Power-Up the Claas

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This spectacular creation is a Claas Torion 1914 wheel loader, a two-thousand piece fully remote controlled behemoth from mktechniccreations of Eurobricks.

With four Powered-Up motors, mk’s creation can drive, steer, and generate its own air pressure in order to power the pneumatics that operate the loading arm and bucket tilt functions.

Superbly lifelike aesthetics, enhanced by accurate decals, are showcased via top quality presentation, and there’s more of the Powered-Up Claas to see at the Eurobricks forum, where a full suite of imagery can be found. Click the link above to take a look and one of the most well engineered creations of the year so far.

LEGO Technic H2 2022 | Set Previews

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Our Elves have been sneaking again! Although we forgot to write about their discovery of the new H2 2022 Technic sets until we saw that LEGO had released them for sale on Monday. Never mind…

So, although you can find these on LEGO.com for sale right now, here are the two new LEGO Technic sets for August 2022!

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42144 Material Handler

First up (above), and looking excellent, is the brand new 42144 Material Handler, an 835-piece recreation of those giant grabby crane things that operate in scrapyards. And seeing as literally everyone wants to have a go at smashing a giant grab through the roof a scrap car, LEGO’s decision to create a fully working Technic version looks rather inspired.

The new 42144 set returns proper pneumatics to the Technic line-up, with a boom extending to 35cm courtesy of two large pneumatic cylinders pressurised by hand, whilst a small pneumatic cylinder opens and closes the grab.

A decent level of mechanical functions are present too, with 42144 including working outriggers, steering, a rotating boom superstructure, and an elevating cab.

It all looks rather good, but so it should do, as the new Technic 42144 Material Handler costs an enormous £105 / $150.

This sizeable price-tag generates a figure of 13p / 18c per piece, which is exactly double that of the 42054 Claas Xerion 5000 from five years ago, and 50% more than the 42111 Dom’s Dodge Charger set from just two years ago.

Perhaps you might not want to scrap that old car after all…

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42145 Airbus H175 Rescue Helicopter

LEGO’s second new arrival for August 2022 brings a helicopter back into the Technic range, a vehicle type that always seems to translate well to the theme. Unlike past iterations though, 42145 is an officially licensed replica of a real-world helicopter, in this case the Airbus H175.

Now as a car blog we have no idea what an Airbus H175 is, and would have been just as happy with a ‘generic’ helicopter, but aircraft fans are likely to enjoy its real-world basis as much as we do LEGO’s officially licensed cars and trucks.

Measuring over 70cm long and aimed at ages 11+, 42145 includes a motor that powers both the main and tail rotor, the rescue winch, and the retractable landing gear, whilst also spinning the engines too, which is a nice touch.

42145’s mechanical functions are limited to opening doors and a working swash plate to control rotor pitch, but seeing as the latter is fiendishly difficult to create that’s probably sufficient.

On sale now, the new Technic 42145 Airbus H175 Rescue Helicopter costs £180 / $210, making it even more expensive than the 42144 Material Handler above. However with a far more reasonable price per piece figure (even with a motor included), it 42145 looks to be the much better value of the two.

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Both new Technic sets are available now via LEGO.com and other retailers, alongside all of the Technic sets from H1 revealed here at TLCB earlier in the year.

Wood Rat

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Regular bloggee 1saac W. returns to TLCB with something rather more wooden than we’re used to seeing in automotive circles. Inspired by a real hot rod, 1saac’s wood-panelled rat rod includes Winnie the Pooh stickers, white-wall tyres, and the jauntiest front axle we’ve seen in some time. Head to Flickr to take a look.

Long Bottom Dump

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Like ‘Wankel‘, ‘Bottom dump’ amuses us here at TLCB. Because we’re children.

Cue DamianPLE (aka damjan97PL)’s ‘Long Nose Truck with Bottom Dump Trailer’, created from the Technic 42128 Heavy Duty Tow Truck. The front of the truck will be recognisable to anyone with the set, with Damian converting the tow truck into a sleeper cab to pull his ‘bottom dump’ (snigger) trailer.

A suite of Power Functions motors power the truck’s drive and steering, as well as the trailer’s support legs and lower gate dumping mechanism.

There’s more to see – including a video of Damian having a dump (snigger) – at the Eurobricks forum, where a link to building instructions can also be found, plus you can jump to all the images on Bricksafe. Click the links above to take a look, and maybe have a dump yourself.

Bonneville ’66

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Car manufacturers are sometimes a little… er, ambitious with their names. The ideal car for running on the salt flats of Bonneville is not one of the largest production vehicles ever produced, fitted with drum brakes and a three-speed gearbox.

