A record-breaking ball contraption made up of a staggering 259 modules is so big it takes 40 minutes for a ball to pass all the way through.

The Largest great ball contraption (GBC) has been created at LEGO® World Denmark in Copenhagen with modules including multiple bridges, rotating wheels, and a shot into a basketball hoop.

Watch the amazing and mesmerising great ball contraption complete its record-breaking run:

Maico Arts and Ben Jonkman (both Netherlands), Klaus Hansen, Lasse Deleuran, Brian Soholm Larsen and Elena Dimitrova (all Denmark) were the brains behind the amazing contraption.

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The setup of the GBC was a long and complex task. Record-holder Maico Arts, an AFOL (adult fan of LEGO®) who specialises in creating GBC, gave us some insight into their construction process.

"Building just one module can take from a few hours to several weeks, or even month depending complexity and size. Everyone who builds great ball contraption modules builds them on their own and at home, and then we put them together in one circuit. To setup a circuit like this takes a long time. We started in the morning on the day before opening and ended late in the evening on that day." - Maico Arts.

What is a great ball contraption? A great ball contraption (GBC) is a made of LEGO® Technic components, and, at its simplest, has just one aim: to get balls from the beginning to the end of the device. To qualify as a great ball contraption, it must meet certain criteria, with six main rules, including that each module needs an “in-basket” to receive the balls, which must adhere to a set size and placement.

However, the aim of the game is not simply to get the ball from A to B, and people strive to make their modules as interesting and intricate as possible to achieve GBC’s of impressive size and complexity.

What are modules? Modules are the components that make up the GBC, much like LEGO® bricks within a LEGO® structure. They must transport the ball so that it enters the next module, and must be compatible with all other modules, making it universally usable.

Maicio Arts set out with this huge GBC to reclaim the title from Dalian Boca Education & Technology Co. Ltd., which built  a 197 module contraption in July 2016.

This successful attempt on 17 February 2018 makes it the fourth time Maico has set the record.

"Setting this record means: now it is ours again!" he said.

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Want to see more like this?

If so, you’ll love our Making History pages in the brand new Guinness World Records 2019 annual.

Using LEGO®, we illustrate and explain important record-breaking objects such as the Statue of Liberty and Apollo mission’s Saturn V rocket, examining their designs, structure and technical specifications in fully illustrated and colourful, poster-style pages. 

We also have loads of other amazing engineering and construction related record pages that allow you to 'meet the makers' who combine active imaginations, practical skills and perseverance to build epic inventions, or everyday items on a massive scale! 

As well our LEGO® and meet the makers pages, the book is jam-packed with thousands of new categories and newly broken records, covering everything from outer space to sporting greats via Instagram, fidget spinners and all manner of human marvels.

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