Tiger made from LEGO

Toy tanks have probably been around almost as long as there have been tanks. The new weapon found its way into children’s rooms as early as the end of the First World War. Initially mainly built by children and parents, toy manufacturers also developed models, playing cards and board games with the new weapon. The way they were played with also changed: initially mainly as immobile play figures or for rolling, over time the toys came closer and closer to the functions of a real tank. The toys could be wound up for driving or remote-controlled, made noises and could fire small projectiles.

Another type of play is assembling tanks from individual parts, which also appeals to adults. Initially made of paper, wood and metal, tanks and tank kits were also made of “plastic” with the triumph of plastic. The construction is often the actual core of the game – once completed, the piece then serves more as decoration. The purpose of dealing with the individual parts is often to give the farmer an understanding of the technical side of the tanks, while the purpose and use of the vehicles in war takes a back seat.

The Danish company LEGO (Danish: LEg GOdt – play well) is one of the largest toy manufacturers in the world. It is known for its plastic building blocks, which it has been selling since 1958. Thanks to their openness to shapes, the clamp bricks encourage children’s creativity and technical understanding and are valued as educationally valuable toys.

However, a large part of the current range is made up of series with buildings and vehicles that are to be recreated. One of the most successful LEGO series are licensed products for the “Star Wars” franchise, which already has war in its name. The licensed products for the film trilogies “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” also often have war and violence as their theme. LEGO’s own series “Bionicle” (produced until 2016) and “Ninjago” are also mainly focused on combat. LEGO is producing more and more weapon bricks and critics complain that the product range contains more and more violent elements. However, LEGO explicitly does not sell war toys with historical references. This segment is increasingly being filled by other brick manufacturers.

However, LEGO bricks are flexible and can be used to build any desired shape. LEGO bricks can also be used to recreate the Tiger I Wehrmacht tank, such as this model, which was donated to the museum in 2018. It even has several moving parts such as a swiveling cannon and opening turret hatches. However, the model is not intended to be played with, but was built by a brick enthusiast.

Object of the month

(short) stories from the depot

Unfortunately, many objects cannot currently be shown in the exhibition for conservation reasons. Here you will find unusual objects and exciting stories of special pieces from the depot