Tag Archives: 2020

2020 | Year in Review

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Well that was awful wasn’t it. As TLCB’s home nation plunges into another lockdown, the health services are overwhelmed with Coronavirus cases, and President Trump barricades himself in the oval office, 2021 looks to be carrying on where 2020 is leaving off.

Still, here at The Lego Car Blog, things have been alright…

Stats:

After two years of reducing views, 2020 saw a surge in visitors, taking us back towards the million a year mark. We know people have been bored during lockdowns but there are surely much better places to visit than here!

The U.S remains the top nation for visitors, with more than twice as many of you joining us from America than the next nearest country, despite us annoying a few of you by mentioning some of the U.S’s foibles. Visitors from over two-hundred and twenty other nations visited over the course of 2020, and if you’re the one visitor from Christmas Island, Sierra Leone, Tonga, Samoa, or Gabon an extra warm welcome to you!

Search Engines and Pinterest were the largest source of referrals, with our Review Library and The Rise and Fall of MOCpages receiving the most visits.

Oh yeah, if a killer virus, the undermining of American democracy, and race-related riots weren’t enough, 2020 also saw the surprise deletion of MOCpages. Once the bastion of creation-sharing online, Sean Kenney decided to delete the site without warning, taking with it countless creations and duly collecting the ‘Villain of the Year’ trophy in the process.

We then displayed all the intelligence of an anti-vaccine group by clicking these ads to check they were OK and not leading anywhere unpalatable, and consequently got frozen by Google. Whoopsie. Anyway, they should be back soon, and the revenue they generate will continue to go to good causes that need it more than we do, only now the cheques will be much larger!

Competitions & Reader Contributions:

With many of you stuck inside during 2020’s various COVID-19 lock-downs it was the perfect time to hold a competition that we’d been mulling over for some time: Take a set you already own, and turn it into something new. The Lego Car Blog Lock-Down B-Model Competition was a roaring success, with over forty creations making the shortlist to win an awesome array of prizes from our sponsors. It was seriously close at the top, with about seven creations separated by only one or two points! Much arguing later and we had our Winner and Runner-Up, who each received some properly good SBrick Bluetooth Controller packs.

We also opened our Review Library up to our readers via our Facebook page, with several of you joining us to review official LEGO sets, and to take home some free (apart from writing a review of course) Game of Bricks lighting kits.

2021:

As we move into 2021 we’re still here to blog the best Lego vehicles that the web has to offer. We know 2020 has been exceptionally hard for thousands of you, and sadly 2021 looks to be no better at the moment, despite the promise of a Coronavirus vaccine. However, we hope LEGO can still be a source a joy, and that this crummy little corner of the internet provides an escape every once in a while.

Remember that you can suggest a creation to appear here via the Contact or Submission Suggestions pages (just make sure you read our Submission Guidelines first), you can leave a comment on any page via the feedback box, even if it’s to tell us we’re idiots, and that your views and clicks really do make a difference, particularly once we’re off the naughty step and adverts reappear, with all the revenue earned here at TLCB going to good causes.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year, and a better 2021 for all of humankind

TLCB Team

Creations for Charity 2020

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It’s Creations for Charity 2020!

2020 has sucked. Wildfires, terrorism, divisive politics, and a global pandemic that’s claimed over a million lives, it’s been a year to forget for many. However for some children, 2020 isn’t really any different to any other, with every year a struggle due to poverty, family breakdown, and domestic violence.

Creations for Charity, the wonderful annual event that provides thousands of LEGO toys to underprivileged children is back for 2020! Donated by members of the Lego Community, the Creations for Charity online store contains a wide variety of mini-figures, models, and building instructions, the sale of which raises money to purchase LEGO sets for children in need around the world. Which is thoroughly awesome.

Get Involved!

You can join the incredible Creations for Charity initiative in three ways; by donating a creation, by donating cash, or by buying the creations, building instructions, or mini-figures available via the online store.

To take a look at the creations, instructions, and mini-figures available for purchase, to donate your own, or to support the charity by a monetary gift, take a look at the new Creations for Charity website by clicking here.

Lastly, remember by visiting this dilapidated corner of the internet (The Lego Car Blog, not Creations for Charity), that you are helping to do good around the world, as all of the advertising revenue received through your clicks and views here at TLCB is donated to those who need it more than we do. To help us help others, we’d love you to spread the word about TLCB : )

The Osprey is Dead

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Like the Dodo, and those pointy-beaked flappy dinosaurs that killed everyone in Jurassic World, the Osprey is dead. At least LEGO’s version is. Following a petition by the German Peace Society, the new 1,636 piece set due for release in 2020 has been cancelled, on the grounds of it being a military vehicle (which we suppose it is), a category that LEGO have steadfastly tried to avoid in the past.

