With a dial that actually rotates like the real deal, this rotary phone MOC (My Own Creation) from the LEGO Ideas community is rather impressive. It also comes with brass detailing, a build that’s 1:1 to scale, and a receiver that you can actually pick up and talk into!
Made from 572 bricks, the LEGO Classic Phone comes from the mind of a LEGO master-builder who goes by the name of Brick Dangerous. Inspired by a Paramount Collector Classic Series brand, they decided to create a replica that could decorate any corner of the house, filling the void left behind by the landline phone that used to be a standard of every modern household before Y2K.
Designer: Brick Dangerous
With a stunning amount of detail, the LEGO Classic Telephone has all the bits and bobs you’d expect from its vintage counterpart. It comes with the rotating dial on the front as well as a hand-operated magneto crank on the side, which would alert operators when you were trying to make calls (this hand-crank would generate an alternating current which would cause the telephone bell to ring!)
In the case of this particular build, the bells (two of them) were located under the telephone. Alternating current would cause the striker to vigorously swing left and right, hitting both the bells consecutively to make the unmistakable ringing sound associated with old telephones. Brick Dangerous has done a pretty phenomenal job of replicating all the details, even down to the screws on the back which would allow you to open up the phone for servicing.
The most impressive bit, however, is the phone’s receiver, which can be lifted off its stand thanks to the signature coiled cable, made from LEGO’s ribbed hose bricks. Since everything’s built to scale, you can even hold this right up to your ear and pretend you’re talking to someone. Just don’t hang up too hard! Bakelite landline phones could take it – this one, not so much!!
