New Kid on the MOC

Bricklink

TLCB’s workforce of annoying mythical creatures search far and wide to bring us the best Lego vehicles on the world wide web. Their favourite haunts can be found in TLCB Really Useful Links Directory, and range from generic image sharing platforms such as Flickr to dedicated Lego fan forums like Eurobricks.

This week though, we’ve added a new site to their list. Well, not really new, as many builders are very familiar with it, but it now operates with a duel purpose.

Bricklink is probably the most visited piece inventory outside of LEGO’s own ‘Pick-a-Brick’ service, where users can search through thousands of online sellers to find the exact piece that they require.

The site was sold last year to a new owner who promised a series of upgrades to make it fit for purpose – as frankly visiting Bricklink was like taking a trip back to 1998. A year on and the much-needed upgrades have arrived, and one of these takes the site into new territories.

The revised Bricklink platform now offers a free creation-hosting service, and with the added functionality that creations or instructions can be purchased should the designer wish to make them available for sale. There’s a rating system for creations too, as per MOCpages before it was phased out, plus regular building competitions.

At the time of writing there are fewer than 100 designers registered on the site, which is a tiny fraction of those using even the most basic alternatives, however the new platform seems robust, easy to use and it offers something that its competitors haven’t yet adopted.

You can check out the all-new Bricklink MOC feature by clicking here – it might just become the new place to be.

Lego Cars Gallery

Carbot

Lego Transformer Car

There are just two weeks left of TLCB Summer Building Competition, with entries via our Flickr partners continuing to keep the Elves busy. This is one of the first submissions to take the Transformers route, built by TLCB debutant Andrew Lee, and it’s his first ever Model Team scale car. You can see more of his brilliantly transforming supercar on Flickr – click the link above to make the jump.

TLCB Summer Building Competition

Expedition

Lego land Rover Defender

After earlier stating that Land Rover’s iconic Defender is not the world’s best 4×4, we’re now posting one here – #awks…

But – the trusty LR is still a hugely important vehicle, being produced relatively unchanged for an incredible 67 years. That mighty production run ends next year, and to celebrate the life of one of motoring’s most influential cars previous bloggee Miro Dudas has recreated the 4×4 legend in Lego Town form, complete with expedition rack, winch, and assorted adventuring equipment. Join in the journey on Flickr at the link above.

The Best 4x4xFar…

Lego Toyota Land Cruiser 40 Series

…isn’t a Land Rover. When Toyota launched the Land Cruiser into the Australian market, Land Rover’s dominant 90% market share dropped to 5% almost overnight. Toyota is the worldwide 4×4 king because of one vitally important reason: Reliability. Land Cruisers never, ever break. Ever.

This unrivalled quality means that the Land Cruiser is the vehicle of choice for the UN, for NGOs based in the most inhospitable of places, and – unfortunately – for the world’s terrorist scumbags (we’re looking at you ISIS).

Toyota have continually updated the Land Cruiser design, but they also still make many of the previous generations for certain markets. This car pictured here is the 40 Series, and it’s the one that really put the model on the map.

Suggested to us by a reader, Matthew Inman’s exquisite Model Team recreation of the 4×4 icon is currently on the LEGO Ideas creation-sharing platform, with almost 6,000 votes registered – another 4,000 and LEGO will consider this model for an official limited production run.

The model has been featured on Toyota’s own blog as well as variety of car sites from around the world, and Matthew has recently added another variant, designing the pick-up version too.

If you’d like to help Matthew’s Land Cruiser 40 Series model to become an official LEGO set you can do so by voting for it on LEGO Ideas – click here to see more and add your vote!

Lego Toyota Landcruiser

Flame War

Lego Ford Fairlane

Regular bloggee Senator Chinchilla is back with another real-world replica. This time it’s a 1967 Ford Fairlane, and it’s a lovely understated and classy build. But that’s not really the Senator’s style, and nor will it earn him many extra points in TLCB Summer Building Competition. But any car can be improved by the liberal addition of a flame paint job!

Like racing stripes, flames are worth at least an extra 50bhp, fact. Which makes the Senator’s updated Fairlane pictured below really quite fast. You can see more of this classic ’67 Ford on Flickr – click the link above to fire up the grill.

Lego Ford Fairlane

Battle Bus

Lego Battle Bus

Mr. Airhorn had been slumbering peacefully for quite some time here at TLCB Towers. Not today though, as a TLCB Elf was having probably the greatest day of its life.

This remarkable Technic creation is the work of previous bloggee Desert752 Krill, and – as you might be able to tell from the picture above – it’s no ordinary coach. The object protruding from the luggage hold is a remotely operated machine gun. And that’s just the start.

The opposite side features an arm-mounted circular saw, there are deployable tyre spikes, and it features a working anti-aircraft gun and front and rear mounted missiles. Plus the usual RC steering and drive of course. All in all it’s the perfect vehicle for a megalomaniacal paranoid dictator, or – in the case of today’s office carnage – an ecstatic TLCB Elf. It’s a shame it hasn’t been entered into TLCB Summer Building Contest as we don’t think anything will come close in the violence scoring category.

The only way to really see the entirety of the engineering insanity within this model is by video, and fortunately Desert752 has produced a brilliant one to accompany his build. Check it out below, and you can see all the photos and the full specifications of this ridiculous vehicle on MOCpages at the link above.

YouTube Video:

To the Post Office!

Lego Ford Transit Van

The Lego Car Blog, despite its charitable nature, is actually a pretty dark and shadowy organisation. The location of TLCB office is a closely guarded secret, TLCB staff forgo fame and fortune, preferring to shroud themselves in anonymity’s thick cloak, and the Elves… well, no-one really wants to get close to them so their mythical status is assured for some time yet.

