Get Your Game On With This Ultra-Detailed LEGO Nintendo Game Boy
The custom design was created by a LEGO Masters Australia finalist — and you can purchase the instructions if you want to make one too.
The sight of an original Nintendo Game Boy is sure to strike fierce nostalgia in any ’80s or ’90s baby — and former LEGO Masters Australia finalist Nick Lever, who says he’s “loved the Game Boy since I was a kid,” has used that nostalgia to create an incredibly in-depth LEGO rendition of the handheld gaming device. The custom design features a 1:1 size replication of the OG Game Boy, with a “working” slot to click cartridges in, a pressable D-pad and A/B buttons inspired by Mario’s famous red hat.
Lever’s custom design features an extraordinary amount of attention to detail, as he was even able to replicate the distinct green tint of the Game Boy’s screen (by covering lime green tiles underneath a translucent blue window) and lock in the diagonal placement of the Start/Select buttons. The click-in cartridge slot can also accept Lego “game cartridges,” which Lever created to mimic Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and Tetris.
Nicholas Lever
Nicholas Lever
Nicholas Lever
Nicholas Lever
Nicholas Lever
Enterprising LEGO builders can re-create Lever’s GameBoy themselves if they so choose: a detailed PDF of how to put the 364-piece design together is currently available on Rebrickable for $5.65 USD. The Verge notes that the 6×6 lime green tile Lever used to create the design is sold out worldwide, but can be replaced with three 2×6 lime green tiles — and, all told, the pieces necessary to create it can be purchased for roughly $42 USD before shipping and tax on BrickLink.
The design has proved so popular that at the time of writing Lever’s personal websitesite returns a 509 “Bandwith Limit Exceeded” error message when you try to access it. He’s quick to note that the design is purely made for fun and love of the original Game Boy, and should not be seen as an “official” Nintendo or Lego product. “If you’re reading this Nintendo, please don’t sue me,” Lever quips in the description of his YouTube video on the LEGO Game Boy. “I don’t have any money anyway.”
If you’re looking to click into more LEGO content, be sure to check out our roundup of the best LEGO Ideas sets.