The Pontiac Bonneville first launched in 1958 as a two-door hardtop or convertible, based on the luxurious Pontiac Star Chief, but de-specced to bring the price down. By the fourth generation – pictured here – the range had expanded to include four-door hardtop, sedan and station wagon body-styles, all of which were powered a range of variously-sized V8 engines, and the luxury had been reinstated to make the Bonneville Pontiac’s most expensive model.

This beautiful Model Team recreation of the Bonneville two-door ‘Sports Coupe’ from 1966 captures the excess of the car superbly, with builder Jakub Marcisz replicating the full-size barge in stunning detail.

Opening doors reveal a wonderfully accurate interior, a lifelike V8 engine sits under the opening hood, and the trunk opens to reveal, well – some complicated building techniques, but the real car’s trunk was almost unfeasibly large, thanks to a total vehicle length exceeding 5.5 meters.

Come to think of it, maybe Jakub’s Pontiac Bonneville isn’t so optimistically named after all. It’s really very large, and very yellow, just like its desert namesake, and there’s much more to see at Jakub’s ‘Pontiac Bonneville 1966’ album on Flickr. Head into the heat of Utah via the link above.

Star 69*

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It’s been while since the last Elf-smushing, and the Elven discoverer of today’s creation was doubtless excited to reinstate the tradition with its remote control find.

Unfortunately for the aforementioned mythical worker, TLCB Master MOCer Nico71’s fantastic Technic Wester Star 6900 Twinsteer truck was too ponderous to mow down any of its Elven brethren, as evidenced when this TLCB Writer watched it trundling about the office in forlorn pursuit, much to annoyance of its driver.

But our Elves can occasionally display a degree of ingenuity…

Cue today’s Elf, which gave up using the Western Star’s Control+ powered remote control drive and steering, and instead deployed the motorised winch mounted behind the cab. Hooking it to a cage in which a couple of Elves were residing, it hauled the metal box onto the back of the truck, before driving off much to the terror of the Elves trapped inside.

We’re not actually sure where the kidnapped Elves have been taken, but they and their captor can’t have gone far. Besides, we have plenty of Elves.

Anyway, whilst we go and search TLCB Towers for a remote control Technic truck with a cage of kidnapped workers on board, you can see more of Nico’s excellent Western Star 6900 Twinsteer truck, complete with remote control drive and twin-axle steering, a motorised winch, working suspension, and a 6-cylinder engine, at his Brickshelf gallery.

Click the link above to see all the imagery and to find a link to building instructions, plus you can watch the Western Star in action (hauling a diesel pump rather than a cage full of kidnapped Elves) by clicking here.

*Today’s excellent title song.

Zuk Me

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This is an FSC Zuk, a Polish one-ton truck based on an FSO based on a GAZ from the ’50s. And we love it. Because it’s crap.

Like pretty much everything from behind the Iron Curtain, the Zuk was cheap, simple, and produced for far longer than it should have been. It’s TLCB of trucks.

This lovely Model Team recreation of the FSC Zuk in curtain-sided flatbed form comes from Soviet specialist Legostalgie of Flickr, who has captured the Polish workhorse beautifully. Expert detailing and some rather clever building techniques make this one of our favourite vehicles of the year so far, and there’s lots more of it to see at Legostalgie’s photostream – Click the link to make the jump.

To Boldly… Oh

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We thought this was that famous spaceship from Star Trek, but – as with almost anything we think we know about sci-fi – we were wrong. No matter, because the ‘USS Goldsmith’ (which might still be from Start Trek, we’re not sure…) by Flickr’s Tim Goddard is an excellent build, with the overlapping plates forming the, er… round bit, as confusing to us as the whole Star Trek franchise. Beautiful presentation matches the build quality and there’s more to see of The-Maybe-Star-Trek-USS-Goldsmith at Tim’s photostream. Click the link to Boldly Go. Probably.

#buslife

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#buslife. It’s like #vanlife, only harder to park. But with the end of civilisation a genuine possibility thanks to mankind’s continued CO2 output, perhaps now is the time to buy an old bus and park it in readiness for the arriving apocalypse.

Norton74 thinks so too, having equipped two of his mini-figures with this beautifully ramshackle bus for the post-apoc world, built while he (and we) sweltered in record 40°C heat. Thanks Climate Change.

A myriad of wonderful details make Norton’s heatwave-built bus an absolute delight, and you can take a closer look at his mini-figures’ post-apoc future (and perhaps ours too…) on Flickr. Click the link above to join dystopian #buslife.

The World’s Fastest Tractor

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This is the JCB Fastrac Two, a modified version of the company’s high-power all-wheel-drive Fastrac agricultural tractor, and it holds the Guinness World Record for world’s fastest tractor. Which could be a little like claiming to be the world’s tallest midget, but the Fastrac Two really is fast, reaching over 150mph. Sowing that barley will take minutes.

