Tag Archives: 1970s

Get Your Uniknicks

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We love weird old vehicles here at The Lego Car Blog. Whilst other automotive sites are enthralled by the latest Lamborghini, we’re more interested in obscure British saloons, communist-era economy cars, and Japanese boxes. Or this.

‘This’ is a Werner Uniknick UK52/60, a 1970s German forestry tractor based on the already awesome Mercedes-Benz Unimog, but cut in half and then re-attached with an articulated pivot in the middle.

This tremendous Technic recreation of our new favourite thing comes from previous bloggee and TLCB Master MOCer Nico71, who constructed it for the recent BuWizz Gathering 2025 in Slovenia.

Powered by a BuWizz bluetooth battery and four Power Functions motors, Nico’s Uniknick features remote control four-wheel-drive via portal hubs, articulated steering via twin linear actuators linked to the steering wheel, and a motorised winch, plus centrally-oscillating suspension, a working and removable four-cylinder engine, and opening doors and hood.

It’s a build as impressive as the real-world vehicle it replicates, and you can recreate it for yourself as Nico has produced building instructions too. There’s much more to see at the Eurobricks forum (including links to instructions) and you can articulate your way there via the link above.

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Mon Ami

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1960s Citroens were properly weird. This is a Citroen Ami 6, a front-wheel-drive economy car available as saloon, estate, or van, powered by the mighty 602cc sub-30bhp two-cylinder engine from the 2CV, with a reverse-rake rear window, and seats you could remove to form picnic chairs. Because France.

This glorious homage to the little Citroen captures the, um… ‘unique’ styling of the Ami brilliantly in brick form, and it comes from previous bloggee SIM CAMAT who owns the real thing. With opening doors, hood and trunk, plus a detailed engine and interior, SIM’s Ami is a really lovely replica, and you can head to 1960s France via the link to his photostream above.

Cardboard Car

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Flickr’s Szunyogh Balazs has appeared on these pages several times before, with vehicles that are fast, loud, or both. But not today, because his latest creation is at the opposite end of the vehicular spectrum. This is the communist East German Trabant, a car made fro cardboard for people that had no choice.

Almost three million Trabant 601s were made, making it the East German equivalent of the West German Beetle. Although the Beetle became a Polo. And a Golf. Whereas the Trabant carried on until the collapse of the Soviet Union and reunification of Germany in 1991. There’s more to see of Szunyough’s splendid Lego Trabant 601 on Flickr, and you can head to the other side of the iron curtain via the link above.

Red Before Yellow

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This is a Bucyrus 495HR electric rope shovel, a 1970s-designed mining excavator capable of lifting over 100 tons at a time. Which make is very large indeed.

So large in fact, that this astounding fully-functional recreation of the 495HR is actually mini-figure scale, making this probably the largest ‘Town’ category post this site has ever published.

Created by Konajra of Flickr, it’s an update to his previously blogged Caterpillar 7495, adopting the original red livery of its creator Bucyrus before the design was purchased by Caterpillar, who painted it yellow and who still use it today.

With remote control movement via a suite of motors and several third-party programmable SBricks, LED lighting, and authentically replicated decals, Konajra’s creation is one of the most impressive of 2025, and there’s lots more to see – including some work-in-progress shots – at his ‘Bucyrus 495HR’ album. Take a closer look red rope shovelling before Caterpillar yellow via the link above.

Barracuda*

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If TLCB Elves were to design a car, it’d probably look like a ’70s Plymouth Barracuda. Lime green bodywork, a black hood with a giant scoop in the middle of it, racing stripes, and an enormous V8 engine packing up to 425bhp from over 7 litres, the Hemi ‘Cuda was wildly different to the cars trundling around our home nation at the time.

Cue this splendid Speed Champions scale recreation of Plymouth’s third-generation Barracuda from previous bloggee gnat.bricks, which includes all of the aforementioned attributes plus -and more unusually at this scale – a brick-built drivetrain, including  full-length exhausts, gearbox, driveshaft and differential, and steering arms/suspension. These don’t function of course, but then neither did the steering/suspension of the real ‘Cuda.

There’s more of gnat’s brilliant Barracuda to see at his ‘CUDA SC’ album on Flickr, and you can jump back to ’70s America via the link above, whilst clicking the link below for the most appropriate soundtrack imaginable.

*Today’s excellent title song. Of course.

ZIL 130 | Picture Special

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It’s time for a truck here at The Lego Car Blog, and today’s is something rather special. Created by previous bloggee Michael Kulakov / Michael217, this gorgeous ZIL 130 captures one of the workhorses of the Soviet Union spectacularly in LEGO bricks. Plus a few items that aren’t strictly LEGO…

Powered by a mix of genuine LEGO motors and third-party electronics, Michael’s model can drive, steer, and change between high and low gear ratios remotely, and also features a working V8 engine under the raising hood, opening cab doors, a mechanically locking trailer hitch, plus all wheel suspension.

Those wheels are non-LEGO parts, beautifully replicating real truck rims from the period via 3D printing, and are shod in RC tyres. The steering arms too are 3D-printed, and include metal inserts, which – along with some metal driveshaft components – toughen the drivetrain to handle the remote control system.

The rest of the build, including that wonderful bodywork, engine bay and interior, is all LEGO, and demonstrates superb attention to detail. Over a dozen perfectly presented images are available to view at Michael’s ‘ZIl 130’ Flickr album, plus you can find full build details, further links, and a video of the model in action at the Eurobricks discussion forum.

