned about LEGO Ideas and decided to see how far I could get. Being part of the BrickLink Designer Program has taken up more of my life than I’d originally thought it would, but it’s been interesting to experience my hobby on a more professional level. Thank you for all your support.