This is Horcik Designs’ ‘EXP. Buggy’, an all-wheel-drive Power Functions equipped off-roader, built for a Lego Trophy event, and used – by the Elf that found it – to squash a number of its colleagues.
Twin L Motors deliver the power and you can both watch the model in action and create it for yourself courtesy of the video and building instructions Horcik has produced along with it.
There’s more to see at both Eurobricks and Bricksafe, and you can take a look via the links above.
Volkswagen weren’t the only car manufacturer to attach the letters ‘G’, ‘T’ and ‘I’ to a family hatchback on the 1980s…
The Peugeot 205 GTI was an absolute sensation when it arrived in 1986. Powered by a 1.6 litre engine making 104bhp, and later a 1.9 litre making over 120bhp, the GTI was fast, fun, and wildly popular.
So much so that, like Volkswagen’s offering, quite a few people wanted to have a go even if they didn’t own one. Hot hatchback thefts rocketed, shortly followed by insurance premiums, and sales plummeted.
But Peugeot can’t really be blamed for joy-riding scumbags, and the 205 GTI is now a bona-fide classic, a high water mark for the brand that they are still to beat some four decades later.
This wonderful Technic recreation of Peugeot’s finest hour comes from TLCB Master MOCer Nico71, who has captured the 205 GTI magnificently.
Featuring working steering, functional suspension, a detailed engine under an opening hood, a life-like interior behind opening doors, and an opening tailgate too, Nico’s 205 GTI is about as visually realistic as it’s possible for a Technic model to be.
Plus best of all – like the aforementioned scumbags that nearly killed the hot hatchback genre altogether – you can have a go without having to do the work yourself!
Yup, Nico has made building instructions available too, with his design buildable in ’80s-appropriate red, black or white, and you can take a closer look – as well as a find a link to those instructions – at Nico’s Peugeot 205 GTI gallery on Brickshelf.
There’s are many types of loader. The ‘backhoe loader‘, the ‘front loader‘, and what we have here; the ‘end loader’. They largely seem interchangeable to us, but the difference between them appears to be from where they do their, er… stuff; forking, shovelling, drilling and so forth. You don’t get that kind of technical analysis at The Brothers Brick…
This one, built by previous bloggee Wigboldy (aka Thirdwigg) is an ‘end loader’, as it does its stuff from the end of a front-mounted arm, which is mechanically raisable via linear actuators.
The implement mounted on the end is also tiltable via a linear actuator, and can be interchanged between the fork pictured here and a digging bucket, plus there’s articulated steering too.
There’s more of Wigboldy’s excellent creation to see at his ‘End Loader’ album on Flickr, where images of both implements in use can be found – click the link above to get to the end.
It’s been a while since the last Elven hit-and-run. We’re under no illusions that the recent harmony was in any way due to a change in nature of TLCB Elves, they simply hadn’t found a creation quick enough to do any damage. That changed today.
This spectacularly-liveried creation is Lachlan Cameron (aka LoxLego)‘s replica of Ken Block’s Baja trophy truck, and not only is the outside quite wonderfully accurate, the mechanics are too, with remote control drive and steering courtesy of BuWizz bluetooth power, a working V8 engine, and huge-travel suspension.
This of course meant the Elf that found it immediately set about squashing as many of its colleagues as it could before the controls could be taken away, and a decent job it did too.
In fact there are several smushed Elves still to peel out of the office carpet, so whilst we get on with that you can check out more of Lachlan’s incredible creation at his ‘Baja Truck’ album on Flickr, plus you can read his interview in TLCB’s Master MOCers series via the link in the text above, and you can watch the Baja truck in action in the video below.
This is the Pagani Huayra, an AMG V12-engined, limited production hypercar built by Pagani between 2011 and 2021, and reserved only for the quite fantastically wealthy.
Despite the sizeable riches that accumulate from blogging about Lego, even we can’t afford a real Huayra, thus the version we have here today is more suitable for our budget.
Built by langko, this incredible Technic recreation of the iconic Italian hypercar captures the real deal as perfectly as is possible from plastic bricks, with the astounding looks matched by an astonishing breadth of working features.
There are no motors, with langko instead deploying their considerable talents to create a benchmark Technic ‘Supercar’, complete with a working V12 engine, all-wheel cantilever suspension, a 7-speed sequential gearbox, functioning steering with connected aero flaps, an adjustable nose-lift, opening gull-wing doors, front and rear clamshells, and luggage compartments, plus adjustable seats inside a spectacularly detailed interior.
It’s one of the finest Technic Supercars we’ve seen yet, and doubtless one of the most impressive creations of 2022 so far, with much more to see at the Eurobricks forum and the full gallery of stunning images available to view on Bricksafe. Join us in taking a closer look via the links.
TLCB’s luxury yacht, paid for by the riches that blogging Lego brings, doesn’t get mentioned much here. We like our privacy, and it’s hard enough keeping the multitude of attractive girls away as it is, without them knowing about the boat.
Ted Andes has no such qualms however, uploading this rather wonderful Technic yacht ‘Sundancer’ to Flickr.
