Tag Archives: 131

Big Green Bogie

We’re on a bit of an Eastern European streak here at TLCB which continues with this, gyenesvi’s fantastic Zil 131 6×6, which replicates a monstrous real-world trial truck.

The 6×6 drivetrain is propelled by three Powered-Up motors plus a fourth to steer, with the wheels also turning a V6 engine under the hood. More impressive is the immense suspension, which is a combination of live-axle at the front and a tandem bogie at the rear, each with spring-loaded linkages. The result is some seriously impressive ground clearance, as displayed in the wonderful on-location shots, and you can recreate it for yourself too as gyenesvi has produced building instructions for the design.

There’s more of the Zil to see at both the Eurobricks forum and at Bricksafe, and you can pick a big green bogie via the links above.

Radar Love

This fantastic creation is a ZIL 131, a Soviet V8-powered 6×6 off-road truck built from the 1960s right up to 2012, as used by all manner of dodgy dictatorships and communist regimes around the world. And Finland.

It’s also a vehicle that has appeared on this site several times over the years. This one however, is a little different from most…

Fitted to the bed of Samuel Nerpas’ Technic version is an enormous radar system, as was mounted on the real AMU variants of the ZIL 131. Powered by two separate gasoline engines, the P19 radar antenna would raise, unfurl, and rotate, allowing the Soviet Union to deploy radar in even its most inhospitable parts.

Samuel’s incredible recreation of the ZIL 131 AMU includes that P19 radar system, with four Power Functions motors raising and unfolding the antenna, powering a decoupling clutch, and rotating it 360°.

Four more motors drive all six fully-suspended wheels, whilst another powers the steering, and yet another a compressor to deploy the pneumatically-operated stabiliser legs.

There’s loads more to see of Samuel’s astonishing build at both his Flickr photostream and at the Eurobricks forum, where full build details, imagery of the amazing antenna deployed, and videos of the model in action can also be found. Click the links above to get on the radar.

Today’s (excellent) title song.