This beautiful blue creation is a Lada 1200 Combi / VAZ-2102, one of the defining cars of the communist-era Soviet Union and – in it’s earlier years at least – not actually a bad one.

Produced from 1970 until 1988, the Lada 1200 / VAZ-2102 was based on the Fiat 124, itself still in production and rather good too.

For the licensed version the Soviet engineers raised the Fiat’s ride height, strengthened the chassis, and increased the thickness of the bodywork steel to ensure the car could cope with Russian roads and winters, and replaced the rear disc brakes with aluminium drums, because… er, we don’t know. They were worse.

Anyway, the car was a success, with a million built in the the first three years alone, and exported to many markets where the Fiat version wasn’t already on sale (Fiat didn’t permit Lada/VAZ to compete directly with its own product).

TLCB’s home nation got the Lada 1200 in 1974, when the Fiat 124 was replaced by the newer 131, becoming the first Lada on sale in the market, and likely a brave purchase by consumers during the Cold War.

A thousand Lada jokes would follow, which was a bit unfair as the 1200 was fine, but many were probably as much to do with anti-communist sentiment as they were with automotive quality.

This lovely Model Team recreation of the Lada 1200 Combi / VAZ-2102 comes from Flickr’s Legostalgie, whose wonderful Lego replicas of Communist cars have appeared here numerous times so far. His latest captures the Lada brilliantly, with superbly accurate bodywork, opening doors, hood and tailgate, a life-like interior and engine, and even a trunk on the roof-rack.

There’s lots more to see Legostalgie’s ‘Lada 1200 Combi / VAZ-2102’ album on Flickr, and you can head to the Communist-era Soviet Union (or the United Kingdom) c1974 via the link in the text above.

For some reason people don’t seem to like it when Germany and Japan collaborate. What? We’ve already done that joke today? Damn…

Moving on, this is the fifth generation Toyota Supra, a frankly wonderful looking sports car widely hated by the internet for being a partnership between BMW and Toyota. Which means of course that it’s rather excellent.

This spectacular Technic recreation of the internet’s least favourite collaboration is the work of Jeroen Ottens, who was commissioned to replicate the A90 Supra’s wild bodywork in brick form.

Not only has Jeroen done that, he’s included a working 6-cylinder engine linked to the rear wheels, an 8-speed gearbox, independent suspension, and working steering, plus opening doors, tailgate and hood.

It’s a fantastic creation, and – whether you’re a xenophobic internet commenter or can appreciate a good car regardless of badge stamped into the components – one that’s worth a closer look.

Head over to Flickr or Eurobricks for full build details, further imagery, and the potential for “That’s not a Supra”/”Nice BMW” comments.

This bizarre looking vehicle is a Porsche 356 Carrera GTL Abarth, a lightweight racing car from 1960 resulting from a rare collaboration between Germany and Italy.

Previous partnerships between the two European powers were – thankfully for mankind – disastrous failures, but the Porsche 356 Carrera GTL Abarth was… OK, not great either.

It overheated, the steering couldn’t turn enough, and there were a few ‘differences of opinion’ between Porsche and Abarth when it came to acceptable build quality.

However unlike their 1940s effort, the two nations persevered and re-engineered the 356 Carrera GTL to the point where it became a rather excellent racing car, successfully competing across Europe and taking three consecutive class wins at Le Mans.

This neat Model Team recreation of the German-Italian racer comes from Tim Inman, who has managed to replicate the 356 Carrera GTL’s decidedly odd bodywork in brick form.

Opening doors and a lifting engine cover reveal a detailed interior and rear-mounted engine respectively, and there’s more to see of Tim’s Porsche 356 Carrera GTL Abarth at his photostream.

Click the link above to join the Axis Powers’ 1960 campaign, which was a lot better than their 1940 effort…

Sharks are definitely not cut out for life on land. No-one told the makers of Sharknado though, who managed to extract such cinematic brilliance from the premise that a further five films have followed. If they keep going surely eventually one’s going to win an Oscar.

