The roads around TLCB Towers are surrounded by Range Rovers. Back-on-black with extra black and personalised number plates, the dirtiest they get is their owners’ fake tan rubbing off on the seat bolsters. Cue Nuno Taborda‘s antidote to the modern Ranger Rover, this splendid classic Range Rover monster truck, which is simultaneously both absurd and also instantly recognisable. And we love it. Take a look on Flickr via the link above, or click here for (maybe) the real vehicle that inspired it.
The Toyota Yaris is an excellent small car. Excellent, but not exciting. At all. Except… this one. This is the Toyota GR Yaris, and it’s probably the best hot hatchback in the world right now.
Built as a homologation special for the World Rally Championship, the GR Yaris features a unique three-door body-shell, a lowered (carbon-fibre) roof, a wider track, a four-wheel-drive system, and the most powerful three-cylinder production engine ever built.
All of which will help Mavis get to the shops in half the time. Or Elfyn Evans win the World Rally Championship, as he did last week.
This tremendous Model Team replica of the iconic homologation special comes from previous bloggee Mihail Rakovskiy, who has nailed the diminutive Toyota in 14-wide scale, complete with an opening hood (under which sits a replica engine), opening doors (inside which is a superb interior), an opening rear hatch, and even a brick built GR-FOUR drivetrain.
It’s a stunning recreation of a stunning car, and you can take a closer look via Mihail’s ‘Toyota GR Yaris’ album via the link above.
Jeep, that most recognisable of American brands, has been passed around like a bottle of Jack at an underage beach party. From their creators Willys-Overland, the company has passed through five pair of hands before landing with current owners Stellantis, with each taking a swig on the way leaving ever less for the next person. Plus a bit of spit.
Which means we want something from Jeep’s current line-up like we want a venereal disease, but at a push we would take something from fifty years ago, like this marvellous Jeep CJ5.
It comes from Flickr’s Rick Brick making his TLCB Debut, there’s working steering and suspension, and much more to see of this superbly smooth Model Team Jeep CJ at his photostream. Click the link above to take a drink from the bottle whilst there’s still something good in it.
Di-neeoy neeoy di-ni-ni-ni-ni-neeoy… Yes we’re reminiscing about the greatest and gayest straight movie ever made today, courtesy of JuliusZ D. and his spectacular Grumman F-14D Super Tomcat.
The variable-sweep carrier-capable fighter was a mainstay of the United States Airforce from the mid-’70s until the mid-’00s, serving in multiple conflicts across (mostly) the Middle East, and also being operated by Iran, which is perhaps a bit awkward today…
But it is of course most famous for carrying Maverick to victory over whatever undefined-vaguely-Soviet-allied-enemy the U.S were fighting in ‘Top Gun’, and ensured a generation of kids wanted to be beach-volleyball playing fighter pilots when they grew up.
Juliusz’s incredible Model Team replica of the iconic multirole fighter is one of the finest aircraft that this site has ever featured, and you can see much more of his astonishing creation at his ‘Grumman F-14D Super Tomcat’ album, where over three-dozen stunning images are available to view.
Click the link above to join us playing beach-volleyball in far-too-tight shorts before shooting down a few MiGs.
The Jaguar XJS is a rare sight these days (away from the banger track at least), and as a result is looking ever more beautiful, especially from this angle. Those are ‘flying buttresses’ and – as is often the way with unique designs – they weren’t appreciated in their own time. They look awesome now though, and Stefan Eekman (aka Sebeus I) has captured them beautifully in brick form as a gift for a colleague. Fly over to Flickr or Eurobricks for more.
All fire trucks are cool. But FDNY’s are particularly so, what with them having to reach the skyscrapers of Manhattan making them, well… massive. Cue Mirco Hussmann of Eurobricks, who has created three enormous trucks from FDNY, each of which is astonishingly lifelike in both looks and motion via a combination of LEGO Power Functions components, 3D-printing, BuWizz bluetooth control, vinyl decals, and Beier USM sound modules.
Working features include remote control drive and steering, turning and elevating ladders, automatically-levelling buckets, accurate lighting sequences, and even working pumps, switches and water cannons.
A host of metal parts including differentials and linear actuators replace plastic LEGO ones in order to cope with the extreme stresses, and you can find out more about it all comes together, the third-party components used, and the real FDNY trucks upon which Mirco’s incredible creations are modelled via the the Eurobricks forum. Click the link above to call 9-1-1.
The Dodge Viper was famous for having a truck engine. Thus in the early-’00s Dodge decided to take the truck engine out of the Viper and put it back in, well… a truck. And the result was one of the post pointless vehicles ever created.
