We don’t often blog fictional cars here at The Lego Car Blog. This is mostly because they tend to be a bit on the shit side. This isn’t though. It’s been built by Flickr’s Alexander Paschoaletto, it’s called the ‘Tonagari Atmos’, and it is – as you can see in these images – an absolutely beautiful piece of design. There are several images available to view – click the link above to check them out.
Coaches like this Neoplan are commonplace across Europe, with many winding their way through the Alps at this time of year loaded with slightly drunk skiers. This one comes from Flickr’s Keko007 and you can book your ticket to the slopes via the link.
The Lego Car Blog Review My Set Competition is drawing to a close, so there’s just enough time to fit in one more fan review! Today’s reviewer is a previous bloggee himself, and today he’s on the other side of the screen after joining us here at TLCB to pen the final reader review of the competition. Over to Nils O to pick up the story…
A Dream (Almost) Come True…
The LEGO Ideas set of the Back to the Future (BTTF) time machine could have been one of the best LEGO sets ever. For me the project on LEGO Ideas (then still called CUUSOO) is still one of the best on the platform. The pictures of the car / time machine are so cool that as a BTTF and LEGO fan you just want one thing: To own that model!
The set that hit the shelves was another thing entirely. If you want to be nice you could call the look weird, but let’s be honest; it’s ugly. I think most BTTF fans still want the set, but they also want to do something more; modify it to make it look better.
But first things first. 21103 comes in a high quality black box featuring a cool BTTF design. There’s a book with instructions for the time machine from all three parts of the movie franchise, including a hover function and 1950s’ wheels and ‘electronic components’, and the parts are included for all three versions of the car. There are also unique mini-figs of Marty and Doc which are instantly recognisable, and additionally you get a skateboard, but no – no Hover Board.
But what you do get is a handful of excellent printed parts (yes, printed parts, no stickers) (Hurrah! Ed.): License plates for 1985 (‘OUTATIME’) and 2015 (bar code), a time computer and, of course, a Flux Capacitor. The only part I’m not a 100% happy with is the Flux Capacitor. I just don’t like the 1x2x2 panel, for me a 1x2x2 printed brick or a 2×2 printed tile would have been a better choice.
After building the set (I built the version from Back to the Future Part II) the second thing you notice (after realising how ugly it really is) is the untypical fragility of the set. You can’t really touch it without something falling off. I had to modify the thing, especially the 4-wide roof which didn’t look right. Surprisingly I could build a 6-wide roof and matching A-pillars and doors just using parts from the set. So, why didn’t the LEGO designers do something similar? We will never know. Continue reading
You don’t need ten thousand bricks to appear here at The Lego Car Blog. Around sixty will do. At least that’s all Flickr’s František Hajdekr needed to build this lovely Tatra fire truck. See more via the link above.
Full disclosure; this magnificently menacing model was not found by our Elven workforce. We stole it. From Bricknerd. We’re ashamed, and remorseful, but not enough to stop us from blogging it. The Elves are in trouble though.
It’s a shame they didn’t find this Technic trike too, as they would have absolutely loved it. It’s been built by Flickr’s ianying616, making his TLCB debut, and it’s a spectacular thing to behold. It’s also packing some quality Technic engineering, with working steering, suspension and engine.
A huge gallery of superb images is available to view on Flickr; you can check out all of the trike’s details via the link above.
This beautifully-built Bizon ZO56 combine harvester comes from Flickr’s Damian Z. aka Thietmaier. Abounding in detail, Damian’s model faithfully recreates one of the most well-known and recognisable Polish harvesters, although if like us you’re neither Polish nor a combine harvester expert that probably means little! We’ll trust Damian that it’s accurate, and it also allows us to write a title that tenuously links the model in this post to Christmas. Points for us! You can see more of Damian’s Bison ZO56 on Flickr – click the link above to gather the crop.
The Lego Car Blog Elves, held captive over Christmas, have all been released back into the internet to continue their unending and poorly paid search for the web’s best Lego creations.
