Social Distancing

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In these times of social distancing, escaping to a campsite seems pretty tempting. Except it would likely be full of vloggers in Volkswagen Campers eating all-natural-ethnically-sourced-peace-crisps and claiming positive energy can cure Coronavirus whilst never being further than five feet from wifi.

Real wanderers forgo Instagram-friendly VW’s and #vanlife for far more practical vehicles, like this magnificent Ford Transit Mk2 camper, something this TLCB writer hasn’t seen in years but recognised immediately from this brilliant mini-figure recreation by Flickr’s November Juliett.

Hardly any Mk2 Transits have survived, because they were used hard, were never on trend, and were therefore pretty much worthless after a few years. Which makes them infinitely cooler than another $25,000 Volkswagen inhabited by people claiming they’ve given up materialism.

Head into the wilderness for some proper social distancing courtesy of November’s superb Ford Transit Camper via the link above.

Lamborghini Centenario | Picture Special

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This amazing model is a 1:8 scale replica of Lamborghini’s ultra-limited Centenario hypercar, a V12-engined 760bhp celebration of what would have been their founder’s 100th birthday, sold by invitation only to just forty of the brand’s most discerning (read ‘wealthy’) customers.

Unless you’re one of those forty (let us know if you are!) you’ll probably never even see a Centenario, let alone drive one, but today we can offer you the chance to own one for yourself, as yup – this incredible recreation of Lamborghini’s exclusive hypercar can be built at home from standard LEGO pieces (although the model pictured here is enhanced with some 3D-printed rims and bespoke decals).

It comes from T Lego of Eurobricks, who has replicated not just the Centenario’s wild exterior but has also accurately recreated the engineering within too, and has released instructions so can can create your very own Centenario at home. We suspect this might take the total number built a bit above forty…

The bright blue exterior is superbly accurate and includes an opening hood and engine cover, opening scissor doors (controlled by a HOG mechanism), and a raising rear spoiler (also deployed via HOG).

Inside T Lego’s Centenario he’s created an accurate interior with a working steering wheel controlling the front wheels, and a working 7-speed sequential gearbox, controlled via the centre console. A V12 piston engine is turned via an all-wheel-drive system complete with three differentials, whilst all four wheels also feature clever pushrod inboard suspension, making the model every bit as technically advanced as the real car.

There’s much more of T Lego’s spectacular Technic Supercar to see at the Eurobricks discussion forum via the link above, where you can read full build details, view a video of the model’s features, and find a link to building instructions so you can build your very own.

Technic 42107 Ducati Panigale V4 R | Set Preview

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Our Elves have been sneaking! This is the brand new for 2020 Technic 42107 Ducati Panigale V4 R, uncovered by one of our smelly little workers deep inside The LEGO Company’s HQ.

Joining the superb 42063 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure set, 42107 becomes the second officially-licensed Technic motorcycle and about the fiftieth real-world vehicle to join LEGO’s line up from the ever-expanding Volkswagen empire, which includes Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche, Bugatti, and Volkswagen themselves.

With 646 pieces, the new 42107 Ducati Panigale V4 R is fairly parts-intensive for a bike, with several pieces making their debut on this set too – just look at those lovely telescopic front forks! Detail also continues to be high, with a new windshield faring, disc brakes, complex exhaust, and accurate decals.

Underneath the superbly realistic exterior 42107 includes some proper Technic functionality too, with steering, front and rear suspension (the front via those new telescopic dampers), a V4 engine, and – for the first time on a Technic motorcycle – a gearbox, in this case offering two speeds.

The new 42107 Technic Ducati Panigale V4 R will be available to buy from June 1st 2020, is expected to cost around $60, and we think it’s absolutely superb.

Forty Eight

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This beautiful (and beautifully presented) Harley Davidson Forty Eight was discovered by one our Elves on Flickr today. Superbly recreated and photographed on a matching monochrome background (FLAVIO) has created some of the finest Lego imagery we’ve featured this year. Head to (FLAVIO)’s photostream via the link above to see more.

