THE LEGO CAR BLOG

Collection of Letters

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 18:26:20 GMT

We’ve said it before, but Mercedes-Benz’s naming structure is about as interesting and imaginative as a Brothers Brick article on piece sorting. Still, tremendously dull names aside, the cars are quite good, and the AMG GT S is no exception.

Fitted with the AMG 4.0 twin-turbo V8 that powers all sorts of Mercedes-Benz products (plus a few Aston Martins), the AMG GT S is a quick and refined way to cross a country, plus it’s the Formula 1 safety car which is cool. Lennart Cort is the builder behind this one and there’s more to see at his photostream via the link.

My Other Truck’s a Scania

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 11:26:47 GMT

It’s time for another B-Model here at The Lego Car Blog, and we rather like these (as evidenced in Lock-Down B-Model Competition that ran here earlier in the year). B-Models are exactly what LEGO is all about, using pieces in an infinite number of ways to create Something New.

This Something New comes from mpj of Eurobricks, who has repurposed the parts from the 42098 Technic Car Transporter set to create this brilliant Scania Next Generation truck and flatbed trailer.

Looking (we think) better than set on which it’s derived, mpj’s alternate includes a working V8 engine underneath the tilting cab, ‘Hand of God’ steering, opening doors, and a working fifth wheel that controls the trailer’s two steering axles.

It’s an excellent showcase for how you can build more than what’s on the box, and you can recreate this Scania yourself as mpj has made building instructions available. Head to Eurobricks via the link above for full details!

Yellow Brick Road

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 18:20:52 GMT

This is a DAF FT CF 480 Space Cab with a 4-axle Floor trailer and mobile crane. A suitably long title for a suitably long vehicle. Designed to carry bricks and stone, which makes us very pleased with this post’s title (and it enables us to post this link!*), it comes from previous bloggee Arian Janssens and there’s more to see on Flickr. Click here to follow the Yellow Brick Road!

*We’re not sorry.

Italian DTM

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 11:32:17 GMT

Italy and Germany have a long rivalry. Two of the best football teams in Europe, they’ve met 35 times, with Italy winning 15 of those encounters to Germany’s 8. They’ve fought on the track since Formula 1’s beginning (and even before that), with Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union battling Alfa Romeo and later Ferrari for dominance. Oh, and they fought against one another in World War 2, but only after Italy overthrew racism and changed sides.

Recently though, all the victories have been German. Mercedes-Benz have annihilated Ferrari in Formula 1, Italy haven’t beaten Germany in their last four soccer matches, and Ducati are now owned by Volkswagen.

However, go back to the mid-’90s and you’ll find a remarkable story of Italian dominance in Germany’s own back yard; the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM).

In 1993 Alfa Romeo decided to take their new 155 V6 to DTM, building an all-wheel-drive 11,000rpm Class 1 Touring Car to take on the domestic German teams from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Opel. The car proved unstoppable, with Nicola Larini winning a record eleven of the twenty-two races and teammate Alessandro Nannini another two, taking Alfa Romeo to a dominant manufacturer’s title.

This incredible replica of the ’93 championship-winning Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti comes from previous bloggee Zeta Racing of Flickr, who has recreated both the car and its iconic livery in stunning detail.

Underneath that beautifully stickered exterior Zeta has accurately constructed the 155’s drivetrain, including a jaw-dropping V6 engine, all-wheel-drive system, working suspension, gearbox, and a suite of Power Functions motors to control it all remotely.

A spectacularly detailed interior is included behind the four opening doors, with a bucket seat and racing harnesses, a full roll cage, and even the 155’s fire suppression system replicated in bricks.

Zeta Racing’s creation is a work of art (as any Alfa Romeo should be) and there’s a huge gallery of images available to view at his photostream on Flickr. Click the link above to remember a time when the Italians beat the Germans at their own game, and here to see (and hear!) the 155 DTM’s 11,500rpm V6 in action way back in ’93.

