Yearly Archives: 2019

KAMAZ Flatbed

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Another day, another Elf returns to TLCB Towers with a find in the hope of getting fed. It has been too, as this Technic KAMAZ 43118 truck is thoroughly excellent. The Elven happiness has extended beyond the discoverer of this creation too, as there are currently several Elves riding around in the back of it.

Built by ArsMan064 (is there a theme with today’s builder names?) this KAMAZ 43118 flatbed includes a remote control drivetrain courtesy of LEGO’s Power Functions motors and a third-party SBrick bluetooth control. An XL motor provides the drive whilst two Medium motors power the steering and the front winch.

ArsMan has also given his model some brilliant suspension, with all six wheels able to articulate over rough ground or any Elf that gets in the way today, as well as opening cab doors and drop-sides for the truck’s flatbed.

There’s loads more to see of ArsMan’s KAMAZ at the Eurobricks forum via the link above, where a complete gallery of images, video of the model in action and a link to building instructions can all be found.

On Wings of Gold

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This a Honda Gold Wing GL 1800, and it has – despite quite clearly being a motorcycle – an engine twice the size and with twice the cylinders of the most popular cars in TLCB’s home nation.

The Gold Wing first arrived in 1974, being aimed squarely at the American touring market. In continuous production since, apart from in 2011 when production moved from the U.S. back to Japan, almost 650,000 Gold Wing motorcycles have been built, with the latest versions such as this GL 1800 featuring cruise control, a stereo, a reverse gear and even an airbag.

This brilliant Technic recreation of Honda’s fattest motorcycle comes from Fanylover of Eurobricks and like the real bike it’s packed with features, including a flat-6 piston engine, front and rear suspension, steering, and a two-speed gearbox.

Build details and more images, including photos of the frame construction, can be found at the Eurobricks forum. Click the link above to go touring.

Classic Car Garage

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After posting definitely Not a Car yesterday, here’s over a dozen! Ralph Savelsberg‘s brilliant expanding classic car garage includes some wonderful pieces of beautiful, historic and iconic American metal. And a Buick Roadmaster.

Many of the cars have featured here at The Lego Car Blog over the years and you can see more of Ralph’s scene at the Great Western Lego Show in the UK later this year, or on Flickr via the link above, which is probably more convenient.

Skyboat

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Sky-fi is a sub-genre of a sub-genre of which we know absolutely nothing. Like, why do things in the air need hulls? Because clouds are made of water maybe? Whatever the reason it’s still much too complicated for us here at TLCB, but sylon_tw’s ‘skyboat’ is lovely nonetheless. See more of his quirky cloud cruiser on Flickr via the link and we’ll be back tomorrow with some cars.

Cowdi

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We shouldn’t like the Audi RS7. Driven by douchebags and often poorly modified, they’re usually found an inch from the rear bumper of the car in front wearing stupid blacked-out lights and a blackboard wrap. But, as Audi RS models go, the RS7 is actually quite subtle. OK, not subtle, but it’s not the bloody SQ7 and for that it should be celebrated.

This Technic example wearing RS7-appropriate mods has been built by terryli of Eurobricks and comes wrapped in a cow-esque paint job with chrome-red rims. Whilst not exactly to our tastes (although the Elves love it…), terryli’s RS7 is superbly accurate underneath, with the Audi’s swooping outline very well replicated in Technic form.

There’s a lot going under under that cowhide too, as the model is equipped with remote control drive and steering, LED lights, opening doors, hood and tailgate, independent and remotely adjustable suspension, and a brilliant motorised deployable rear spoiler.

There’s more to see of terryli’s Cowdi RS7 at the Eurobricks forum – click the link above to take a closer look.

Broadside

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Blam blam blam blam! You don’t frighten us, English pig-dogs! Go and boil your bottoms, sons of a silly person. I blow my nose at you, so-called Arthur-king, you and all your silly English knnnniggets!* Blam blam blam blam!

This French vs. British battle might not contain a car, but it’s about as good a scene as you’ll even find in Lego. Wesley of Flickr is the man behind it and there’s more to see at his photostream via the link above.

*If you have no idea what we’re on about…

Blow Me

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Mixing Technic, Model Team, and a little bit of spray paint, this gorgeous Bentley 4.5 litre ‘Blower’ was found by one of our Elves on Eurobricks today. Built by newcomer BC Lego it includes working ‘worm gear’ steering, an opening bonnet under which lives a brick-built replica of the 4-cylinder supercharged engine, and one of the most detailed chassis we’ve seen in some time. See more at the Eurobricks forum via the link above where you can find a link to the full gallery and build details.

Revenge of the Fifth

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Well travelled, a bit worn out, but still able to take a bit of a pounding*, Bruce Willis’ hover taxi in The Fifth Element wasn’t in quite as good nick at the end of the movie’s chase scene as it was at the beginning. NYPD’s finest were the cause of the damage, with their own hover patrol cars equipped with slightly more weaponry than today’s Ford Crown Vics. Their reckless approach to using it hasn’t changed much though…

This excellent recreation of one of the NYPD patrol cars from The Fifth Element comes from Flickr’s Davdup, whose hover taxi appeared here earlier in the year. Like his previous build brilliant detailing and clever techniques are present throughout, with the model further enhanced by custom decals. Head to Davdup’s Flickr album to give chase.

*Insert your own ‘Your Mom’ joke.

LEGO Technic 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator | Set Preview

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There’s been one hole remaining in our reveal of the H2 2019 LEGO Technic line-up. It turns out it was a very big hole indeed. This is the 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator, the largest and most expensive Technic model ever released.

