Lime Crush

Leave a reply


It’s been a quiet week here at TLCB Towers. Elves have returned, creations have been published, and no-one’s been squashed at all. Until today.

This enormous lime green machine is a 1980s Terex 33-11C, actually one of Terex’s smaller mining trucks, and one that was used extensively in Britain’s open cast mines.

It comes from Flickr’s Beat Felber who has not only expertly recreated the 33-11C’s exterior, he’s fitted his spectacular creation with remote control drive, steering, and tipping, courtesy of an SBrick programmable Bluetooth controller and a suite of Power Functions motors.

Being a mining truck of course, Beat’s Terex is much too slow to run over any TLCB Elves, but the Elf that found it took great care loading it up with gravel from the pot plant in the corridor, reversed slowly up to some of its unsuspecting colleagues, and promptly tipped the load on top of them. And then ran them over. Sigh.

Points for Elven ingenuity we suppose. Anyway, whilst we tidy that up you can check out more of Beat’s superb Terex 33-11C at his Flickr album of the same name. Click the link above to take a look.

DAF-ish

Leave a reply

When is a DAF not a DAF? When it’s a GINAF. No, us neither, but this is indeed a GINAF, specifically a M3132-S 360 ATI, which admittedly sounds like a washing machine.

It comes from DAF-building specialist Arian Janssens, who has captured the enormous three axle hook-lift / tipper / crane / trailer arrangement superbly.

Multi-axle steering, a working crane, removable tipping container and hook-lift all feature, and you can see more of this giant GINAF on Flickr via the link.

Z Tune

2 Replies

This might look that Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34), but it’s actually way more special.

Fitted with a carbon fibre bodywork and a 500bhp engine by Nissan’s own NISMO motorsport arm to celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2005, just 19 NISMO Z Tune GT-Rs were built, all in silver. Which is why we have a blue one…

Still, it does look tremendous, coming from previous bloggee SP_LINEUP, who has recreated the rarest of all the R34 GT-Rs brilliantly in brick.

You can take a closer look at SP’s photostream, where the GT-R NISMO Z Tune and many more models besides are available to view via the link above.

Agricultural Abduction

Leave a reply


“I’m tellin’ you man! I saw it with my own eyes – hovering in the sky like an… uh, I don’t even know what. But it was right over there! And I ain’t even started drinkin’ yet!”

Grab your ‘Welcome to Earth!’ sign and head to the location of the definite sighting with Grant Decker via the link!

Blue and Yellow*

Leave a reply


There are few things cooler than a red (they were all red) Ferrari F40. But if that thing is a blue and yellow F40 racer, that’d do it.

Cue Lachlan Cameron’s spectacular Technic Ferrari F40, which appeared here in road-going form back in 2023, and has now been built – courtesy of Lachlan producing instructions for his models – in a brilliant blue and yellow racing livery by another builder.


Xiao Baiya is behind the F40’s stunning conversion from road car to racer, which includes custom 3D-printed wheels with brakes behind them, and of course the epic decal work required to transform the model into the 1996 Team Ennea Ferrari F40 Le Mans contender.

There’s much more of the F40 to see at its original designer’s photostream, and you can check out our interview with Lachlan Cameron via this bonus link.


*Today’s excellent title song.

Stripes on the Streets

Leave a reply


‘Street takeovers’ don’t happen in our home nation. Partly because we don’t have a grid system giving wide intersections, but mostly because an economy hatchback isn’t really the right tool.

Americans of course have it much easier, with vehicle-based douchbaggery in reach for all thanks to a plethora of cheap, powerful, but crap sedans. Cue Mihail Rakovskiy’s splendid Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which you guarantee on any given night in America will be doing donuts in the middle of a four-lane junction.

Mihail’s Model Team version captures the real Camaro superbly, with a highly detailed engine bay, interior and drivetrain, opening doors, hood and trunk, and a pair of racing stripes that add at least 50bhp.

There’s lots more of the model to see at Mihail’s ‘Lego Chevrolet Camaro ZL1’ album, and you can close a street to do a poorly executed donut via the link above.

Stingray

Leave a reply


It’s 1973, the US President is engulfed in scandal, and the US are supporting an Israeli war in the Middle East causing a global energy crisis. Thank goodness things like that don’t happen now…

Anyway, back to ‘73 and this, the gorgeous ‘C3’ generation Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.


Surely one of best American car designs of all time, this C3 Corvette comes from Ciamoslaw Ciamek, who has captured it brilliantly in Speed Champions form.

Building instructions are available and there’s more to see at Cismoslaw’s photostream. Click the link above and head back to an era with no similarities to today whatsoever…

More is More

Leave a reply


When it comes to cars, we’re ‘less is more’ people. Subtlety and understatement are the order of the day. For TLCB Elves however, more is definitely more. Which means they’re very excited by this Classic Space ‘Wayfarer’ spaceship, which is absolutely bursting with ‘more’. Flickr’s Gaurav Thakur owns the hands that have packed an enormous array of spacey things into, onto, and underneath the ship, and there’s even more ‘more’ to see at their photostream. Take a look via the link above.

