It’s a been a small-scale day here at TLCB, proving that you don’t need NASA’s budget and more bricks than a LEGOLand theme park to build something blogworthy. Our final post of the day comes from Flickr’s de-marco and it’s entitled simply ‘Blue Pickup’. Neat building techniques abound and you can see more of de-marco’s lovely 5-wide truck at his photostream via the link above.
This TLCB writer is going to poke his head above the metaphorical parapet that is the internet’s comments and state that the prettiest sports car of the 1970s is not a Jaguar, Porsche, or Alfa Romeo… but a Datsun. In particular, this Datsun – the wonderful 1970 240Z.
This lightly JDM-modified 240Z comes from Jonathan Elliott and it captures the Japanese sports car’s curves beautifully. There’s more to see on both Flickr and MOCpages via the links, and you can find today’s title track – by none other than The Datsuns – by clicking here.
The second best Anglo-American collaboration (after Fleetwood Mac of course), the AC Cobra has become a car of legendary status. Based on the pretty but humble AC Ace, American racer-turned-tuner Carroll Shelby brokered a deal with Ford to supply their new Windsor V8 engine to the small British company. A giant killer was born, and today the AC Cobra is one of the most sought-after road-racers ever produced. This beautifully replicated Lego version is the work of TLCB regular Ralph Savelberg and there’s more to see of his miniature Cobra on Flickr – click here to make the jump.
Ever wondered what would happen if the wholesomeness of LEGO met the debauchery of Grand Theft Auto? Well thanks to digital media wizards Nukazooka you can wonder no more! The Lego Car Blog Elves are watching this madness on loop…
China’s home-grown vehicles often seem to have been ‘designed’ via a game of Chinese Whispers, starting with a respectable Western, Japanese or Korean product, and ending with a tragically distorted lookalike such as this. Or this. Or this. Or this.
Make no mistake though, whilst we’re happily mocking China’s complete disregard for copyright infringement, Chinese cars will be arriving on mass very soon, and it won’t be long before we’ll all be flying on Chinese-designed aircraft too.
In the meantime it’s the domestic market that China’s vehicle and aircraft manufacturers are serving with their cloned produce, as is the case with today’s creation. This is a Shenyang J-11B fighter, a licensed copy of the mid-’80s Soviet-designed Sukhoi Su-27 air superiority fighter, and currently in sole use by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force of China.
This spectacular Lego replica of the Shenyang J-11B comes from Flickr’s Lennart C and it’s a better copy than any of China’s cars could hope to be. There’s an opening cockpit, detailed landing gear, as well as an assortment of cloned Russian weaponry, and there’s lots more to see at Lennart’s photostream via the link above.
Or this.
The Set Review Library here at The Lego Car Blog is – just like your Mom – ever expanding. Today we’re joined by guest reviewer Andy Boal to add one of the most eagerly anticipated sets of 2017 to the library’s stock – the 1,686 piece Creator Expert 10258 London Bus. Is it worth £110 of your cash? Over to Andy to find out…
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When I was young, I wanted LEGO’s London bus set 384. Smart, red, and it looked like a Routemaster to someone like me who had never been to London and didn’t know it was modelled on the Routemaster’s predecessor, also manufactured by AEC, the Regent III RT.
So I decided to make my own London bus, a full half-cab bus, and I made it 10 studs wide. Unfortunately I ran out of parts after the lower floor, so I didn’t bother making the stairs.
My history with Lego buses is otherwise rather chequered. 696, a white and blue bus almost entirely unlike the Ulsterbuses I would later take to school, was given to me in the 1970s, and I bought the original Knight Bus 4755 in 2004, complete with beds racing all over the floor.
I finally got my hands on 384 and, some time later another set I coveted for making models in the 6000 and 7777 Lego ideas books, 379, from eBay some years ago, and with at least one unique chassis part, 384 lives at my parents’ house.
