LEGO Genius Built a Fully Functioning Claw Machine With More Than 13,000 Bricks

Claw machines are infamously frustrating, and even if you have a couple great tips for grabbing prizes, chances are you're still coming out on the losing end more times than not. But despite it all, they're still fun. And one genius YouTuber, who goes by the name Luke99, figured out a way to marry his love of claw machines and LEGOs. In a video, he said he wasn't allowed to get his own claw machine, so he decided to build one himself—out of 13,000 LEGO bricks.

The machine was built by hand, without glue, and the fully functional life-size cabinet stands six feet tall and is 30 inches wide and 30 inches deep. Instead of building a typical three-pronged claw, Luke99 created a four-pronged claw to make it easier to win one of the 100 plush toys he filled the machine with.

The whole thing runs on electricity and is coded with the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 system. The color scheme consists of 8000 medium two-by-four azure pieces, orange accents, and 640 red studs to emulate LED lights. The joystick is built into an interactive panel.

Luke99 debuted his glassless creation in June at Brickworld Chicago, where LEGO enthusiasts kept winning toys, so much so that he had to shut it down. Finally, a claw machine exists in which you can win something—in Luke99’s case, two to three toys per try.

If games of chance aren't your style, Luke99 also constructed a life-size Batman pinball machine out of 7000 LEGO bricks.