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By: Jon Dykstra

Published March 3, 2026

Can you build it better?

We had another wonderful response to our brick-building contest. We asked whether entrants could think of “things that aren’t but should be” – we wanted to see if they could “build it better” and more than 200 entrants said that yes, they could. We had all sorts of cars and trucks and motorhomes and tractors that could drive, and fly or float, turn garbage into tires or rocket right across the ocean at 28,000 km/hr (and, if you weren’t careful, they might even sting you!). In a “great minds think alike” moment, two entrants designed creative alarm clocks that used a teapot and a coffee pot to motivate a sleepy sort to get up now! And if you don’t like coffee or tea? There was a hot chocolate machine too!

Some of the submissions were enormous like a plane that was 6 feet, 7 inches long, and a robot that people can go inside of. There were also a number of major appliances reinvented – dishwashers, dryers, and washing machines that had been upgraded to be even more automatic. And let’s not forget some fantastic homes – an apartment building that includes a smooth bar, a house on wheels, one that flies, and who wouldn’t want to live in a castle?

There were also some entries that were powered and functional – like a tractor that could distribute Mentos, and a bulldozer of sorts that can collect all the LEGO that gets kicked under your couches. It was clear once again that our readers are a creative lot.

While a picture can be worth a thousand words, in this case you have to check out the videos. Be sure to check out our YouTube playlist to go see the winners and the honorees give you a tour of their creation. The inventiveness on display is sure to spawn even more. Do you want to encourage your kids’ creativity? Watch these videos with the whole family and you won’t be able to stop your littles (and maybe your bigs too) from pulling out your LEGOs.

That family fun is a big part of the reason we’ve enjoyed this contest. Our kids are growing up with screens all around them, and we need to help them fight the pull to distraction. And when hundreds of parents and kids do something constructive and creative instead, we’re experiencing the joy of doing what God made us to do – we are glorifying Him in time spent in communion, and glorifying Him too, by reflecting just a bit of His creativity.

*****

Adults 18+

WINNER
Colin Van Manen – Samurai sword mech
Built entirely out of extra grey pieces, complete with a sword, a jetpack, a face mask, fully-functioning and posable parts… and with a pilot seat for the driver because it’s a better commute than a car, right?

HONORABLE MENTION
Felicity Tamminga – Washer/dryer one-basket system
Imagine if you had a special laundry basket that could just be dropped right into your washing machine, and then, when the wash is done, lifted out and slotted right into your dryer – no hauling each piece out one by one!

14-17-years-old

WINNER
Jeremy, 15 – Tea pot alarm clock
Have you ever slept through your alarm? That won’t happen with this upgrade – instead of just a sound, this one tips a teapot over to pour water on sleeping you. To add to the cleverness, the interior of the clock is a model bedroom, complete with bed, sleeper, and tiny teapot alarm clock!

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Everett, 14 – Technic crane
This is a functional, motorized crane that works via a remote control. It’s just downright impressive!

Charlotte, 14 – The ultimate motorhome!
It’s got 3, count them, 3 bumpouts, a cat condo, bathtub, fireplace, solar panels, and all the storage you’d ever need.

Gerred, 17 – Avro Arrow CF-105
This is what should have been – but wasn’t – if Canada, under Prime Minister Diefenbaker, hadn’t scrapped the Avro Arrow. Everyone loves a good history lesson with their build, right? It includes air defense systems with nuclear-armed missiles and functional landing gear and is just a really cleanly built plane.

10-13-years-old

WINNER
Quinten, 13 – A self-sustainable floating island
This is a detailed build! It includes dams, wind turbines, rooftop gardens, and solar panels. There’s space for camping, for farms and rural areas, plus a city equipped with a hospital, police station, fire station, and a church. There’s even a lighthouse to guide the boats from the ocean/lake. To add to the detail, there are even layers of rock underneath the build where the island was ripped from the ground.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Austin, 13 – Self-cleaning LEGO machine
LEGO should clean itself up, but it doesn’t. Introducing the self-cleaning LEGO machine! An entirely motorized vehicle with two drive wheels – each with its own motor – and a spinning blade connected by gears to its own motor. It collects the LEGO into the hopper for you to simply empty and start again. Problem solved!

Evan, 13 – Plane and tank
A plane…and a tank? With stabilizers, shooting missiles, a tank turret under each wheel, wing flaps, and landing gear where the tank wheels are hidden while flying and deployed while driving, and extendable wings for added armor – who’s the engineer up for building this?

Eden, 12 – The mall with more
There are some things we can all agree on, and this is one of them: “I think that all malls should have a waterpark and a petting zoo.”

9 and under

WINNER
Oscar, 9 – Jurassic World abandoned jungle
Join 7 explorers as they brave Jurassic World with all its predators, erupting volcanoes, caves with hidden animals, fighting dinosaurs, and a dino-capturing helicopter. Let your imagination run wild!

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Eliza, 8 – Bumble car
It’s a bee car that can drive, park, and fly. And watch out, it can also sting!

