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Leonardo da Vinci's Flying Machine

A working ornithopter you can hold in one hand, and the mechanism is the whole point.

Brick Rated Score

4.3/5

Set 10363 · 2025

Pieces493

Minifigs1

Year2025

Set number10363

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The verdict

This is one of those sets that made me grin the second the wings actually moved.

You pull a trigger at the back of the wooden-looking frame and the fabric wings flap while the tail tilts, all driven by real string, hinges and little pulleys. It is honest, clever, unlike anything else LEGO makes, and I love it for that. It is also 493 pieces for fifty dollars (more in the UK and Europe), so you are paying for the idea more than the brick count, and you should know that going in.

Best for: History and engineering lovers who want a working display piece, not a big brick count

The full review

What it is

The thing that got me about the Flying Machine is that it does something, and it does it well. This is LEGO's take on Leonardo da Vinci's ornithopter, the flying machine he sketched to mimic the flapping of a bird's wings. You build an open airframe with textile-covered wings, then you pull a trigger at the back and watch string, hinges and pulleys drag the wings up and down while the tail pivots. Shock absorbers and a rubber Technic beam give it resistance and snap everything back to rest, so it feels springy and deliberate rather than floppy. The whole model is light enough to grip in one hand and just play with, which is not something I say about many display sets. Jay's Brick Blog came within a whisker of a perfect score, and honestly, once you feel the wings move you understand why.

The catch

I will be straight with you about the price. At 493 pieces for fifty dollars in the US, and noticeably more at around fifty-five pounds and sixty euros, this is not a set you buy for the brick count. You are paying for the engineering and the idea, and whether that lands depends entirely on how much the working mechanism delights you. A few reviewers also flagged that the pull is a little heavier than you would hope, so the flapping never feels totally effortless. And the color palette is intentionally muted, all browns and tans to sell the wooden-workshop look, which means it will sit as its own island on a shelf rather than blending in with anything. Brown elements also have that old reputation for getting brittle, though LEGO has worked to improve the recipe.

Who it's for

If you love history, aviation, or the sheer cleverness of a mechanism that turns a trigger pull into flapping wings, get this without overthinking it. It is a wonderful conversation piece and a lovely tribute to one of the great minds. If you are here for a big meaty build, or you want something that coordinates with a colorful display, this probably is not your set. It builds in about an hour, so it is a delightful afternoon rather than a weekend project, and I think that is exactly right for what it is.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

The build itself is a quiet pleasure that takes roughly an hour. Most of the fun is watching the mechanism come together, because you are not just stacking bricks, you are threading string, seating little pulleys, and setting up the hinge points that make the wings flap. It is lo-fi engineering in the best sense, the kind of build where you keep testing the motion as you go just to make sure it still works, and it does. The fabric wings are the star texturally, giving the finished model a soft, handmade look that plastic alone could never fake.

For parts people there are a few treats. The set includes a printed 2x2 tile carrying one of da Vinci's own ornithopter schematics, which is a lovely period touch, plus a handful of elements arriving in new colors. It leans heavily on browns and tans to sell the aged-wood aesthetic, so it is a useful little pot of earthy pieces if you build in that palette. The da Vinci minifigure comes with a quill and sketch and attaches to the display stand, and yes, with the bushy beard and long hair he is basically a Gandalf-meets-Dumbledore lookalike, which the community noticed instantly and cannot unsee.

Fun facts

01The model recreates da Vinci's ornithopter, a flying machine he designed to lift a person by flapping wings the way a bird does.
02Pulling the trigger flaps the wings and moves the tail through a system of real string, hinges and pulleys, with a rubber Technic beam and shock absorbers returning everything to rest.
03The instruction booklet is filled with facts about da Vinci's life, and the set includes a 2x2 tile printed with one of his actual ornithopter schematics.
04The Leonardo minifigure, with his long hair and bushy beard, was immediately compared by fans to Gandalf and Dumbledore.