Life Sized Nautilus Shell

          Chambered nautili* are one of the largest living nautiloids, and also a living fossil. Their iconic spiral shell is instantly recognizable, and, since they were alive at roughly the same time, the nautilus gives us a pretty good guess as to the anatomy of ammonoids. 

          So here I have made a life sized LEGO version of the shell of a nautilus. This, like my LEGO ammonite, has been something I have been trying to do for years, without much success in making it realistic. Nearly the entire shell is hollow, with as few protruding hinges as possible showing. 

           The display stand is just a simple wooden- looking rectangle, with chrome gold supports to make it look antique. The shell part is able to support itself without collapsing, so it is only resting on the stand. This, of course, means that it is easily removed.

           I think that this would make a great set because it will make a fun collectible, and I built it for fun. There are 616 total pieces in this set.

*The plural can be either nautili or nautiluses.