LEGO’s statement on the cancellation reads;

The LEGO Technic Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey was designed to highlight the important role the aircraft plays in search and rescue efforts. While the set clearly depicts how a rescue version of the plane might look, the aircraft is only used by the military.  We have a long-standing policy not to create sets which feature real military vehicles, so it has been decided not to proceed with the launch of this product.

We appreciate that some fans who were looking forward to this set may be disappointed, but we believe it’s important to ensure that we uphold our brand values.

Which probably means if you managed to get hold of a LEGO Technic 42113 Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey set before the cancellation it’ll soon be worth at least $1 billion to those nerdy collectors who never take the bricks out of the box.

We’re not sure what we think about this one. We were rather surprised that LEGO released a military aircraft as a set (even one with no weapons), but we’re more surprised that they’ve now cancelled it, given the huge amount of work (and money) that will have gone into developing it for sale.

We guess we’ll stick to firing the machine guns on the 10262 Aston Martin DB5 007 set or the cannons on a LEGO pirate ship to get our LEGO violence fix instead.

LEGO Technic H2 2020 | Set Previews

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Summertime is here at TLCB Towers, when skirts get shorter (the pedestrians outside, not TLCB staff), it doesn’t get dark until 10pm, and a select group of Elven ‘volunteers’ are fired over the walls of The LEGO Group’s HQ tasked with bringing back the second half of the year’s new Technic sets.

Those that successfully dodged LEGO’s guard dogs (who surely look forward to this biannual event), have returned with their finds which – thanks to the magic of the internet – we can share with you today! So here they are; the three brand new for H2 2020 LEGO Technic sets…

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42112 Concrete Mixer Truck

The first new addition to the Technic line up is an interesting one, being hefty eight wheel concrete mixer truck that adopts Technic’s recent more detailed aesthetic and includes a brand new bespoke mixing drum piece. Whether this giant single part is a welcome addition or is at odds with the very point of LEGO is open to debate, but the model itself does look rather excellent, with almost Model Team levels of detail yet also retaining decent Technic functionality.

The front two axles offer mechanical steering via a roof mounted gear, whilst that new mixing drum can rotate either as the truck is pushed along or via a gear on the side, allowing it to ‘unload’ its contents all over the kitchen floor. 42112 also adds a few more dark blue pieces to range, with its attractive colouring enhanced with a few neat decals, and it’s expected to cost around €100 when it reaches stores in August.

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42113 Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey

The second set to join the 2020 Technic line-up is as interesting as the first, and it adds another officially-licensed partnership to LEGO’s impressive list to date. It’s also a partnership we never expected, as this awesome looking tilt-rotor aircraft is based on the real (and amazing) Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey.

LEGO have dabbled with tilt-rotor aircraft only once to our knowledge, back with the 8082 Multi-Model Control set from 1993 (come to think of it, why don’t LEGO make multi-model sets anymore? They were great), making 42113 one of the most unusual and original Technic sets in years.

It’s also the first set to feature LEGO’s new ‘Powered Up’ battery box, which when combined with the ‘Powered Up’ Motor drives the set’s two rotors and (we hope) the tilting mechanism that converts the V-22 Osprey from helicopter to plane. An opening cargo door and working landing gear also feature, as do a few orange panels to break up the military grey.

42113 will place towards the top end of the Technic range upon its arrival (although the mid-point definitely seems to be shifting upwards), is aimed at ages 10+ (as per the 42112 Concrete Mixer Truck above), and is estimated to cost around €130 when it reaches stores later this year.

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42114 6×6 Volvo Articulated Hauler

The final new addition to the 2020 line-up is another complicated and expensive set, meaning that all three of LEGO’s H2 sets cost upwards of €100. 42114 sits at the top of the trio, costing an enormous €250. It is itself rather large though, which helps off-set some of that eye-watering cost, and it brings an old favourite back to the range; Volvo Trucks.

Often the ‘B-Model’ (which is ironic, as all three of the new sets don’t seem to offer a B-Model at all), articulated haulers have appeared a few times in the Technic range, but never on this scale. The 42114 6×6 Volvo Articulated Hauler is huge, and packed with LEGO’s latest components, chief amongst which is the Control+ bluetooth brick, which enables the set to be operated remotely via a mobile phone or other bluetooth device.

