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Extremely talented builder needs neither stone, lumber, nor paper for this mind-blowing project.

With enough talent, imagination, and, of course, blocks, you can make just about anything out of Legos. Still, there are some things that are more difficult than others to craft out of interlocking hard plastic pieces. For example, complex architectural structures are tricky, but then again that challenge is just what master builders are looking for, which is why YouTuber talapz decided to make stately Himeji Castle his latest Lego project.

Even compared to other Japanese strongholds Himeji Castle has a complex design, but apparently even that wasn’t to satisfy talapz’s creative urges, so he decided that his Lego Himeji would also be a pop-up book.

As the video opens, we see the unassuming talapz seated behind two massive Lego boards sandwiching numerous stacks of bricks.

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He grabs one side, pulls it up, and something amazing literally unfolds.

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Once the entire structure is standing, even more examples of talapz’s attention to detail can be seen, as he’s even created a base that mimics part of the castle moat and built a few pieces of the outer wall (which also function as supports when his creation is folded flat).

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But if it’s amazing to see talapz open up his project, it’s nerve-racking to watch him fold it back up, as it’s all too easy to imagine the castle bursting at the seams and sending pieces flying every which way. As further testament to his abilities, though, everything folds down into a tidy package that he can place out of the way until the next time he wants to show it off.

As a matter of fact, this sort of jointed Lego crafting seems to be talapz’s specialty. Previously, he made this Lego house with spinning components that come together to form the whole residence. It’s sort of like what you’d imagine Hayao Miyazaki building if he’d fallen in love with Legos instead of drawing, or maybe been the son of an architect instead of an aviation parts maker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni50JeWuH60

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Sadly, while talapz works skilfully, it doesn’t look like he works fast, as the pop-up Himeji Castle is his first video in more than two years. Hopefully, though, all the attention it’s getting will inspire him to share something else with us in shorter order.

Follow Casey on Twitter, and he promises not to lead his horde of Lego warriors to lay siege upon your Lego castle.

Source: Japaaan
Top image: YouTube/talapz
Insert images: YouTube/talapz (1, 2)