Anyway, enough on the tragic state of film-making – here’s another fictional land-based shark – but unlike the aforementioned cinematic disgraces, this one is most excellent.

Previous bloggee Martin Vala is the builder behind this ‘Shark’ Dakar concept, and fictional though it may be it looks so real we had to look it up to check it didn’t actually exist. Like a Sharknado Oscar though, it definitely doesn’t, which makes it all the more impressive that the design originated from the inside of Martin’s head.

There’s much more of the build to see at Martin’s ‘Shark T1+’ album on Flickr, and you can swim over via the link in the text above.

Today’s instrument of brick-built death is this, the Lockheed/Boeing YF-22, a 1990s prototype that would eventually become the formidable F22 Raptor, beating the more interesting looking Northrop/MocDonnell Douglas YF-23 to the contract.

Two YF-22s were built, and regular bloggee Ralph Savelsberg has added a third, with this stunning Lego recreation. Spectacular surfacing, an opening cockpit, working landing gear, and some explodey weaponry make this well worth a closer look, and you can do just that via the link above.

This is a big crane truck, and it’s built from… er, a different big crane truck. Still, it is about as different from the source big crane truck as it can get, whilst still being a big crane truck itself.

Previous bloggee damjan97PL (aka damianPLE) is the builder who has converted the official LEGO Technic 42128 Heavy Duty Tow Truck set into a European flatbed truck, complete with a rather excellent rear-mounted folding crane.

The aforementioned crane can rotate, elevate and extend thanks to three pneumatically-operated booms, whilst the truck itself features working outriggers, an inline 6-cylinder engine underneath a tilting cab, ‘HOG’ steering, and dropping flatbed sides.

It’s a top quality (and brilliantly presented) B-Model, and one that owners of the 42128 set can create for themselves as building instructions are available. Head to the Eurobricks discussion forum or Bricksafe to find out more, plus you can click here to see an alternative ‘alternative’ big crane truck built from LEGO’s big crane truck…

We rarely post renders. Rarer still creations where the first part of the description is a link to building instructions. We are today though, because a) this Ford Mustang Boss 302 looks epic, and b) because builder w35wvi, here making their TLCB debut, has released building instructions for free. And that – in an era of increasing Lego building profiteering – earns them a hundred TLCB points. See more, including that link to those free instructions, via the link.

This is a Kirov-Class Cruiser, built between 1933 and 1944 for the Soviet Union and deployed on the Black Sea during the Second World War.

The largest ships operated by the Soviet Navy post the Russian Civil War, the Kirov-Class ships featured technology from a variety of nations, with the design being Italian, the radar systems American and British, the boilers British, and the aircraft catapults German.

All of which were countries that the Soviet Union was either at war with or directly hostile to during the time the Kirov-Class ships were in service. It’s a funny world.

This spectacular recreation of a Kirov-Class Cruiser comes from Kirill Simerzin of Flickr, who has replicated the real ship beautifully, from the Italian propeller on the bottom to the American radar systems at the top.

There’s more of the build to see at Kirill’s photostream – click the link above to keep your enemies close…

This is a Scania XT crane/tipper truck, and it has been constructed entirely from the parts found within the enormous LEGO Technic 42128 Heavy Duty Tow Truck set.

Builder mpj hasn’t used all 2,000 pieces though. In fact the donor set’s pneumatics have been foregone completely, but that doesn’t mean this appropriate-if-accidentally Ice Planet coloured alternate is short on functions, with working steering, a lifting third axle, a folding, rotating and extending crane, working stabilisers, and a tipping bed.

We say appropriate, as even with all of that functionality quite a few pieces remained, so mpj has utilised a few more of 42128’s parts to equip his Scania XT B-Model with a gritter (which spins by drive from the truck’s differential) and fully positionable snow plow.

Building instructions are available and there’s more of mpj’s airless icy alternative to see on Brickshelf and at the Eurobricks discussion forum – Click the links to plow your way there.

