If you’re a TLCB Elf, seven, or indeed a member of TLCB Team, then you probably like Big Red Trucks.
This Model Team / Technic Freightliner Classic is definitely a Big Red Truck, and what’s more it has some proper Technic functionally too, with working steering, inline-6 piston engine, and fifth-wheel hitch, plus opening doors and hood.
Anton Kablash is the builder and there’s more to see on Flickr here, if you like Big Red Trucks too.
A proportion of mankind are – let’s be honest – knobs, and if you chuck your litter on the ground, you’re part of this subset.
Fixing this problem, at least on hard-standing areas, is the humble street sweeper truck, which will brush up all the detritus dropped by the aforementioned cockwombles, before they re-litter the streets and it has to do it all again. And again.
Representing this infinite loop of tedium is Zsolt Nagy (aka kodlovag), whose Technic sweeper truck perfectly captures the mundanity of the real thing.
There are working brushes underneath (plus a detachable one up front), that can be powered either as the truck is pushed along or by the on-board Power Functions motor. A tilting cab, functioning steering, and a working piston engine complete the Technic features, and there’s more of the model to see at both Flickr and Eurobricks.
Click the links above to tidy up.
LEGO’s new 42141 McLaren Formula 1 Race Car comes from a time when advertising dangerous things is no longer acceptable. Unless you’re Ferrari of course. Back in the ’80s and ’90s though, anything was OK.
Cue this giant packet of cigarettes, which – like the aforementioned LEGO set – isn’t based on one particular McLaren Formula 1 car, but rather is inspired by the Marlboro McLarens of the time.
It comes from apachaihapachai of Eurobricks, who has included a BuWizz bluetooth battery, and Buggy Motor to ensure his model has the speed to match the looks. Free building instructions are available and there’s more to see of apachai’s renders at the Eurobricks forum via the link above.
It’s one minute past midnight here at TLCB Towers, and this writer – for complicated home/partner-based reasons – is sleeping in the office. Or trying too.
An eerie whiring noise awoke said domestic refugee, which was followed by the unmistakable sounds of Elven rage.
Sigh. At least sorting out whatever shenanigans were going on would break the monotony of failing to sleep upright in a wheelie chair.
It turns out the shenanigans were rather unusual; an Elf, perched high up a Technic ladder, was squirting water down upon its previously-slumbering colleagues, much to their wrath.
The cause of the commotion was just as unexpected; a glorious fully remote controlled vintage fire truck, complete with a working water pump.
Flickr’s Nikolaus Löwe (aka Mr_Kleinstein) is the builder behind it, and not only does his vintage fire truck really pump water, there’s remote control drive and steering, motorised support legs, and an enormous elevating, rotating and extending ladder, which the previously mentioned Elf had deployed rather cunningly to soak its unsuspecting brethren.
Come to think of it, perhaps this TLCB writer should use a big ladder to get to the bedro… No, no… that’d probably make things worse.
You can check out more of Nikolaus’ beautiful build at his ‘Fire Ladder Truck’ album on Flickr, whilst this writer ponders his current predicament.
Technic creations don’t have to be ginormous piece-hungry behemoths. Sometimes small and simple can be good, as proven here by Zsolt Nagy’s ‘Mini Snow Groomer’. Stick to the green slopes via Eurobricks or Flickr.
Is this post mostly an excuse to link to one of The Simpsons’ greatest ever songs? Yes. Yes it is.
But the model’s good too.
Eurobricks mihao has created this superbly engineered remote control garbage truck (or ‘bin lorry’ to us here at TLCB), complete with motorised drive and steering, a tilting cab, suspension, piston engine, tipping garbage compactor, and – most ingeniously – a side-mounted garbage can (‘wheelie bin’) arm that grabs, raises and tips said receptacle automatically.
Have we been using this to grab TLCB Elves and tip them upside-down for fun? Yes. Yes we have. Because the garbage man can! See more at Eurobricks via the link.
And the 2020s it seems, as the once fairly unfashionable Ferrari Testarossa is now a bonafide millionaires’ toy, worth much much more than the entire contents TLCB office car park.
