Digital Doodoo

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Our workers may be mythical creatures, but their turds sure aren’t. And that doesn’t even make any sense. Fortunately a reader has suggested this robotic street sweeper, which looks just the thing for removing Elf droppings for TLCB Towers. Finn Roberts (aka ORION_brick) is the builder, or rather ‘designer’ as this is a digital creation, although so good is the render it’s very hard to tell. There’s more to see of Finn’s cyberpunky cleaning robot on Flickr – click the link above sweep the streets on 2077.

Windy Rear

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Yes we’ve opened this post with a fart joke. Named after a hot wind, Volkswagen’s Scirocco took the successful Golf GTI recipe and coupe-d it, creating a quick and light front-wheel-drive two-door.

Like the Golf GTI on which it was based, the Scirocco was an excellent car, but it would be even more excellent if it were rear-wheel-drive (ah, now the title makes sense! Ed.). Cue Danifill of Eurobricks, who has built this rather neat looking Volkswagen Scirocco MKII, fitted remote control drive and steering via bluetooth (thanks to a BuWizz battery), and sent the power to the rear wheels.

Of course that is an easier way to build an RC Lego car, but it also means Danifill’s Scirocco can drift! There’s more to see at the Eurobricks forum here, where you can watch a video of Danifill’s RWD Scirocco getting far more sideways than the real car ever could.

Rambo Lambo

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The Urus is not Lamborghini’s first SUV. But it is their ugliest, which is something we suppose. No, back in the late 1980s, the maddest of all the car manufacturers decided to do something even madder than usual, and built a military-grade, V12 engined off-roader.

Nicknamed the ‘Rambo Lambo’ (younger readers, ask your parents), the LM002 featured the 5.2 litre engine from the Countach up front, although if you liked to literally burn money you could order the LM002 with Lamborghini’s 7.2 litre engine that had – up until that point – been reserved for Class 1 offshore powerboats.

A tubular frame with riveted aluminium panels, all wheel drive, 169 litre fuel tank, and specially developed Pirelli run-flat tyres designed specifically for use on hot sand where also included, which gives a clue as to who Lamborghini was pitching the LM002 at.

However even if you’e not an oil sheik, you can still own a Lamborghini LM002, courtesy of previous bloggee filsawgood and this spectacular fully RC Technic recreation.

Powered by four L Motors with Servo steering, filsawgood’s incredible Technic replica of Lamborgini’s wildest car can be controlled via bluetooth thanks to a third-party BuWizz bluetooth battery, which can also up the power to the motors by a factor of eight versus LEGO’s own Power Functions battery.

All-wheel-drive with planetary hubs, independent suspension, opening doors and hood, a brilliantly detailed interior, and a V12 piston engine all feature, and there’s more to see of filsawgood’s astonishing Lamborghini LM002 on Flickr via the link above, where yes – a link to instructions can also be found!

Medium ‘Mog Magnificence

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LEGO’s 8110 Technic Mercedes-Benz Unimog set earned a stellar 9/10 review here at The Lego Car Blog. With working steering, suspension, engine, all-wheel-drive with portal axles, Power Functions motors, and pneumatics, it’s one of the finest sets in Technic history. However, as is often the way, you guys can do even better.

This is MajklSpajkl’s Mercedes-Benz Unimog U400, and it’s around half the size of the official 8110 set. And yet, even more incredible functions are squeezed inside.

Like the official LEGO set, MajkleSpajkl’s Unimog features all-wheel-drive with portal axles and three differentials, in this case linked to both a four-cylinder piston engine and an XL Motor that provides the model with drive. A Servo controls the steering, simultaneously turning the steering wheel, whilst a Medium Motor drives both the front and rear power take-offs.

A further L Motor powers a pneumatic compressor for the attachment functions, and can also tilt the rear bed (if fitted) in three directions. We write ‘if fitted’, because as per the real Unimog, MajklSpajkl’s creation can be equipped with a variety of attachments, with a tilting bed, front winch, rear-mounted crane, double-auger gritter, and snow plough variously pictured here.

Both the crane and snow plough movements are controlled via pneumatics, pressurised via the on-board compressor, whilst the PTOs provide motorised drive to the crane’s rotating turntable and outriggers, and the gritter’s rotating dispenser respectively. Not only that, but the cab doors open, the cab itself can tilt, and there’s a front mounted winch option, again motorised via a PTO.

All the above are controlled via a BuWizz Bluetooth battery, allowing the U400 to be operated via mobile phone, and there’s lots more to see of MajklSpajkl’s incredible (and beautifully presented) creation at the Eurobricks forum. Click here to take a closer look at one of the best Technic models of 2020.

RRRNEEEUUUURRGGGHHHHH!