The Lawmen are Crooks, the Good Guys are Outlaws and Ever’body’s In-Laws!

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We didn’t get ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ here in TLCB’s home nation, but we wish we had. After all, what’s not to like about a Dodge Charger jumping over  a river, a tractor, a train, a barn, a truck full of outhouses, a truck full of barrels… you get the idea.

Unfortunately this meant hundreds of ’69 Dodge Chargers – now incredibly valuable cars – were sacrificed in the name of entertainment, but they were a bit less valuable in the ’70s and ’80s.

Flickr’s Chris Radbone has put one back though, with his enormous Model Team recreation of the Duke Boys’ ’69 Dodge Charger ‘General Lee’, complete with working steering, a V8 engine, a 5-speed gearbox, and authentic ’01’ decals and flag-with-slightly-racist-connotations on the roof.

His near 8kg model also includes working suspension, so presumably he can jump it over various household obstacles in proper ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ fashion. Head to Chris’ photostream to join the good ‘ol boys!

Big Man

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Remote control enormity is the order of the day here at TLCB, as today’s second creation is also packed with Power Functions motors. In fact both are, as this is two amazing models in one, with a BuWizz-controlled MAN F2000 EVO pulling a giant SBrick-controlled Tiefbettauflieger trailer (complete with LEGO’s superb 42030 Technic Volvo L350F set as load). Each is the work of Bricks_n_Trucks of Flickr and each is a stunning showcase for how realistic Lego building can get. Click the link above to make the jump to Bricks_n_Trucks’ photostream for more.

Steam Powered Smushery

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This is an 1857 Blackburn Agricultural Engine, and steampunky as it may appear, this really was a working* steam-powered traction engine, complete with a boiler and two-cylinder steam engine mounted inside the enormous front wheel.

Recreating this Victorian oddity is Nikolaus Lowe, who has not only replicated the Blackburn’s remarkable appearance, he’s included Power Functions motors so that his version can trundle around too. Only it’s likely geared much higher than the real thing was, as Nikolaus’ model is much too fast for a steam traction engine. This may not be Victorian-authentic, but it sure pleased the Elf that found it…

Sitting atop its find, the aforementioned Elf trundled into the Elves’ cage room and simply flattened those that were milling about on the floor, so evenly and precisely they could have been cookie cut-outs. Thank the Blackburn’s huge heavy drum for that neatness. Pressed Elves do not produce wine as it turns out, just vomit and other bodily fluids, so we’ve got some cleaning up to do. Whilst we get on with that you can check out more of Nikolaus’ amazing machine on Flickr – click the link above to take a look.

*No proof exists today, but there is a photo of an updated version from the 1860s, so we like to think this really did work.

Ridonkulous

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We don’t understand Donks here at TLCB. But we don’t need to, as car culture is a wonderfully diverse club in which all niches are good. OK, almost all niches (we’re looking at you Mansory). Anyhoo, this ridonkulous creation comes from previous bloggee Tim Henderson who has throughly donked a classic sedan. See more at his photostream via the link!

The Garbage Man Can!

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Who can take your trash out?
Stomp it down for you?
Shake the plastic bag and do the twisty thingy too?
The Garbage Man!
Oh the Garbage Man can!

Oh yeah, this excellent Town-scale garbage truck comes from TLCB regular de-marco, and there are instructions available too. Head to Flickr to find out more. Now, where were we?…

The Garbage Man can
And he does it with a smile and never judges you…

LEGO 10271 Creator Expert Fiat 500 | Review

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What’s up guys, this is Balazs from RacingBrick. As you might know, Technic is my favourite LEGO theme but today’s set comes from a different lineup. We’ve seen many iconic cars being released with the Creator Expert badge in the past few years, and the newest one in the family is no exception; say hello to the 10271 Fiat 500!