LEGO’s town vehicles used to be rather narrow and upright, somewhat at odds with the squat mini-figures that drove them. Of course real vehicles used to be rather more narrow and upright than they are today too, as these days every vehicle seems to be ‘lower and wider’ than the one it replaces.

LEGO have also moved in this direction, presumably to more accurately reflect the cars we see on the roads, with Town (now City) vehicles a full 50% wider than they used to be.

Cue previous bloggee RGB900, who has updated the classic 6644 car and motorcycle set to the new 6-wide standard, adding a dose more detail in the process.

There’s more of RGB’s 6644 Redux to see at his photostream – take a look via the link above, where you can also see the original 4-wide Town set that inspired it.

Is there anything more automotively dreary than an American full-size sedan?

OK, American mid-size SUVs, which have almost completely replaced the sedan market, are the new pinnacle of blandness, but we’re not sure that even they can eclipse a grey Ford Crown Victoria.

This Lego version of the wheeled white space comes from Flickr’s Ralph Savelsberg, who somehow managed to complete it without falling asleep during construction.

Ralph’s Ford Crown Vic joins some other tediously drab sedans in the corner of his garage, and there’s more to see of it and them at his photostream via the link above, all of which are perfect for something that’s coming soon here at The Lego Car Blog…

Let’s get the obvious bit out of the way. Those are not official LEGO wheels. But they are excellent. And the model riding atop them is even more so.

This spectacular Technic Lamborghini Countach LP500s is the work of Polo-Freak of Brickshelf, and it’s about as accurate a Lego Lamborghini as we’ve ever seen.

Polo’s incredible creation utilises Technic panels, System bricks, and those custom wheels to beautifully replicate the real ’80s supercar, including a brick-built replica of the Countach’s V12 engine and its signature scissor doors.

Over thirty high quality images can be found at Polo’s ‘Lamborghini Countach LP500S’ Brickshelf album and you can take a look at all of his rolled gold via the link above.

With Toyota becoming the latest vehicle manufacturer to join LEGO’s growing list of partners, we’re hopeful that the legendary FJ40 Land Cruiser will one day be available in brick form. Until then Flickr’s PalBenglat has fulfilled the brief brilliantly with his lovely Town scale Fj40. Clever building techniques accurately step the width from four to six studs front to rear, there’s room for two mini-figures side-by-side, and LEGO’s classic Town truck wheels have probably never looked more at home. See more at the link above and cross your fingers LEGO have a Land Cruiser of their own in the works…

LEGO’s ever-expanding colour palette is certainly making the MOCing world a more interesting place. There’s now a huge variety of colours available, although – somewhat less positively – there’s also sometimes a variety of hues within a single colour…

1saac W.‘s ’32 Ford Coupe hot rod demonstrates this with a range of sand green shades, but despite the colour variation, it still looks ace. Let’s call it ‘patina’!

See more of 1saac’s variously-green hot rod at his photostream via the link above.

‘Huh…’ thought this TLCB Writer as he entered the office today. The cause of the casual surprise was a weird yellow vehicle, trundling up and down the corridor with a gaggle of happy Elves in the back.

Seasoned readers of this crumbing ruin in the corner of the internet will know such peaceful interaction between TLCB Elves is seldom seen. The Elf at the controls was smiling, the Elves in the back were smiling, and for a moment we thought that 2022 could be the dawning of a harmonious new era for our little workers.

Was it balls.

The Elf at the controls, knowing its find was too slow to mete out any smushings, had ingeniously offered its colleagues rides in the back. After a joyful excursion around the TLCB Towers the aforementioned little psychopath then deployed the model’s tipping bed, tumbling its Elven cargo onto the ground before immediately reversing over them.

To compound the smushing it then spun the vehicle on top of those trapped underneath via the skid steer system, smearing quite a few into rather artful arcs in the carpet.

Of course the controls were swiftly were taken away, a meal token and yellow Smartie begrudgingly awarded, and the victims either patched up on site or taken to the ‘Elf Hospital‘, depending upon their triage assessment.