Tanked Up

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We’re not sure what’s inside Arian Janssens’ excellent classic DAF FT 2800 truck and tanker trailer but – as is always the case with such posts – we hope it’s beer. Or wine. Or anything alcoholic in fact. Yeah, well… you try and work with mythical creatures for a job. Arian’s creation is perfectly hopped, and you can have a taste at his ‘DAF FT 2800’ album whilst this TLCB Writer tries to find some alcohol in the office that isn’t in a hand-sanitiser.

Rolling a Six

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The Lego Car Blog Elves are very excited today…

This is the 1976 Tyrrell P34, Formula 1’s only racing-winning 6-wheeler, and – as things currently stand – the only 6-wheeler that will ever win a race as the fun-sponges at Formula 1 banned cars with more than four wheels a few years later. Because… honestly we have no idea.

This fabulous recreation of the Elf-liveried P34 comes from TLCB debutant bentobrick, who has constructed motorsport’s most recognisable design brilliantly in brick, including a working replica Cosworth DFV engine and four-wheel steering (as shown in the excellent render below).

There’s more of bentobrick’s superb 1976 Tyrrell P34 to see at the Eurobricks forum, where a link to building instructions is also available, and you can head to a Grand Prix in 1976 via the link above.

Jolly Green Giant

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This is a Sikorsky HH-53C Pave Low ‘Super Jolly Green Giant’ helicopter, here shown in search and rescue configuration and, um…. not green.

But it is excellent, having been recreated beautifully by Flickr’s bigwilly2492, with bespoke decals and an opening ramp adding to the realism. There’s more to see at 2492’s ‘HH-53C Super Jolly Green Giant’ album and you take to the skies via the link above.

A Virtual Triumph

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The Triumph 2000-series was, like so many British cars of the time, fantastic. Beautifully styled by Michelotti, powered by a range of smooth 6-cylinder engines, and with over 400,000 built in five countries, it was one of the finest mid-sized saloons of its era.

Which of course meant that British Leyland would go on screw it – and all of Triumph – up, as exemplified by the fact that its predecessor was a Standard and its successor a Rover. And if that makes no sense… you’re right, it doesn’t.

But let’s not get bogged down in the collapse of the British automotive industry, because back in the late-’60s and early-’70s it was still riding high, with the Triumph 2000-series a big part of that success.

This one is a 2500S estate, as superbly recreated in digital form by Lego Professional Peter Blackert (aka lego911). Alongside the excellent exterior the doors, tailgate and hood all open and there’s a detailed engine and interior too, with more to see of Peter’s virtual Triumph at his photostream. Take a look via the link whilst we fantasise about buying the real thing…

In the Shadows

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Here around TLCB Towers the default vehicle of choice is a black-on-black SUV with a vanity plate. Because the British public have no imagination. But black-on-black can look awesome, as evidenced here by Flickr’s SFH_Bricks and this brilliant mid-’70s Porsche 911 Turbo, which is both constructed and presented in black. Photographing an all-black build can be a tricky exercise, but SFH has nailed it, placing his creation on a black background with clever highlighting, and you can join him in the shadows via the link above.

Due South

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A lot of 1970s American cars are described as ‘boats’. It’s not a compliment. However Buick, in a brief moment of unusual inspiration, decided to go all-in on the boat theme with their third-generation Riviera, giving it a spectacular ‘boat-tail’ design from ’71-’73.

The result is one of the most dramatic and iconic American automotive shapes of the ’70s, which became an immediate favourite of this TLCB Writer as a child due to its recurring appearance in an excellent early-’90s TV show.

This superb homage to the third-generation Riviera comes from Jakub Marcisz, who has captured the fabulous shape brilliantly in brick. Working steering, a detailed engine and interior, plus opening doors, hood and trunk all feature, and with building instructions available you can recreate it for yourself.

There’s more to see at both Flickr and Eurobricks, plus if you’re nostalgic for early-’90s crime television you can head Due South via the first link in the text above!

Insert Continuity Errors

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This splendid Speed Champions creation is a 1970s Porsche 911 Targa, and – being yellow – we can’t help but think of an iconic (if ropey) 1980s movie car chase.

Previous bloggee SFH_Bricks is its maker and you can try to outrun Arnold Schwarzenegger in a Sunbeam Alpine in your miraculously self-damaging / self-healing Porsche 911 via the link above.

Insert Mullet

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Do you wear a mullet, loiter in alleyways chewing toothpick, and think that recycling is a socialist plot? Then we have the car for you!

This glorious black-and-gold 1977 Pontiac Trans Am is the work of previous bloggee RGB900, and – despite being just 8-suds wide – captures every identifier of the real car brilliantly bar a flaming bird motif on the hood.

There’s more to see at RGB’s photostream, and you can make the jump to it via the link above. Mullet optional.

Highboy

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Well this is a lovely thing isn’t it? An early-’70s Ford F-250 ‘Highboy’ tow truck, Sseven Bricks‘ creation is as humble a workhorse as you can get. Yet here, in Lego form, it’s one of the most beautifully life-like small-scale models we’ve seen in ages. Top-tier building techniques create some exquisite details (just look at that tiny gap between the cab and the bed) and you can take a closer look at Sseven’s superbly presented creation at his photostream via the link.