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It’s said that pictures say a thousand words. This picture only says one though, and that word is ‘RRRNEEEUUUURRGGGHHHHH!’

Flickr’s Johnni D is the builder behind it, with a little photographic help from a fellow Flickr-er, and there’s more to see of his ’33 Ford hot rod via the link above.

The Moneylorian

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Props to Disney. After buying Lucasfilm for $4 billion in 2012, they have cranked out Star Wars movies to capitalise on their investment, with additions to the main storyline, spin-offs, and now a TV series, all with essentially the same plot.

Still, we do keep watching them, because pew pew pew! This is one of Disney’s newest additions, and one we haven’t seen, because well… it’ll be the same as all the others and there’s already plenty of pew pew pew in those.

From what we can tell ‘The Mandalorian’ seems to have been devised primarily to sell a toy of a green alien with poor sentence structure, but it has resulted in this rather magnificent creation from Flickr’s Jerac.

Entitled the ‘Razor Crest’, it sounds like a combination of things you’d find in your bathroom, but Google assures us it’s a gunship used by Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin, which gets destroyed during a skirmish on Tython. That may have been a spoiler.

Anyway, Jerac’s spectacular Razor Crest build took five months and around five thousand pieces to create, and it looks simply wonderful photographed on the sand with a few LEGO plant stalks poking through as in the images here.

A three seat cockpit, opening hatches and doors, and internal lighting are all included, and there’s loads more to see at Jerac’s photostream via the link above, where – sticking with the cashing-in theme – Jerac will soon add a link to building instructions available to buy, so that you can build your own Razor Crest at home.

I Can’t Hear You, There’s a Helicopter

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President Trump is going to have to return to his own helicopter from February. Whilst we’re sure this will still offer plenty of toupee-glue testing moments, incoming President Joe Biden’s numerous cosmic alterations seem not to include a wig, more’s the pity.

Anyhoo, whichever cosmetically enhanced face is in the White House, it will be flown about in this, the specially adapted Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King ‘Marine One’.

Often a feature on the White House lawn, doing its best to drown out whatever spur-of-the-moment nonsense is being spouted to the press, Marine One has been a Presidential fixture for decades, with almost twenty (Marine One and Twos) in operation the current Presidential fleet.

This superb mini-figure replica of the world’s most famous helicopter comes from BigPlanes of Flickr, who has recreated the real VH-3D Marine One beautifully, including custom decals and a fully-fitted interior, although there’s no angry orange mini-figure shouting from underneath it, which is surely a missed opportunity.

No matter, there’s more to see of BigPlanes’ creation at his ‘LEGO VH-3D Marine One’ album on Flickr, plus you can find his amazing previously blogged recreation of Air Force One by clicking here.

What the Frack?

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This is a Tatra T815-7 10×10. Plus a few other things.

Built in collaboration across five companies and two continents, this remarkable machine is a mobile fracking rig, capable of extracting shale gas from deep inside the earth. The base is a Tatra T815-7 10×10 off-road truck, powered – in this case – by a six thousand horsepower diesel engine mounted behind the cab.

The reason for all that power is what is you can see at the rear of the vehicle, a GD-2500 Quintiplex well-pump constructed by American pump specialists Gardner Denver – itself rated at 2,500bhp – used to propel a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into the well to force the shale gas to the surface.

The engine powering this pump comes from German company MTU, whose designs are more normally associated with ships than land-based vehicles, with a Czech Talosa auxiliary gearbox allowing the twelve cylinder diesel to drive both the pump and the truck itself.

Cylinder deactivation drops the power for driving the truck, so you don’t have 6,000bhp to play with (although that does sound like it would be fun), with this ‘one engine’ solution and the vehicle superstructure created by engineering company M.G. Bryan Equipment.

It’s an amazing real-world vehicle, recreated here in LEGO form (and to an equally amazing standard) by Pavol Vanek aka Paliason. Measuring a metre long and weighing 8kg, Pavol’s brick-built replica of the M.G. Bryan ‘Percheron’ Tatra T815-7 is a huge creation, and it features a host of impressively engineered features underneath the superbly well executed Model Team exterior.

A complete 10×10 chassis, with nine differentials, full suspension, and steering on the first, second, fourth and fifth axles accurately replicates the real truck, with the steering alone driven by four linear actuators and an XL Motor.

A working twelve-cylinder piston engine sits behind the cab, LEDs illuminate the head and taillights, and there are opening doors and control panel covers.

It’s a phenomenal recreation of a unique real-world vehicle, and there’s loads more of Pavol’s astonishing model to see at both Flickr and the Eurobricks discussion forum. Click here to visit Pavol’s ‘M.G. Bryan ‘Percheron’ – Tatra T815-7 10×10′ album on Flickr, and here to visit Eurobricks where full details of the model, the real truck, and how it is used to frack for shale gas, can be found.

