This LEGO Ideas Camper Project Is So Good You Could Build a Real One From the Blueprints

Folks, it's hard to run a business with creativity as one of its base pillars and expect that there will be an endless supply of juice flowing from your team; humans have a lot going on. Sometimes, you have to think outside the box, or in LEGO's case, the brick.

And so, LEGO Ideas was born, a branch of the famed toy company that allows folks like you and me to simply offer up their designs in hopes that they'll be seen on store shelves someday. Oh, and what's even more cool about this whole venture is that we're the ones who choose what we'll eventually be able to buy.

Well, one project that needs to be on your radar is the Ideal Family Caravan, and the reason why I chose to bring this news to light is that this thing is so well thought out that you might just be able to get a real project going by following the building stages of this toy. Clearly, that's a long shot, but you'll see why I chose those words.

Now, the mind and hands behind this project is a user by the name of NewBourneAFOL, the AFOL representing "Adult Fan of LEGO." According to his or her profile page, after retirement, taking up LEGO as a hobby was the chosen lifestyle. Oh, and we can clearly see that NewBourneAFOL is also a camper lover or owner. After all, how else are you going to bring all that detail to life?

Before we go on exploring this design, there are a couple of things you need to know. The first is that most of the images you see are renderings but with a twist. They were brought to life with Bricklink 2.0, software designed by LEGO that even you and I can use to bring our ideas to life, for FREE! It allows users to "Build, render, and create instructions" for their very own LEGO set.

The second thing you need to know is that a completed and real Ideal Family Caravan does exist, with a few minor differences to the renderings because of piece availability. Nonetheless, the result is a set that I would literally head to the store right now to build and then post my build time; I've been putting LEGO sets together ever since I was three years old, so I'm fast.

Now, as I explored this project, I couldn't help but praise the level of detail we see. For example, there's an image of a chassis in the gallery, and by god, you can use it as a framework for a real camper. There's a hitch, drawbar, trusses, axle, everything. The only thing missing is actual steel. Would have been neat to set up an independent suspension setup; maybe NewBourneAFOL will design an off-road-worthy camper next.

Once the chassis is complete, a floor is then added, and with this layer in place, it's time to move on and get started on the interior. And this is really where we get to see all the work NewBourneAFOL put into this project.

Everything starts off with the bedroom being built, which is composed of a U-shaped dinette and a table that's to be added later. Once we start scrolling through the images, we see a wardrobe come to life and another dinette at the opposite end of the unit. Before long, a toilet pops into view. Then, a wardrobe comes to life, ready with little LEGO hangers.

At this stage, we begin to see some of the walls of the shell come to life along with "storage bins" overhead. I told you, folks; this one's got 'replica' written all over it! With more and more pieces being set in place, we begin to see a galley block come to life, fit with a moving fridge door that's even housing ketchup and mustard bottles, all LEGO, of course.

During the final stages of this project, we begin to see even more details popping up. There's a forward storage bay with what appears to be a battery array, fenders over the wheels, stabilizer legs, flowers on the bedroom table, and my favorite, actual itty-bitty cargo bays incorporated into the lower half of the unit's exterior, just like in the real thing. Did you happen to notice the shower tucked in the rear corner of the starboard side?

All that's left to do now is put on a nose cap and access hatches to the battery bank and a roof. Yes, two skylights are also visible, one over the galley and one over the shower. The door is then set up on a hinge, and by the looks of it, so are the windows, if there are any; I can't tell.

You know, as I was covering this project, something amazing happened; it felt as though I was walking you through just about any other camper I've presented over the years. That alone should tell you something about what NewBourneAFOL has achieved here.

Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if this person actually designed RVs before retiring. If you like this project as much as I did, head down to LEGO Ideas, search for the creator, and click until this thing pops up on your local store shelf.