Circuit of Speed Champions | Picture Special

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We’ve all dreamed of building our own racing circuit from LEGO bricks, with tyre barriers, grandstands, food stands, a pit lane, maybe even a Dunlop bridge…

Well SpaceMan Nathan has actually gone and done it, taking fourteen official LEGO Speed Champions sets and creating this wonderful race track diorama, complete with of all the above and more!

Measuring 144 by 112 studs, Nathan’s Circuit of Speed Champions includes everything a race track should, with a crowd of cheering race fans present to watch to the on-track battle.

There’s loads more to see of Nathan’s beautifully presented circuit diorama at his photostream on Flickr – join the action trackside via the link above!

BrickNerd’s Back!

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Good news for the online Lego community! BrickNerd, one of the Lego sites that used to do this whole blogging thing properly (unlike this smoking hole in the ground) is back, and under new management!

After spending several months as silent as Donald Trump’s conscience, a band of illustrious fans of Lego have resuscitated the dead website. We think BrickNerd’s return is good for the whole Lego community, and particularly for the team here at TLCB as it enables us to take the piss out of them constantly again for their almost fanatical devotion to a certain sci-fi movie franchise.

Here at TLCB we wish BrickNerd’s new management the best of luck, which – coming from this shower of ineptitude – means absolutely nothing. Go and and check them out via the link above, and then come back here for more pointless bickering, incompetent writing, and occasional political slurs.

Now if only someone could do the same with MOCpages…

Tipping Tatra

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Something remarkable appeared to be occurring today. Following the Elves’ peaceful trundle around the office in the back of an RC flatbed truck a few days ago, one of their number returned with this – Martin Nespor‘s excellent remote control Tatra Phoenix 8×4 truck.

Like the aforementioned flatbed, Martin’s Tatra is too slow to run down any Elves, and thus the Elf at the controls instead offered rides to its compatriots, in a moment of apparent Elven generosity never witnessed before.

Could this be a turning point for Elf-on-Elf relations? Well, no. You see the Elf at the controls had worked out that Martin’s Tatra not only drove and steered via Power Functions motors, but that the container on the back could be tipped too, and had placed thumb-tacks in the corner of the corridor in preparation. Sigh.

A gaggle of Elves was duly driven to the awaiting push-pins and tipped on top of them, before the Elf at the controls ran off in delight.

We now have an enraged mob of Elves prowling the office looking for revenge, which often means another completely innocent Elf will be selected at random to replace the missing perpetrator. Whilst we consider whether Mr. Airhorn will be brought out for his first Elven clearance of the year, you can check out more of Martin’s Tatra Phoenix 8×4 tipper truck on Flickr – click the link above to take the trip.

Cop Classic

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Christmas is over, the decorations are down, and work begins tomorrow. Versteinert‘s previously featured classic station wagon, as driven by Santa himself, has now been repurposed as a police car, and represents this slightly depressing return to normality in Lego form.

Of course ‘return to normality’ is a relative term, as our emergency workers face probably the most difficult January in living memory, thanks to COVID-19’s decision to become even more transmissible. Yay.

So it’s Christmas hats off to our emergency service readers; you are the heroes we need right now, and there’s more to see of Versteinert’s ’50s police car at via the link above.

Flat Share

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The Lego Car Blog Elves have been busy since their re-release after the Christmas break, so it was only a matter of time before one of them found a remotely controlled creation. Those you expecting a tale of mass Elven squashings will be disappointed though, as – excellent though this model is – it’s too slow to cause any Elven casualties, much to the annoyance of the Elf that discovered it.

However, now that we have the controls, it can be used to trundle a great multitude of Elves around TLCB Towers, which they’re enjoying very much.

Eurobricks’ damjan97PL (aka damianPLE) is the builder responsible for this rare moment of Elven calm, thanks to his fully RC 50cm long flatbed truck. An L motor provides the drive, a Servo the steering, and an M motor operates the third axle lift system via a clutch.

It’s an excellent build and one that you can create for yourself as building instructions are available, although you probably don’t have any Elves to transport. Head to the Eurobricks discussion forum for all the details.

Mechanical ‘Mog

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LEGO’s enormous official 8110 Technic Mercedes-Benz Unimog is a wondrous thing, with an array of motorised functions alongside pneumatics. However, Technic models can be just as engaging even at the smaller, non-motorised end of the scale. Cue TLCB favourite Thirdwigg, who has created this ace Unimog U500 and packed it with functions, despite not a single motor being used in its construction.