From Land to Landfill

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 08:53:15 GMT

The Earth is undergoing a considerable change. Of course it has always changed, thanks to a variable climate and the evolution borne from it, however until recently it’s been in a period of beautiful stability that lasted tens of thousands of years. And then mankind started chopping everything down, digging everything up, and burning it…

The result is a climate changing at a rate that is way beyond the pace that life can adapt to survive, and once the permafrost melts and releases the methane trapped within it, we’re on a one-way train to doomsville.

It’s not too late though, as nature has a remarkable ability to heal itself if given the chance. One way we can limit the damage is to consume less, whether that’s energy, material things, or food. Food production, particularly meat, is the single largest contributor to the destruction of our wilderness. Buying local, and not eating the meat from intensively-farmed, chemical-filled, miserable animals, is both better for us and the planet upon which we live.

Cue Chris Elliott‘s Japanese mobile greengrocer, bringing locally grown produce to your door in a converted minibus. Chris’s beautifully detailed creation includes a range of brick-built veg, breads and pastries, a burst of pink flowers down the side, and even LED lighting. Plus there’s not a battery-farmed chicken in sight.

Reducing consumption doesn’t necessarily mean buying less, as at present an average of 219lbs of food is wasted annually by every American, equating to over a third of all U.S. food production.

Throwing less away, and recycling it when we do (even food), means less chopping down, less digging up, and less burning. Cue Jonathan Elliott‘s excellent Dennis Eagle garbage truck/bin lorry, which is where what we discard usually ends up. Jonathan’s bin lorry captures the real thing superbly, and there’s even a working lift mechanism at the back.

Sadly it only has black and grey bins, but change them for green and blue (or whatever the recycling colours are where you live), and we might just avert the looming catastrophe yet. Click the links above to follow the food from land to landfill, and ask yourself if there’s a better way…

Hungry Passenger

Sun, 25 Oct 2020 09:32:33 GMT

1saac W.’s brilliant 6-wide Jeep Wrangler first appeared here last week, but if you’re going to build a Jeep Wrangler, there’s only one we’re really interested in…

With a quick update to turn the model to an earlier ‘YJ’ series and the addition of some red stripes, 1saac can now imagine an overweight nerd being eaten alive by a juvenile Dilophosaurus in the passenger set.

Join the fun on Flickr via the link!

Scorpion King

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 13:03:04 GMT

Notable only for being Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s first lead role, the 2002 fantasy adventure ‘The Scorpion King’ is an appalling turd of a movie. A spin off from ‘The Mummy’ franchise, it took the shonkily CGI-ed character from the second Mummy instalment (itself only worth watching for Rachel Weisz) and dragged it out over ninety stupefying minutes.

However some scorpion spin-offs are worth a look, and the car in this post is one of them.

The Autobianchi A112 was created through collaboration by Fiat, tyre-maker Pirelli, and bicycle manufacturer Bianchi, launching in 1969 and being – as most Italian cars of the time were – rather excellent.

Over a million Autobianchi A112s were produced before the brand was eventually merged into Lancia, with the design also forming the basis of the rather good Fiat 127, the less good Seat 127, the pretty bad Polski-Fiat 127, and the miserable Yugo 45.

Of course being effectively a Fiat, Italian tuners Abarth got their hands on the A112 too, and uprated the tiny 900cc engine to 1,050cc, taking power from around 45bhp to a mighty 70 in the process.

Today’s post is an A112 in Abarth flavour, as built by previous bloggee Zeta Racing in full ‘Technic Supercar’ specification. Capturing the look of the real car brilliantly, Zeta has engineered his Lego replica with a working engine, gearbox, steering, and suspension, along with opening doors, hood, and hatchback. Zeta’s model also includes fully remotely controlled Power Functions drivetrain, with motors powering both the front-wheel-drive and steering, the gearbox, and equipping the car with working brakes.

It’s a fantastic build, presented beautifully, and enhanced with few choice decals (including the famous Abarth scorpion), and there’s much more of Zeta’s Autobianchi A112 Abarth to see at his photostream. Click the link above to check out one Scorpion King worth viewing.

