With the 2013 F1 season well underway we’re looking back at one of the greatest team, engine and driver combinations of all time. Williams, Renault and Nigel Mansell came up with the winning combination in 1992, claiming both the F1 Drivers and Constructors Championships. Mansell also became the only driver to hold both the F1 and CART Championships simultaneously. bobalexander! is the builder of this brilliant Championship-winning Williams-Renault FW14B. See all the photos on Flickr.
The Elves must be feeling quite robotical today. One of them got into the kitchen and put a colander on its head and now we have a small and annoying army clunking around the office.
Still, it has influenced their finds and that’s no bad thing as we haven’t featured Mechs in a little while. So here’s your second of the day, by blawkward on Flickr. It’s more than it appears though. Find out why at the link.
David Alexander Smith couldn’t have picked a better time to upload his ‘Multi-Coloured Nonsense’. Because something amazing happened this week. The NBA’s Jason Collins came out as homosexual*. Which is possibly the bravest thing anyone in top level sport has ever done. And we can’t think of a better MOC of support than a giant rainbow-coloured robot.
No matter what your gender, race, sexuality or mental proficiency, LEGO is an intuitive universal joy. As such we feel on this occasion it’s worth TLCB showing our support.
*Link to CNN’s coverage of the story. Read the comments section with caution – many seem to have come from 1854.
Times Square Advertising courtesy of Sean Kenney
Today something new has appeared on The Lego Car Blog. You’ve probably noticed it underneath this post. Yes, we’ve become corporate sell-outs. WordPress (our landlords) are trialling something called WordAds and The Lego Car Blog, a little to our surprise, has been selected as a Beta tester for the programme.
What does this mean?
The Lego Car Blog will feature an advert, typically underneath the first post on each page, sourced via Google or another provider.
What are the benefits?
Potentially, as we grow, we could receive earnings to cover the cost of running the site. The first payment is made at $100. Despite our success, with just one ad on the blog this could take two years or more to reach.
What type of adverts will show?
This will depend on your search history among other factors. They will be mostly video based (and silent) using YouTube’s platform. So far all the adverts that we’ve seen have been for large reputable multinationals, including a car company, a well known photocopier manufacturer, a bank, a university, and a leading brand of toothpaste.
Do I have to do anything differently?
Nope. If the advert shown isn’t of interest you can continue using The Lego Car Blog as normal. If it is, and there was one featuring Beyonce that caught our eye, then click on it and you’ll be taken to the advertiser’s webpage.
How can I help support The Lego Car Blog?
We thought about running an ‘Adopt-an-Elf’ scheme, but you really don’t want to adopt one. However, you can support TLCB by Following us via the link at the bottom of this page, Linking to us if you have a MOCpages, Flickr or other LEGO-sharing account, and Sharing our stories around the web. We know lots and lots of you are doing this, so a big and heartfelt thank you from everyone here!
For more information on The Lego Car Blog’s partnership with WordAds please click here.
This unassuming little white car is one of the most important in European history. Behind the Berlin Wall Communism was giving everyone a prosperous and bright future… wait, no, that’s not right. It was oppressing and crushing the people. Yeah, that’s it. And one of the ways it oppressed and crushed the people was by limiting them to one choice of wheels; the Trabant. But this did mean the Trabant became, by virtue of monopolisation, a great mobilisation force in the Eastern bloc.
Thankfully when the Wall fell and Trabants flooded back into the West many were abandoned as newly liberated Eastern Europeans switched into cars that didn’t pollute four times more than the European average, weren’t made of cardboard (yes, really) and also that didn’t explode in a head on collision.
But spare a thought for the humble Trabant. It may have been rubbish, but without it Eastern Europe would’ve been powered by the bicycle alone for 30 years.
Oh, we nearly forgot; this lovely Lego version is the work of Dornbi on Flickr. Check this and his other creations out here.
This superbly detailed Illinois Department Of Transportation rescue truck comes courtesy of LegoMarat on Flickr. Not only does it look almost exactly like the real thing, it works like the real thing too, which was enough to get the Elves careering around the office making truck noises and towing one another on wheelie chairs. See it in action here.
We’ve blogged some huge creations this week but small simple builds are fun too, like this brilliantly photographed Town scale hovercar. See more at Alex B’s MOCpage.
And replies to this post must be addressed to ‘dude’, and end with ‘man.’
Moving on….
Welcome to the better-late-than-never Lego Car Blog review of the fab 10220 VW Camper van.
You may already have guessed that I rather like this model, despite not being a big fan of the original. I have had a go in one, and I can tell you that they are fun, if slow, and somewhat heavy drinkers that handle like a ship in a swell. And they have a crumple zone. You. They do serve as the only vehicle that my own old car can reliably go faster than… unless some dastardly tinkerer has stuffed a Porsche engine in one – hopefully it’ll have the Porsche’s brakes as well. The one I drove did not want to stop…
To the model!
