(added bonus points if you know what song that line came from!)

So, in keeping with my son's fascination with everything in London, the Big Ben model was kind of a no-brainer one for us to get.  Even without the lights, it is an absolutely awesome model to build and looks really good.  However, lighting it up is even better!  It's just shy of 4200 pieces, so it is definitely one that you will spend some time with.  And, if you're adding the lights, it will take a good deal of additional time to build as well.  But, as with all of my builds, it is always easier to add the wiring and lights during the initial construction rather than going back later

The construction of the base is fairly straightforward even with the light additions.  The only thing to keep in mind is to ensure that you keep the lead wire being used to supply power to the clock tower free as you add each additional level to the tower.  There will be several places where you will need to drill in order to keep the wire in the middle of the tower; I used an 11/32 bit and the leads for the power attachment went through just fine.  The spotlights used around the base are designed based on the ones that I will use for the Grand Emporium and the Kwik-E Mart; for reference, use the following parts for each light assembly:

- Male element 4565433

- 1x1 plate with upright holder (255526)

- Cross axle extension 2M (2512360)

- Lego transparent clear stud (4073)

The most difficult part of this construction of the clock area itself.  I have to admit that I plagiarized from Rob's pictures of how he assembled the clock faces when it did one of his recent shows, but the idea is really sound.  I used white 45-degree 1x1 bricks (sorry, I don't have the element number... I just had a lot of these laying around spare) and mounted them to the interior posts inside the clock face using the small adhesive squares; then you attach the lights to the other angled side of the brick using another adhesive square.

Once you've gotten all of those mounted, you have to run the wiring through the bottom, being careful to secure the wires so they do not interfere with the shaft used to change the clock faces.  As a side note, my clock hands do not move very well... I even tried it without the wiring attached and it was still way too stiff.  I don't know if it's just my construction or if that is just a design flaw....

After you get through the clock portion, ensure that you have another lead line running through the clock face to supply power to the lights for the bell area as well as the lantern near the top of the tower as well.

The finished model is absolutely awesome.... if you are truly a Lego fan (Lego nerd! :) ), you will really enjoy having this one as part of your collection.

As always, comments and questions are welcomed.  And, again, thank you to Rob for helping us bring our Lego creations to life!  Detailed instructions are below.  Happy building everyone!

Big Ben (parts required):

• small adhesive squares
• black 4x2 bricks (for raised support) — 12
• white 45-degree 1x1 tiles - 8
• transparent clear 1x1 round bricks (4)
• 7 spotlight assemblies with brackets and light installed
• 6-inch cable — 4
• 12-inch cable — 2
• 2-port expansion (1x2, large ports) - 1
• 2-port expansion (2 smaller ports) - 1
• 4-port expansion boards — 6
• white pico lights — 8
• green pico lights — 4
• yellow pico lights — 5

Big Ben

• page 10 — install all 4x2 bricks beneath the platform to raise
• page 10 — install spotlight assemblies (all 7); one on the left side, two on the right side, one in front of the clock tower, three in front of the main building; connect the four on the left side (main building and left end) with one 4-port expansion board, the three on the right with one 4-port expansion board
• page 10 — install the lights and light posts on the ground floor (you have to raid one of the other bags to get the parts for the light posts)
• page 10 — connect the two boards with one 12-inch wire; run a 6-inch wire outside of the building for the switch lead
• page 10 — attach 12-inch cable to right-side 4-port expansion board for light leads in tower
• page 10 — attach 1x2 expansion board (large ports) to support extra length; attach 6-inch cable to that board as well
• page 182 (step 259) — install 8 45-degree angle 1x1 tiles with angles pointing outward for each of the four clock faces; using the small adhesive squares, mount the white pico lights on each of the tiles; run the wires down and attach to two 4-port expansion boards (attach the two with one 6-inch cable); run another 6-inch cable up through the assembly to support the remaining lights
• page 194 (step 281) — using the clear 1x1 round bricks, install the green pico lights on the interior corners on each side of the bell assembly; attach all four to the 4-port expansion board and use the adhesive strip to attach above the bell assembly; also attach the 6-inch cable to the board to support the last light assembly
• page 198 (step 288) — run two yellow lights through the center of the 6x6 square (drill hole) that will be used on the clear tower assemblies at the top; attach both to the last 2-port (small ports) expansion board