A mini-figure cabin, keel, rudder, plus marvellous fabric sails fashioned from the LEGO Carousel set’s canopy create a boat very nearly as beautiful as TLCB’s, and you’re welcome on board via the link above. Ted’s of course, not ours.
We love a proper off-roader here at TLCB, and they don’t come much properer than this; the Jeep Cherokee XJ. Particularly when they’ve been outfitted for proper off-roading like this one has.
Builder filsawgood has equipped his fully remote controlled Technic ’90s Jeep Cherokee with a snorkel, lifted suspension, wide arches and oversize tyres, a winch, roof cage, and a differential locker, and there’s lots more to see of his off-road modded Jeep (including a video) at the Eurobricks forum.
You wait ages for a Czech off-road truck, and then two come along at once. Or something like that.
Anyway, we do have two awesome brick-built Tatras today, each representing a real world counterpart and chosen LEGO building style beautifully.
First up (above) is Horcik Designs’ T813 8×8 Technic trial truck, complete with remote controlled eight-wheel-drive and four-wheel steering, functioning suspension, and much more besides.
Building instructions are available and you can find a link to them and a video of the model in action at the Eurobricks forum, plus you can check out all the images via Bricksafe by clicking here.
Today’s second Tatra switches from Technic to Model Team, but is just as feature packed. Arian Janssens‘ T815 6×6 also includes a working drivetrain and steering, plus a neat tipping container that can stand on its own legs to allow the truck to back up underneath it.
A variety of other trailer options fit Arian’s T815 and there’s more to see of the them and the iteration pictured here on Flickr – click the link above to take a look.
Technic Supercars are one of our very favourite things in the Lego Community, and despite LEGO’s foray into officially-licensed replicas of real-world vehicles, we do still like seeing interpretations of the fictional Technic Supercars that used to be LEGO’s flagships.
Cue this rather lovely example by IA Creations, whose fictional supercar nods to several real-world counterparts as well as LEGO’s own past flagship sets, and includes a wealth of Technic functionality.
Working suspension, opening doors, front trunk and engine cover, LED lights, and a V8 engine all feature, with IA going a step further by including full remote control drive and steering, plus an electronically deployed rear spoiler, courtesy of four Power Functions motors and a BuWizz 2.0 bluetooth battery brick.
It’s a fantastic build and one of which you can see more at both Eurobricks, where a link to building instructions can be found, and Bricksafe, where over forty high quality images are available.
Click the links above to see more of IA Creations’ super car.
Judging the near one-hundred entries submitted to BrickNerd and TLCB’s Festival of Mundanity is underway, but before we reveal the winners there’s time for a few entries that snuck in before the deadline.
First up, and managing to span both the ‘Object’ and ‘Vehicle’ categories, is Caleb Flutur‘s ‘3x Upscale 6654’. “A mundane set, in a mundane theme, from a mundane year” to quote Caleb, his digital super-sized 6654 doesn’t just inflate the scale of the model, but each individual brick used in its creation.
A monumentally clever undertaking, this competition entry is both appropriately mundane and fascinating in its construction. With Caleb vowing to build his design in real super-sized bricks soon, we’ve never been so intrigued by something so dull. Big points.
Equally clever yet unexciting is Sberwing007’s Festival of Mundanity entry, that most forgotten of vehicles; the scissor-lift.
Not just a dull machine, but a dull machine designed to enable dull tasks, Saberwing’s Technic scissor lift captures the dreariness of the real thing beautifully, including its operation, with working tight-radius steering, an extending platform, and – of course – a linear actuator operated lifting mechanism.
There’s more to see of Saberwing007’s scissor lift at both Flickr and the Eurobricks discussion forum, where further details and images of the creation’s really rather clever mechanisms can also be found.
Click the links above to complete such boring tasks as changing a lightbulb, de-leafing the gutter, and removing that dead pigeon from the air-conditioning duct.
Boring. Dull. White Goods. All things levelled at the Toyota Corolla (including by us), and all true. Except when they’re not.
Whilst there have been millions of tedious white boxes produced with the ‘Corolla’ name, there have also been some that really aren’t tedious at all. The AE86, Championship-winning rally cars, and even the current twelfth generation Corolla, which is both more interesting technologically and to look at than a Golf, a Focus or an Astra.
So the Corolla is boring, except when it isn’t, and this one ‘isn’t’; the lovely 1970-’78 ‘E20’ Coupe.
The second generation of Corolla, the ‘E20’ was available in sedan, coupe, station wagon and van variants (plus as a Daihatsu), with engines between 1.2 and 1.6 litres, and became the second best-selling car globally.
Built by Dicky Laban, this neat Technic recreation of the ‘E20’ Corolla coupe is interesting too, being equipped with LEGO’s Powered-Up system for remote control drive and steering cleverly packaged inside.
TLCB staff know to wear shoes in the office. No, the Elves don’t make that sort of mess, but their shenanigans do make barefoot walking of the halls hazardous. Today, this TLCB Writer forgot that rule.