Based on the Dodge Ram 1500, the Dodge Ram SRT10 featured the Viper’s 500bhp 8.3 litre V10, with Bilstein shock absorbers, performance-tuned springs, and an extra shock on the rear axle to prevent wheel hop during wheel-spin, in an attempt to make it drive less… well, like a Dodge Ram.
The Ram SRT10 was immediately the fastest pick-up truck in the world, reaching a top speed of 154mph. Which must’ve been terrifying as it still definitely drove like a Dodge Ram.
This brilliant Model Team version of what was once the world’s fastest truck comes from previous bloggee Szunyogh Balázs (aka gnat.bricks), who has captured the Dodge Ram SRT10 superbly. There’s a detailed engine under the opening hood, a suitably black-plastic interior behind the opening doors, a raising rear load deck, and even a life-like brick-built drivetrain under the chassis too.
There’s much more of Szunogh’s model to see at his ‘Dodge Ram SRT10’ album on Flickr, and you can do 154mph in an early-’00s pick-up truck via the link above.
In the early 1900s the automobile was still in its infancy. Which – like any industry in its early phase – meant lots of small companies and even individuals giving it a go. Cue the ‘cyclecar’, an ultra-light, simple, cheap motor vehicle constructed from motorcycle and bicycle components. Such machines were magnificently basic yet surprisingly capable, with some taking part in races over hundreds of kilometres.
Such was the pace of automobile development however, that very few cyclecars survive today, with the class being killed off by mass-produced vehicles such as the Austin 7 and Ford Model-T.
Which leads us neatly on to today’s model, which in true cyclecar tradition is constructed only from the parts of something else, in this case the official LEGO Icons 11376 Ford Model T set. It’s also recreation of a recreation, replicating a real cyclecar that was built in 1995 by vintage specialist Tim Gunn who used the directions contained within the 1913 book ‘How to Build a Cyclecar’. Named the ‘Grafton’, it’s powered by a vintage 300cc JAP motorcycle racing engine, has an ash wood frame, and has regularly appeared at events such as Goodwood, recapturing what many men-in-sheds were building nearly a century before.
The lovely brick-built replica of Tim’s cyclecar recreation we have here is the work of SIM CAMAT of Flickr, who has repurposed the pieces from the 11376 donor set beautifully. Working steering, a life-like engine, and impeccable presentation all feature, with more of the model to see at SIM’s photostream where instructions are available too, so just like Tim you can build your very own cyclecar at home.
The Lego Car Blog Elves are cheerfully riding around the office whilst attempting mildly xenophobic Eastern European accents today, courtesy of Michael Kulakov (aka Michael217) and this, his spectacular MAZ 504 truck.
Fully remote controlled via a mix of LEGO and third-party motors, Michael’s MAZ also features a two speed gearbox via a nicely accessible lever behind the cab (which also moves the in-cab gear lever), a working steering wheel, a 6-cylinder engine under a tilting cab, a mechanically deployable spare wheel carrier, working suspension, plus custom wheels, rubber mud-flaps, and 3D-printed front fender extensions.
The result is quite fantastically life-like (even if not quite all LEGO), and there’s loads more of Michael’s magnificently presented MAZ model to see at both Eurobricks and Flickr. Click the links above to check out his MAZterpiece.
It might sound like an abbreviation of Tony the Tiger’s catchphrase, but we’re so excited about the ‘Toyota’ GR GT. A front-mid-engined, twin-turbo-charged V8 built to go GT3 racing, it’s the antidote to whatever 1,500bhp three-ton Chinese electric monstrosity has been launched this week.
It’s also no longer a Toyota, with the GR (Gazoo Racing) brand now its own entity alongside Toyota, Lexus, and Daihatsu. Which also explains why Toyota’s Le Mans Hypercars curiously didn’t wear ‘GR’ liveries when they took victory at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, because soon both Toyota and GR will be at Le Mans.
GR GT sales are planned from next year, but until then we have this spectacular brick-built replica to keep us happy. It’s the work of previous bloggee Mihail Rakovskiy who has captured the real car brilliantly. There are opening doors, hood and trunk, a highly detailed twin-turbo V8 engine, a beautifully recreated interior, and even a lifelike chassis and running gear underneath.
It’s a superb homage to probably the most exciting car of 2027, and you can take a closer look via Mihail’s ‘Toyota GT GR’ album on Flickr. Click the link above to go ‘Grrr!’.