Power Wagon

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 12:21:44 GMT

Is there a cooler name for a truck than ‘Power Wagon’? Nope. Dodge’s naming department nailed it back in 1945, with the nameplate lasting right up until 1980. This is a ’50s Power Wagon, with a few modifications, as built by TLCB Master MOCer Redfern1950s, and it’s magnificent.

Red’s cartoon-ised Dodge sits proudly atop monster wheels and suspension, features a brick-built removable ‘canvas’ load cover, plus a detailed engine and interior behind a removable hood and opening doors.

A multitude of top-notch imagery is available to view at Red’s Flickr photostream by clicking here, and you can read his interview as part of the Master MOCers series here at The Lego Car Blog by clicking the link in the text above to discover how he builds models like this one!

My Other Car’s a Fiat

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 12:10:21 GMT

Fiat, since their takeover of Chrysler in 2014, are the owners of Dodge, Ram, and Jeep. Which means Jeeps are now Fiats and Maseratis are now Jeeps.

It’s fitting then, that this creation by LEGO set designer Nathanael Kuipers (aka NKubate), is – despite its Jeepy appearance – actually a Fiat underneath, being built solely from the parts found within the official Creator 10271 Fiat 500 set.

However if it looks familiar that’s because it actually has more in common with the Jeep-inspired Model Team 5510 Off-Road 4×4 set from the late ’80s, being a modern interpretation of this vintage set, but built from another set. Which makes our head hurt.

You can check it out at Nathanel’s photostream by clicking here, where you can also find a link to building instructions should you want to turn your own Fiat 500 set into a classic Jeep.

Land Rover Defender | Picture Special

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 09:29:55 GMT

We love it when builders gets in contact with us here at TLCB. Firstly it means a few people actually read the ‘inane blather’ (to quote a comment by a reader) that streams from the hovel that is TLCB Towers, and secondly because it sometimes unearths incredible creations.

Case in point is Zeta Racing, who recently messaged us on Facebook. We recommended Flickr as a tool for sharing his creations and bam! – We now have no less than five unbelievable builds to blog.

This is the third, Zeta’s magnificent fully RC Land Rover Defender, and it – like the two builds already featured here – is a work of engineering brilliance.

Based on an earlier design by TLCB Master MOCer Sheepo, Zeta has captured the aesthetic of a moderately modified Defender 110 brilliantly, with a lift kit, snorkel, roof cage, tow bar, and more all represented in Lego form. The doors, hood and tailgate all open, and there’s a superbly detailed interior inside too.

It’s what’s underneath that’s most impressive though, with Zeta’s model equipped with a complete Technic Supercar drivetrain (engine, gearbox, suspension, and steering), and full remotely controlled motorisation.

Power Functions motors drive the four-wheel-drive system (which also turns the accurate inline 4-cylinder engine under the hood) and control the working steering, with superbly accurate suspension allowing the power to be used both on and off-road.

Four IR receivers are hidden in the cabin, allowing control of the aforementioned drive and steering, and also – by our guess – a motorised gearbox and front-mounted winch too.

It’s a stunning build, immediately jumping into the Technic off-roader All-Time Greats list, and there’s a whole lot more of the build to see at Zeta Racing’s Flickr photostream by clicking here. And there are still two further incredible creations to come…

Mid-Engined Corvette

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 08:13:35 GMT

The Chevrolet Corvette has finally gone mid-engined. This is not it, but it is built only from the parts found within the front-engined 42093 Technic Chevrolet Corvette set, so it’s kind of a mid-engined Corvette. Sorta.

Whatever you want to call it, it is a rather good B-Model, coming from previous bloggee Horcik Designs and featuring functioning steering and a working mid-mounted V6 engine.

There’s more to see at the Eurobricks forum, where you can also find a link to building instructions should you wish to convert your own 42093 Corvette set into a mid-engined Corvette. That’s not a Corvette. But now could be.

Concept_One

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 08:06:13 GMT

Usually when a new hypercar company starts up and claims to have designed a 1,000bhp car that can drive to the moon, the automotive world has a laugh, and goes back to buying Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Croatian start-up manufacturer Rimac however, have confounded expectations.