Working steering, four wheel drive, suspension, and a four-cylinder engine all feature, as do a front and rear PTO (selectable via a pneumatic switch and turned when the model is pushed along), a front winch, a tilting cab, and a three-way tipping bed, all powered by hand.

There’s more to see of Thirdwigg’s excellent fully mechanical Unimog at his ‘Unimog U500′ album, where a link to a video of the model in action can also be found. Click the link above to take a look!

Blacktron’s Back!*

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Blacktron, one of our favourite of LEGO’s classic space themes, have quietly bubbled along since their official dissolution several decades ago. Quietly no more it would seem though, thanks to Flickr’s Frombol and his spectacular Blacktron fighter. Suitably cunning techniques have been used throughout the build and there’s more to see (plus a link to building instructions) at Frombol’s photostream. Click the link above to make the jump!

*Today’s title song. Kinda.

Cyberbike

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‘Twenty twenty one’ sounds futuristic doesn’t it! What better way to kick off the new year then, than with this cyberpunk streetbike by Flickr’s Oscar Cederwall. Entitled the ‘Zyrkowski Surge X500’, which admittedly does sound a bit washing machiney, Oscar’s sci-fi motorcycle was suggested to us by a reader, and it’s earned its appearance here by the utterly ingenious use of an upside-down passenger train part alone. There’s more to see of Oscar’s brilliant bike on Flickr – click the link above to take a peek into the future.

Scrapheap

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Short of a dumpster fire, if there’s an image more suited to summarising 2020 than this we’re yet to see it. Faber Mandragore‘s scrapyard is a fitting way to end probably the weirdest year of modern times; a huge pile of broken junk largely consigned to the bin. And on that happy note we’ll sign out for 2020. See you all in 2021!

VeeDub WooWoo

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Ah, LEGO’s ‘Light & Sound’ system. Before Control+ Apps, Code Pilots, and third-party SBricks, a simple 2×2 brick with a little battery in it that went either ‘Niiii!’ or ‘Wooo!’ depending which way it was turned was the only thing available. And it was marvellous. If a little annoying for every parent of a child that owned one.

Ralph Savelsberg has dug out his thirty-year-old LEGO ‘Light & Sound’ bricks to fit them to his thoroughly modern Miniland scale Dutch police Volkswagen Transporter, and they duly give it ‘Niiii!’ and ‘Wooo!’ abilities as well* as they did to models three decades ago!

Ralph hasn’t left it there either, installing a Power functions remote control drivetrain to his Transporter, cunningly concealed in the back.

There’s more to see of Ralph’s excellent ‘Niiii’-ing and ‘Wooo’-ing Dutch police van on Flickr. Click the link above to annoy your parents.

*’Well’ is a relative term.

2020 | Year in Review

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Well that was awful wasn’t it. As TLCB’s home nation plunges into another lockdown, the health services are overwhelmed with Coronavirus cases, and President Trump barricades himself in the oval office, 2021 looks to be carrying on where 2020 is leaving off.

Still, here at The Lego Car Blog, things have been alright…

Stats:

After two years of reducing views, 2020 saw a surge in visitors, taking us back towards the million a year mark. We know people have been bored during lockdowns but there are surely much better places to visit than here!

The U.S remains the top nation for visitors, with more than twice as many of you joining us from America than the next nearest country, despite us annoying a few of you by mentioning some of the U.S’s foibles. Visitors from over two-hundred and twenty other nations visited over the course of 2020, and if you’re the one visitor from Christmas Island, Sierra Leone, Tonga, Samoa, or Gabon an extra warm welcome to you!

Search Engines and Pinterest were the largest source of referrals, with our Review Library and The Rise and Fall of MOCpages receiving the most visits.

Oh yeah, if a killer virus, the undermining of American democracy, and race-related riots weren’t enough, 2020 also saw the surprise deletion of MOCpages. Once the bastion of creation-sharing online, Sean Kenney decided to delete the site without warning, taking with it countless creations and duly collecting the ‘Villain of the Year’ trophy in the process.

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After years of changing virtually nothing about this site whatsoever, our hand was forced in 2020 as our un-supported platform finally crapped out on us. Cue a shiny new platform that looks exactly like the old one, except with a proper side bar for advertisements.

We then displayed all the intelligence of an anti-vaccine group by clicking these ads to check they were OK and not leading anywhere unpalatable, and consequently got frozen by Google. Whoopsie. Anyway, they should be back soon, and the revenue they generate will continue to go to good causes that need it more than we do, only now the cheques will be much larger!