We’re really not sure how we’re going to get all the Elf bits out of the office carpet, so whilst we figure that out you can check out Arie’s Morooka MST 2200VD tracked dumper with SBrick control, twin L Motor drive/skid-steer, and linear-actuator operated tipper at both Eurobricks and Bricksafe.

Perhaps we should install lino.

This is the Mini JCW Dakar Buggy, and it has about as much in common with a Mini you can actually buy as a fish does with the international space station. But it is throughly awesome!

Powered by an I6 turbo-diesel, the RWD-only John Cooper Works buggy won the Dakar Rally in 2020 and 2021, and has been recreated in stunning detail by Flickr’s Martin Vala.

Removable bodywork, an internal space-frame, a complete brick-built drivetrain, and some superb photography and presentation make Martin’s build an excellent way to kick-off 2022.

Head to Martin’s ‘Mini JCW Buggy’ album via the link above for over forty stunning images.

Mad Max’s post-apocalyptic future is set in… er, 1983. But what if it were set one-hundred years later? Sergio Batista re-imagines George Miller’s vision for a dystopian Australian outback a century after the film is set, and although the original movie tagline is somewhat problematic, Mad Max and hover cars do seem to work rather well! There’s more to see of Sergio’s ‘V8 Hover Interceptor’ (and a host of other hover vehicles) on Flickr via the link.

Huh? A building contest celebrating the unexceptional? A collaboration between one of the best Lego blogs around and, er… this smoking hole in the ground. Stay tuned for more imminent mundanity! Let’s start 2022 with a yawn.

What’s the most annoying element of current car culture? Nope. It’s Tesla. More specifically, the fanatical members within it who worship at the Cult of Elon.

Don’t get us wrong, we love what Tesla have achieved. They’ve brought the widespread adoption of EVs forward by about a decade, created easily the most fun car features ever seen in the industry (whoopie cushion seats everyone!), and created the fastest accelerating road-legal vehicle on the planet. Which can seat five. And take their luggage.

But for every wondrous innovation Tesla have made, there’s a huge mound of dog crap countering it at the other end of the scales. Abysmal quality, the continuing ‘Autopilot’ lie, a wildly inflated unsustainable stock market value, and – most depressingly – the awful pay and conditions in which men, women and children work in Africa to mine the battery materials, so that a rich westerner can feel environmentally smug driving one mile to the store to buy organic kale, without a hint of irony.

The world’s richest man has had the issue of child labour, death and injury raised at Tesla board meetings (by Congolese nuns no less), where any changes proposed to better safeguard supply chain workers were rejected. Because he’s an absolute assclown.

As you can tell, we’re not members of Elon’s cult, but we do still appreciate his cars. When they’re not broken.

Cue 3D supercarBricks, who has recreated Europe’s best selling car in 2021, the Tesla Model 3. 3D’s model includes opening doors, tailgate and front trunk, beautifully accurate bodywork, and a life-like interior, with the realism further enhanced by custom replica wheels and LED tail light guides.

And the panel gaps are more consistent than the real thing too.

It’s a great build that’s definitely worth a closer look, and you can do just that at 3D’s photostream via the link in the text above, where an array of other excellent Lego cars can also be found.

Finally, if you’re a member of the Teslarati (or would like to raise awareness of the abuses occurring in their supply chain with those that are), take a look here and talk about it every time someone evangelises on Tesla’s behalf.

*Post

Yup, this is indeed our last Christmas post for this holiday season. The office decorations that had escaped being eaten by TLCB Elves are down, the tree is chopped up in the garden recycling, and festive cheer is being replaced by January blues.

Flickr’s Jonathan Elliott is transporting his tree away in this, a rather lovely classic Ford F-250 pick-up, whilst fellow previous bloggee SP_LINEUP is taking his tree to the tip strapped to the roof of a his brown Porsche 911, decorations and all.

It’s OK, he’s a Porsche driver, and thus far too busy to remove them so will just buy some more next year.

Head to the garden waste container at the local recycling centre via the links above to chuck your tree onto the pile.

*Today’s title song. We almost made it.