TLCB is a Teenager!

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Today is a momentous day, albeit one fraught with uncertainty, unpredictable outbursts, mood swings, and mild horror. No not Donald Trump’s Presidential comeback, but our birthday, because today The Lego Car Blog became a teenager!

Well, not quite today, as in typical teenager fashion we got up too late, but it’s better than last year when we forgot entirely.

Since our first post thirteen years (and one day) ago, nearly nine million of you have joined us here at the Online Lego Community’s most ramshackle website, with the most viewed pages of the past year being the new set reveals, the Review Library, our new A-Z of Lego Cars (plus bikes and trucks too), and a recreation of a certain Toyota Supra.

So whether you’re here for the first time or have been with us for all thirteen years, thank you for joining us. Expect more Lego-based vehicular ramblings as we enter our thirteenth year, only perhaps with worse skin, braces, and added moodiness.

TLCB Team

Making America Great Again!

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He’s back! Yes, at the time of writing it looks like Donald Trump is returning to the White House, and here at The Lego Car Blog we’re delighted. Because we’re going to get four more years of material to make jokes like this. And this. And this. And this.

Admittedly this does mean forfeiting the first woman President in US history (for the first criminal President in US history), environmental regression, and the exacerbation of sensationalist popularism, but easy material is easy material. Plus USA! USA! USA!

Cue today’s creation, America’s brand-new M10 Booker infantry support vehicle, the first units of which were delivered earlier this year.

Designed for The US Army’s ‘Mobile Protected Firepower’ programme, the M10 is “capable of providing mobile, protected, direct fire offensive capability”, with the contract won by General Dynamics Land Systems based in Michigan. USA! USA! USA! …Except the design is actually based on something rather old. And with German roots.

Yes this most modern and American of light tanks is derived from an Austrian-Spanish design from the early ’90s, that was produced by a company formed through the collaboration of Germany and Austria in the 1930s. US-Oh… No matter, a quick Americanised name-change sorted that.

This superb Lego recreation of the M10 Booker MPF is the work of newcomer Thinh Thi, who has both built and presented it beautifully, including a rotating turret, rolling tracks, and even brick-built shovels.

There’s more of the model to see at Thinh’s photostream and you check out something defensive, older than it looks, and actually a bit German via the link above. Or in any number of Trump victory speech videos that will be circulating imminently.

Deere Wrangling

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The LEGO Technic 42157 John Deere 948L-II set hasn’t borne many B-Models here at The Lego Car Blog to date. Just one in fact. Which is odd, as it does look like a rather good source of parts, and it comes with four mega yellow wheels.

Cue newcomer legoRookie2021, who has repurposed the pieces from 42157 to create this gloriously cartoony Jeep Wrangler. Reminiscent of those insane Icelandic cliff-climbing racers, Rookie’s Wrangler includes working steering, a six-cylinder engine, opening doors and hood, plus an intriguing pneumatic suspension system.

Instructions are available and you can see more of Rookie’s Wrangler alternate at the Eurobricks forum – click the link above to swap your John for a Jeep.

Planets over Posturing

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The mobile rocket launcher is to the under-endowed despot what the ageing BMW blasting terrible music is to the urban douchebag; A tragic exercise in ‘pay attention to me!’, usually spotted driving slowly through a city at great inconvenience to everyone else.

But not today! Because this mobile rocket launcher belongs to the perennially happy mini-figures of Classic Space, whose endeavours contrast markedly from those of the sullen dictator, whose rocket-transporting wares this site has occasionally featured.

TLCB debutant Jan Schönherr-Wacker is the builder of this fantastic reimagining of the vintage 6950 Mobile Rocket Transport from 1982, which is found not parading pointlessly in Red Square or Pyongyang, but diligently at work on the surface of a far off planet.

Eight enormous wheels, a slewing and pivoting rocket launcher, a crew of three Classic Spacemen, and a huge rocket all feature, and you can see more of Jan’s incredible 6950 redux at his photostream. Click the link above to take a closer look at a rocket launcher most noble.

It’s Raining Men*

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If the Super Soaker commercials and the crab from ‘The Little Mermaid’ are to be believed, it’s better when it’s wetter.

We’re not sure the teams at Le Mans would agree though, what with there being a direct correlation between precipitation and risk, but for fans (at least watching at home in the dry on TV), rain can add a huge dose of unpredictable excitement.

