This incredible first-generation 1965 Pontiac GTO was unearthed on Brickshelf. Featuring opening everything (with operational locks), a working V8 engine and one of the nicest interiors we’ve seen in ages, the full gallery is well worth perusing. Paliason is the builder, and you can see more of his superb creation here.
These three Porsche-ish sports cars were found on Flickr. The Elf responsible expected three meal tokens (and was sorely mistaken), but nevertheless it’s a neat find. Eric Badis is the builder and you can see more here.
With all the excitement following LEGO’s release of the Cuusoo Winning 21103 Back To The Future DeLorean Time Machine set, here at The Lego Car Blog we thought it was time the real car, the one without a flux capacitor, got some press too.
The true story of DeLorean, one of conned celebrities, entrapment, cocaine smuggling and bankruptcy, is even more remarkable than the film…
John DeLorean, a talented automotive engineer at General Motors, decided in the late 1970s to design and build his own car. Called the DMC-12 it was everything an ’80s supercar should be, mid-engined, wild doors, wedge design and fantastically exclusive.
He needed serious funding to put it into production, and so – much like a modern Kickstarter project – he contacted his wealthy celebrity friends to secure investment, and then presented his idea to governments in need of a glamorous employer to solve their unemployment issues. Northern Ireland, then in an unemployment crisis, was selected on the basis of a massive government grant and a new factory was built, despite the area having zero car manufacturing experience.
The progress on the car was less positive. DeLorean took it to Lotus for further development, who were staggered at how bad it was (and this was at a time when Lotus themselves weren’t making anything much good either). Lotus extensively redesigned the car and it was fitted with a V6 Renault engine, which – in US emission specification – made… 130bhp, well short of the 200bhp expected.
Two years late the car was pressed into production anyway, right in the middle of the largest automotive slump since the Great Depression. Requiring urgent funds John DeLorean decided to take one hell of a risk, and was subsequently arrested for drug trafficking. The DeLorean Motor Company went bankrupt, losing the UK government $100m, and John’s celebrity friends their investments too. A few years later the DMC-12 ironically featured in the cult trilogy Back To The Future, but sadly for the Northern Irish factory workers, it was too late to save their jobs.
Without the fame and status brought by the film, the DeLorean DMC-12 would have been another AMC Gremlin or Ford Pinto; an embarrassing failure pushed under the automotive carpet. Marty McFly’s shocked line of ‘You built a time machine… out of a DeLorean?’ may have secured the car’s cult status, but he was as surprised as the rest of us.
The excellent Lego model in this feature is the work of Razvy_cluj_ro, and you can see more on Flickr.
Following the launch of The Lego Car Blog’s new Lego Review Library it’s time for another trip back in time to take a look at one of LEGO’s great sets; 5590 Model Team Helicopter Transport.
5590 was part of LEGO’s three set line-up for their spectacular Model Team range that was launched in 1988 for US ‘Shop at Home’ customers, and in 1990 in European stores. We’re using the European name for the set as we can’t really bring ourselves to use the US one.
The flagship of the new range, 5590 took detail to a level previously unseen outside of the Legoland theme park (there was only one back then). Based on an attractive if slightly generic European cab-over semi the set was really two models in one, as the helicopter could easily be a unique set in its own right. 5590 also brought a few new pieces to Lego fans, chiefly those marvellous wheels, but also two new windscreens that would reappear in later sets.
The build is a relatively straight-forward one; whilst a there is no doubt 5590 is a detailed model the techniques used are fairly basic by today’s standards, but for this builder at least that is part of its charm. It features a few working functions too, bridging the gulf between System and Technic for the first time. Working steering, trailer support legs and opening doors all make appearances and certainly add a degree of playability to what could otherwise be simply a nice display piece.
5590 has, like most sets from the era, aged a little when compared to sets from the late ’90s. There is barely a smooth piece to be seen and SNOT (studs not on top) was but the dream of a madman back in 1988. However, it is still perhaps one of the best Model Team sets made to date, combining detail, a ruggedly playable exterior, and sheer scale that wowed children perusing LEGO’s catalogue back then, and continuing to wow collectors on eBay and Bricklink today. If you can find one for sale you won’t be disappointed, but you will likely be quite a bit poorer.
9/10
To read all The Lego Car Blog’s set reviews and comparisons, including the 5580 counterpart to this set, click the ‘Reviews’ tab in the main menu.
This strange-looking device was built by Jon & Catherine Stead on Flickr. It’s a British Mark IV Tank, one of the first operational, which saw service during World War I. Whilst tanks are an all too familiar sight in modern war footage, and even film from World War II, back in 1917 they were revolutionary, and – frankly – not something you would want to serve in. A top speed of 4mph, early automotive reliability and a tendency to get stuck in soft ground meant that they were easy targets once they fell behind the advancing front line. Germany even captured 40 in one battle alone and, somewhat bravely/foolishly, redeployed them as their own.
Despite the early problems the British invention was a formidable foe when used to attack enemy trenches, and as such it was developed rapidly after the war into ever more capable variants and has since been adopted by almost every army in the world.