Upon unlocking TLCB Towers this morning a particularly speedy Elf had already returned with a find, and is now happily consuming the rewards associated with a meal token. So what did it find?…
Built by TLCB favourite David Roberts, today’s post is a curious spaceship of feline colonising design. Not in that its purpose is to conquer the universe’s cats. Nor is it piloted by cats intent on universe domination. Rather – and there’s no delicate way to put this – it looks a bit like a cat’s arse when it’s taking a shit…
Despite this unfortunate anatomical resemblance it is a lovely build, and it has an intriguing back-story too. You can discover more of both the ship and the story which spawned it at David’s Flickr photostream via the link above. Just bring a plastic bag and a small spade.
The Lego Car Blog Review My Set Competition is drawing to a close, but we have just enough time to squeeze in a couple more reader reviews before the end of the year deadline. Today’s set review comes from a TLCB reader, and also one of our Master MOCers, the brilliant Andrea Lattanzio aka Norton74, and things are getting decidedly 1990s. Over to Andrea…
This Red Bird is ready to fly.
My love affair with the set No. 5591, also called ‘Mach II Red Bird’, started during a very cold Sunday morning of a past winter when I saw the big truck displayed on a flea market counter. I immediately bought it even though a few yellow pieces were replacing the missing originals, red train doors in place of the white ones, and other things like that were afflicting it. But for the price it was on offer for I got it with no hesitation! Without difficulty I replaced the incorrect parts with the right ones and the set is now restored in all its glory alongside the other Model Team sets in my collection.
Let’s step back. The Red Bird is the eighth set of the Model Team series, released by LEGO in 1994. Model Team was the large scale vehicle line that LEGO produced from 1986 until 1999, with a total of 15 sets, plus a re-release of the 5541 Hot Rod in 2004 as part of the Legends series.
Model Team vehicles were characterized by realism, although whilst there is no doubt they were detailed and charming models the techniques used are fairly basic by today’s standards.
5591 Red Bird is a big set and it’s rich in pieces, an impression I had the first time I looked at it. Despite the basic colours – white, red and black – the livery is really spot on, reminding me of the “B.J. and the bear” colours. The wide usage of stickers makes the set more appealing too.
The set is composed by three parts: the tractor truck, the low loader semi-trailer and the Red Bird jet aircraft. Let’s take a look.
The tractor truck is probably the best part of the set. It’s based on a typical US truck with the cab behind the engine and a long front nose. The truck has a very well balanced design and it’s rich in details, among others: side mirrors, windshield wipers, opening doors and many auxiliary lights, with the side ladders located on the lateral fuel tanks.
You can open the hood to reveal the cool looking engine which was probably influenced by the first LEGO Model Team engine ever, found in the 5580 Highway Rig. The hood is wedge shaped too, which I really like as it helps to make the front of the truck more streamlined. 5591’s interior is quite simple featuring two yellow seats, a steering wheel and the dashboard constituted of two printed slopes. The front wheels can steer by turning a knob located on the roof and the Hand of God control works well – all good so far.
However, the back of the truck is a little bit poor without a realistic fifth wheel and with a simple bumper featuring only rear red lights. We’d have to wait until 1996 for the 5571 Black Cat to see a decent rear to a truck with a convincing fifth wheel.
The second part of the set is the semi-trailer, which is quite simple and it perhaps looks more Technic than Model Team. Naturally the trailer can be hooked unto the truck by a plate modified with a towball socket. Continue reading
We’re back, and we hope you’re all having a throughly excellent Christmas! We’re kicking off that slightly awkward period between Christmas and New Year with this, Henrik Jensen‘s gorgeous classic Nimbus Type C motorcycle.
Producing from 1919 until 1960, Nimbus were a successful Danish motorbike manufacturer, providing bikes to the military, civil and public markets. This beautiful 1950s Type C is one of the last Nimbuses made, and Henrik’s Model Team recreation is one of the finest Lego bikes we’ve found this year.