Previous bloggee Thomas Graafland has theory though, and has boldly stated that TLCB operates from the back of a re-commissioned ex-Royal Mail Ford Transit, which he’s built in Lego form.

We can’t confirm or deny this hypothesis, but what we can say is that we absolutely love the van. Firstly it looks wonderfully realistic – our European readers will immediately recognise the ubiquitous Mk.4 Transit silhouette. Secondly, Thomas has crammed in all the features that we like to see in Lego creations; including working suspension, opening bonnet and doors, and working lights – plus there’s a comfy chair and giant screen in the back for blogging, bench seating for the Elves and racing seats up front for the staff.

Lego Ford Transit V8

Thirdly, Thomas has given the Elves a bit of a treat too. You might have noticed the quad exhausts in the image above… this Transit doesn’t have Ford’s usual diesel lump up front. Nope, this one is fitted with a mid-mounted V8, as per the ‘Supervans’ that Ford constructed in the 70s and 80s, and it’s remote control, meaning there’s much potential for an Elf to smush its unsuspecting colleagues.

Built for TLCB Summer Building Competition, Thomas’ entry scores almost full marks – only missing out on the points available for racing stripes and representing an Elf or two (something that could be surely be added?).

You can see all the details and watch a video of the V8 Transit in action via either Flickr or MOCpages, and if you think you can do better (and win some awesome prizes to boot) you can read how to enter your own creation in TLCB Summer Building Competition by clicking here. There’s just a few weeks to go!

TLCB Summer Building Competition

Doof

Lego Mad Max Doof Wagon

The proliferation of vehicles from the Mad Max – Fury Road movie has slowed in recent weeks, but Flickr’s Matt De Lanoy has awakened the theme with a bang today. You can see more of his brilliant mini-figure recreation of the Doof Wagon at the link above.

Truckin’

Lego Volvo Truck

It’s been over two years since Flickr’s Jakeof has appeared here at TLCB, but we correct that today with his superb Volvo hopper lorry. His latest creation is one of the most intricate and accurate small scale trucks we’ve seen in, well… over two years probably, and there’s lots more to see at Jakeof’s photostream.

Zoooosh!

Lego Classic Space Vehicle

‘Swooshing’ is an activity usually used for the imagined flight of model spaceships. Its land-based counterpart, the ‘zoom’, is typically reserved for models with wheels. Not that TLCB Team waste hours in the office testing these attributes of the Elves’ finds…

Anyway, this marvellous creation from Flickr’s Chris Perron seems to transcend the usual neat categorisation of propelling a Lego model by hand, appearing to be both ‘Swooshy’ and ‘Zoomy’ at the same time.

So Zooshy? Or Swoomy? Either way, Chris’ ‘LL26 Seeker’ is a wonderfully playable bit of kit, and you can Swoom or Zoosh your way over to Flickr to see more.

Lego Classic Space Kit

Shuriken Supercar – Picture Special

Lego Crowkillers Shuriken Supercar

The Elves are riotously excited following this find. They love Technic Supercars, and TLCB Master MOCer Paul Boratko (aka Crowkillers) is one of the very finest supercar builders around. His latest creation goes one step further to pleasing the Elves, as alongside the usual (and impeccably engineered) Technic Supercar features, Paul has added a few optional extras.

Lego Technic Supercar Paul Boratko

Violent optional extras at that, including wing-door mounted missiles, machine guns in the front wings, and the power of flight thanks to some nifty transformation.

You can see more images and read the full specification details on Eurobricks, MOCpages or Brickshelf, plus you can see Paul’s ‘Shuriken’ Supercar in action in the video below, with a very Elf-friendly soundtrack.

YouTube Video:

Thank you to all the readers who suggested this creation to us. 

Saabaru

Lego Saab 99

Another day and another entry into TLCB Summer Building Competition. TLCB veteran Senator Chinchilla has built what appears to be an old and slightly boring Saab 99.

But this Saab has a few surprises, for underneath there sits the engine and running gear from a Subaru, meaning this sensible Swede is an all-wheel-drive rally weapon.

Unfortunately for the Senator this combination is the wrong way round for our Elves, who are – as has been mentioned before – largely idiots, and therefore they judge a book wholly by its cover. And perhaps if it has pop-ups.

The Saabaru’s slick engineering may be wasted on our workforce, but TLCB staff appreciate the genius that lies beneath. If you’re smarter than the Elves you probably want to take a look too – join us by clicking on the link above to Senator Chinchilla’s photostream.

Lego Subaru AWD

Technic Tipper

Lego Technic Tipper Truck

This superbly neat Technic tipper truck comes from past bloggee Krzysztof Cytacki of Flickr. This truck actually appeared here a while back in a previous incarnation, and his latest version adds a linear actuated tipping bed and Power Functions motors for remote control. There’s lots more to see on Flickr – click the link above to see the full gallery.

Lego technic Tipper Truck RC

Not a Car

Lego Train

But we like trains too. This one comes from Tim Schwalfenberg, and it has probably the best backdrop of the year so far. See more here.

Toretto

Lego Fast and Furious Dodge Charger

Dominic Toretto had the coolest ride of all the Fast and Furious characters. As long as there were no corners a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T, fitted with huge supercharger, will outrun almost anything. Flickr’s -derjoe- has recreated the iconic car beautifully in miniature. His Town scale version of the R/T was suggested by a reader and you can see the full image via the link above.