Fortunately not a Monday night in front of the tele with eighties’ comedy duo Syd and Eddie but a ravishingly beautiful, small-scale version of Lego’s 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Master interpreter of the Porsche in Lego form, Malte Dorowski is the creator of this 42056 in a smaller scale. Stay tuned to TLCB for another small version of 42056 tomorrow…
Thump. It was just before Christmas, and a brown package slammed onto the hallway floor of TLCB Towers. A dozen TLCB Elves immediately ran towards it, but thwarted by its weight were unable to make off with their prize. A lot of post goes missing here.
Fortunately this TLCB writer is considerably bigger than a TLCB Elf and thus was able to pick up said package and, with some Elves still attached, retreat to the TLCB ‘staffroom’ (an ancient sofa in the corner of the office).
Usually heavy packages received here at TLCB Towers are ‘Cease and Desist’ notifications wrapped around a breeze block from The Brothers Brick, but this time we had a present! No Starch Press; we like you!
No Starch have been in the Lego book game for a while, consistently churning out books about our favourite plastic building blocks for some years. Their latest publication is this, the 230-page ‘The Lego Trains Book‘ by Holger Matthes.
In compact landscape format and produced in No Starch’s usual glossy high quality form ‘The Lego Trains Book’ really is surprisingly heavy, but does the content live up to the cover?
‘The Lego Trains’ book begins, after a brief Forward and Acknowledgements section, with a chapter detailing the history of LEGO’s official Trains line, following the range from its beginnings in the 1960s, through the battery era, live rail era (this writer’s favourite), to the latest remote control Power Functions sets. It’s a comprehensive compilation of the LEGO Trains history and one that’s sure to be of interest to anyone who loves the theme, although it is perhaps a bit too in-depth for the more casual Lego builder.
Chapter two is entitled ‘Basic Principles’, and it’s brilliant. Detailing building techniques and parts ratios it’s perfect for any builder of any theme (not just Trains) looking to create more advanced Lego creations. Utilising well-chosen digital depictions the author makes even the more complex techniques easy to understand, and whilst these aren’t quite as high quality visually as LEGO’s own they are good enough to make for useful teaching-aids.
Chapters three and four build upon these techniques with practical application, detailing the considerations and choices available when designing your own train models. This is a very thorough chapter offering insights into a variety of scales, how to ensure models can handle tight corners, how to connect carriages to one another, how to create realistic steam train mechanisms and such like.
It’s a gloriously nerdy section and as such Holger includes links to third-party products and design software that can help a builder reach the utmost level of realism. This may be a bit too in-depth for most builders (ourselves included), but it’s usually better to have too much information than too little.
The final chapter, which at 100 pages long makes up nearly half the book, is where ‘The Lego Trains Book’ comes alive. Continue reading
There’s a lot of music this writer would like to have been old enough to hear first time around. Elton John’s ‘Nikita’ is not one of those songs.
Elton’s 1985 hit probably says something poignant about the Cold War and oppression behind the iron curtain, but to the casual observer it could appear as though he’s being chauffeured to a Communistical border post in a bright red Bentley just to mock those on the other side.
Whatever, this neat Lego replica of Elton’s Bentley Continental convertible – complete with Elton himself – comes from previous bloggee Ralph Savelsberg aka Mad Physicist and it’s a superb recreation of the car (which was Elton’s own) from the music video.
There’s lots more to see of the Bentley and Ralph’s other cars at his photostream via the link above, and you can try to work out what the hell Elton John is up to by clicking here.
This lovely classic cream pick-up truck comes from TLCB regular _Tiler, who proves you don’t need a billion bricks to appear here. See more on Flickr via the link.
Digging cats. It normally means they’re doing something horrible in your garden. Not today though, because this CAT 434E backhoe is something rather wonderful.
Built by Zbiczasty of Brickshelf it’s near a perfect functioning replica of Caterpillar’s real 4×4 backhoe, complete with no less than fourteen working functions.
The all-wheel-drive is remotely controlled, including remotely operable pneumatic differential locks, pendular front suspension, and three steering modes (front, all, and crab), exactly as per LEGO’s own brilliant 42054 Claas Xerion 5000 tractor set.