42114 includes three of LEGO’s new ‘Powered Up’ motors, which deliver the all-wheel-drive, articulated steering, and power the massive linear actuator-driven tipping bucket. High levels of visual realism are present once again, with the set enhanced by both accurate decals and a level of detail that was only present on Model Team sets not that long ago. It’s an impressive combination, and one that has created a set that looks to be both a fine display piece and gloriously playable. But it still looks mightily expensive…

42114 is aimed at ages 11+ and joins 42112 and 42113 in stores later on this year. Better start saving. A lot!

Technic 42115 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 | Set Preview

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This is the brand new LEGO Technic 42115 Lamborghini Sian FKP 37, the fourth largest Technic set ever made, and the first officially-licensed Lamborghini to join the Technic range, following sets from Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Ducati, and – of course – arch rival Ferrari.

At 3,696 pieces 42115 becomes LEGO’s first 1:8 scale Technic car, with many parts debuting on the set – largely thanks to the very lime green colour and stunning gold wheels, faithfully replicating those on the real Sian FKP 37. Ah, the real Sian FKP 37; we’ll come on to that in a bit…

Before then, the functions. Like LEGO’s other recent Technic Supercar sets 42115 is packed with incredible technical realism, and features a working mid-mounted V12 engine hooked up to an eight-speed sequential gearbox. Eight! In a Technic set.

Now LEGO’s track record on sequential gearboxes isn’t great, with the six-speed effort in the 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 being, well… crap, but hopefully they’ve cracked it with the eight speed in 42115. Working in-board suspension front and rear, functioning steering, all-wheel-drive, opening scissor doors, and a deployable rear wing also feature, all operated mechanically and true to those found on the real Lamborghini Sian FKP 37.

OK, the real Lamborghini Sian FKP 37…. yeh, we’d never heard of it either, and we’re a car blog. With such a fantastic back-catalogue of iconic cars (the Miura, Countach, Diablo, Gallardo, Murciélago, Aventador, amongst others), we find the choice of an ultra-limited run (63 units) yet-to-be-built hypercar an odd one. Particularly as what sets the real Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 apart from the three-hundred other ultra-limited run Lamborghini hypercars that proceeded it is the world’s first production hybrid super-capacitor powertrain. Which of course is impossible to recreate in a LEGO set.

Still, that doesn’t stop 42115 from being a seriously impressive addition to LEGO’s officially licensed line-up, bringing with it a wealth of new parts, LEGO’s fanciest box yet (for those who are into such things), that possibly-awesome-possibly-crap eight-speed sequential gearbox, and a very Lamborghini price tag.

Expect the new LEGO Technic 42115 Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 set to cost an enormous $380/£350 when it reaches stores later this year. We’d have paid that for a Miura…

Technic 42107 Ducati Panigale V4 R | Set Preview

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Our Elves have been sneaking! This is the brand new for 2020 Technic 42107 Ducati Panigale V4 R, uncovered by one of our smelly little workers deep inside The LEGO Company’s HQ.

Joining the superb 42063 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure set, 42107 becomes the second officially-licensed Technic motorcycle and about the fiftieth real-world vehicle to join LEGO’s line up from the ever-expanding Volkswagen empire, which includes Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche, Bugatti, and Volkswagen themselves.

With 646 pieces, the new 42107 Ducati Panigale V4 R is fairly parts-intensive for a bike, with several pieces making their debut on this set too – just look at those lovely telescopic front forks! Detail also continues to be high, with a new windshield faring, disc brakes, complex exhaust, and accurate decals.

Underneath the superbly realistic exterior 42107 includes some proper Technic functionality too, with steering, front and rear suspension (the front via those new telescopic dampers), a V4 engine, and – for the first time on a Technic motorcycle – a gearbox, in this case offering two speeds.

The new 42107 Technic Ducati Panigale V4 R will be available to buy from June 1st 2020, is expected to cost around $60, and we think it’s absolutely superb.

LEGO 10271 Creator Expert Fiat 500 | Review

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What’s up guys, this is Balazs from RacingBrick. As you might know, Technic is my favourite LEGO theme but today’s set comes from a different lineup. We’ve seen many iconic cars being released with the Creator Expert badge in the past few years, and the newest one in the family is no exception; say hello to the 10271 Fiat 500!

The box has the usual characteristics of the Creator Expert sets, fairly big but thin. On the front you see the car in a beautiful Italian sunset in front of the Colosseum, and there’s also a nice painting commemorating the exact same scene. On the back you’ll find closeups of the details and the different features.

The set has 960 pieces and cost $89.99 / €79.99 when it launched on March 1st this year. There are 9 numbered bags in the box split into 3 phases, plus there’s a separate bag for the fabric sunroof, and you’ll find the instruction manual with the sticker sheet in another plastic bag.