Firstly because they are indeed a manufacturer, having actually produced and sold their designs, and secondly because their cars are so ground-breaking that automotive giants are courting them as partners.

Porsche and Hyundai have bought shares in Rimac, and the company produces electrified components for Aston Martin, Koenigsegg, Pininfarina, and even Seat’s concept racing car.

It’s the car we have here that created such a stir, their 2013 Concept_One. Just ten units were produced (with nine remaining thanks to The Grand Tour crashing one), and with over 1,200bhp and a motor in each wheel, the Concept_One was the fastest accelerating electric vehicle at the time of its launch, completing 0-60mph in a little over two seconds.

Previous bloggee Vibor Cavor (aka Veeborg)‘s Model Team recreation can’t do that (unless you put it in a real Rimac Concept_One), but it does include almost everything else, including a replica removable battery in the ‘spine’ of the car complete with four brick-built motors.

Vibor might be able to put his creation inside a real Concept_One though as he lives just fifteen minutes from Rimac’s base in Sveta Nedelja. Head to Vibor’s photostream via the link above o see more of his Concept-One replica, and click here if you’d like to see why ten became nine…

Numero Uno Turbo

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 23:01:39 GMT

It’s the 1980s and literally everything has got ‘Turbo’ written on it. Aftershave, sunglasses, and – as of 1985 – even Fiat shopping cars. The Fiat Uno Turbo i.e. did actually feature a turbo too, with an IHI unit, complete with intercooler, fitted to its 1.3 litre engine.

Power jumped to 105bhp, which may not sound a lot (and isn’t), but ’80s Italian cars had the structural integrity of a paper bag, and thus were almost comically light. This gave the Uno Turbo a 127mph top speed and a 0-60 time of 7 seconds, which was properly quick for the time. We just don’t want to think about crashing one…

Fortunately Fiat had an answer, creating the Uno Turbo i.e. ‘Antiskid’, which was equipped with a rudimentary form of ABS. It’s this version that Zeta Racing has chosen to recreate – beautifully – in Technic form, adding another stunning ’80s Italian hot hatchback to his catalogue, following the incredible Lancia Delta HF Integrale’s published here yesterday.

Like the Lancias, Zeta’s Uno Turbo replicates the real car with jaw-dropping authenticity, including a full ‘Technic Supercar’ driveline consisting of a transverse 4-cylinder engine, suspension, steering, and gearbox, all motorised via LEGO Power Functions components.

The model also includes a fantastically realistic interior, with folding seats, a tilting sunroof, and some rather ingenious seatbelts that we suspect we’ll see on a lot more Technic creations after this is published. Opening doors, hood and hatchback complete the model, and there’s loads more to see at Zeta Racing’s photostream.

Click the link above to make the jump to Flickr for all the photos, whilst we squash down our hankering to buy one of these tiny tinny Italian deathtraps*…

*It seems that improbably thin Italian steel didn’t survive UK winters very well. Just a dozen Fiat Uno Turbo’s are left on UK roads, and only two ‘Antiskid’ versions. They may have crashed less, but they rusted just us much…

Breaking into Heaven*

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 23:00:53 GMT

We’re sure the proper Lego blogs will pick this up soon, but until then this is Nick Trotta (aka tardisblue)‘s ‘Heavenly Strike’, which sounds like a church bowling team. We know nothing about sci-fi, so we’ll have to leave the description there, but what we can say is that Nick’s starfighter contains one of the most fiendishly intricate structures that we have ever seen. Head to Flickr to see more, including the amazing images that show how such complex angles were created.

*Today’s brilliant title song.

Positively Charged

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 17:48:05 GMT

Formula 1 is looking increasingly out of place by the day. Despite the return of some great tracks in 2020 and the addition of some new ones (thanks to Coronavirus), the multitude of penalties, strict development regulations, huge costs, and one-team dominance often make it not very fun at all.

Worse, it seems manufacturers can’t translate the sport to the products people actually buy. Honda have announced their departure, just as they have a decent engine after years of struggle. Williams, once a dominant force, have handed themselves over to an equity company in a desperate bid to not be completely crap. And Ferrari… well they’re still earning a disproportionally huge revenue and marketing cigarettes to children.