Hook & Tipper

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The Elven experiments are continuing here at TLCB Towers, as we move on from hoisting Elves via a remote control forklift to seeing how many can fit inside the container of Vladimir Drozd‘s excellent Scania P440 hook-lift truck.

They are – so far – willing participants, but they’re yet to discover that Vladimir’s model uses a motor-driven liner actuator to tip the container, not that we’re about to use it to tumble them into a washing-up bowl of soapy water…

Four wheel steering, working suspension, a functioning hook-lift, and a drawbar trailer are also included, and you can see more of all of that on Flickr via the link above, whilst we surprise-bath an undetermined number of Elves.

The Colour of Money

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Since when did fast Mercedes become so obnoxious? Even the badges shout loudly (and inaccurately), with C’63’ referring to an engine size Mercedes-Benz no longer makes. They couldn’t make the number smaller (and truer) though, because well… then it would be smaller.

Fast Mercedes also tend to be painted in stupid colours these days, with unnecessarily large exhausts, showy ‘aero’, and blingy wheels, conveying the taste of the nouveau riche douchbages that think they’re the coolest thing ever.

This is Lachlan Cameron’s C63 AMG, complete with a stupid colour, unnecessarily large exhausts, showy ‘aero’, and blingy wheels, and we think it’s the coolest thing ever.

Resplendent in lime green, Lachlan’s C63 captures the real car brilliantly, and features the complete set of Technic Supercar functions underneath, including a working V8 engine, suspension, LED lights, remote control drive and steering, and much more besides.

There’s more of Lachlan’s impressive build to see at his ‘Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG’ album on Flickr. Join us and the other nouveau riche douchebags there via the link above!

A Good Forking

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It’s not all super cars and drag racers here at The Lego Car Blog. Mostly, but not all.

This is Shimon‘s remote control Technic forklift, and it’s excellent. A suite of Power Functions motors deliver drive, steering, lift raising/lowering, and tilt, with the latter two clutched to ensure smooth operation.

Half a kilogram can be lifted, which equates to about four TLCB Elves by our experiments, and there’s more of the model to see on Eurobricks. Get forked via the link above.

Technic Tributo

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LEGO’s new for 2021 Technic sets look rather good from the outside, with no less than three officially-licensed real-world vehicles revealed so far. However, whilst attention has been paid to decals and exterior design, many are a bit light on actual technical functions. Boo.

Proving you can do both in a mid-size model is paave, who has recreated Ferrari’s amazing F8 Tributo in Technic form, and not only does it look great, it’s packed with features too.

Despite the relatively small size paave’s F8 includes all-wheel independent suspension, a working V8 engine, ‘Hand of God’ steering, adjustable seats, and opening doors, hood and engine cover. Which is more than LEGO’s own 42125 Ferrari 488 GTE AF CORSE set.

You can check out all of those features on Eurobricks and via the video below, both of which include links to building instructions should you wish to build this F8 Tributo for yourself, plus you can see LEGO’s offically-licensed 76895 Speed Champions version of the F8 by clicking here.

YouTube Video

Fifteen Horsepower of Fun

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We’ve featured some very cool, very fast motorbikes here over the years. The Honda Mini Trail ‘Monkey Bike’ is not one of them.

However we would take this diminutive 125cc practical joke of a motorcycle over literally any other two-wheeled machine, because it’s hilarious.

Powered by a 15bhp 125cc engine (or engines even smaller), Honda’s Mini Trail is not going to win any off-road competitions, but it going to make the rider look very funny, and that’s reason enough for us to love it.

This near-perfect Technic replica of the Mini Trail 125cc comes from ianying616, and we can confirm that with a TLCB Elf strapped atop, it’s just as funny as the real thing. Click the link above for 125cc of fun!

Dodgy Restomod

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Despite the title this is not a badly-restored classic, ‘repaired’ in Billy-Bob’s garage in the hope of making a quick buck. No, restomods, when done well, are rather excellent, bringing modern tech (cooling systems, brakes, suspension etc.) to cars from a very different era of performance. Flickr’s Brick Flag has turned his very capable hand to restomoding his own ’60s Dodge A100 model, in the final of his five ‘forward-control’ classic vans. There’s more to see of Brick’s excellent creation on Flickr via the link above, and you can see all five brilliant classic vans side-by-side by clicking here.

Centodieci

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This is the Bugatti Centodieci, a Chiron-based, $9million, 10 unit hypercar. But if you’re a bit short of $9m, Fabrice Larcheveque has the answer. Suggested by a reader, Fabrice’s Speed Champions version of the Centodieci captures the real car rather well, despite wheels that are Speed-Champions-but-not-hypercar appropriate, and there’s more to see on Flickr via the link.