Fan builds a gorgeous iMac G3 using LEGO, but it faces a hurdle

A fan designer has submitted a stunningly detailed LEGO model of Apple’s iconic iMac G3 to the company’s Product Ideas platform, sparking a wave of support.

The LEGO Ideas crowdsourcing platform is a service of The LEGO Group that takes fan submissions. A project must receive 10,000 votes from the community to advance to a review stage, where the LEGO Group decides whether to produce it as a real set. While this particular submission has already collected over 5,000 votes as of writing, it may never see the light of day. Read on to know why.

700 LEGO pieces stick together

The project is created by a user named “terauma,” and is a 700-piece ode to the computer that revolutionised PC design back in 1998. It beautifully captures the famous Bondi Blue translucent shell and even includes the classic keyboard and the infamous “hockey puck” mouse, complete with their signature translucent cables.

The attention to detail is seriously impressive. Terauma went beyond the exterior and built miniature replicas of the computer’s internal components, including its motherboard and cathode ray tube.

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In the project’s description, the creator mentioned a personal connection, stating, “When I was a kid, my brother and I often played games on this iMac.” Their goal was to let people “pick up this nostalgic computer again.” The model is a bit smaller than the original machine, which is probably for the best unless you want a massive brick taking up your entire desk.

Since being posted on May 17, the idea has already attracted a lot of buzz, collecting thousands of votes from supporters, as already mentioned. It has 139 days left to reach the 10,000-vote milestone required for LEGO to officially review the concept for production.

The real challenge, however, isn’t getting votes. The project’s biggest obstacle is securing a licensing agreement with Apple. The iMac G3’s design is protected by multiple patents, and Apple is notoriously protective of its intellectual property. Without the company’s official blessing, LEGO cannot move forward, making this build more of a cool “what if” than a product you can actually buy.