So until this year I only had one model of a London bus. A Valentine’s trip let me pick up the four stud wide 40220 in Leicester Square, but then this week we were in Glasgow’s Buchanan Galleries shopping mall…
The 10258 London Bus box is the standard size for Creator Expert sets, and boasts two pictures of a real life Routemaster, as well as interior shots of the completed model.
Opening up reveals what is a relief to those of us who have had to build and later rebuild a nephew’s Death Star after parts had broken off while moving house – numbered bags. The bane of many a builder’s life, but I’m fully sold on them for making it easier to find the piece you want. Call me a wuss if you want.
The instruction book is 176 pages long – I have to say I like the single books. Looking at the sticker sheet though reminds me that the number plate is incorrect, because no UK numberplate runs to five digits. Of course, I’ve no idea whatsoever whether Morten Graff-Wang could have a personalised numberplate MGW258 or not, but GW was a South-East London registration.
Anyway, back to the set itself, and I’ve thrown the bags for parts 2, 3 and 4 back into thebox to save space and leave me with four to cope with. And breathe.
Part 1 is the chassis and the body sides up to a row below the windows, and the staircase. Turning the page reveals what many will assume is a new innovation, and that is highlighting the added pieces with a yellow outline, but those of us with longer memories will remember outlines on added pieces from the 222 Lego Ideas Book (there’s my childhood again!)
As you would expect, the chassis begins with Technic bricks and frames – all studded construction, of course, and establishing a strong foundation for the rest of the set.
After 21 main steps the floor is laid, the stands for the seats are set up, the staircase has begun, we build the engine with grey bullion forming the top of the engine block, and finally it is time to start building bodywork. 4×3 panels provide most of the flat bits, with a hint of a curved back to come.
As I build the driver’s seat I decide I’m glad I’m not driving this thing, as there is only one stud of leg room between the driver’s seat and the steering wheel and gearstick, and the seat won’t go back.
And then it’s time to build the stairs! The construction is very straightforward – the end of each step is held in place with a single stud round plate. I don’t think the five resulting steps are quite enough, but shh, it’s impressionistic.
The back of the bus includes a new 1x1x1 2/3 brick with two studs on the side, which match up if placed on top of the washing machine piece. It’s used to attach both rear light clusters – the left one directly, and the right one indirectly due to the curved corner I’m now expecting. You also get a yellow number plate option. A yellow fire extinguisher goes under the stairs (Hmm. Canary yellow is for hot oil fires. Who’s keeping a commercial deep fat fryer on a Routemaster bus?).
The side benches complete Part 1, and then we move on to Part 2 to finish the lower deck. Continue reading
Here’s a car that we’d like to own for real. Toyota’s first generation Celica produced between 1970 and 1977 has become a seriously cool ride, even more so when painted bright orange and lightly modified. This awesome remote controlled Lego version of the 1970 TA22-type Celica comes from LegoMarat of Flickr, and he’s lightly modified his creation too.
With a third-party BuWizz brick installed LegoMarat’s Celica produces up to eight times the power of a model powered by a standard LEGO battery, making his model a seriously quick bit of kit.
There are more images to view on Flickr via the link above, and you can see the real-life Celica TA22 that inspired LegoMarat’s build by clicking here.
This is the McLaren M23, a car that raced in Formula 1, Formula 5000, and the Indy 500 over five seasons between 1973 and 1978.
Powered by the ubiquitous Cosworth DFV engine and with relatively unremarkable bodywork the M23 was not the most innovative car of the time. However McLaren’s continual development of the M23 kept it amongst the front-runners of Formula 1 right up until the arrival of the M26 mid way through the 1977 season, earning two Driver’s and a Constructor’s World Championships, sixteen Formula 1 race wins, and multiple podiums.
It was towards the end of the M23’s career that it won probably the most famous Formula 1 Championship of all time, when James Hunt emerged victorious from a season-long battle with Ferrari’s Nikki Lauda at a rain-soaked Fuji Speedway. The 1976 season has been immortalised in the 2013 Ron Howard epic ‘Rush’ (which if you haven’t seen it – watch the trailer here), and now Hunt’s ’76 McLaren M23D has been immortalised in Lego too.