This year’s 24 Heures du Mans delivered on that promise, as the heavens opened mid-way through the race and brought on a four hour safety car period followed by treacherous racing. After the twenty four hours had elapsed the winning Ferrari finished just fourteen seconds ahead of the second place Toyota, with a record nine cars all on the same final lap.

Cue recent bloggee SFH_Bricks, who has recreated that incredibly tight margin, and the rain that enabled it, in this stunning Le Mans 2024 diorama. Featuring the Ferrari 499P, Toyota GR010, and a huge dose of spray, SFH has captured the rain-soaked Circuit de la Sarthe spectacularly; we can practically feel the wetness from here.

Click the link above to take a look through the spray, and this bonus link to see the vast collection of Le Mans creations in our Archives.

*Obviously. Because Le Mans!

Touring with Billions

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Historic French car maker Bugatti – now under Rimac ownership – revealed their latest hypercar earlier this year. Named after a watch component (although coincidentally sounding like a Bugatti owner on holiday), the Tourbillon will cost over $4 million, reach 277mph, and be limited to just 250 units.

The Tourbillon also forgoes the Volkswagen-developed quad-turbo-charged W16 of Bugattis past for a new Cosworth-sourced naturally-aspirated V16 and tri-motor plug-in hybrid system, which is said to deliver around 1,800bhp, 800bhp more than the brand-defining Veyron.

Cue The G Brix‘s superb Speed Champions interpretation of the soon-to-be released 1,800bhp hypercar, which includes space for two mini-figures, a detailed engine and interior, a cunning rubber-band rear light-bar, and an opening front trunk appropriately stuffed with a suitcase full of cash.

There’s more of the The G’s brilliant Bugatti Tourbillon to see at his photostream, and you can pack your gold bars and a bag stuffed with notes to join the other billionaires on tour via the link in the text above.

Spooky Chevy

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It’s the scariest time of the year, when the night is filled with ghosts and ghouls, it’s OK for children to take sweets from strangers, and girls wear nothing at all for some reason.

Cue László Torma, who has updated his previously-blogged ’57 Chevy for Halloween with some scarily-good brick-built flames.

A skeletal mini-figure driver and flame-spitting side-pipes complete the spooky ambiance, and there’s more to see of his Halloween hot rod here.

Steamy Show

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Here at The Lego Car Blog we don’t get out much. Partly this is because we work secretively in the shadows, but mostly it’s because TLCB Elves are banned from many public spaces.

However if you lead more exciting lives than we do, you can get out to the subject of today’s post, the huge LegoWorld 2024 show in Utrecht in the Netherlands.

Over two decades old, LegoWorld is the largest LEGO show on earth, and this year Flickr’s Tamás de Groot is making his exhibitor debut, leading the collaboration behind this epic (and enormous) railway layout.

Beautifully landscaped with trees, embankments, fields and bridges, there are multiple lines, locomotives, and a range of rolling stock travelling though the display, and you can see the whole thing (plus much more besides) at the LegoWorld 2024 show for the remainder of this month.

If like us you’re unable to make it to LegoWorld 2024 in person, head to Tamás de Groot’s Flickr album of the same name to see his fantastic display, or click here to take a look at a round-up from 2023.

Microscale Mech Mining

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It’s sometime in the future, where humankind have traversed the vast void of space, colonised  whole new worlds, and yet are still digging big holes in the ground to extract minerals. Sigh.

Interplanetary destruction aside, Duncan Lindbo‘s ‘Gila’ six-legged mobile mining mech does look rather neat though, and it comes to life too, thanks to a motorised bucket-wheel and LED lighting.

There’s more of this microscale mech to see at Duncan’s photostream, and you can lay waste to an alien eco-system via the link above.

The Weird One

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The Mercedes-Benz section of our A-Z of Lego Trucks is about 85% Unimog. A licensed LEGO set, alternates built from other LEGO sets, fire trucks, snow plows, tippers, cranes… there are nearly as many brick-built variants of Mercedes-Benz’s famous off-road tractor as there are variations of the real thing.

Cue TLCB Master MOCer, and builder behind many of the Unimogs already in the Archive, Kyle Wigboldly (aka Thirdwigg), who adds another to his already expansive back-catalogue. And this time it’s the weird one.

