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12 Lego sets that need to be made right now (pictures)

Here some of the most geektastic suggestions for new Lego sets that aren't available yet -- but we hope they are soon.

Eric Mack

Eric Mack has been a CNET contributor since 2011. Eric and his family live 100% energy and water independent on his off-grid compound in the New Mexico desert. Eric uses his passion for writing about energy, renewables, science and climate to bring educational content to life on topics around the solar panel and deregulated energy industries. Eric helps consumers by demystifying solar, battery, renewable energy, energy choice concepts, and also reviews solar installers. Previously, Eric covered space, science, climate change and all things futuristic. His encrypted email for tips is ericcmack@protonmail.com.

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Eric Mack

Oct. 7, 2014 10:04 a.m. PT

1 of 12 Carl Merriam/LEGO Ideas

Working microscope

For years now, Lego has been taking suggestions for new sets from the public via its crowdsourcing platform Lego Ideas. While not every set can muster enough fan votes to even be considered for production, here are 12 geektastic kits from Lego's site -- and the wider Web -- that I think should get the green light right away.

This working microscope uses actual Lego magnifying glasses to create a working compound microscope. It's still gathering support on the Lego Ideas site with several months to go. Suggested kits need to get 10,000 votes for Lego to consider them for market.

2 of 12 flailx/Lego Ideas

Sherlock

After this proposal for a Lego set based on the popular BBC modern-day take on Sherlock Holmes gained tons of support online, Lego announced in June that it would not be producing a Sherlock set. Despite the apparent finality of the decision, I'm here to respectfully disagree. Perhaps we just need to find a few more clues to convince the company that it's getting away with murder by not producing this set.

3 of 12 flailx/Lego Ideas

Zelda Wind Waker

From the same creator behind the popular but rejected Sherlock set, comes a proposal for a Legend of Zelda on a boat set, based on Nintendo's Wind Waker spin-off of the original video game. This one is still gathering support on the Lego Ideas site. Can you find the spiders guarding the treasure chest on the island?

4 of 12 SaMe/Lego Ideas

Atlas at CERN

The Atlas experiment at the Large Hadron Collider is all about seeing what happens when protons are smashed together. It got plenty of support on Lego Ideas, but the company rejected the notion of creating a miniature version of a particle physics experiment. Time to reconsider, for the sake of the young physicists who cant afford a full-size subatomic collider, please.

5 of 12 GRusso/Lego Ideas

Hubble

This proposal for a Hubble space telescope kit has gathered the needed 10,000 votes on the Lego Ideas site and is now being reviewed for possible production by Lego. Up next, how about that interpid planet scout, Kepler?

6 of 12 darthpapercut/Lego Ideas

Imperial hot tub

While it's probably a safe bet that this club where Stormtroopers unwind will never get made by Lego, let's just take a moment to acknowledge the delicious detail of this design, right down to the Sabacc cards, R4-81 refreshment delivery drone and wanted poster of those dreaded rebels. Anyone as expendable as a Stormtrooper deserves some quality R&R.

7 of 12 Iain Heath

Lego Doom

Doom, the hit first-person shooter from 1993, actually kind of looked like it was made out of Legos, so why not immortalize it in 3D space using the real thing?

Lego artist Iain Heath recreated scenes from the original game using the bricks to masterful effect. Here's hoping Lego is also inspired by his efforts.

8 of 12 giorgiochronas/Lego Ideas

Lego Pueblo

Taos Pueblo, the inspiration for this Lego Pueblo set concept, sits only a few miles from where I write this, so I'd be remiss not to include it in this collection.

Today the actual Pueblo is more populated by tourists and trucks than the traders and locals in traditional garb seen in this historical scene (although you do see them on occasion still), but it's still a fitting tribute to this cultural treasure.

9 of 12 Lyonsblood/Lego Ideas

'Goonies' 30th anniversary

Those of us from a certain generation still relate to Chunk and have nightmares about one-eyed Willie. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you need to take a visit to the Goon Docks with a viewing of the 1980s classic "The Goonies." Hopefully one day you'll be able to work on this Lego set of the iconic pirate ship in the film while watching it with someone from the younger generation.

10 of 12 Video screenshot by Bonnie Burton/CNET

'The Walking Dead'

AMC's hit zombie apocalypse show "The Walking Dead" probably isn't kid-friendly enough to get the nod from Lego to christen an official set, but some enterprising builders created a shot-by-shot recreation of the season 5 "Walking Dead" trailer with bricks to give us a sense of how awesome one could be.

11 of 12 DarthKy/Lego Ideas

X-Men X-Mansion

Fantasize about wandering the halls of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning with Beast, Shadowcat and other mutant kin including Professor Xavier himself? Of course you do, but that's just a comic book, so you might need to get over it. At least until Lego opts to create this detailed recreation of the X-Mansion, which has already received over 10,000 votes and is currently under review. Don't disappoint Wolverine, he has a temper, you know.

12 of 12 Picasa

Space elevator?

Space elevators are one of our favorite futuristic fantastic concepts around here, but the nanotech involved isn't quite able to scale up enough to create a cable long enough to reach orbit just yet.

Perhaps we should be thinking more low-tech, like the Lego builder that created this NXT robot-powered setup to build a theoretically infinite Lego tower.

Turns out that with Lego, the sky is not even the limit. What other Lego sets would you like to see become official?