So what alternatives are there for racing fans? The WRC is becoming cool again, but is still in the shadow of its glory days, WEC/Le Mans would be fantastic if more than one manufacturer could build a top-tier car, and NASCAR is still blobs driving round in a circle. Which leaves Formula E… We know we know, it used to be awful, but hear us out.

No less than nine of the twelve teams are backed by manufacturers, including BMW, Porsche, Nissan, and even Jaguar, and gone are the ridiculous days of drivers having to change cars mid-way through the race because the batteries were too small to last race distance.

The batteries are a common part shared between all teams however, along with the the chassis and aero – which we think is a shame as all the cars look exactly the same – but the motors, investor, gearbox, and software to run it all are team-specific. The stupid fan-boost remains, but apart from that it’s really starting to look rather good, with the current Formula E cars called ‘Gen 2 Evo’ to ensure their differences to the formula’s slightly rubbish beginnings are clear.

It’s one of these Formula E ‘Gen 2 Evo’ cars that we have here today, as built by previous bloggee R. Skittle and featuring its own electric propulsion thanks to LEGO’s new Powered-Up bluetooth system. A full gallery of over twenty images is available to view and you can charge over to Flickr via the link to take a closer look. Which it might be worth doing with the actual Formula E too…

Man Over Board!

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 11:47:37 GMT

We’re not hopeful of this mini-figure’s safe return. Or the fate of the rest of the crew to be honest. James Pegrum is the builder behind this spectacular scene, in which a tall ship looks certain to lose its battle with an angry slate grey ocean. Look on at the tragedy unfolding via the link above.

Lancia Delta HF Integrale – Picture Special

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 10:37:43 GMT

The most remarkable Italian car manufacturer is not Ferrari. Lancia’s story is one of incredible technical innovation, fantastic racing cars, an appalling corrosion scandal, and now – effectively – their death at the hands of a parent company that really should try harder.

However even during Lancia’s painful decline they still produced the best cars in the world. This is one of them, the amazing Delta HF Integrale.

Based on Lancia’s 1980 ‘European Car of the Year’-winning family hatchback, the HF Integrale added turbocharging and all-wheel-drive, and in doing so became the most successful rally car in history. By the time it was retired the HF Integrale had won six consecutive Constructors World Championships (a record that is still unbeaten), fuelling the sales of over forty thousand road-going versions.

These two incredible recreations of the HF Integrale are the work of newcomer Zeta Racing, and they are – without doubt – some of the best Technic Supercars that we have ever published.

Each is spectacularly detailed both inside and out, merging both Technic and System parts to create an almost unbelievable level of realism. Stunning period-correct decals add to the authenticity, yet the exteriors – astonishing though they are – aren’t the most impressive aspect of Zeta Racing’s builds. For that you need to look underneath…

Hidden within each build is some of the most brilliant Technic engineering we’ve seen, with both Deltas qualifying for ‘Technic Supercar’ status, with working steering, gearboxes, highly detailed transversely-mounted inline 4-cylinder engines, and working suspension. But the functionally does not stop there.

Each model is also fully remote controlled thanks to LEGO Power Functions motors, operating the drive, steering, gears, and – if we’ve interpreted the images correctly – equipping Zeta’s creations with working brakes too.

It seems that in Zeta Racing we may have found our favourite new builder of 2020, and if you agree you can take a look at both his white and black Lancia Delta HF Integrales via the links, where you can also add yourself to his current ‘follower’ count of one (which is only us at present).

Zeta Racing has also uploaded several other astonishing Technic Supercars alongside these two incredible HF Integales, mostly of the Italian hatchback variety, which we’ll be publishing here over the coming days. Check back here for more soon, including some you may never have heard of…

Hog-on-a-Harley

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 07:53:09 GMT

The U.S. police seem to have a tough job at the moment. Guns are everywhere, the right are protesting something about how masks are un-American, and the left are setting fire to stuff because that definitely eradicates racism. Definitely.