The box has the usual characteristics of the Creator Expert sets, fairly big but thin. On the front you see the car in a beautiful Italian sunset in front of the Colosseum, and there’s also a nice painting commemorating the exact same scene. On the back you’ll find closeups of the details and the different features.

The set has 960 pieces and cost $89.99 / €79.99 when it launched on March 1st this year. There are 9 numbered bags in the box split into 3 phases, plus there’s a separate bag for the fabric sunroof, and you’ll find the instruction manual with the sticker sheet in another plastic bag.

The manual thankfully follows the tradition of the previous Creator Expert vehicles and provides some extra details and information at the beginning, which I think adds a lot to the building experience. As a nice gesture the text is in English and in Italian, we get some information about the history of Fiat, the birth of this specific model, and the design process of the LEGO model.

Total building time was around 1h and 45 minutes, and the 3 phases within this are more or less distributed equally.

The building process starts with a studded Technic frame, and it has some interesting connections reinforcing the structure. The axles are totally fixed, meaning there’s no suspension – which is not a surprise in a Creator set – but unfortunately no steering either, which was kind of expected as the recent Ford Mustang set included this.

10271 does include an engine that’s a pretty accurate representation of the original one, with some interesting part usage including a black head piece and a flower. The designer also did a great job at the rear of the car, where the real 500’s curved panels are replicated with straight elements, but the whole panel sits on hinges so the shape of the model is a faithful representation of the original car.

Bag 1 finishes with the seat holders being attached to the floor along with the gear shifter, the handbrake and some other accessories, and finally the basic structure of the front bumper.

The front seats follow, built after the rear ones, and there’s a very interesting piece used to connect them to the floor (centre). I’ve never seen this brick before, although I have to admit I’ve never built a Unikitty or Nexo Knights set where it is also available.

Next comes the dashboard with the fuel tank behind it, including a steering wheel with a cool printed Fiat logo. The doors follow and are actually quite complex with lots of details; I really like the ice skate piece as the door handle. There are again some clever building techniques used to connect the different curved parts, and the result is very nice with the doors opening well, despite a small but acceptable gap at the top.

The next item is the rear window, which is quite interesting because it’s actually a regular window used in many City sets, but this time fitted sideways. It might be confusing at first sight as the bottom doesn’t have the same smooth surface as on the top, but when it is built into the model this won’t be visible.

Finally with bag 3 we finish the front of the car with the brick-built logo and another printed tile. The front wheel arches have a similar structure to the rear ones, connecting with hinges to the rest of the body.

After the hood the curved side windows are added, which first appeared in the Manchester United set introduced recently. The roof includes a fabric sunroof, and although the structure appears a bit flimsy before putting it in place it works well.

The final components fitted are the spare tyre, license plates, (with a choice of three, one for Italy, one for Denmark, and one for Germany), the luggage rack (with suitcase), and lastly with the shiny metallic wheel covers the car is finished.

So here’s the finished car! I’d say the overall shape is a faithful representation of the original one, considering the limitation of the available bricks. The colour is an interesting and unusual choice, I wasn’t a fan at first sight but it definitely looks better than the standard LEGO yellow.

I read some complaints online about a few missing details, the most frequently mentioned of which was a missing side view mirror. It is quite interesting because if you have a look at the old photos in the instruction manual, the cars shown don’t actually have a side view mirror. In fact the original car did not have a factory installed side view mirror, it being an optional accessory that only became obligatory in Italian law in 1977. (Plus Italian drivers never use them anyway – Ed.)

So, what is my conclusion? I think the Fiat 500 was a great choice for the Creator Expert line, it is truly an iconic car and the LEGO version is instantly recognizable. The added extras are also really nice, enhancing a great building experience for a reasonable price. My only complaint is the lack of steering – after the excellent 10265 Ford Mustang I was really hoping to see a functional steering wheel in the next Creator Expert car as well.

Overall; 8/10. Recommended.