Thirdwigg’s Technic 1:21 recreation of the Unimog U90 captures its strange asymmetrical form brilliantly and is packed with working functionality. An inline 5-cylinder engine under an opening hood is turned by the wheels, there’s working ‘HOG’ steering, a rear portal axle, rear hitch, tipping load bed, and a variety of attachments than can mount both fore and aft, including a winch, street-sweeper, and snow plow.

Building instructions are available and you can find a link to them plus all of the excellent imagery at Thirdwigg’s ‘Unimog U90 1:21’ album on Flickr. Take a look at the weirdest Unimog of the lot via the final link in this post, plus you can discover how Thirdwigg creates models like this one via his interview here at TLCB by clicking on the third.

Interception

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TLCB Elves love Mad Max. V8s engines, extreme violence, and everything blows up. Cue much excitement today therefore, when one of their number returned to TLCB with this excellent mostly-LEGO recreation of the 1973 Ford Falcon-based ‘V8 Interceptor’ from the original movie, which they’re now delightedly watching. They have Flickr’s GolPlaysWithLego to thank and you can see more of this superbly-presented homage to post-apoc vehicular violence via the link above.

Kübelwagen on Location

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We run a tight ship here at The Lego Car Blog. Models need to be of the highest quality of course, but so does their presentation. We have a whole page explaining the need for clean uncluttered backgrounds, so, um… here’s a model with a messy cluttered background.

It looks fantastic though doesn’t it? Just look at that reflection. Martin Spunkt‘s Kübelwagen shows how outdoor photography should be done, and there’s more to see of the model that’s earned him his TLCB debut via the link above.

The Lego Ship Blog

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We’ve heard people call us a ‘ship’ blog before. At least, it sounded like ‘ship’…

Anyway, today we are a Lego ship blog, courtesy of BrickPerfection and this incredible privateer frigate ‘Fortuna’.

Constructed from around four thousand pieces, the ‘Fortuna’ measures over 80cm long, 62cm high, and is equipped with three triple-section masts, twenty canons, a pair of swivel guns, a working two-anchor capstan with a selector gearbox, and a gorgeous fully equipped and accessible interior.

Complete with a crew of twelve mini-figures, beautiful detailing is in rich abundance throughout the build, and you can help to make this phenomenal ship a purchasable set through Bricklink’s Designer Programme.

Full details on how to vote, further imagery, and a video of the ship’s features can be found at the Eurobricks discussion forum, and you can set sail on BrickPerfect’s perfectly-bricked ship via the link in the text above.

Speed Champion

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Le Mans, like the Indy 500, seems to matter more than the championship in which it is part. Which means that whilst Ferrari are currently third in the World Endurance Championship behind Porsche and Toyota, they’ve already won the big prize, claiming outright victory at the 24 Heures du Mans for the second year in a row.

This is the car that did it, the wild Ferrari 499P, as constructed brilliantly in Speed Champions form by previous bloggee SFH_Bricks, who has updated his 2023 model to reflect the latest version of the Le Mans winner, complete with some fantastically accurate decals courtesy of Brickstickershop.

Building instructions are available, and you can find all of the exquisite imagery of the 2024 Le Mans winner, but not champion, at SFH’s ‘2024 Ferrari 499P’ album. Click the link to take a closer look.

Russian Wings

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Russia, or the Soviet Union before it, are the world’s most prolific maker of military helicopters. Tens of thousands of MiL helicopters have been built since the first design way back in the late 1940s, and are operated by dozens of nations the world over. Including a few you might not expect.

Cue Flickr’s Francis Bibeau, here making their TLCB debut, and these two incredible brick-built replicas of Russia’s finest rotary-wing aircraft.

The first (above) is a Mil Mi-17V-5, as leased by the Canadian military for extraction duties in Afghanistan, whilst the second (below) is a Polish Air Force Mil Mi-8T, the world’s most numerous military helicopter, depicted here on a fast-roping training exercise.

Wonderfully realistic, Francis’ models display forensic attention to detail, clever construction, and deploy custom mini-figures to great effect to bring the scenes to life.

There’s much more to see of each MIL helicopter diorama at Francis’ ‘Bird’ album, and you can hover under rotating Russian wings via the link above.