See Jon and Catherine’s pioneering Mark IV on Flickr and, because as a community we often overlook why creations such as these are built at all, see what you can do to help those caught in conflict via the Red Cross.
Whilst we are primarily a car blog, as defined by our imaginative title, we do occasionally like to poke an exploratory tentacle into the world of planes. Today we bring you two of the best recently uploaded to the interweb, representing both sides in the Second World War, and utilising markedly different technologies.
First up (above) is this beautiful Curtiss Seagull, built only between 1935 and 1940, but used extensively throughout the war aboard US warships as observation, scout and training aircraft. JBIronWorks has recreated the aircraft wonderfully, and landed it at a lovely tropical beach. See more on Flickr via the link above.
Second, and representing Germany, is the world’s first jet powered fighter; the Messerschmitt ME 262. Entering service in 1944 the Messerschmitt had, perhaps thankfully, only a brief operational history that ended with the conflict in 1945. It had proved a formidable (and deadly) opponent and influenced aircraft design long after the war. Flickr user LegoUli recreates what is arguably the first aircraft of the modern era, and you can see more of his Lego version along with his other wartime creations at his photostream here.
This is a different type of big rig from the ones that we normally feature on TLCB. A very tired Elf carried this 100kg creation up 27 floors to the penthouse office at TLCB towers this morning. After rewarding him with a nautical blue Smartie (they’re the best kind), we settled down to take in the details of this build. Mario Fabrio’s rig is over a metre square and is 1.6m tall. As with many builds of this size, a lot of the fun comes from zooming in on the photos and spotting all of the details and little scenes that the creator has included. As this blog’s mission is to feature vehicles, we should mention that the rig has four mini-fig scale lifeboats and a helicopter, all ready to launch. There are also plenty of workers scattered around the platform, as Mario says that they are just finishing a major repair job. Some of them are enjoying some time off, fishing from the lower decks.
You can enjoy spotting even more details on Mario’s MOCpage by clicking the link.
P.S. If anyone can recommend a specialist Elf osteopath or chiropractor, we’d be very grateful.
One of our Brickshelf-based Elves returned with this today, a beautiful fully-studless RC car in an eye-popping paint scheme. Underneath that bright bodywork is a Power Functions RC system including an ‘L’ drive motor and return-to-centre steering. VKyppwnsall is the builder behind it and you can see all the details, including the RC chassis design, on Brickshelf.
Legorobo:waka returns with his ‘TS18’ walking tanks. See more on Flickr.
The Lego Car Blog Team is pleased to announce the arrival of a new feature at The Lego Car Blog! We’ve been busy cataloging all our past set reviews so that we can bring you a new ‘Reviews‘ tab in the main menu; a resource that contains a library of every LEGO set we’ve ever reviewed! Clicking on a picture will take you straight to the review for that set, or to the comparison page where it’s matched against a similar set of a different vintage.
All newly reviewed sets will be added to this Review Library as well as continuing to appear on the homepage, and you can still find all our reviews via the Search or Category functions if you wish.
As always you can let us know what you think of the new Review Library via the Feedback page or the comments, and if you’d like us to review a particular set (or if you’d like to review one and get your name here on The Lego Car Blog) you can get in contact in the usual ways.
The Elves, being simple creatures, like simple films, preferably with lots of cars and lots of explosions. And they don’t come much simpler than 2001’s ‘The Fast and The Furious’. Ok, well maybe the ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’ sequel, but even the Elves can’t bring themselves to watch that steaming pile. So much to their delight, today we’re featuring a mini-fig version of ‘Dom’s’ heavily modified Dodge Charger. A car that sadly meets its maker towards the end of the movie. Dambaek C is the builder behind it, and you can see more on MOCpages.
First up is this impressive looking device; a fictional ‘SPAG’ (Self Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun) built by iomedes !… You can see more of his sci-fi machine and his other works Flickr.
The second of our double post (below) is another fictional military creation, and although whilst the subject remains gloomy, this one does sport a cheerfully sunny paint job. You might as well look good! ‘Drone 25’ is the work of Damien Labrousse aka Legodrome. Flickr is your friend once more.
New photo, old MOCs. We’re stretching our own ‘Freshest MOCs on the Net’ rule a little with this, but if there’s any reason for a stretch this is it. BricksonWheels finally photographs all his Harley Davidson motorbikes together. See the shoot on Flickr, and read about how he creates his stunning creations in his interview here.
We fully expect to receive a lot of spam comments for home whitening kits following this title, but we couldn’t resist. Crowkillers’ spectacular Vampire GT Technic Supercar has undergone a colour change, swapping its previous midnight hue for something a whole lot more Apple. Normally this wouldn’t be worthy of another post, but when it looks this good we couldn’t let it go unnoticed. See more of the new Vampire on Brickshelf or at crowkillers.com.
And points to us today for keeping this post free from Michael Jackson jokes.
This beautiful bright red flatbed tow truck complete with a lovely matching-era sedan was uncovered by one of our Elfish workforce over on Flickr. Guy H aka V&A Steamworks is the builder (although you’ve probably deduced that already) and you can see more of his classically-themed creations via the link above.