This one comes from Technic-building legend Lachlan Cameron (aka LoxLego), whose Technic recreation of the ’80s supercar includes a full remote control drivetrain, LED lights, custom (and really rather accurate) wheels, working suspension, a flat-12 engine, pop-up headlights, and opening doors, front trunk and engine cover.
There’s much more of the build to see at the Eurobricks discussion forum and on Flickr, plus you can read Lachlan’s interview here at TLCB in the Master MOCers series by clicking here.
Or so say people over the age of forty. For Ferrari, with whom we have a love/hate relationship here at TLCB Towers, Enzo decided to celebrate his brand’s big 4-0 with a spectacular present to itself; a carbon-fibre, twin-turbocharged racing car for the road.
This was back in 1987 too, so the F40 was nothing short of a sensation. 35 years later and Ferrari’s big launch is an SUV…
Still, we suppose it’s not Ferrari’s fault that the best selling Lamborghini (by miles) is an SUV, the best selling Bentley (by miles) is an SUV, and the best selling Porsche (by miles) is an SUV, but the future of cars is looking bleaker by the day.
Which is probably why classic cars like the F40 are worth astronomical sums these days, as people rail against the SUVness of everything new.
Flickr’s LN TEKNIK is the builder giving us license to reminisce about ‘how things were better in the olden days’, with this gorgeous 1:10 scale Technic Ferrari F40.
Equipped with the full suite of Technic Supercar functions, LN’s recreation of the definitive Ferrari includes working steering, suspension, gearbox and engine, plus pop-up headlights, opening doors, and front and rear clam-shells. And some slightly dodgy looking non-LEGO wheels.
Which means in this post we’ve moaned about SUVs, non-standard wheels, and declared that things aren’t as good as they used to be. And the TLCB is only 10 – imagine how grumpy we’ll be in 30 years! Still, life begins then…
Not many people can say that. One really. And we suspect if he knew anyone else was saying it he wouldn’t be happy.
However thanks to TLCB Master MOCer Nico71, you dear readers, can say ‘My Other Car’s the Batmobile’, as this deeply cool hot rod – instructions for which are available – is constructed only from the parts found within the new LEGO Technic 42127 Batmobile set.
There’s working steering, a V8 engine and… er, that’s it. Because to be fair it’s all the 42127 set is equipped with. Plus some unnecessary light-up bricks, but our thoughts on those being a Technic ‘feature’ mirror Batman’s feelings on impersonators.
You can convert your own 42127 Batmobile set into Nico’s hot rod alternate via his excellent website, where building instructions, further imagery and a video are available. Click the link above to take a look.
For some reason people don’t seem to like it when Germany and Japan collaborate. What? We’ve already done that joke today? Damn…
Moving on, this is the fifth generation Toyota Supra, a frankly wonderful looking sports car widely hated by the internet for being a partnership between BMW and Toyota. Which means of course that it’s rather excellent.
This spectacular Technic recreation of the internet’s least favourite collaboration is the work of Jeroen Ottens, who was commissioned to replicate the A90 Supra’s wild bodywork in brick form.
Not only has Jeroen done that, he’s included a working 6-cylinder engine linked to the rear wheels, an 8-speed gearbox, independent suspension, and working steering, plus opening doors, tailgate and hood.
It’s a fantastic creation, and – whether you’re a xenophobic internet commenter or can appreciate a good car regardless of badge stamped into the components – one that’s worth a closer look.
Head over to Flickr or Eurobricks for full build details, further imagery, and the potential for “That’s not a Supra”/”Nice BMW” comments.
This is a big crane truck, and it’s built from… er, a different big crane truck. Still, it is about as different from the source big crane truck as it can get, whilst still being a big crane truck itself.
Previous bloggee damjan97PL (aka damianPLE) is the builder who has converted the official LEGO Technic 42128 Heavy Duty Tow Truck set into a European flatbed truck, complete with a rather excellent rear-mounted folding crane.