…

Thank you to Balazs from RacingBrick for joining us here at to review the new 10271 Creator Expert Fiat 500 set. You can check out the excellent RacingBrick website by clicking here.

The Other M3

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This is not a fast, irritatingly driven yet excellent German sports saloon, but it is an M3. Constructed by Spain’s awesome indigenous heavy duty truck maker Uro, the M3 is the military version of their F3 civilian truck, deployed by Spain’s ‘Military Emergencies Unit’ (UME) in disaster relief within the country and abroad. Which makes it probably the very opposite of its BMW namesake in terms of worthiness.

This superb Technic replica of the Uro M3 in complete UME specification comes from corujoxx of Eurobricks, who is using his time in coronavirus lock-down to pay tribute to his country’s frontline workers, such as those manning its Uro M3s.

A working winch and working suspension feature and there’s more to see of his excellent model at the Eurobricks forum – click the link above to take a look.

Time for Trumpton

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From a British thing that’s pretty scary to a British thing that’s… definitely not. Sounding like what Donald Trump might call the White House, ‘Trumpton’ was a delightful 1960s stop-motion animation set in fictional English town, whose most recognisable feature was perhaps their fire brigade, formed of Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub.

We’re not sure why the twins Pugh and Pugh had the same name, perhaps because they couldn’t be told apart, or why only Barney got a surname, but they were all marvellous nonetheless. This brilliant Lego recreation of Trumpton’s fire brigade is as delightful as the one found in the stop-motion TV series and it comes from Jason Briscoe of Flickr, who has managed to accurately portray the fire station, fire engine, and members of the fire brigade too.

Take a trip into Trumpton courtesy of Jason via the link above!

Typhoon

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This is a Eurofighter ‘Typhoon’, a multirole fighter developed across several countries in Europe. The UK is the largest operator, and a key engineer of the aircraft, hence the ‘Typhoon’ bit added to the name, as UK military aircraft tend be named after violent weather.

This incredible recreation of an RAF Typhoon is the work of crash_cramer of Flickr, who has recreated the Eurofighter in 1:15 scale with stunning attention to detail. A vacuum-formed canopy and 3D-printed nosecone join the LEGO bricks that make up this metre long replica, which is complete with two Meteor and two Asraam air-to-air missiles plus six slightly terrifying Paveway IV laser guided bombs.

There’s much more of this spectacular (and huge) replica of one of the world’s most agile fighter jets at crash_cramer’s photostream – click the link above to make the jump.

Arctic Roll

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It’s been a while since the last Elven smushing. Today the familiar sounds of Elven screaming, followed by crunching noises, echoed down the corridor, and this TLCB writer wearily got to his feet to investigate. Powering across the carpet was this, Andrew Gurtovoy‘s 6×6 Arctic truck, inspired (loosely) by the LEGO City 60194 ‘Arctic Scout Truck’ set.

Considerably larger than its mini-figure scale inspiration, Andrew’s model packs in all-wheel-drive courtesy of three Buggy Motors, working suspension on all wheels, Servo steering, and a surprising top speed thanks to twin BuWizz bluetooth batteries.

After grabbing the truck as sped past, the Elf at the controls ran off, leaving us to tidy up as usual. Whilst we do that you can check out more of Andrew’s Arctic Truck in a fairly un-arctic looking setting via the link above.

Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione | Picture Special

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It’s time for a Picture Special here at the TLCB because this might just be our favourite creation of 2020 so far. This specular model is a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione, recreated in stunning detail by Manuel Cara of Flickr.

Manuel’s breathtaking replica of Ferrari’s early-’70s racing Daytona captures the real car with astonishing accuracy, including custom period-correct decals, a detailed engine bay underneath an opening hood, and a race-accurate interior inside opening doors.

Clever techniques are in abundance, particularly around the window frames, but our favourite pieces are those wonderful headlights. There’s more to see at Manuel’s Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione album on Flickr – click the link above to make the jump and join us there.