The LEGO Company make almost everything you could ever need when building your own creation. From electric motors to infrared receivers to suspension components, there is a huge back-catalogue of parts available to allow your model to do nearly anything you wish it to. Nearly…

We’re breaking our own house rules with this post, as today’s creation is not quite entirely LEGO, but it shows the level of awesomeness that our favourite Danish toy can achieve when combined with a few well-chosen third-party products.

So, let’s get them out of the way; this monstrous replica of Tim Cameron’s 700bhp rock crawler ‘Showtime’ by the brilliant SevenStuds is fitted with non-LEGO tyres, a non-LEGO control system and (technically) non-LEGO bodywork.

Those tyres are Interco IROK 1.55s – as found in the RC 4×4 racing scene – mounted on official LEGO Technic wheels, and they give SevenStuds’ Showtime incredible traction. This traction is needed because the chassis contains four LEGO Power Functions XL motors, one for each wheel, and a servo motor that provides all-wheel-steering.

These five motors are controlled by two third-party SBrick units, allowing Showtime to be driven and steered with moderation; The motors aren’t limited to being ‘on’ or ‘off’ as per LEGO’s own IR receiver, but can be graduated between the two via bluetooth to a mobile device.

Lastly, the bodywork is made from non-LEGO pneumatic hosing, but only because LEGO’s own offering is not available in red.

These additions compliment a fully LEGO chassis complete with four-wheel-drive, four-wheel-steering, four-link suspension and portal hubs, and make Showtime one of the most capable off-road creations that this site has ever featured.

You can read all the details on SevenStuds’ build at the Eurobricks discussion forum here, plus you can see what it can do via the superbly produced video below.*

YouTube Video:

*After watching this TLCB office is immeasurably relieved that we got hold of this creation before the Elves did. Imagine the carnage…