Mechanical Mehari

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Citroen are not known for their off-roaders. Ok, these days all they seem to make are – like every car company – SUVs, but they’re about as good off-road as Kim Kardashian is at plumbing.

However Citroen’s roots are far more off-roady than you might think; one of the 2CV’s key objectives was to cross a field without breaking any eggs.

And that’s where this comes in; the delightful 2CV-based Mehari.

Produced from the late ‘60s the Mehari was designed as a utilitarian two-wheel-drive off-roader (although four-wheel-drive versions followed) for civilian and military use, and – just like the models we have here – it was made out of plastic.

The models we have here come from TLCB favourite Nico71, who has recreated the Mehari beautifully in Technic form.

Nico’s design features steering, a removable roof, opening doors, hood and tailgate, and – most importantly – an accurate recreation of the Mahari’s superb suspension system.

There’s loads more to see of Nico’s wonderful build at his website by clicking here, where full details, an extensive image gallery, and building instructions are all available.

Extinction Rebellion

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What the…?

This TLCB Writer stepped into the office this morning to find a scene from a horror film.

Well, if you’re an Elf at least. For humans it just looked like someone had dealt with a rodent problem via one of those comedy mallets. Squashed Elves were everywhere; on the floor, against the walls, even on top of shoes left in the corridor. But what could cause such total Elven carnage?

The answer was to be found in the office where – lying crashed on its side – a tracked buggy lay dormant.

Marxpek’s Technic recreation of the Howe & Howe Ripsaw EV1 had caught and smushed almost every single Elf on the floor of TLCB Towers, methodically running them down until it finally overturned in the office, whereupon the Elf at the controls had fled into the night.

Powered by eight Buggy Motors and four BuWizz Bluetooth control bricks, we have never featured a creation as powerful as this one. Ever.

A trick suspension and a track tensioning system allow that ludicrous power to be deployed on any surface, making Marxpek’s Ripsaw the most capable off-road Lego creation yet.

The Elf responsible for last night’s mass extinction attempt will be back for a meal token later, giving us some time to patch up the wounded. In the meantime you can check out more about this incredible machine at the Eurobricks forum here, and you can get an idea of how it managed to dispatch so many Elves last night in the video below.

YouTube Video

Thunderbolt II

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One of the most ‘interesting’ looking aircraft, the A-10 Thunderbolt II is certainly a tricky beast to build in Lego. However we have our second Thunderbolt in a month today, as Flickr’s Lennart C (aka Everblack) has constructed this brilliant mini-figure scale version, complete with an array of wing-mounted weaponry. Head to Lennart’s photostream via the link above for all the photos.

Stagefright

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Produced by Hot Wheels from the late ’70s to early ’80s, ‘Stagefright’ brought Jack Keef’s 1849 Concord Stagecoach hot rod to bedroom floors everywhere. TLCB debutant Tony Bovkoon has brought it back, capturing the insanity of the Hot Wheels toy (and the real car on which it was based) beautifully in Model Team form. A flip body, mid-mounted V8, and some highly dubious ‘suspension’ all feature, and there’s more to see at Tony’s ‘Stagefright’ Flickr album via the link above.

Walking Through Flowers

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Pictured walking through flowers like some sort of mechanised hippy, Andreas Lenander‘s ‘Rankan – Tripod’ is well outside of the collective knowledge of TLCB staff. Whatever this is for though, it’s a thoroughly brilliant build. Click the link above to make the jump.

Ratatouille

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We like the look of Pat Lacroix’s garage! With a decidedly post-apocalyptic air Pat’s ‘Rat Trike‘ and ‘Rally Towing‘ manage to appear as if they’re assembled from junkyard parts and also look completely beautiful at the same time.

Superb parts usage and building techniques are in evidence throughout the models and you can see more of each bonkers build at Pat’s ‘Rate Trike’ and ‘Rally Towing’ albums on Flickr via the links above.

SpaceTruck!

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Benny has made a few modifications to his 1970 Chevrolet C10 pick-up truck…

Well, actually it’s only one modification, but if you look closely at the image above you might be able to spot it. That plasmawarpdrive9000* is sure to keep Benny smiling at the traffic light grand prix! The Chevy’s load capacity has been compromised somewhat though.

Flickr’s Pasq67 owns the mind behind this and there’s more to see at his SpaceTruck album via the link!

*Probably.

My Other Car’s a Beetle

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LEGO’s 10252 Creator Volkswagen Beetle set is not the first source of parts we’d think of when designing a truck. Resolutely rounded, and with a surfboard on the roof, it is a most un-truck-like vehicle. However that hasn’t stopped Flickr’s Serge S from designing this superb cab-over truck using only the parts found within the 10252 set.

So good is Serge’s design that had he not included a note to the parts source within the description we’d have published this without ever knowing the origin of its pieces. Head to Serge’s photostream via the link above to see more of this remarkable Alternate, and if you own the Creator Volkswagen Beetle set give it ago yourself and see how versatile LEGO bricks can be!