It’s funny how words change over time. What once meant herding livestock across the Mongolian steppe, living in a tent and drinking yaks milk, now means sitting on a beach in Bali selling crap digital marketing / lifestyle coaching / crypto courses to the terminally gullible.
There must be a middle-ground…
Fortunately there is, and today we’re showing you how to have a nomadic lifestyle whilst neither freezing in a tent in Mongolia nor becoming an insufferable digital douchebag. This is the Chevrolet Nomad.
Based on the Chevrolet Bel-Air and featuring a gorgeous two-door two-tone station-wagon body, the V8-powered Nomad was the height of ’50s ‘Motorama’ design. Growing to become an equally dramatic four-door station-wagon from ’58, it’s the ’57 model-year we have here, courtesy of previous bloggee Tony Bovkoon and his fabulous Model Team recreation.
Opening doors, hood and tailgate all feature, as does a superbly replicated V8 engine and interior, with lots more to see at Tony’s ‘Chevrolet Nomad’ album. Building instructions are available too so you can go nomadic for yourself; click the link above to find out more, no yaks milk or dodgy digital marketing course required.
Today The Lego Car Blog is going vegan! Yes we’re swapping pork for tofu, thanks to TLCB Master MOCer Firas Abu-Jaber and this tremendous Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno, built only from the parts of the official LEGO 10295 Porsche 911 set.
Capturing the icon from ‘Initial D’ driven by tofu delivery driver Takumi Fujiwara, Firas’ 10295 alternate includes an opening hood, hatch and doors, working steering, pop-up headlights, plus a beautifully detailed engine and interior.
Firas has also added some custom replica ‘Initial D’ decals – the only part not coming from the donor Porsche, and so good is the result you’d be hard pushed to know it’s not meat. Er, we mean an alternate.
Superbly photographed and presented, there’s lots more of the model to see at Firas’ ‘Toyota AE86’ album on Flickr; take a look via the link above and perhaps swap pork for tofu yourself.
We’re off to go and eat some ribs.
A pen has just been dropped by a grey-suited lawyer in Maranello. He looks up. He can sense something is wrong. Somewhere, someone has used the F-word without his permission.
Ferrari do not like it when their logo is applied to something they haven’t built (or even if it’s removed from something they have), so they’re really not going to like this Ferrari Dino 246 GTS by Flickr’s Nathanael Kuipers. Because underneath, this Ferrari is a Corvette.
Yes this Dino 246 GTS is constructed entirely from the pieces found within the Icons 10321 Chevrolet Corvette set, and includes opening doors, engine cover and front and rear trunks, a removable roof, and a detailed interior, with all of it rebuildable at home as Nathanael has published building instructions too.
There’s much more to see at Nathanael’s photostream and you can take a closer look – and maybe recreate it for yourself – via the link above, before Nathanael is handed a Cease & Desist notice by a disgruntled Italian lawyer.
The Mazda RX-8 was a triumph when new. With an astonishing buttery-smooth rotary engine displacing just 1.3 litres yet making 240bhp, bizarre rear suicide doors, seating for four, and styling – to quote one famous Top Gear host – “busier than the Pope’s hat”, there was nothing else like it.
And then they got old, and that amazing engine… failed. A lot. Even well maintained RX-8s suffered from terrifying oil consumption and rotor tip wear leading to engine failure, but the poorly maintained ones (as older sports cars often are) died alarmingly quickly.
Values tanked, and now one of the most interesting cars of the ‘00s is worth absolutely nothing at all.
But we like weird, flawed, unreliable cars here at TLCB, and so we love today’s model; this fantastic Model Team Mazda RX-8 from previous bloggee Mihail Rakovskiy. Featuring a highly detailed interior, realistic drivetrain, a remarkably replicated exterior, and a working rotary engine, Mihail has captured Mazda’s mad ‘00s creation beautifully in Lego form.
Excellent presentation matches the build, and there’s lots more of the model to see at Mihail’s ‘Mazda RX-8’ album on Flickr. Take a tip from us and check it out via the link above.
TLCB is the sort of place where we like an improbably large engine attached to something wildly inappropriate. And there’s few vehicles more inappropriate for massive power than a Japanese Kei truck.
Limited to 3.4m in length and engines no larger than 660cc, Kei trucks are really very small indeed. But that hasn’t stopped newcomer Fukku Guen from fitting his with an enormous bed-mounted engine plus a pair of nitrous tanks.
We expect the handling – not to mention the carrying capacity – may be slightly compromised, but it more than makes up for that with fantastic silliness.
There’s more of Fukku’s modified Kei truck to see on Flickr, and you can take a look at his photostream via the link!