Porsche Pair

Leave a reply

It’s a Porsche sort of day here at TLCB, with two more joining the prior proper Porsche.

These two Speed Champions Porsches come from their endurance stable, bookending it across half a century.

Built by previous bloggee SFH_Bricks, there’s more to see of the 1975 917KH and 2025 963RSP on Flickr, and you can take a closer look via the link above.

A Proper Porsche

1 Reply


Porsche are in big trouble. Despite the success of their EVs (and perhaps because of it…), Porsche are currently undertaking a rapid de-electrification of their future models. Because whilst a tax-avoiding businessman may want his luxury sedan to be electric, the sports car customer wants an engine. Cue a 92% drop in Porsche’s operating profit and a knock-on effect elsewhere in the Volkswagen empire, as the cancellation of Porsche EV platforms hits other brands.

But fear not readers, because today we have a real Porsche. Open-top, combustion-powered, rear-wheel-drive, and the only thing the battery does is start the engine. This is of course a 1950s Porsche-Diesel tractor.

Built by MP LEGO Technic Creations, this gorgeous recreation of the vintage Porsche features working steering, a single-cylinder piston engine connected to the rear wheels with a selectable power-take-off, a high/low gearbox, and a functional rear hitch.

Both constructed and presented beautifully there’s lots more of MP’s wonderful model to see on Flickr, and you can get back to a proper Porsche via the link above.

Land Roadster

Leave a reply


What do you get if you cross a Land Rover with a vintage roadster? A Land Roadster of course, with this one owned by Adventurers hero Indiana Jones Johnny Thunder. There’s working steering, space for three mini-figures, and more to see courtesy of Sseven Bricks via the link above.

The SS

Leave a reply


From one end General Motors’ cool spectrum (well, almost. There was the Chevrolet Matiz) to the other. This is the glorious 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS, with racing stripes and a 7.4 litre V8 that could be optioned up to 450bhp.

This spectacular brick-built version of the top dog Chevelle comes from Jakub Marcisz who has updated his previous iteration of his model, and features working steering, a two-speed gearbox, and V8 engine, plus opening doors, hood and trunk.

Building instructions are available and you can see all of the images and find full details of Jakub’s incredible creation at both Flickr and Eurobricks. Click the links to take a look.

Top G

1 Reply


The Lego Car Blog Elves like Lamborghinis and monster trucks and things with rocket launchers. Which means they’re pretty unimpressed by this. The Lego Car Blog staff however, rather like humdrum mundanity, and in Europe few things are more humdrum and mundane than an old Opel Astra Caravan (also known as the Vauxhall Astra Estate).

The G-series Astra was launched in 1998, looked quite fantastically boring even back then, and was available in a bewildering range of bodystyles and engines, with a hatch, sedan, station wagon, van, coupe and convertible, a dozen petrol and half-a-dozen diesel engines, production across eleven countries, and Holden and Chevrolet versions too.

Most G-series Astras were bland 1.6 litre petrol hatch and station wagons though, just like this splendid brick-built example from Flickr’s Mansur Soeleman, who has recreated his grandfather’s final car as a gift to him.

There’s a detailed interior, space for four mini-figures, and you can take a ride with Mansur’s grandfather via the link above.

Cease & Desist

Leave a reply


Italian lifestyle brand and occasional car maker Ferrari are rather enthusiastically legalistic. Even if you legitimately buy one of their products and decide to have some fun with the badges (as electronic music producer Deadmau5 knows), they’ll send you a letter threatening court action. Because you modified your car. Something to do with brand protection apparently, which is a bit rich considering all the tat they sell with their logo on.

All of which means Flickr’s Sharpspeed can probably expect a call from Ferrari’s lawyers, because his Speed Champions ‘Montichiari’ looks almost exactly like a Ferrari Daytona. That is to say, really good.

There’s more of the ‘Montichiari’ to see at his photostream via the link above so take a look before Ferrari get it removed.

LEGO Icons 11378 Douglas DC-3 PAN AM Airliner | Set Preview

Leave a reply

It’s a new set day here at The Lego Car Blog, because LEGO are flying back in time to the dawn of commercial aviation with this; the brand new Icons 11378 Douglas DC-3 PAN AM Airliner!

Wearing the iconic livery of the now defunct (but curiously still trademarked) Pan American World Airways, 11378 is a fabulous homage to one of the most important aircraft ever produced, the wonderful Douglas DC-3.

First flying in the mid-1930s, the DC-3 transformed commercial aviation, and – somewhat unbeleivably – there are over a hundred still in service today.

Landing in April of this year, the new 11378 Douglas DC-3 PAN AM Airliner set is sure to add many more to that count, coming with over 1,900 pieces, a crew of four bespoke mini-figures (including a stewardess who may well nod to Kelli Garner’s character in the 2010s ‘Pan Am’ TV show), a detailed cockpit with a new printed windshield, working retractable landing gear, a brick-built display stand, and a cabin outfitted with appropriately too-small seats for any passengers to fit in them.

Marketed at ages 18+, the new Icons 11378 Douglas DC-3 PAN AM Airliner is expected to cost £199.99 / €219.99 / $219.99 when it reaches arrivals, and you’ll be able to book your ticket from April 4th.