Adam, 6 – Hygiene helper
“It has everything you need to go to school” – a toothbrush to brush your teeth, comb and scissors to style your hair, gets you dressed, helps you eat breakfast, and will walk right up to you to get things started!

Carina, 9 – Walk-in picture frame
“I thought it would be really cool if you could walk into a picture frame because then you could paint or draw your own world and walk right in.”

Some of our other favorites!

There were so many great entries that we just had to share at least a few more – here are some of our other finalists! Be sure to check out even more videos on our YouTube playlist.

Tagged: contest, featured

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Can you build it? Yes you can!!!!

Sometimes things go better than we could have hoped, to the point of being overwhelming. Our “Can You Build It?” contest not only proved to be popular, it was so much so we almost couldn’t handle the volume of responses. We received a staggering 514 entries from over 500 children/youth and 10 adults. And the entries were incredible – they represented thousands of hours of effort and ingenuity. Why do we organize contests like this? Reformed Perspective is not a product to sell, like so many other magazines. It is a mission that is centered on helping Christians think, speak, and act in line with our confession. We can write about an important topic like God as our Creator, and our calling to likewise create. But a contest like this one resulted in over 500 people being creative and experiencing the joy of doing what God made us to do. And the medium of this magazine and our website allows us to take this all a step further by letting their work inspire others to creativity. These mediums also promote unity – showing children and adults alike that we aren’t on our own. We are a part of a big group of Christians – God’s children. We aren’t just aligned in our confession. We have so much more in common. We wish we could share all of the entries with you but 500+ videos is, well, a lot. So we hope you enjoy this small taste of the creativity we saw (You can also watch the 32-video playlist on RP's YouTube page here.) ***** Adults 18+ WINNER Peter Vogel – Church No words suffice for how amazing this build is. “Based on a number of older church buildings that I’ve appreciated over the years,” Peter gives us an art, architecture, and history lesson as he opens up his building for better viewing. From hammer-beam trusses that vault the ceiling, to the beautiful stain glass windows, the spiral staircase leading up to the truly awesome organ, and even a nursery tucked in the basement, there’s no end of detail and depth. HONORABLE MENTION Henry B – Flying City The wonder of what might be – a flying city that gives every resident a penthouse view. You sure wouldn’t get bored living here! 14-17-years-old WINNER Benaiah, 16 – Snow Plow As the judges noted, this is a “very technical design” – six-wheel drive, working lights, dump function, suspension, and a differential in the drive train, all integrated into a remote control to create a snow plow that can get work done. HONORABLE MENTIONS Jaxon, 15 – Dagobah Jaxon has captured several key scenes from the Star Wars films that take place on the planet Dagobah. The forest and river landscape are very realistic, with all sorts of texture and color. Travis, 15 – Plymouth Superbird A gorgeous model of a colorful legend of a car. As Jonathan explains, “it has the distinct wing of the Superbird” with functioning doors and hood, and moving pistons in the engine. It is steerable from the rear, and the trunk includes accessories that can trick it out as a supercharged dually. Carson, 17 – Semi truck and trailer A gorgeous black semi that can be remote-control-backed into its car trailer, with the connection automatically clicking in, ready to go. As the judges note, “very authentic looking.” 10-13-years-old BOYS WINNER Everett, 13 – F-14 Tomcat This fighter jet is equipped with retractable landing gear, fully-loaded armament, openable cockpit, and, of course, swing wings that can move forward for lower-speed stability, and sweep backwards for high speeds. Lots to see here, but the nicest touch might be the light-up afterburners. GIRLS WINNER Mikella, 12 – Chicken Who knew you could make a mostly round chicken look this good using mostly square blocks? A very fun 3D rendition. HONORABLE MENTIONS Logan, 12 – Horse Farm So much to see in this farm setting, from the classic red horse barn, to the semi-truck unloading hay into the loft, and the flower garden on the backside of the barn – everyone body is working hard! Brad, 13 – Working Candy Dispenser This has to be seen to be believed – it really does work. Push in your dime, and out comes your selection – four candies to choose from! Fantastic engineering and creativity! 9 and under BOYS WINNER John, 9 – Battleship This enormous model dominates the coffee table it is displayed on. But don’t get too close – those guns actually shoot. Great job! GIRLS WINNER Carina, 8 – Snowman If it’s too cold to make a snowman outside, that shouldn’t stop you from making one inside. A very nice 3D look. HONORABLE MENTIONS Chase, 7 – Super Mario 3D World Game Two different game-scenes, and some great replicas of the different game controllers, might have you wondering if you’re building with Legos or playing your favorite video game. Gabriel, 7 – Stanley Cup playoff game Could this be more detailed? There are fans are the stands, a Zamboni waiting in the wings, change rooms, and even a penalty box. Oh, and a Stanley Cup ready to be awarded! Some of our other finalists! With the abundance of entries, we knew we couldn't share them all. But with so many great builds we did have to share at least a few more – here are some of our other finalists, arranged by the age of the builder from youngest to oldest. ...

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