Of course there’s a working front loader – also powered by remotely controlled pneumatics – with both bucket and boom movement, and a fiendishly complicated pneumatic backhoe with five different movements from elevation to slewing.
Finally there are pneumatic stabiliser legs mounted at the rear and a suite of LED lights. It’s a remarkable machine and one of the most realistically engineered Lego creations that we’ve ever come across.
There’s a whole lot more to see of Zbiczasty’s Caterpillar 434E backhoe at the Brickshelf gallery via the link above, but the only way to really appreciate how well this model works is to watch it in action – check out the video below to see just how good it is.
YouTube Video
This little red box is a 1980s 3-door Mitsubishi Pajero, and we want one. Launched long before the SUV/crossover craze arrived, the humble Pajero came from a time when Japanese off-roaders ruled, and they really could go off-road. This made them horrible to drive on-road of course, but back in the ’80s if you bought a Pajero there was probably a good chance that you did actually want to take it away from the black stuff.
This brilliant Technic recreation of one of the finest ’80s 4x4s comes from Kevin Moo of Eurobricks, and not only does it look absolutely spot-on it’s packing some neat functionality too, with remote control drive and steering, LED head and tail lights, working suspension, and an opening hood, doors and tailgate. There’s lots more to see of Kevin’s remote controlled Mitsubishi Pajero model at the Eurobricks discussion forum – Click the link above to make a jump to 1982.
Our Elven workforce couldn’t resist this nicely detailed mining lorry from Flickr’s LEGO 7. As well the detailing, the “Giant Dump Truck” has some nice play features, including an opening cab & tipping function. Depending on how you choose to read its name, it could also be a bit rude. Perfect for our Elves and sadly perfect for us too. Click the link in the text for more photos.
Large, old, and full of a flammable liquid. Nope, it’s not your Mom, but this absolutely wonderful art deco gas tanker from Flickr’s Redfern1950s. Based on a real Dodge Airflow used by Texaco in the 1930s, Redfern’s beautiful model captures the spirit of the original brilliantly in Lego form.
With opening doors, hood, side hatches plus a variety of pumping paraphernalia there’s loads to see at Redfern’s photostream. Head over to Flickr via the link above for the full gallery of top-quality imagery.
We don’t often publish sci-fi builds here at The Lego Car Blog. This is mostly because we’re a Car Blog, but partly because we understand sci-fi about as well as Kim Kardashian understands plumbing.
Today though, we are posting about sci-fi – and we do understand it – because this kids, is Classic Space!
Classic Space (or just ‘Space’ at the time) was LEGO’s hugely successful sci-fi theme in the 1980s. Colours were blue, grey and trans-yellow, missions were exclusively science and exploration – never conflict, and everyone was always smiling.
Sadly the theme ended before this TLCB Writer was old enough to walk, but it paved the way for such gems as Futuron, M-Tron, Blacktron and Space Police. Today though, we’re remembering the original, thanks to Jon Blackford’s wonderful Neo Classic Space Hanger.
Complete with an LL221 spacecraft, a variety of classic space vehicles, a multitude of classic spacemen, and some beautiful-looking blue lighting, Jon’s build is the prefect homage to LEGO’s long-dead theme. It uses some truly brilliant building techniques too that are well worth further investigation.
Take a look for yourself at Jon’s Flickr album and via MOCpages.
This beautiful vintage motorcycle and sidecar combination is a Danish Nimbus with ACAP, and it’s one of the finest two-wheeled builds (or three…) that our Elves have ever found.
It’s the work of previous bloggee Henrik Jensen, and whilst there aren’t many working features beyond functioning steering, just look at the detail!
It also reminds us of a certain plasticine due attempting to rescue a truckload of sheep from an evil mechanical canine (if you’ve no idea what we’re talking about click here), which pleases us immensely!
There’s lots more to see of Henrik’s gorgeous classic Nimbus and ACAP sidecar at both Flickr and his MOCpage – take a closer look via the links!
