Did you know you could do this with Lego?

Think your kids will grow out of their Lego obsession once they hit their teens? Think again.

Blake Baer and Jack Bittner, aged 17 and 18, have exhibited some serious block-stacking skills with their latest Lego creation. The industrious teens have recreated Erebor - or the Lonely Mountain - where the dwarves in JRR Tolkien's "The Hobbit" reside. As you can see from the image above, they really nailed it.

Your kids can, too. All they need is a little creativity, some serious attention to detail, 400 hours of spare time, and 80,000 pieces of Lego. Yep - that's eighty thousand pieces of Lego.

For anyone who has experienced the unique pain of stepping on a carelessly-placed Lego bar in the middle of the night, it's a thought that will send a shiver down the spine and bring a tear to the eye.

The impressive, 90kg creation wasn't the duo's foray into high-level Lego assemblage. Blake displays his Lego creations on Flickr, and they're all jaw-droppingly clever.

Clearly a big fan of Tolkien's work, the Pennsylvania local has previously assembled the landscape of Rivendell, the Nazgul (Dark Riders) and other famous scenes and locations from his books.

Blake also shows an interest in war history - his "Tribute to America" series depicts a number of battles and events in the nation's history.

We all know Lego has inspired many a budding builder and architect - but could it also help to foster an appreciation for history and literature?

Maybe it's worth bulk-buying those little blocks, just in case...

What do your kids like making out of Lego?