No your screen hasn’t suddenly gone low-res. The reason for the Minecraft-esque appearance of today’s creation is that it has been constructed (no doubt tediously) using solely 1×2 plates. Yup, everything from the windscreen to the wheels of Chris Doyle‘s Jeep is built only from LEGO’s second-smallest part, which assuredly makes this the least detailed (and yet one of the most ingenious) creations that this site has ever featured. Head over to Flickr to pretend you’re in a video game c1995!
Yes, the title phrase ‘That’s a Doozy’ – used to describe something opulent, enormous or unusual – really did come from society’s reaction to the Duesenberg cars that were built from the 1920s until 1940. Which must make it the world’s first automotive meme. Take that ‘VTEC just kicked in yo’.
The largest, most powerful, and most expensive cars on the market, Duesenberg’s can today sell for over $22 million, which rather prices TLCB out of ownership. Fortunately this delightful brick-built Duesenberg SJ is rather more attainable, having been suggested to us a by a reader.
Flickr’s 1saac W. is the builder and there’s more to see of his Doozy of a build at his photostream via the link.
The new LEGO Technic 42144 Material Handler is an impressive looking set. But it’s also really pricey, so – like anything expensive – it’s best to get maximum use out of it. At least, that’s the approach this writer takes with TLCB Executive Washroom & Sauna.
Cue M_longer, who has repurposed the pieces from the aforementioned set to create this neat cherry picker truck. A pneumatic hoist with a rotating turntable, working steering, and mechanical stabilisers feature, plus building instructions are available, so other owners of 42144 can both handle material and pick cherries too.
There’s more to see of M_longer’s 42144 alternate at Eurobricks and Bricksafe, and you can pick your way over via the links in the text above.
In some kind of TLCB nightmare, Flickr’s Jens Ådne J. Rydland has managed a gloriously successful mashup of two sci-fi themes about which we know nothing. So here’s one of those walking things from Star Wars merged with LEGO’s own Blacktron and Ice Planet themes, for a reference so nerdy it’s probably got adenoids. Join the sci-fi convention via the link above, whilst this TLCB Staffer tries to counterbalance writing this by drinking a beer and giving a wedgie to one of the Elves or something.
This astounding creation is a Volvo FH16 750, and it’s one of the finest Technic creations of the year so far.
Packed with working functions, it took builder blaz62 over two years to complete, with a remote control 8×6 drivetrain linked to an inline-6 engine that resides under a fully suspended cab, all-wheel suspension, LED lights, working front, middle and rear outriggers, and an incredible three-stage folding ‘knuckle boom’ crane.
Based on the Palfinger PK 165.002 TEC 7 crane (ah yes, that one. Ed.), blaz62’s amazing feat of engineering can unfurl (via much knob twiddling) to reveal a three-stage first boom, with a further second two-stage jib and third single-stage jib thereafter. It offers 360° of rotation, a 400g payload, and a reach longer than a 1983 Monty Python sketch.
Building instructions are available and there’s much more to see at the Eurobricks discussion forum and Blaz62’s ‘Volvo FH16’ Bricksafe album.
This is a Dino 246, the late-’60s to mid-’70s Ferrari-that-wasn’t-a-Ferrari.
The Dino 206 and 246 compared favourably with the Porsche 911 and other sports cars of the time, but the 2.0 and 2.4 litre V6 Fiat engines fitted were considered too entry-level for the main Ferrari brand, despite Ferrari upping the horsepower figure by 20bhp.
By ‘upping the horsepower figure’ we do mean that literally; Ferrari’s number may have been 20bhp higher than Fiat’s, but the engine was identical. It’s the ’60s motoring equivalent of adding a few inches to your height on Tinder…
Despite the outright lies we do rather like the Dino, and time has been kind to it, with a quick search revealing the Dinos for sale today are all listed as ‘Ferraris’. And they probably have an extra 20bhp in the performance figures too.
This lovely Speed Champions recreation of the not-quite-a-Ferrari comes from Flickr’s Thomas Gion, who has captured the Dino 246 GT beautifully. There’s more to see at Thomas’ ‘1969 “Ferrari” Dino 246 GT’ album‘ on Flickr – take a look via the link above whilst this TLCB Writer makes a minor amendment his Tinder profile.
This is a Jama SBU 8000 Mechanical Scaler, and it is so far outside of our vehicular knowledge it might as well be sci-fi. It’s also entitled ‘Skrotare’ by Swedish builders Sefan Johansson & Robert Lundmark which sounds like a horrific rugby injury, so we’ll leave the description there. It is an incredible creation though, with stunning detailing capturing the real mining machine in spectacularly life-like fashion. There’s more of the build to see at Stefan’s photostream and you can head into a Swedish tunnel via the link above.
The future of racing is electric. Because the future of everything is electric, unless we can sort hydrogen out.
Formula E is the FIA’s flagship electric racing series, in which unsuccessful Formula 1 departees drive, um… not particularly quickly around giant carparks. Oh. At least the cars look cool.