The UN, more used to arguing in a big room and then agreeing to do absolutely nothing, or tooling about in white SUVs, is about to become a lot more badass. Marco Marozzi is the man responsible for this injection of badassery with his, er… whatever this is, and there’s more to see of UN-livereied mech on Flickr at the link above.
It wouldn’t be a sci-fi post about which we know absolutely nothing without a link to something silly…
This is a Lamborghini Centenario, Lamborghini’s birthday present to, er… itself. Whatever, the world is better place for mental Lamborginis, and the Centenario is surely one of their most mental efforts to date.
Just forty Centenarios were produced from 2016-17 to celebrate the would-be 100th birthday of the company’s founder Ferruccio Lamborghini, with each car costing a ridiculous $2.2million. Powered by a version of the Lamborghini’s familiar 6.5 litre V12 producing 770bhp, the all-carbon Centenario is no faster than the Aventador upon which it’s based, but it is vastly more expensive, and it seems in world of limited-production supercars that a high price is almost as celebrated as a high top speed.
Not here at The Lego Car Blog though, so we’ll move on quickly from Lamborghini’s extravagant gift to itself in favour of this, Lachlan Cameron’s spectacular remote control Technic version. Controlled by two SBrick bluetooth receivers, with remote control steering and drive, electrically opening doors, a V12 piston engine, functioning gearbox, LED head and tail lights, and some trick in-board independent suspension, Lachlan’s model is a work engineering mastery.
There’s lots more to see of Lachlan’s Technic Lamborghini Centenario at his photostream plus you can read further details and join the discussion via the Eurobricks forum. Click the links to join the birthday party.
Certified LEGO Professional Ryan McNaught (aka TheBrickMan) is back, and with one hell of a ride! This is a 2018 Harley Davidson 48 motorcycle, and it’s life-size! Built in a perfect 1:1 scale Ryan’s build uses over 64,000 LEGO pieces and took a team of three builders over 200 hours to create.
The motorcycle is 100% LEGO aside from a metal frame inside to allow for easier transportation (meaning this model can be ridden!) and working lights front and rear, and is part of the Brickman Awesome Lego show that is touring Australia and New Zealand this year.
There’s lots more to see of Ryan’s amazing 64,000-peice life-size Harley Davidson 48 at his Flickr photostream, where you can also check out other builds from the Brickman Awesome Lego show including a huge mini-figure scale Antonov 225 aircraft, and you can read more about the show and book tickets via The Brickman website by clicking here.
Andrea Lattanzio (aka Norton74) is becoming a regular at The Lego Car Blog with his beautiful vintage motoring scenes. This wonderful Bugatti Type 35 has appeared here before, pictured being unearthed in an elderly farmer’s barn. This time Andrea takes us back to the when the car (and farmer) were a little younger, with this brilliant historic gas station scene. We’re not sure the Bugatti would be a new car, even in this era, as something much more recent seems to be poking out of the garage, but nevertheless we’re willing to bet that the Type 35 caused a bit of a stir at the Shell Service. There’s more to see of Andrea’s gorgeous build on Flickr – click here to step back in time, or here for today’s title song.
This TLCB writer was busily watching Taylor Swift videos today when a sound most peculiar arose from the Elves’ cage room. It was as though a VHS machine was trying to eat a small woodland creature.
Sigh. A traipse downstairs revealed no woodland creatures of any kind, but it did uncover an Elf, two thirds of which was indeed inside the VHS machine, being rammed further into the mechanism by several of its colleagues.
Another sigh, Mr. Airhorn was awakened from his slumber, and the aforementioned Elf removed from his antique televisual prison.
The cause of the disruption was this, Cologebrick‘s superbly detailed Town-scale Oshkosh Striker airport fire truck in a gloriously bright shade of green. Apparently fire trucks aren’t allowed to be green (they’re red), and thus an Elven disagreement spiralled into its usual violence.
We have since sat all the Elves down and taught them that whilst some colours are more traditionally associated with certain things, anything can be any colour, any colour can be anything, and the world is all the better for it.
The discovering Elf has been awarded two Smarties (green and red) for its troubles, and you can see more of Colognebrick’s neat green Oshkosh on Flickr via the link above.
