Man turns childhood Lego Technic Dune Buggy toy into incredible life-size drivable machine
Published on Jan 01, 2026 at 6:01 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Dec 23, 2025 at 4:31 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
A beloved childhood toy became something much greater for Matt Denton, who turned his Lego Technic Dune Buggy into a full-sized, drivable machine.
Growing up doesn’t have to mean saying ‘goodbye’ to your favorite old toys.
If you’ve got the skills, you can transform them into something completely different, like the man who turned a toy car into a mini-sports car, or the guy who built the world’s first Porsche 911 GT3 ‘Power Wheel’.
YouTuber Denton regularly challenges himself with impressive builds, often with a healthy dose of nostalgia, and this time he’s gone above and beyond.
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He used a 3D printer to create a scaled-up replica of the Lego Technic Dune Buggy
In a recent video, he decided to reimagine a classic 1981 Lego Technic Dune Buggy into a life-size machine with a fully-functioning motor.
The original kit contained 174 pieces, which Denton scaled up to almost 10.5 times the size, so it was big enough to drive.
Although he aimed to keep the full-sized version as close to the real deal as possible, he decided to switch out the original two-seater at the front in favor of a single seat with a centrally mounted steering wheel.
He used a 3D printer to make scaled-up replicas of the original kit’s pieces and fitted an electric motor, which was mounted onto the rear axle.
The buggy’s steering was provided by a full-sized rack-and-pinion mechanism, which was moulded as one big piece, and Denton gave the vehicle some stability by adding some rear suspension arms.
In total, the parts and pieces took between 1,600 and 1,700 hours of printing time, and that’s not including all the work Denton put into building it.
But take a look at the one-off dune buggy, and we’re sure you’ll agree it was worth the time and effort.
It looks the part, but how well did it drive?
Look, it’s a giant Lego Technic Dune Buggy, so it was never going to set any land-speed records.
In fact, after hopping in to take it for its first test drive, Denton said that he may have created ‘the slowest vehicle in history’ and there were also some issues with its steering.
However, after a few small tweaks, the dune buggy was running a lot more smoothly and handled pretty well.
Not bad for an oversized toy, right?
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
