…but probably the most popular plane to appear here at The Lego Car Blog. Lego builders love the Mitsubishi Zero, and they keep finding new ways to recreate Japan’s most famous fighter. This version comes from MOCpages’ James C, and he’s captured the Zero’s iconic shape beautifully. There’s more to see at his MOCpage – click the link above to fly over.
We’ve featured a lot of large creations at TLCB over the past few weeks, but you don’t need thousands of bricks to make something that could appear here. 1saac W proves this point beautifully with this lovely 1940 Ford Coupe, and it’s got one of the most ingenious grills we’ve found at this scale.
1saac also demonstrates the other crucial factor necessary in getting a creation blogged; excellent photography. Our Elves (and readers) find lots of superb creations that we can’t publicise here because they fail to meet our image standards. It’s really simple to take high quality photographs of your creation though! You can check out 1saac’s via the link above, and you can read some tips on how to photograph your models well by clicking this link to our handy tutorial.
It is in fact a Baureihe 41-241 Polarstern steam locomotive operated by Deutsche Reichsbahn, and, if we’re being honest, we only know that from the builder’s description. But we are a car blog so European railways of the 1930s are a bit outside of our (admittedly limited) skill set.
This stunning model is the work of previous bloggee, TLCB favourite, and Master MOCer BricksonWheels, and it’s a beautifully thought-out build. With exquisite custom 3D printed wheels and valve train (see the image below), plus two Power Functions XL motors and in-built IR receivers driving it, the Polarstern locomotive demonstrates an incredible attention to detail.
You can read further details of both the build and the real train, and see the full gallery of stunning imagery, at BricksonWheels’ photostream – click here to buy a ticket.
This magnificent creation is the work of previous bloggee and TLCB Master MOCer Dennis Glaasker aka Bricksonwheels, and it’s something rather special. It’s a Union Pacific ‘Big Boy’ locomotive, and unlike most of Dennis’ builds it’s a relatively small 1:38 scale. But that doesn’t mean it’s a small build; at over a metre long it takes three Power Functions XL motors mounted in the tender to drive it, which is probably the most power any mini-figure has ever had.
Building such a huge locomotive presented Dennis with several building challenges. LEGO don’t make train wheels large enough, so Dennis worked with a friend to design and manufacture unique 3D printed wheels – complete with LEGO-compatible valve gear. A Tamiya RC battery provides the power, connected via an SBrick control module to ensure the battery power remains derestricted, and the train’s lighting is taken care of via a neat Brickstuff LED kit.
Whilst some way from a completely Lego build, Dennis’ creation shows how exceptional a model can be when LEGO bricks are used alongside specialist components.
If you’re interest in learning more about the Union Pacific build and the components used to create it you can visit the model at Dennis’ Flickr photostream here, where there are also links to the third-party suppliers and where you can see the other amazing creations that Dennis has built.
*In the voice of your Mom
This stylish 1948 Talbot-Lago T-26 Grand Sport Coupe comes from previous bloggee Tim Inman of Flickr. A unique car with an interesting history, there’s more to read and see at the link above.
The Lino Martins‘ bakery knows how to deliver in style. This is a 1940s International Harvester Metro van… with one or two subtle modifications. Pick up a loaf at Lino’s photostream via the link above.
It’s seems ages since we posted a proper car, and what with it being the main theme of our blog name we probably need to get back to our job description. We blame the Elves. Anyway, one of them did find this today, a rather lovely classic Ford Coupe by serial blogee Senator Chinchilla. There’s lots more to see on Flickr – click the link above to take the trip to ’46.
This beautiful classic ’46 Mercury Sportsman convertible comes from TLCB favourite, Master MOCer, and Flickr legend Ralph Savelsberg aka Mad Physicist. A re-working of a model he built back in 2008, Ralph’s Sportsman has been significantly updated with LEGO’s newer pieces and it reminds us superbly of just how good American cars used to be before they ended up like this.
Mercury, created by the Ford Motor Company in the mid 1930s, was killed off during the restructuring of America’s ‘Big Three’ auto manufacturers following the financial crisis in 2011, but by that point its products were little more than appallingly bland re-badged Fords anyway. Mercury’s 1940s offerings were far more interesting – Take a trip back to to 1946 courtesy of Ralph via the link above.
You don’t need ten thousand bricks to appear on The Lego Car Blog. Around one hundred is plenty, as proven by Flickr’s Johnni with the lovely 1946 Alfa Romeo 6C Freccia d’ora pictured above, and Robert4168 with his superbly inventive micro-scale ‘Buccaneer’s Dread’ pirate ship. See more of each via the links.
At the opposite end of the scale from today’s other post is this; an absolutely monstrous Mercedes-Benz Unimog 401. Somewhat simpler on the outside than its modern U400 descendant, the 401 was just as ridiculously hardcore underneath, but is also very probably the slowest vehicle that this site has ever featured, and we’re even including this.
Tamás Juhász aka Mbmc is the builder and he’s built one hell of a machine. Underneath the simple green bodywork is a full RC drivetrain complete with a remotely operated 2-speed gearbox and some of the toughest looking suspension we’ve ever seen. There’s also a beautifully recreated working 4-cylinder engine, power take-offs front and rear and opening doors and hood.
There’s lots more to see, including images of the incredible chassis, on several of the key creation-sharing platforms; albums and build details on Flickr, Brickshelf and Eurobricks can be reached via the links.
We thought the Chrysler Town & Country was a horrible American minivan, but it turns out that in 1948 it was something far more interesting. This gorgeous ’48 Chrysler Town & Country Convertible comes from newcomer Velocites, and it features some of the nicest wood and metal work we’ve seen on a Town scale car. There’s more to see at Velocites’ photostream – click the link above to make the jump to ’48.
The Lego Car Blog has featured numerous Mitsubishi A6M Zeros over the years, and Flick’s Daniel Siskind has been refining his mini-figure scale version of the famous fighter aircraft for almost as long. This is his latest version, and it’s pretty much perfect. See more at his photostream via the link above.
No, not that Black Friday. Our Elves are feeling quite sinister today (which means they might be plotting something), and thus we have a few dark and moody creations to share.
First up is TLCB regular piratecox‘s superb hot rod hearse, giving mini-figures the chance to go out in style. It looks the perfect funeral vehicle for a chap like the one below, who mixes driving his brutal-looking rat rod pick-up with piloting a jet-black Corsair fighter plane. Sydag is the builder and you can see more of his stunning build on Flickr at the link above, whilst we try to work out what the Elves are up to…
Mitsubishi might be best known for the Lancer Evolution (although we’re not sure if anyone’s actually buying them anymore), but it wasn’t a car that put the Japanese company on the map. It was this, the deadly A6M Zero fighter. This lovely recreation of the classic warplane has been built by Flickr’s LegoUli and you can see more at his photostream by clicking here.
We rarely post virtual creations here at TLCB, but today is Back to the Future Day (the date that Marty travels forward to in back to the Future Part II) so it seems appropriate to go digital!
This lovely LDD recreation of Biff‘s Ford Super Deluxe from the Back to the Future franchise comes from Flickr’s Peter Blackert, and you can climb on your hoverboard and head over to view more by clicking here.