The LEGO Technic BMW R 1200 GS Adventure is not just a fun model kit consisting of 603 parts, it is also the result of the successful and creative collaboration between BMW Motorrad and LEGO Technic. The idea of developing a detailed LEGO Technic reproduction of the best-selling model BMW R 1200 GS Adventure quickly grew into something more.
The design teams of the two companies decided to join forces to create an alternative model as is commonly provided with LEGO Technic 2-in-1 kits. So the parts of the LEGO Technic BMW R 1200 GS Adventure can also be used to build the Hover Ride Design Concept. Furthermore, the BMW Junior Company – an innovative BMW Group training unit – turned the Hover Ride included in the set into an elaborately produced full-size replica.
Model-making fun with accurate details
The BMW R 1200 GS Adventure has been available as a detailed replica LEGO Technic model since 1 January 2017. The LEGO Technic BMW R 1200 GS Adventure reproduces the shapes and mechanisms of the full-size original as faithfully as possible.
Connoisseurs are delighted by the authentic BMW Telelever front-wheel suspension, the universal shaft drive and the moving BMW Motorrad 2-cylinder boxer engine, all of which are set in motion as soon as the motorcycle is moved. With its wealth of details, it is not only a realistic reproduction but also an appealing model-making challenge with its 603 pieces.
The BMW R 1200 GS Adventure is the first LEGO Technic model to be created in cooperation with a motorcycle manufacturer. “BMW Motorrad approached LEGO Group with the idea of a collaboration because the two companies have much in common: they both successfully combine innovation and tradition in their brands and products, providing unforgettable experiences for young and old alike all over the world,” says Heiner Faust, Head of Sales and Marketing BMW Motorrad.
The Hover Ride Design Concept
The two design teams also drew on their inventive flair to create the LEGO Technic Hover Ride, the alternative model included in the kit. This model is a futuristic concept – full of emotion and creative energy though not laying claim to technological plausibility.
“It was a great idea and a superb creative challenge to develop a fictitious model from the parts of the LEGO Technic BMW R 1200 GS Adventure set. Our concept not only incorporates the BMW Motorrad design DNA with typical elements such as the boxer engine and the characteristic GS silhouette, it also draws on the LEGO Technic stylistic idiom,” says Alexander Buckan, Head of BMW Motorrad Vehicle Design.
Sophisticated model-making with the BMW Junior Company Munich
The Hover Ride Design Concept came about as a result of the involvement of the BMW Junior Company Munich, an innovative training unit in which BMW trainees from diverse departments have the opportunity to work together in projects entrepreneurially. BMW trainees in the second to fourth year of their course used the serial-production parts of the BMW R 1200 GS Adventure to build a life-size model of the LEGO Technic Hover Ride.
Numerous components – such as the front-wheel rim modified to form a propeller – were specially made for the project, demonstrating the youngsters’ skilled craftsmanship. “It was incredibly inspiring to see colleagues from different disciplines working with our trainees. Everyone involved in this project learned an awful lot,” says Markus Kollmannsperger, trainer for technical model-making.
The full-size model of the Hover Ride Design Concept will be presented for the first time at LEGO World in Copenhagen on 16.2.2017. It will then travel via Denmark to various sites such as the BMW Group Research and Innovation Center Munich and BMW Welt.