Constructed by Formula 1 building legend Luca Rusconi (aka RoscoPC) this Model Team McLaren M23D is a near perfect recreation of the 1976 Championship-winning car. With period-correct decals, a working V8 engine, and steering and suspension, Luca’s M23D is a stunning Lego replica of one of F1’s greats.
There’s lots more to see at Luca’s Flickr photostream, where you can also find his extensive back-cataelgue of superb historic racing cars, plus you can read our interview with Luca as part of the Master MOCers series by clicking here.
Modern Toyota 4×4 vehicles are renowned the world over for their reliability, toughness, and go-anywhere ability. But not so much for their soul. Apart from this one that is – the wonderful Toyota FJ Cruiser.
Launched in 2006 and lasting until 2014 the FJ Cruiser brought a bit of style to Toyota’s 4×4 range, whilst maintaining the legendary durability and off-road ability that the brand was famous for. So why wasn’t it sold in TLCB’s home nation Toyota?!
We’ll have to make do with this then, which is no bad thing. Built by Flickr’s _spacehopper_ this Technic recreation of the FJ Cruiser not only looks brilliant (especially for a Technic model), but it’s also packed with working functions, including remote control drive and steering, working suspension, opening doors and a front-mounted winch.
There’s more of the FJ to see at _spacehopper_’s photostream – click the link above to make the jump to Flickr.
Ok, this writer isn’t on a boat. He’s on a wheelie chair in the crumbling hovel that is TLCB Towers. But it’s nice to dream.
Flickr’s Edwin Korstanje (aka VFRacingTeam) makes dreaming slightly easier with his incredible commissioned replica of the AMELS 180 Superyacht ‘Driftwood’. Built over two months from 14,000 LEGO pieces, Edwin’s 1:53 model of the 180 foot ship measures over a metre long, and both Edwin and his daughter had a tour of the real yacht as part of the commission.
There’s more to see of this spectacular commissioned build on Flickr and at the Eurobricks forum, you can read our interview with Edwin as part of the Master MOCers series via the link above, and if you’re over 18 you can watch today’s title track video here (strongest possible language warning!).
Two seconds. And Scuderia Ferrari have changed four wheels and tyres. That’s less time than it took you to read this sentence.
Suggested by a reader this neat pit stop scene showing the world’s fastest mini-figure pit crew at work comes from Master MOCer Andrea Lattanzio aka Norton74, and there’s more to see on Flickr. But be quick!
The Austin/Rover/MG Metro does not have a good reputation here in TLCB’s home nation. Now almost extinct, most observers would say that’s a good thing. But this staff writer is feeling brave, and he’s going to make a case for the humble British city car…
Launched in 1980 the Austin – and then Rover/MG – Metro was designed to compliment (but eventually replace) the beloved but ageing Mini. Neat packaging, clever hydro-gas suspension, and modern looks earned British Leyland’s new product the What Car? Car of The Year accolade and buyers bought it in their thousands.
However the Metro was born at a tumultuous time for the British car industry, and the reputation of industrial action, striking workers and piss-poor quality still lingered around almost anything that British Leyland made.
This meant that the Metro was a rare success story, but whilst other good products would arrive in the 1990s cash would become increasingly tight, and the Metro would be forced to carry on for eighteen years. Over that time of course, a good car designed in the late 1970s became no longer a good car at all.
That meant the end of the Metro and – ultimately – the end of Rover too, and the Metro is now almost completely gone from European roads, despite over 2 million being sold.
However, one variant of British Leyland’s little hatchback can still be found. A version from a time when the company was optimistic about its future, and adventurous in its marketing too. The amazing MG Metro 6R4.
Built for the monstrous Group B rally era, and then becoming a dominant force in rallycross, the Metro 6R4 squeezed a 400+bhp Cosworth-derived V6 and a permanent all-wheel drive system into a space-framed version of the Metro shell, and the engine later went on to be developed for the Jaguar XJ200 supercar – which became the fastest production car in the world.