A sensation of something both gloopy and slightly crunchy underfoot drew a sigh and a weary look down, upon which the Elf, smeared into the carpet, became apparent. Another sigh.
And another Elf too, as a second was in a similar predicament a few yards down the corridor.
Further again, and the strange sound of a motor whirring followed by repeated crunching could be faintly heard. A third sigh.
Rounding the corner and the source of the smushings revealed itself; a large unusual-looking tracked vehicle was stomping upon a flattened Elf with a stabilising foot, much to the glee of the Elf at the controls.
Said controls were quickly grabbed and we could determine the steps the Elf had taken to mete out violence on its colleagues.
Firstly, they were run over, thanks to the skid steer of the two suspended and motorised tracks, before – admittedly rather cleverly – the Elven psychopath at the controls compounded the misery of the victim by either stomping upon them with the vehicle’s stabilising legs or dropping a brick-built ‘diesel generator’ onto them via the fully motorised crane.
Which – Elven carnage aside – is seriously impressive. TLCB Master MOCer Nico71is the builder behind this curious (and stunningly engineered) creation, which is constructed only from the pieces found within the official LEGO Technic 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator set.
All seven Powered-Up motors from the set have been redeployed to the purposes above; with remote control drive and steering, crane rotation and two-part elevation, four stabiliser legs, plus a motor spins a piston engine for added realism.
All of that can be controlled via the LEGO Powered-Up app, and if you’d like to convert your own 42100 Liebherr R 9800 set into an unusual Elf-smushing machine you can, as Nico has made building instructions available too.
There’s much more to see at Brickshelf, Nico’s excellent website or via the video below. Take a look whilst this TLCB Writer cleans the corridor carpet. And puts on some shoes.
This rather excellent Technic Supercar is a BMW M8 Competition, BMW’s 600bhp, twin-turbo V8, all-wheel-drive flagship.
Constructed by IA creations, this recreation of BMW’s super coupe includes a wealth of Technic functionality, with both traditional mechanical ‘supercar’ elements and motorised remote control.
A working V8 engine, all-wheel-drive, steering, and double-wishbone suspension take care of the former, whilst a BuWizz bluetooth battery powers twin drive motors, servo steering, and three sets of LEDs for the head and tail lights, enabling programmable bluetooth remote control.
It’s a fantastically well engineered creation and one that you can build for yourself too, as IA has made instructions available. Head to the Eurobricks forum for full details, plus you can find the complete image gallery of IA BMW M8 Competition on Bricksafe.
Finally, you can win an awesome BuWizz 3.0 Prolike the one powering IA’s magnificent M8 by entering TLCB and BrickNerd’s Festival of Mundanity competition! This M8 Competition is definitely much too interesting of course, but a grey 320d… that could do very well indeed!
This TLCB Writer was having a peaceful day scrolling through the delightfully tedious entries our Festival of Mundanity competition in collaboration with BrickNerd. There’s a bar of soap, a rental car lot, a white Toyota Corolla… and the sound of Elven screaming. Sigh.
A wearisome trudge to the corridor revealed the culprit, and the vehicle under their jurisdiction; this huge BuWizz-powered Komatsu HM300 6×6 articulated dump truck.
Discovered on Brickshelf by the jubilant Elf at the controls, gkurkowski‘s creation had churned several of our smelly little workers into the carpet, before – admittedly rather cleverly – deploying the linear actuator controlled tipper to dump a load of glitter on them. How it got into the stationary cupboard we’re not sure. And why is there even glitter in there anyway?
Whatever the reasons, the result is a very sparkly mess, which this writer now has the pleasure of tidying up.
Whilst he gets on with that you can check out gkurkowski’s seriously impressive build at the Brickshelf gallery, which includes extensive imagery, renders, close-ups of the 6×6 drivetrain and tipping mechanisms, plus a link to building instructions should you wish to create the Komatsu HM300 at home.
Everything has an ‘i’ prefix these days. We have Apple to thank for this chronically unimaginative naming convention, which has now infiltrated cars too (we’re looking at you Hyundai and BMW). However before Apple stuck an ‘i’ in front of generic words like ‘phone’, ‘i’ meant something.
Take ‘I-beam’ for example, which featured no marketing-focus-groups to determine its name, and simply meant two wheels attached to a suspended straight beam. Because it was really cheap. And it was the shape of the letter ‘I’.
Modern vehicles use far more sophisticated suspension of course. Except when they don’t, and ‘I-beam’ is renamed ‘Torsion Bar’, because it sounds fancier. Or it did until Apple came along.
Anyway, ‘I-beams are pretty rare at the front of vehicles these days, but Eurobricks’ paave has created a vehicle that kicks it old-school, with brilliantly off-roady I-beam front suspension, live axle rear suspension, HOG steering, a working piston engine, and opening and locking doors.
Building instructions are available and there’s more of paave’s creation to see at the Eurobricks forum at the link above and via the video below, which shows the I-beam suspension in action.
YouTube Video
*Seven hundred TLCB points if you’ve figured out today’s title.