You can check out all the images of the Type C at Henrik’s photostream – click the link above to take a look.
Presents are being wrapped, Santa is checking his list twice, and we’re about to spend the next few days getting drunk. So as we wind things down here for our usual Christmas break we have one last creation to share, Sariel‘s slightly terrifying mechanised-reindeer propelled sleigh. Watch it in action via the link above, have a very Merry Christmas, and we’ll see you all soon!
Christmas wishes
TLCB Team
Ryan Link of MOCpages has appeared here at TLCB a few times over the years, and his latest creation continues his ascension into the very top ranks of the community’s vehicle builders. This is a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta and it is – as you can see – a beautiful piece of design. It’s also complicated. Really complicated. Yet somehow (using witchcraft and magic we suspect) Ryan has replicated the F12’s fiendishly difficult bodywork brilliantly in Lego form. And the doors, hood and rear hatch still open.
Ryan has deployed a cunning variety of superb building techniques, blended together seamlessly, to create his Maranello masterpiece, and the engine bay and interior are just as well crafted as the outside. There’s an extensive gallery of images is available to view – click here to make the jump to MOCpages for the Ferrari F12’s full build details.
Porsche 911’s – despite their tricky shape – are not an unusual build in the Lego Community. However the base Carrera is, as builders tend to favour the more exotic and expensive versions in the 911 range. Which is a shame, as we actually like the basic Carrera best. Handily for us TLCB regular Senator Chinchilla has built one just in time for Christmas, and you can see more as his photostream via the link above.
Flickr’s Luke C appeared here earlier in the week with a lovely small-scale 1960s Ford Country station wagon, and now he’s built a Model Team version! You could call it A Big Country…
Right, enough tenuous linking to obscure ’80s Scottish rock bands, on to the model. Measuring over twice as wide as his small-scale version, Luke’s Big Country (Dammit! Ed.) is packed with detail, and includes opening doors, hood and tailgate plus working steering.
It’s also one of the coolest-looking cars that we’ve seen in ages, and it’s made even better with a roof-rack mounted surfboard. There’s lots more to see at Luke’s photostream – click Luke’s name above to visit a Big Country (we’ll stop now before our editor fires us).
…Green Giant. We’re not convinced that the marketing department at Green Giant canned vegetables were being completely original when they came up with their tagline, but in fairness if Father Christmas hadn’t trademarked it first it was a bit short sighted of him. Anyway, it does allow us a tenuous link to Christmas with this blog post title, so we’re cool with it.
This superb military helicopter, complete with some of the best brick-built camouflage that we’ve ever seen, is a Sikorsky HH-3E ‘Jolly Green Giant’. Launched in the early 1960s the big Sikorsky has been in continuous use ever since, with both it and the UK variant (the Westland Sea King) forming the backbone of American and British search and rescue fleets.
The brilliant Lego recreation of the Jolly Green Giant featured here comes from Flicker’s [Maks] and it’s without doubt one of the finest Lego helicopters that we’ve come across since this site was founded. There’s lots more to see at [Maks]’ photostream – click the link above to take off.
You thought we’d forgotten about the ‘Featured TFOL’ (Teen Fan of Lego) feature didn’t you? Well you’re right. We had. But it’s back!
Here at The Lego Car Blog we have quite a strict criteria that must be met before a model is published. However occasionally we bend the rules just a little if a model is close, and if the builder is unlikely to have a billion bricks at their disposal. A Teen Fan of Lego for example.
Today’s featured builder is Marco. qm, who has been building cars for a little while. He’s also entered the recent Review My Set competition and suggested models himself via the Feedback and Submission Suggestions page. All of that is very nice, but it doesn’t earn a spot here. However, this does; his excellent Nissan Skyline GT-R R34.
Instantly recognisable, with opening doors, hood and trunk, and some interior and engine bay detailing too, it’s a model that’s worth a closer look. You can see more at Marco’s Flickr photostream, and you can discover all of our past Featured TFOL’s by clicking here.