This wonderful fully remote controlled recreation of British Leyland’s most spectacular car comes from newcomer All_About_Lego, and it’s packed with working functions. Alongside the remote control all-wheel drive and steering are working front and rear lights, all-wheel suspension, and opening doors and rear clamshell. The exterior is accurately stickered in the 6R4’s period mid-80s livery, whilst the inside contains a fully detailed (and roll-caged) interior too.
A full gallery of images is available to view on Flickr, you can read more about the build and watch a video of the model in action via the Eurobricks forum by clicking here, and if you’re wondering quite why this writer thinks the MG Metro 6R4 is so cool, click this link…
This beautifully detailed classic Scania 113M 320 truck comes from previous bloggee Andre Pinto. Produced from the late ’80s to the late ’90s, Scania’s ‘3 series’ of trucks came in variety of sizes and engine specifications and can still be seen throughout Europe, such is their reputation for reliability. You can see more of Andre’s stunning Model Team version on Flickr and at the Eurobricks discussion forum – click the links for the full gallery of images.
Eagle-eyed readers of this blog post will have noticed that this is not a car. It is in fact a Nakajima Ki-84 ‘Hayate’ World War 2 fighter, as flown by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service in the last three years of the war. One of the fastest, most formidably armed, and highest flying fighters of the time, the Nakajima Ki-84 was a feared adversary.
Over 3,500 Ki-84’s were produced between 1943 and 1945, although towards the end of the conflict the crippling effects of the war on production meant that defects rose dramatically and quality dropped. After the Allied victory several Ki-84’s were captured, with Indonesia the People’s Republic of China operating the aircraft within their own air forces, and America using two for evaluation.
Today just one Nakajima Ki-84 ‘Hayate’ fighter survives, an ex-U.S evaluation aircraft now located in the Chiran Peace Museum in Japan. However thanks to previous bloggee and military-building specialist Daniel Siskind we now have double the number of Ki-84’s available to view.
Daniel’s superb mini-figure scale recreation of Japan’s fastest Second World War fighter is a beautifully detailed build and includes authentically replicated Imperial Japanese roundels and tail markings, as well as a custom IJA airman mini-figure shown in the first image above. See more of Daniel’s Nakajima Ki-84 ‘Hayate’ fighter and its custom mini-figure pilot on Flickr by clicking here.
Is the Chevrolet Corvette a supercar? If this were YouTube there would now be a heated discussion, someone would call someone else something rude, and Hitler would probably eventually be mentioned.
This is The Lego Car Blog though, and our readers are (generally) more civilised than the baying mob found within the YouTube comments section. However, we’ll throw our thoughts into the Corvette Supercar argument because, well… we can: We don’t know.
Yup, we’ve wussed out and sat on the fence, because the area the Corvette occupies between Sports and Super Car is greyer than ever. Once ridiculed by us here in Europe, the Chevrolet Corvette is now actually quite good, and in Z06 form it’s certainly quick enough to enter the supercar league. But ‘quick’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘supercar’.
It seems that Chevrolet themselves have had enough of the argument and rumour has it they’re readying a mid-engined version of the Corvette to silence the debate. Whether that happens or not what we are confident in is that this stunning C7 series Corvette Z06 by newcomer Dylan Sebastian is a bona-fide Technic Supercar.
With a working V8 engine, independent suspension on all four wheels, plus steering and drive via remote control, Dylan’s Corvette has all the Technic Supercar boxes ticked, plus opening doors and hood, and LED lights.
What’s that? Technic Supercars need to have a gearbox? Damn…
Well it seems Dylan’s Z06 is even more true to the real Corvette than we thought, itself being as supercar debatable as the real thing. Whatever it is though, it’s a model that’s definitely worth a closer look, and you can check out all of the photos at Dylan’s Flickr album and you can read more about the build and watch a video of the model in action at the Eurobricks discussion forum.