The manual thankfully follows the tradition of the previous Creator Expert vehicles and provides some extra details and information at the beginning, which I think adds a lot to the building experience. As a nice gesture the text is in English and in Italian, we get some information about the history of Fiat, the birth of this specific model, and the design process of the LEGO model.

Total building time was around 1h and 45 minutes, and the 3 phases within this are more or less distributed equally.

The building process starts with a studded Technic frame, and it has some interesting connections reinforcing the structure. The axles are totally fixed, meaning there’s no suspension – which is not a surprise in a Creator set – but unfortunately no steering either, which was kind of expected as the recent Ford Mustang set included this.

10271 does include an engine that’s a pretty accurate representation of the original one, with some interesting part usage including a black head piece and a flower. The designer also did a great job at the rear of the car, where the real 500’s curved panels are replicated with straight elements, but the whole panel sits on hinges so the shape of the model is a faithful representation of the original car.

Bag 1 finishes with the seat holders being attached to the floor along with the gear shifter, the handbrake and some other accessories, and finally the basic structure of the front bumper.

The front seats follow, built after the rear ones, and there’s a very interesting piece used to connect them to the floor (centre). I’ve never seen this brick before, although I have to admit I’ve never built a Unikitty or Nexo Knights set where it is also available.

Next comes the dashboard with the fuel tank behind it, including a steering wheel with a cool printed Fiat logo. The doors follow and are actually quite complex with lots of details; I really like the ice skate piece as the door handle. There are again some clever building techniques used to connect the different curved parts, and the result is very nice with the doors opening well, despite a small but acceptable gap at the top.

The next item is the rear window, which is quite interesting because it’s actually a regular window used in many City sets, but this time fitted sideways. It might be confusing at first sight as the bottom doesn’t have the same smooth surface as on the top, but when it is built into the model this won’t be visible.

Finally with bag 3 we finish the front of the car with the brick-built logo and another printed tile. The front wheel arches have a similar structure to the rear ones, connecting with hinges to the rest of the body.

After the hood the curved side windows are added, which first appeared in the Manchester United set introduced recently. The roof includes a fabric sunroof, and although the structure appears a bit flimsy before putting it in place it works well.

The final components fitted are the spare tyre, license plates, (with a choice of three, one for Italy, one for Denmark, and one for Germany), the luggage rack (with suitcase), and lastly with the shiny metallic wheel covers the car is finished.

So here’s the finished car! I’d say the overall shape is a faithful representation of the original one, considering the limitation of the available bricks. The colour is an interesting and unusual choice, I wasn’t a fan at first sight but it definitely looks better than the standard LEGO yellow.

I read some complaints online about a few missing details, the most frequently mentioned of which was a missing side view mirror. It is quite interesting because if you have a look at the old photos in the instruction manual, the cars shown don’t actually have a side view mirror. In fact the original car did not have a factory installed side view mirror, it being an optional accessory that only became obligatory in Italian law in 1977. (Plus Italian drivers never use them anyway – Ed.)

So, what is my conclusion? I think the Fiat 500 was a great choice for the Creator Expert line, it is truly an iconic car and the LEGO version is instantly recognizable. The added extras are also really nice, enhancing a great building experience for a reasonable price. My only complaint is the lack of steering – after the excellent 10265 Ford Mustang I was really hoping to see a functional steering wheel in the next Creator Expert car as well.

Overall; 8/10. Recommended.

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Thank you to Balazs from RacingBrick for joining us here at to review the new 10271 Creator Expert Fiat 500 set. You can check out the excellent RacingBrick website by clicking here.

42111 Technic Fast & Furious Dom’s Dodge Charger | Set Preview

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If you’re ten, you gonna want to keep reading this!…

This is the brand new for 2020 Technic ‘Fast & Furious’ Dom’s Dodge Charger set, a 1,077-piece recreation of the iconic drag racer from the very first ‘Fast & Furious’ movie.

Officially licensed by both Universal’s ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise and Dodge, LEGO’s new 42111 set continues Technic’s increase in visual realism with almost Model Team levels of detail. Fear not though Technic fans, because it’s loaded with mechanical functionality too…

A working V8 engine complete with a spinning supercharger belt, functioning steering, double-wishbone suspension, plus opening hood, doors and trunk (with NO2 bottles inside) all feature, as does a wheelie stand so you can recreate the Dodge Charger R/T’s most famous movie scene.

The new 42111 set is expected to cost around $99 when it goes on sale at the end of April, around a year ahead of the release of next (and ninth) ‘Fast & Furious’ movie. Not counting the spin-offs.