Still, they do at least get some cool kit. Well, Peter Schmid‘s cops do anyway, being equipped with this wonderfully fat Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Delightful detailing and decals abound and there’s more to see of Peter’s creation at his photostream – click the link above to take a look.

Talking Crap

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 07:30:05 GMT

Some commenters have written that we are – basically – manure spreaders here at TLCB. Which is true, although they do seem to only state this when we highlight Russia or America‘s shortcomings. We’re pretty sure the rest of the time we spout just as much cra…

Anyhoo, this post is for them, being an actual manure spreader! It’s a Bunning Lowlander 105 Mk4 to be precise, as built (brilliantly) by Michal Skorupka (aka Eric Trax).

Impressive as the poo-thrower is though, we’re sure most of you are more interested in what’s pulling it, which is a fully remote controlled Case 1455 XL tractor complete with four Power Functions motors.

Drive comes from an L Motor, a Servo controls the steering, and two further M Motors power both the rear PTO (that here is used to spin the Bunning Lowlander’s muck-spreading shafts and conveyor belt) and the tractor’s three-point hitch mechanism.

The model features beautiful attention to detail too, enhanced by superbly accurate custom decals, and there’s a whole lot more to see at Michal’s ‘CASE 1455 XL & Bunning Lowlander 105 Mk4 album‘ on Flickr, and at the Eurobricks discussion forum, both of which include links to a video showing the model in action and to building instructions, so you can spread some crap at home!

The World’s Most Expensive Recovery Truck

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 13:17:05 GMT

This astonishing creation is a fully working replica of the U.S Glomar Explorer, constructed by Master MOCer and world-renowned builder Paweł ‘Sariel’ Kmieć, and you’re in for a truly remarkable story…

It’s 1968, and the Soviet ballistic missile submarine K-129 has been lost with all 98 crew, plummeting over 16,000ft to the ocean floor. It’s just a few years after the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War is very real indeed. The Soviet Union is looking for its lost submarine, but 150 miles in the wrong place. The U.S. however, knows where it is…

And so begins one the strangest and most expensive recovery efforts in history, as the CIA commission the building of a ship designed solely to pluck the wreck of K-129 from the seabed to learn its secrets, without the Soviet Union knowing.

Costing $1.4billion, it was one seriously expensive recovery truck, although of course its true purpose was hidden behind a ‘drilling for magenese’ cover story, fronted by millionaire aviator and film-maker Howard Hughes.

Six years later and the 50,000 ton 600ft long ship was ready. Named the Transocean Glomar Explorer, it was positioned above the wreck using radio beacons (GPS being some way off) and the CIA began the enormous recovery of the 330ft, 2,700 long ton (before it was filled with water) nuclear-armed submarine.

A giant claw dropped through a moon pool in the centre of the ship, gripping the wreck of K-129 and winching it to the surface. However during the 16,500ft ascent a mechanical failure occurred, and two thirds of the submarine broke loose and sunk back to the ocean floor, taking with it the sought-after nuclear missiles and code book. However, two nuclear-tipped torpedoes and cryptographic machines were recovered, along with the bodes of six crew members, which were not returned to the Soviet Union, but back to the sea.

The Glomar Explorer was purposeless after the mission was (partly) completed, and in 1976 it transferred to the U.S Navy for storage in a dry-dock. In 1978 however, the ship was leased to test prototype deep sea mining equipment, before being converted to a drilling ship in the 1990s. It was finally scrapped in 2015.

Recreating this incredible feat of engineering is Sariel, whose floating brick-built replica of the Glomar Explorer measures over 3 metres in length, uses 60kg of LEGO pieces, and can really (partly) recover a lost Soviet submarine, thanks to a fully working recreation of the monumental grapple crane fitted to the real ship.

We won’t write too much more here as there’s really only one way to appreciate this spectacular build – take a look at the video above (or click here to find it in the Eurobricks discussion), and watch how one of the most impressive Lego creations of all time was built, and how it can recover nearly all of a brick-built submarine from the bottom of a swimming pool…