Girls und Panzer

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Just when you think anime can’t get any weirder… ‘Girls und Panzer‘ is a cartoon featuring girls and, er… panzers. Presumably to satisfy some seriously niche kinks.

This is one of the panzers from the aforementioned programme, a Porsche Tiger VK4501, a design put forward during the Second World War but never produced, which – given Porcshe’s already slightly dodgy beginnings – is probably a good thing.

This superbly photographed teddy-bear be-stickered Model Team version of the prototype battle tank is the work of newcomer NABLACKS, who has recreated the Tiger GuP.Ver in spectacular detail, and has equipped it with some properly brilliant functionality too…

Underneath the realistic exterior NABLACKS has fitted his Porsche Tiger with twelve (12!) Power Functions L motors, with six driving each track. Oscillating bogies provide the suspension whilst the turret can rotate and tilt courtesy of another two motors. All of that motorised goodness is controllable via bluetooth thanks to a trio of BuWizz 2.0 bricks, each delivering up to eight times the power of LEGO’s own Power Functions battery and IR receiver system.

This makes NABLACKS’ tank fast. Really fast. In fact there’s wasn’t a single Elf on the floor of the TLCB Towers still Elf-shaped within minutes of this arriving in the building.

You can see just how capable NABLACKS’ creation is via the video below (plus you can watch the ‘Girls und Panzer’ trailer video via the first link in the text if you’re feeling weird), and you can view more images of the build at both Flickr and Eurobricks, whilst we dispatch several flattened TLCB Elves to the ‘Elf Hospital‘…

YouTube Video

Bend City Auto

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We don’t often get to feature family builds here at TLCB, but today we can! This neat historic garage scene has been uploaded by Carrie Kokoska of Flickr who built this superb scene with her son, who was inspired by his grandpa’s vintage car garage. Based on an old pharmacy building in their town, the garage features a fully fitted interior (complete with lovely home-designed posters on the walls) and a funky hot rod. There’s more to see of the family build on Flickr via the link above, and you can vote for this garage to become an official LEGO set at the LEGO Ideas platform here.

Hummerat

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This is a Hummer rat rod, and it’s a vehicle is so manly that if you’re reading this and you’re a girl (what? We get girls here too) you’re probably pregnant. It’s based on a real car and comes from previous bloggee ianying616, who has used train doors, bendy pipes and a whole lot of black to recreate the insanity of the real vehicle. Head to Flickr via the link above to see all seventy-three (73!) images…

KAMAZ Flatbed

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Another day, another Elf returns to TLCB Towers with a find in the hope of getting fed. It has been too, as this Technic KAMAZ 43118 truck is thoroughly excellent. The Elven happiness has extended beyond the discoverer of this creation too, as there are currently several Elves riding around in the back of it.

Built by ArsMan064 (is there a theme with today’s builder names?) this KAMAZ 43118 flatbed includes a remote control drivetrain courtesy of LEGO’s Power Functions motors and a third-party SBrick bluetooth control. An XL motor provides the drive whilst two Medium motors power the steering and the front winch.

ArsMan has also given his model some brilliant suspension, with all six wheels able to articulate over rough ground or any Elf that gets in the way today, as well as opening cab doors and drop-sides for the truck’s flatbed.

There’s loads more to see of ArsMan’s KAMAZ at the Eurobricks forum via the link above, where a complete gallery of images, video of the model in action and a link to building instructions can all be found.

On Wings of Gold

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This a Honda Gold Wing GL 1800, and it has – despite quite clearly being a motorcycle – an engine twice the size and with twice the cylinders of the most popular cars in TLCB’s home nation.

The Gold Wing first arrived in 1974, being aimed squarely at the American touring market. In continuous production since, apart from in 2011 when production moved from the U.S. back to Japan, almost 650,000 Gold Wing motorcycles have been built, with the latest versions such as this GL 1800 featuring cruise control, a stereo, a reverse gear and even an airbag.

This brilliant Technic recreation of Honda’s fattest motorcycle comes from Fanylover of Eurobricks and like the real bike it’s packed with features, including a flat-6 piston engine, front and rear suspension, steering, and a two-speed gearbox.

Build details and more images, including photos of the frame construction, can be found at the Eurobricks forum. Click the link above to go touring.

Classic Car Garage

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After posting definitely Not a Car yesterday, here’s over a dozen! Ralph Savelsberg‘s brilliant expanding classic car garage includes some wonderful pieces of beautiful, historic and iconic American metal. And a Buick Roadmaster.

Many of the cars have featured here at The Lego Car Blog over the years and you can see more of Ralph’s scene at the Great Western Lego Show in the UK later this year, or on Flickr via the link above, which is probably more convenient.

Skyboat

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Sky-fi is a sub-genre of a sub-genre of which we know absolutely nothing. Like, why do things in the air need hulls? Because clouds are made of water maybe? Whatever the reason it’s still much too complicated for us here at TLCB, but sylon_tw’s ‘skyboat’ is lovely nonetheless. See more of his quirky cloud cruiser on Flickr via the link and we’ll be back tomorrow with some cars.