It’s very detailed, as you can see, and is a joy to build. Give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the many details as you go along. The instructions are clear and easy to follow, so no problems there.
What you end up with is something that’s as good as all but the very best mocs out there, particularly on the inside. Don’t expect any snazzy functions, though. Lego took the (probably wise) decision to concentrate on the aesthetics inside and out rather than try to cram in a steering system. Like all but a few car builders, it’s refined looks or functions – not both.
This is why they managed to make it look so nearly perfect. The colour scheme, the vehicle’s stance on the road, all the detail, it really is something to display with pride. I said nearly perfect; the front looks OK, but the awkward steps between the red and white are not sufficiently hidden by the black tube that forms the border between them. It might have been better had the front been built differently. Still, full marks for effort, and it’s great that all the openings, errr… open, including the windscreen and the pop-up top. It’s all a considerable advance over the earlier VW Beetle set. And I do love the fact that all the windows are glazed.
Wouldn’t want that gorgeous interior to get dusty. There’s loads of great stuff in here, and this is the area where this model really shines. Behind the front seats it’s all studless, apart from the top of the folding table. There’s a sofa that folds into a bed, a little sink unit, lots of cupboard space and underneath it all is a nicely detailed model of the flat four engine. There’s even an accurate dashboard and foot pedals. My favourite part in here has to be the T-Shirt in the wardrobe that says ‘Make Lego Models Not War’; for once I don’t mind a couple of stickers. Those dinky little curtains are ace as well, and the lava lamp and…. I could go on but you get the picture. Considering the scale – 14 studs wide – there’s as much going on in here as possible, and this’ll be the reason such a relatively small model has a high piece count and price (£80). It’s well worth it.
Best of all, it’s the right size for those big old build-it-yourself homemaker figures from the ’70s. Dress a couple up, sixties style and you have a groovy shindig. Or something. Or, if you’re as creative as Iain Heath , build some Miniland Figures, with or without questionable substances…
Their names are Credence Sandstorm and Crystal Bliss, apparently..
If you ever get tired of this model, this set makes a great parts pack as well, with lots of the kind of hinges, SNOT bricks and curved pieces that are manna to car builders. There’s even a little present from the designers hidden in the engine bay, in the form of two trans-clear headlight bricks that could be any colour, but the designer must realise how precious these are to anyone who’s ever built a large car with a curved headlight. Thanks for that, and thanks for the wonderfulness that is this lovely model. 10/10.
Work in Progress is the description. So far we can see this amazing crane looks… er… amazing, and we can’t really put our finger on what work is left to do.
LiftingBricks on Flickr is the creator of this astonishing Liebherr mobile crane, and you really won’t believe half how big it is. Click the link above to find out.
Better in every way
We’re quite proud of our play-on-words title for this post, as it’s a redux of a Classic Space set, and a rocket laun… Get it?…
Well the Elves thought it was funny.
That was a lie. We’re pretty sure they can’t read. Anyway, one of the Elves did find this lovely redesign of one of LEGO’s most loved Classic Space sets on Flickr. Improved in every way, MReizinho’s Rocket Launcher Redux is ready to introduce a whole new set of builders to the wonders of Classic Space. See more here.
REᗡЯUM
OK, it’s not a Big Wheel, but this twice life-size tricycle by certified LEGO Professional Sean Kenney sure has a ‘Shining’ air to it.
Or it might just be that Stanley Kubrick’s cinematic masterpiece is so powerful that any red trike immediately conjures up images of elevators full of with blood, partying ghosts and madmen with axes. See more of this totally harmless tricycle (probably) at Sean’s MOCpage via the link above.
You can describe this 1967 Ford Mustang in one word: wow. With great parts usage and an accurate design D DiTorrice recreates this classic muscle car perfectly – and as he owns a real ’67 Ford Mustang you’d expect so! A deserved a blog post.
This red rally car is the work of Nico71 over on Brickshelf. Nico’s a master of Technic functions (we’ve featured a few of his models before) and his latest utilises LEGO’s Power Functions motors for remote control All Wheel Drive and Steering. See it in action below.
YouTube Video:
Time to post two of your suggestions, both of which were via our Feedback and Submission Suggestions page (see, we do read them!). The first is this lovely Panzer VI Tank by stefano monti on MOCpages, suggested by a good samaritan. The second is this neat little classic sports car by Chris Elliott on Flickr, suggested by, er… Chris Elliott.
Flags painted on roofs are always cool
This lovely Town-type hot rod comes from Misterzumbi on Flickr. Complete with a Danish flag on the roof, matching red wheels and rubber band suspension it’s the best thing to come out of Denmark since Helena Christensen. Oh, and maybe LEGO.