Competitions & Reader Contributions:

With many of you stuck inside during 2020’s various COVID-19 lock-downs it was the perfect time to hold a competition that we’d been mulling over for some time: Take a set you already own, and turn it into something new. The Lego Car Blog Lock-Down B-Model Competition was a roaring success, with over forty creations making the shortlist to win an awesome array of prizes from our sponsors. It was seriously close at the top, with about seven creations separated by only one or two points! Much arguing later and we had our Winner and Runner-Up, who each received some properly good SBrick Bluetooth Controller packs.

We also opened our Review Library up to our readers via our Facebook page, with several of you joining us to review official LEGO sets, and to take home some free (apart from writing a review of course) Game of Bricks lighting kits.

2021:

As we move into 2021 we’re still here to blog the best Lego vehicles that the web has to offer. We know 2020 has been exceptionally hard for thousands of you, and sadly 2021 looks to be no better at the moment, despite the promise of a Coronavirus vaccine. However, we hope LEGO can still be a source a joy, and that this crummy little corner of the internet provides an escape every once in a while.

Remember that you can suggest a creation to appear here via the Contact or Submission Suggestions pages (just make sure you read our Submission Guidelines first), you can leave a comment on any page via the feedback box, even if it’s to tell us we’re idiots, and that your views and clicks really do make a difference, particularly once we’re off the naughty step and adverts reappear, with all the revenue earned here at TLCB going to good causes.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year, and a better 2021 for all of humankind

TLCB Team

LEGO Technic 2021 | Set Previews*

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*OK, the shortest and most underwhelming Technic Set Preview ever, but only because we’ve already revealed the 42122 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 42125 Ferrari 488 GTE, 42123 McLaren Senna GTR, and 42118 & 42119 Monster Jam trucks.

That leaves the two entry points to the 2021 Technic range, 42116 Skid Steer Loader and 42117 Race Plane, each consisting of around 150 pieces, aimed at ages 7+, and costing under $10.

Both look pretty reasonable too, each managing to be realistic and functional, with the Loader including two gear-driven functions (arm elevation and bucket tilt), and the Race Plane’s propeller being driven by the landing gear.

No, that’s not much, but at the age and price point they’re worthy additions to the Technic range, effectively teaching gearing and levers to younger builders. Good job LEGO, and there are still two more sets to come later in Q1…

Smokey and the Bandit | Picture Special

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This is a Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am, a car made famous by the ’77 movie ‘Smokey and the Bandit’, and possibly the only car in history to look kinda-cool with pin-striping. Plus a giant flaming bird motif of course.

This exceptional 1:8 recreation of the American icon is the work of Chris Radbone of Flickr, who has not only replicated the exterior of the ’77 Trans-Am beautifully, complete with pin-striping and giant flaming bird motif, his model is a qualified Technic Supercar underneath.

A Technic frame holds a working V8 engine, all-wheel suspension, functioning steering, and a D-N-R gearbox, all of which are concealed behind the wonderfully accurate Model Team exterior.

It’s a great way to finish the year and there’s more to see of Chris’s superb ’77 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am ‘Bandit’ at his photostream. Click here to make the jump to Flickr for the complete gallery of images, here to see the Smokey and the Bandit movie trailer in which this car stars, and we’ll be back soon with our 2020 round-up.

368-F40

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LEGO’s new Speed Champions canopy has popped up all over the place since its release on the the 75890 Ferrari F8 set. It looks great in many applications, and this superb Ferrari F40 continues that trend. Builder barneius has used 368 pieces to create his Speed Champions F40 making his design an easy one to recreate at home. Instructions are available so you can do just that and you can find out more via the link!

Escape to the Wilds

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2020 has been a weird year. By ‘weird’, we mean ‘total crap’, and thus we completely understand those who choose to leave it all behind and head out into the wilderness.

Two of the best vehicles for ‘overlanding’, as it is known, are the Toyota 4Runner and Jeep Wrangler, recreated here brilliantly in mini-figure scale by Christian Cowgill of Flickr. Well, we say ‘overlanding’, but the Jeep does look to have an enormous gun on the roof, so maybe these mini-figures are expecting something a bit more end-timesy than a trip the wilderness would first suggest.

They’re probably right too.

Join us preparing for the inevitable apocalypse at Christian’s photostream via the link above.