Life-size wild animals made from LEGO will be on display this October half term.

[aoa id=”1″]The incredibly detailed models, which took almost 1,750 hours to build and comprise nearly 650,000 bricks, will be located in Tacoma Square, in the middle of Mermaid Quay, overlooking the waterfront from today (27 October) until 4 November. The event is free to the public.

From lions and cheetahs of the Sahara, to agile jaguars of South America and, of course, a fabulous Bengal tiger, BIG CATS at Mermaid Quay is an exciting display of great wild cat species from across the globe.[/aoa]

The models have been brought to Mermaid Quay by Bright Bricks, the world’s premier independent LEGO brick building firm. Bright Bricks has a team of over 30 talented LEGO artists that specialise in producing amazing LEGO brick models ranging from “Brickosaurs” to “Warriorbots” plus, of course, the new BIG CATS display.

The display will be visible 24/7, but the central area – which will include two models that can be touched – will be open from 10am – 6pm.

This is what you can expect to see…

87,000 bricks
4 builders
229 hours
From the forests of Myanmar, Tonya is one of fewer than 3,000 Bengal tigers left in the world.

54,750 bricks
4 builders
197 hours
Known for their incredible 70mph running speed, cheetahs are the fastest land animal in the world. Chase is a prime example, able to catch up with Andre the Antelope with ease.

79,067 bricks
4 builders
212 hours
A panther is any leopard, cougar or jaguar with a condition that turns their fur black, called melanism. Believe it or not, Padma and her kin have spots on their fur like leopards, but they’re too dark to see!

23,599 bricks
2 builders
149 hours
When they’re born, you might mistake a lion cub for a leopard – Liam and Lita started life with little brown spots on their fur, that disappeared as they grew older. They also didn’t meet the rest of their pride other than their mother until they were two months old!

47,000 bricks
4 builders
162 hours
The proud hunter of her pride, Liara the Lioness hunts and collects food for the rest of her family, while the male lions conserve energy and protect their den.

42,423 bricks
2 builders
160 hours
Lyra the lynx is nocturnal, and not seen during daylight, making her a rarer sight than many of her feline cousins. While she’s a fast runner, Lyra prefers to stalk her prey from the shadows and set an ambush.

Photo credit – Matthew Horwood, matt-horwood.com