The fascinating world of Lego on show in Times Square- New York

The world's largest Lego model has been unveiled in Times Square, New York, in America... and it's a Star Wars X-wing starfighter.

It's 42 feet long with a 44-foot-wide wingspan and it took 32 builders more than a year to put together.

The giant model is made up of 5,335,200 bricks of Lego and weighs a whopping 20 tons!

It took 32 builders 17,000 hours and five million Lego bricks to build the one-to-one-scale replica of a Star Wars X-Wing starfighter, which was three metres tall and 13 metres long.

The model was built in a Lego Model Shop in the Czech Republic and unveiled in New York to promote the upcoming premiere of The Yoda Chronicles, the latest installment of an animated television series featuring Lego-style Star Wars characters.

It even has engines that light up and sound effects!

At the moment it is on show in Times Square in the centre of New York, but tomorrow, Sunday 26th, it will move to Legoland in California.

From CBBC and Yahoo7News

Flying cars, a near future reality?

An ambitious firm has revealed their plans for a new type of personal air transport vehicle that takes off and lands like a helicopter. Will the idea fly?

One of the most high-profile attempts is the Transition, an aircraft that can fold its wings, allowing it to also operate as a street-legal road vehicle. Terrafugia, the company behind the machine, see owners driving their car to an airport where the wings can be deployed for take-off. Once in the air, the vehicle has a range of 740 km (460 miles) on a single tank of regular unleaded fuel and, can carry two people plus luggage.

The machine, which had its first successful test flight earlier this year, will cost around $300,000 and is scheduled for release in 2012. Wanabee pilots will only need to have completed 20 hours of observed flying time to take to the skies.

Hot on its contrails is the PAL-V (personal air and land vehicle), which looks more like a mini-helicopter than plane. The machine, developed by a Dutch firm, is actually an autogyro, with a propeller at the rear to provide forward thrust and a free-spinning rotor to give it lift. On the ground, it operates more like a streamlined tricycle that is able to lean into corners at high speeds.

It has a similar range (560km/350 miles) and speed to the Transition (110mph/180 km/h) and is also expected to cost around $300,000. The firm is still looking for investment to help with what it calls “the birth of a new class of vehicles”.

More on this suject

From BBC Future-Technology

Iggle Piggle the rejected piglet grows up with lambs on farm

A piglet is growing up with lambs on a farm after being bullied by other pigs.

Iggle Piggle was being stopped from feeding on her mother's milk by other pigs in her litter and could have died.

But the 10-week-old piglet, measuring just 30cm (12in) length, was moved into a field with lambs who she lives, plays and sleeps with at Cantref Farm near Brecon.

Iggle Piggle is a rare Kune Kune, meaning "round and fat" pig, brought to this country from New Zealand.

Farm owner Gwen Evans said: "She was the smallest of the litter of nine and was being bullied by the rest and deprived of her mother's milk.

"She would have died if we had not decided to bottle feed her with the lambs.

"Now she thinks she's a lamb, frolicking with them in a very unpiglike way."

Iggle Piggle lives, plays and sleeps with lambs at Cantref Farm

Iggle Piggle is a rare Kune Kune, meaning "round and fat" pig, brought to this country from New Zealand,.

She lives at Cantref Farm near Brecon, where children love seeing her being bottle fed with milk at the same time as the lambs

Farm owner Gwen Evans said: "She was the smallest of the litter of nine and was being bullied by the rest and deprived of her mother's milk.

"She would have died if we had not decided to bottle feed her with the lambs. Now she thinks she's a lamb, frolicking with them in a very unpiglike way."

From BBC News and
WalesOnlinehttp://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/piglet-who-thinks-shes-lamb-3866390

Firemen rescue dog after it gets head stuck in wall

A dog had to be rescued by a firefighter after getting its head stuck in a wall.

Poor Lexi! Why are you so bold?

We hope you've learnt the lesson!

The cocker spaniel's owner Vicky Lovelock called for help after eight-month-old Lexi put her head through a hole in the wall.

Animal rescue specialist Anton Phillips, from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, freed the dog using a hammer and chisel to crack the wall.

Lexi was unharmed during her ordeal, which happened on Tuesday morning.

Mr Phillips said: "I gave advice to Vicky whilst en route to keep both Vicky and Lexi safe.

"It's important in this type of incident to keep the trapped animal as quiet as possible to give it the best possible chance."

Ms Lovelock had even used baby oil to try and free the dog before calling for help.

She said she was hopeful Lexi would be fine and soon getting up to mischief again.

"Lexi is a very confident dog. As she's only eight months old, I'm sure this won't be the last time we get into trouble," she said.

From CBBC