This Technic recreation of the record-breaking tractor comes from JLiu15 of Flickr, and is complete with remote control drive and steering, a six cylinder engine, and authentic decals from the record-setting run. There’s more of the build to see at JLui15’s ‘JCB Fastrac Two’ album and the Eurobricks forum, where further imagery and a link to building instructions can be found; take a look via the links above whilst this TLCB Writer registers to be the world’s smallest giant.

Seasprite

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This is a Kaman SH-2 Seasprite, a U.S Navy ship-based anti-submarine and search & rescue helicopter. Introduced in 1963, the Seasprite saw service in the Vietnam and Gulf Wars, and flew until 1993 with the U.S Navy, as well as being operated in small numbers by a several other nations.

This excellent (and rather wonderfully liveried) SH-2 Seasprite is the work of Robson M (aka BrickDesigners), who has captured both it and the rather exciting looking weaponry slung underneath beautifully.

Top quality building techniques and presentation abound, and there’s more to see of the SH-2, including its folding landing gear, opening doors, and cartoonesque missiles, at Robson’s photostream. Click the link above to get airborne.

EuroVan

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This is the Volkswagen EuroVan, or the T4 Transporter to most of the world, produced from the early-’90s to the early-’00s, and available as a van, passenger vehicle, kombi, chassis-cab, pick-up and camper.

This one, being called a ‘EuroVan’, is the North American version, where the T4 Transporter was sold from 1992 and 2003, almost exclusively with VR6-power. In Europe we could get a 1.9 naturally-aspirated diesel with 60bhp, so really we think the ‘states should’ve got that one…

Anyway, this EuroVan comes from previous bloggee Danifill, who has recreated the ’90s Volkswagen brilliantly in Technic form. There’s remote control drive and steering via a BuWizz bluetooth brick, independent front and live axle rear suspension, working head and tail lights, and brick built VR6 engine under the opening hood.

There’s more to see at the Eurobricks discussion forum – make the jump to all the details, imagery, and a video of the van in action via the link in the text above.

My Other John Deere is a Tractor

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We love B-Model building here at The Lego Car Blog. It’s LEGO in its purest form, as even a limited quantity of pieces can generate infinite creative possibilities. Cue Thirdwigg, who has repurposed the parts from the LEGO Technic 42136 John Deere 9620R Tractor set to create this articulated dump truck. Working steering and a tipping bucket provide the Technic functions, and there’s more to see of Thirdwigg’s alternate – including building instructions – on Flickr and at the Eurobricks forum.

Bean Machine

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Trucks transport all sorts of things. Cheddar, smoothie makers, edam, garden furniture, camembert, desk lamps, mozzarella, brie…

Sorry, we got stuck in an infinite cheese loop. But as you (usually) can’t see what most trucks are carrying, it could well be hardened cow juice as much as anything else.

Not today though, as despite the cheesy colouring of Vladimir Drozd’s excellent Scania T143 truck, we’re 99% certain it’s hauling beans. Because it says ‘Bean Cargo Inc.’ on the side. And there’s a picture of a bean.

Despite the lack of cheese, Vladimir’s Scania is lovely build, with top-quality detailing, life-like decals, and a beautifully hidden remote control drivetrain within, powering the drive, steering, and the trailer’s tipping body.

Up to to 2kgs of bulk cargo (in this case almost definitely beans) can be transported and tipped, and there’s lots more to see of Vladimir’s superb creation at his ‘Scania T143’ Flickr album and via the Eurobricks discussion forum.

Take a look via the links above, whilst we go and make a cheese sandwich.

Stick it to ’em

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The Lego Car Blog regularly chastises LEGO for their increasing and often unnecessary use of stickers in sets. Said sticky pictures have been dubiously deployed to create details that should be constructed from actual LEGO pieces, until that is, they inevitably peel off and you’re left with no details at all. We hate them.

So here’s a creation covered in a veritable butt-ton of stickers…

No, we’re not consistent. But nuno_g_teixeira’s be-stickered recreation of the 1981 Monte Carlo rally-winning Renault 5 Turbo is glorious.

Underneath the beautifully accurate decals, custom 3D-printed wheels, steering wheel and Recaro seats applied by Nuno is Lachlan Cameron’s brilliant Technic Renault 5 Turbo road car that appeared here last month.

Nuno’s fantastic rallyfication of Lachlan’s design replicates the rally-winning Renault in spectacular detail, largely thanks to the incredible period-correct livery of which you can see more at Lachlan’s photostream. Maybe stickers are alright after all…