Vintage Rotary Dial Telephone

I have always been fascinated with the engineering, the design, and the integration of both when it comes to Lego. I have recently enjoyed the look of all the previous and soon to come Lego Ideas sets taking a step back in time that our past generation used. This very concept encouraged me to create an item that was widely used around the globe, and its purpose hasn't been forgotten with modern technology.

The Rotary Dial Telephone is a type of phone that was widely used from the early 20th century until the 1980s. It works based on the digit (0-9) you want to dial by winding it and letting the telephone turn back the dial to its original position. In the duration of the dial winding back, it generates a series of electrical pulses that correspond to the dialed number. The Rotary Dial Telephones are also known for their mechanical design and distinctive clicking sound.

The Handset

The design of the natural curves was achieved by using the technic methods. This kept the handset sturdy and is holdable. This further encapsulates a design that is both creative and technical.

With the box, being able to create a structure that can show off the angles and slopes that the telephone box has was incredibly difficult. It wasn't easy to do, though with bricks being placed in all directions, I have come up with a design that achieves the original look.

The features that the box supports are the dial returning back, and I have further improved it so now it creates a clicking sound, via the use of a rachet mechanism, this is an attempt to mimic the mechanical clicking sound that the telephone makes when in use. The dial does vary in speed depending on how far you turn it.

Then the prongs at the dock spring up when picking up the handset.

I have also created a little friend, a miniature rotary dial telephone with the fit of the mini telephone piece. this miniature build is made out of just 19 pieces.

With the current bricks on the market, there are pieces that aren't currently available (due to their color) hence why these images are rendered.

This build contains 1279 pieces (subject to change), and the dimensions are 23.3cm(L), 5.6cm(W), 7.7cm(H) for the handset, and 18.1cm(L), 14.3cm(W), 10.9cm(H) for the box.

This Lego build was challenging yet fun to design and build, there are a lot of techniques that i have used along the way that are incorporated, and while it is fun and interesting to build it too is also interesting to play with or use as a display piece. This set would be a great addition to the already existing Lego sets such as the polaroid camera, typewriter and more yet to come and a set that I would love to share with everyone else.