Cue R. Skittle‘s ‘Formula e Concept’ – suggested to us by a reader – which looks a lot more like a traditional racing car than the wild current Formula E car. However with twin BuWizz batteries and motors, it might also have performance more in line with a traditional racing car than a Formula E car too.
A Power Functions servo motor provides the steering, there’s clever independent pushrod suspension, and – apparently – torque vectoring for a drift mode! If this is the future of electric racing sign us up!
Join the electric revolution at R. Skittle’s Flickr album via the link above.
Scandinavian design is very ‘in’ right now. Grey, white, with a dash of a calming colour like blue, it’s the default for every upper-middle class redecoration. Here at The Lego Car Blog we don’t follow such fads though, which is why TLCB Towers hasn’t been redecorated since the late ’80s. That, and our redecoration budget stretches to a roll of duct tape and some blu-tack.
Representing Scandinavian design minimalism beautifully however, is MCD‘s 2022 Volvo FH500 truck, which utilises the aforementioned nordic colour palette to great effect. MCD’s monochrome tractor unit successfully blends Technic and System bricks to capture the real truck, whilst a Maersk Sealand container sits atop an excellent three-axle trailer behind.
There’s more of the MCD’s build to see at the Eurobricks forum, and you can sit in a monochrome chair drinking a coffee from an exquisitely designed cup, enjoying 18 hours of daylight via the link in the text above.
The recently launched Speed Champions 76094 Dodge Charger R/T set continues LEGO’s welcome foray into real-world classic cars. Taking the purple Challenger from that set and upsizing it is Flickr’s Joey Klusnick, who has replicated the iconic 1970’s muscle car in ‘Miniland’ scale, making his model perfect for the streets of a Legoland theme park. It’d sure be a quality street** with Joey’s Challenger parked on it. Click the link above to rummage through the box for a taste.***
*Non UK readers; you’ll have no idea what we’re on about.
**As above.
***That’s enough now (Ed.)
We love alternate builds here at The Lego Car Blog, as creating many things from one set is at the very heart of what LEGO is all about.
TLCB Master MOCer Firas Abu-Jaber demonstrates this perfectly today, having created this brilliant B-Model from the parts found within the excellent 10295 Porsche 911 Turbo set.
Following his incredible Ford GT40 10295 alternate comes another iconic American supercar, the Dodge Viper, complete with opening doors, a detailed engine under the raising hood, and working steering too.
All the parts to create it can be found within the 10295 set, the complete image gallery can be found here, and you can find building instructions to turn your own 10295 Porsche 911 Turbo set into a Dodge Viper at Firas’ website by clicking here.
Sorry, we mean ‘Depositing by Floater’. The first is something else. Anyway, this delightful scene depicting a De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver floatplane comes from Flickr’s Slick_Brick, and it looks beautiful! From the dog in the boat by the jetty to the forest and snow-capped mountains beyond to the wait… what’s that lurking in the water? Whatever it is the scene is still somewhere we’d love to be, and you can join us there at Slick’s photostream via the link in the text above.
The brave classic spacemen and spacewomen of, um… Classic Space, have been exploring the galaxy for four decades now. Forming the backbone of their exploratory equipment is the LL-928 Galaxy Explorer, recently updated some forty years after it first flew, and captured here in a maintenance hangar in a rarely-seen ‘off-duty’ image courtesy of Rob.
With the engines removed from the spacecraft for maintenance it would be rude not to climb aboard one for some static ‘testing’. Classic spaceman Shawn looks like he’s having a splendid time atop the disconnected propulsion system, but we suspect his colleagues are most unamused at the prospect of recalibrating the whole thing thanks to his bucking-bronco moment.
Rob’s wonderfully immersive images are a lovely homage to one of LEGO’s most fondly remembered themes, and you can join the mini-figures of Classic Space and the 10497 Galaxy Explorer set in the maintenance hangar at his photostream via the link above.
Suggested by a reader, these two Porsche 911 Turbos come from Petey Bird of Flickr, who has captured the 1990s incarnation of Porsche’s iconic sports car beautifully in Speed Champions form. Curve bricks are used in abundance to replicate the famous shape, with some rather clever side-windows too, and there’s more of Petey’s Porsches to see at his photostream via the link above.
Speaking of ‘coolest vehicles on the planet‘ following today’s other post, here’s another. The Suzuki Jimny is one of the hottest vehicles to own right now, helped no doubt by the EU’s ‘CAFE’ CO2 regulations taking it off sale after just two years, during which time it had a sizeable waiting list. But buying a hateful G63 AMG is fine… go figure.
Anyway, these two polar bears have managed to get themselves a Suzuki Jimny (whose survival was surely the point of that non-sensical, counter-productive EU legislation), applying a few well-chosen mods to equip them with everything they need for a weekend camping.
There’s a folding table, cooler, camping stove, and much more besides to ensure a successful polar-bear-father-son camping trip.
Flickr’s LEGO 7 is the builder behind this wonderfully whimsical, delightfully detailed, and beautifully built creation, and there’s more to see of his superbly presented bear-based camping scene at his ‘Camping Time’ album. Click the link above to join the fun.