With over 4,100 pieces, seven electric motors, and two of LEGO’s new ‘Smart Hubs’ which allow for remote control via Bluetooth thanks to the recently released LEGO Control+ App, the 42100 set is the most advanced Technic set yet, and it has a price tag to match, costing $450/£400.

That is seriously expensive for a toy, but LEGO are hoping that the set’s enormous array of programmable functionality will make it an attractive purchase. The officially-licensed Liebherr (joining such sets as the Volvo L350F, Mack Anthem and Claas Xerion 5000) can drive, skid-steer, rotate the superstructure, extend and raise the boom, and open and tilt the bucket, all remotely via a phone.

Those functions can be programmed too, thanks to the new Control+ App, with realistic sound effects and real-time feedback available. It’s a modern interpretation of the brilliant plug-and-play 8479 Barcode Truck from twenty-two years ago, only with the up-to-date control programmability afforded by today’s intuitive touch devices.

The new LEGO Technic 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator set will reach stores in October of this year, instantly becoming the flagship of the Technic range. Will the intuitive control, easy programmability and amazing multiple motorised functions offset that huge price? We’re willing to bet that if it does then a $500+ Technic set isn’t too far away…

Get Fork-D

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The LEGO Technic 42082 Rough Terrain Crane has the highest piece count of any Technic model so far (although check back here later to see what’s about to eclipse it…) including multiple motors, linear actuators and gearbox parts, making it the perfect set for repurposing into something new. LEGO offer this themselves via the ‘B-Models’ that can be built from most Technic sets, and TLCB Master MOCer Nico71 has gone two steps further by designing both ‘C’ and ‘D’ Models from the parts found within the 42082 inventory.

Nico’s 42082 ‘C-Model’ appeared here last year and he’s now designed a further ‘D-Model’ that can be built solely from the parts found within the Rough Terrain Crane set.

Nico’s heavy duty forklift includes as many functions as the set from which its parts are taken, including a motorised tilting and raising/lowering fork, powered adjustable fork width, a tilting cabin, V6 piston engine, pendular suspension and working steering.

It’s a brilliant build, made even more so by the parts restriction inherent with being built from an existing set, and you can see full details, the complete gallery of images, and find building instructions at Nico71’s website by clicking here.

YouTube Video

Forty-Nine

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We have a contender for Creation of the Year today. This utterly bewitching Lotus 49 is the work of Flickr’s Pixeljunkie who has not only recreated one of the greatest racing cars ever designed in spellbinding beauty, the model’s presentation is absolute perfection.

Pixel’s gorgeous model includes spectacular suspension, engine and gearbox detail and a superbly replicated ’67 Team Lotus livery complete with authentic logos and badging. It’s an incredible piece of work and you can see the images shown here in more detail via the link above, plus you read more about how the real car became one of racing all-time greats by clicking here.

To School!

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Alice has got herself a new SUV and it’s the perfect car to one-up Rachel and her Range Rover Sport outside the school gates. It was expensive, but you can’t put a price on safety, and David’s job in the city is paying really well now.

Alice’s new school-run monstrosity (an Oshkosh M-ATV) comes from Robson M aka BrickDesigners and is – frankly – not that absurd at all compared to the pointless car-based one-upmanship that occurs outside the education establishment close to TLCB Towers.

Surely this SUV craze has got to end soon? See more of Alice’s new wheels on Flickr via the link.

Caddy Powered Classic

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We like usual cars here at The Lego Car Blog, and they don’t come much more unusual than this.

‘This’ is a 1954 HWM Cadillac, built for amateur racer Tony Page and raced across England in the mid 1950s. Page took the Cadillac engine from his previous racing car, an Allard J2, and fitted it to a chassis and body from Hersham & Walton Motors of London, who built competitive Jaguar-engined sports and Formula 2 cars in the early ’50s.

After racing successfully for a few years Page sold the car, whereupon it raced in New Zealand until 1970 when it disappeared into storage. The car surfaced again in 2012 when it was acquired by a new owner and fully restored.

This gorgeous recreation of the HWM Cadillac comes from Tim Inman of Flickr who has done a stellar job of recreating the one-off classic, complete with a detailed replica of the Cadillac engine that powered the car. There’s more to see of Tim’s excellent build at his photostream – click the link above to make the jump to the full gallery.

Thunderbolt

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This might be the most beautiful recreation of a butt-ugly vehicle we’ve yet published. The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, nicknamed the ‘Warthog’, is a close air support aircraft – effectively providing air cover for front-line troops – that has served the USAF since the late ’70s.

Its, er… ‘unique’ appearance is dictated by the need for a short take-off and landing ability, significant firepower, and heavy armouring – due to the aircraft’s high likelihood of coming into contact with enemy forces.

This utterly brilliant Lego recreation of the A-10 Thunderbolt II comes from previous bloggee Plane Bricks of Flickr, who has nailed the challenging aesthetic thanks to a range of expertly deployed advanced building techniques, particularly evident in the engines and cockpit.

A huge gallery of images is available to view at Plane Bricks’ photostream – take a look via the link above.

Tractor Trailer Trailer

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Flickr’s Jakeof_ is back, with this beautifully constructed MTZ-82.1 tractor – complete with hot dogs for wheel arches – towing a pair of Autosan D-732 trailers. Lovely detailing is visible throughout and there’s much more to see of this superb threesome at his MTZ-82.1 / Austin D-732 Flickr album. Click the link above to visit Jakeof_’s farm.