The aforementioned crane can rotate, elevate and extend thanks to three pneumatically-operated booms, whilst the truck itself features working outriggers, an inline 6-cylinder engine underneath a tilting cab, ‘HOG’ steering, and dropping flatbed sides.
It’s a top quality (and brilliantly presented) B-Model, and one that owners of the 42128 set can create for themselves as building instructions are available. Head to the Eurobricks discussion forum or Bricksafe to find out more, plus you can click here to see an alternative ‘alternative’ big crane truck built from LEGO’s big crane truck…
This is a Scania XT crane/tipper truck, and it has been constructed entirely from the parts found within the enormous LEGO Technic 42128 Heavy Duty Tow Truck set.
Builder mpj hasn’t used all 2,000 pieces though. In fact the donor set’s pneumatics have been foregone completely, but that doesn’t mean this appropriate-if-accidentally Ice Planet coloured alternate is short on functions, with working steering, a lifting third axle, a folding, rotating and extending crane, working stabilisers, and a tipping bed.
We say appropriate, as even with all of that functionality quite a few pieces remained, so mpj has utilised a few more of 42128’s parts to equip his Scania XT B-Model with a gritter (which spins by drive from the truck’s differential) and fully positionable snow plow.
Building instructions are available and there’s more of mpj’s airless icy alternative to see on Brickshelf and at the Eurobricks discussion forum – Click the links to plow your way there.
Let’s get the obvious bit out of the way. Those are not official LEGO wheels. But they are excellent. And the model riding atop them is even more so.
This spectacular Technic Lamborghini Countach LP500s is the work of Diego Auguanno, as presented by Polo-Freak of Brickshelf, and it’s about as accurate a Lego Lamborghini as we’ve ever seen.
Diego’s incredible creation utilises Technic panels, System bricks, and those custom golden wheels to beautifully replicate the real ’80s supercar, including a brick-built replica of the Countach’s V12 engine and its signature scissor doors.
Over thirty high quality images can be found at Polo’s ‘Lamborghini Countach LP500S’ Brickshelf album (plus you can buy building instructions at the designer Diego’s Facebook page) and you can take a look at all of this rolled gold via the links above.
‘Huh…’ thought this TLCB Writer as he entered the office today. The cause of the casual surprise was a weird yellow vehicle, trundling up and down the corridor with a gaggle of happy Elves in the back.
Seasoned readers of this crumbing ruin in the corner of the internet will know such peaceful interaction between TLCB Elves is seldom seen. The Elf at the controls was smiling, the Elves in the back were smiling, and for a moment we thought that 2022 could be the dawning of a harmonious new era for our little workers.
Was it balls.
The Elf at the controls, knowing its find was too slow to mete out any smushings, had ingeniously offered its colleagues rides in the back. After a joyful excursion around the TLCB Towers the aforementioned little psychopath then deployed the model’s tipping bed, tumbling its Elven cargo onto the ground before immediately reversing over them.
To compound the smushing it then spun the vehicle on top of those trapped underneath via the skid steer system, smearing quite a few into rather artful arcs in the carpet.
Of course the controls were swiftly were taken away, a meal token and yellow Smartie begrudgingly awarded, and the victims either patched up on site or taken to the ‘Elf Hospital‘, depending upon their triage assessment.
We’re really not sure how we’re going to get all the Elf bits out of the office carpet, so whilst we figure that out you can check out Arie’s Morooka MST 2200VD tracked dumper with SBrick control, twin L Motor drive/skid-steer, and linear-actuator operated tipper at both Eurobricks and Bricksafe.
Perhaps we should install lino.
We may not be the most professional, well connected, articulate, or competent Lego blog, but we sure do have the most tenuous Christmas titles!
Continuing the Christmassy nonsense is this, Danifill’s marvellous MAZ 5316 4×4 truck, complete with BuWizz power, Servo steering, remotely locking pneumatically-controlled differentials, live-axle suspension, a tilting cab, and working LED head and tail lights.
Danifill has taken his MAZ into the snow to show what it can do, and you can read more about the model and watch a video of it in action at the Eurobricks forum here.