Harshbarger's Lego Globes

Name of Model: Globe and Globe, Redesigned

Created by: Eric Harshbarger

Found at: http://www.ericharshbarger.org/lego/globe.html and http://www.ericharshbarger.org/lego/globe2.html

Details: In 1999, the legendary Eric Harshbarger built a Lego globe for his own enjoyment. Although Eric is no longer taking commisions, he is a famous Lego builder due to his career as a Lego sculptor. Eric's fame came from his Lego sculptures, Lego computer programs, and mathematical Lego puzzles. It's difficult to make an accurate globe because of the details of the landmasses, but that's not actually the main attraction to a model like this. Spheres and rounded surfaces can be very difficult to make out of Lego, because standard Lego bricks are fairly rectangular. If you put some time into it, you can develop some basic Lego "sculpting" skills and create round models freehand the way hobbyists and professional builders like Eric Harshbarger can, but this can be quite time-consuming. A number of websites are out there that can help you find or create building instructions to do this more easily. One building method that makes creating spheres easier is the Lowell Sphere method. There is even a program online that will create Lego CAD building instructions with this method for you. Eric Harshbarger has built a new globe with this method as well.