After revisiting the history of LEGO Great Ball Contraptions (GBCs), today I wanted to take a step back and take a look at some of the modules and loops that stood out to me from the past year. It is always amazing to see how the GBC theme and community evolve each year, and 2022 was no different.

Module Masterpieces of 2022

These modules are in no particular order (and I’m sure I missed many worthy of mention). I just find all of these modules very exciting in different ways; some might be mechanical masterpieces while others are aesthetically pleasing.

Ferris wheel - Berthil van Beek

Let’s start off with the biggest module on the list, Ferris Wheel by Berthil van Beek. Inspired by Tom Atkinson’s Ferris wheel, Berthil wanted to try and make a version of his own. The biggest difference compared to Tom’s version is that he used LEGO strings to create the wheel itself (128 of them to be precise). Those gave the wheel a cool look and also had the side effect of giving it a lot of strength. Berthil has shared some detailed pictures of the wheel on his Flickr. And as a bonus to this monstrosity of a module, Berthil also added a completely new concept for his inbox (where the balls go into the module).

Mechanical container transporter - Geoff P

This module seemed to come out of nowhere. Geoff P. was not someone I had heard of before 2022, but he made an amazing module that went viral in the GBC community. The gearbox on this module is really out of this world. The module itself was designed by Akiyuki but he used EV3 components to program the module. Since the core module came out back in 2015, many people have tried to make a mechanical version of it—and many have failed. As far as I know, this is the only reliably working mechanical version out there. It uses 136 gears to achieve all the motion and it is powered by only one motor! He even made instructions available. Hats off to Geoff P.—we can’t wait to see what you will create in 2023!

Man in the Machine - JK Brickworks

This list would not be complete without the Man in the Machine. Two years ago, Jason Allemann made his first GBC, but he outdid himself this year! The mechanism in this module is extremely well done and hidden—the build just looks stellar. I do not know how Jason manages to achieve a high level of detail both mechanically and aesthetically. He even shared a video on how he created the module. He explains the building process and even shows some tests he did to make sure the module is “event proof” and works reliably over the course of several hours.

Mac Pan - Staffan Ihl

Staffan and LEGO GBC arcade modules are two things that seem to work really well together after his well-known Monkey Pong module and his Classic Space Pinball Machine. It was just a matter of time before he created a Pac-Man module! The motion of “Mac Pan” and the “ghosts” is achieved in a clever way and the mechanism is well hidden. Also, the way the balls flow through the module is excellent using the teleporters like you can in the game itself! Great module, Staffan—we are looking forward to your next arcade module!

Ball rolling machine No. 16 - Rimo Yaona

It has been a productive year for Rimo creating five original modules! While all are amazing, in my opinion, “Ball Rolling Machine No. 16” is the best! It’s impressive to see such a large structure move, and the shape is not an easy one to achieve with LEGO. I hope Rimo manages to keep up this pace of releasing modules in the year to come.

Pneumatic Pick and Release - Takanori

I’ve selected one more module from Japan because they always amaze me with their mechanisms! Creating a reliable pneumatic GBC module is extremely difficult to do, so when someone releases one it is always cool to see them working. The timing of Takanori’s module is very clever using a four-joint mechanism to time the stepper turning it into a grand staircase.

Hubless Conveyor - Dunes

If you follow Dunes on his YouTube channel, you probably know him as someone that builds a lot of modules from other designers (either by reverse engineering them or building them from instructions). But in 2022 he designed a wonderful module himself! Using the new smaller banana gears to guide the conveyor track was a great find by him, and the final result looks really cool with no gear at the top of the conveyor.

The Laudable Layouts of 2022

Individual modules are impressive but they don’t really showcase their abilities without a proper layout of circulating balls. There have been many great loops and layouts in 2022 that I cannot highlight them all, so here are a few that stood out to me based on size, complexity or sheer GBC-ness.

LEGO GBC at AEON MALL - Japan 2022

The first layout is from seven Japanese builders including Akiyuki, Rimo Yaona, Riku Katsumata, Hiro and Takanori Hashimoto. This layout is the largest one ever in Japan and only features original modules displayed by their designers. It is a sight to behold and an overall great selection of modules and builders!

Skaerbaek Fanweekend 2022

I was lucky enough to be part of this great layout we did at the annual LEGO fan convention in Skaerbaek, Denmark this year. It is always amazing to see the loop all work together with so many people from different countries, especially with the layout so close to LEGO headquarters. The layout featured modules contributed by a variety of builders including Maico Arts, Vibeke Brogaard, Bjorn Soholm Larsen, Lukas Molander, Per Johansson, Andreas Engelmartin, Staffan Ihl, Christian Kullander, Michael Krallmann, myself (Noah de Lange), Christoph Ruge, Hew Millington and Ben Jonkman.

Brickworld Chicago 2022

If LEGO GBC had a Mecca, it would be Brickworld Chicago! This layout contains the work of more than 40 people, and it is amazing to see what they achieve with LEGO! This loop is amazing every single year and it is a highlight to hear Tom Atkinson talk about each module from Beyond the Brick’s amazing videos.

Brickvention 2022

I’ll wrap up this retrospective by going down under to see one more spectacular layout with contributions from four different people. This Brickvention layout is worth the watch because its features the tallest GBC module I have ever seen!

As you can see, it has been a stellar year for LEGO GBC modules and layouts. I can only hope that next year brings as much creativity and ingenuity as the amazing videos above display. 2023 can’t get here fast enough!

What GBC modules caught your eye in 2022? Let us know in the comments below.

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