Whatever we feel about that state of cinema that the ‘Fast & Furious’ movies are now the highest grossing films ever, we have to admit that they do inspire a properly cool LEGO set. And we’re not even ten.

Creator Expert 10271 Fiat 500 | Set Preview

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An Italian LEGO set that isn’t a supercar! LEGO’s successful line of officially licensed sets has been a properly exciting shift in the brand’s strategy, bringing real-world cars to bedroom floors everywhere. Beginning with Ferrari, a host of brands have joined the line-up, with fellow Italian supercar manufacturer Lamborghini one of the most recent new additions.

However despite Ferrari being the first car maker to partner with LEGO, their parent company Fiat have been oddly absent. Perhaps Fiat’s current range of distinctly mediocre offerings doesn’t lend itself too well to models that people would want to buy. Fiat 500L anyone?

However Fiat’s back-catalogue is far more interesting, with the original 500 being one of the most loved and well known classic cars of all time. A perfect candidate to be recreated as a Creator Expert set then, joining contemporaries such as the Mini Cooper and Volkswagen Beetle.

LEGO’s new 10271 Fiat 500 set brings the iconic Italian city car to life in brick, with 960 of them forming the 500’s famous silhouette, many of which appear in this gorgeous primrose yellow hue for the first time.

Bespoke period-correct Fiat decals, opening doors hood and engine cover, a detailed interior, and a boot-mounted travel case all feature, as does – weirdly – an easel with a Fiat 500 painting placed upon it. Now if only the painting had an easel in the background of its Fiat 500, which of course would depict a Fiat 500 with an easel in the background… A thought that like that can break your brain.

Despite the moderate piece count the new 10271 Fiat 500 set will be one of the smaller models in the Creator Expert range, measuring 24cm long and 11cm wide – suitably befitting of the original car’s tiny dimensions – and will cost around $90/£75 when it goes on sale in March of 2020. In a line-up that was perhaps becoming a bit supercar-heavy, we think the addition of something small, slow, and classic is a fantastic choice. Top marks LEGO!

LEGO Technic 2020 | Set Previews!

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And now, later than billed, it’s the all new 2020 Technic line-up! OK, we’re well into 2020 now (and have already previewed the new 42109 Top Gear Rally Car and 42110 Land Rover Defender sets), but one of our Elves got caught at The LEGO Company’s HQ and securing its release was harder than removing a U.S President from office. We wouldn’t have minded (we have lot of Elves) but it had some great intel…

42101 Buggy

This intel in fact, the new 42101 Buggy aimed at aged 7+ and featuring 117 pieces. 42101 looks like a modern reinterpretation of the classic (and awesome) 8818 Dune Buggy set from 1993. It’s not as good as the 1993 version obviously, which had a single-cylinder piston engine, but it does feature steering and rear suspension, making it a worthwhile entry point into the Technic range. Expect to pay around $12/£9 in stores.

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42102 Mini Claas Xerion

The second entry point into the 2020 Technic range brings back the familiar green and red we’ve come to know from one of LEGO’s official partnerships. The original 42054 Claas Xerion 5000 set is – we think – one of the best Technic sets of all time, and the 130 piece 42102 set resembles a tiny (like, really really tiny) version of the 2017 flagship. Accurate decals, working steering, and a lawn mower thingy that rotates as the model is pushed along make the Mini Claas Xerion a neat set for ages 7+, and like the Technic Buggy above it’s available for pocket money. Good stuff.

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42103 Dragster

Uh oh, the Pull-Backs. The Scrappy-Dos of Technic, we haven’t yet been impressed by any of these. However 2020 looks like it might be the exception, because we rather like this one! Featuring nothing but a pull-back motor (boo), the new 42103 Dragster set displays the usual extensive stickerage we’ve come to expect from these sets but it looks… well, really rather good. Aimed at ages 7+, 42103 includes 225 pieces, a ‘Christmas tree’ light, and a wheelie-bar. Could 2020 be the first year of decent pull-back sets?

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42104 Race Truck

No. Because back to form, here’s the 42104 Race Truck. With 227 pieces – all of which can be put to better use elsewhere – a plethora of stickers, and a pointless start/finish gantry thing, 42104 includes literally nothing that a Technic set should do. Oh, the bonnet opens, does that count? Next…

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42105 Catamaran

Breaking momentarily away from the Pull-Backs comes 42105, one of LEGO’s most unusual Technic sets ever, although perhaps 2016’s 42074 Racing Yacht proved there is a market for Technic sailing boats. With 404 parts including a pair of new two-piece hulls and those huge sails, 42105 features complete mechanical controls for the rudders, hydrofoils and sails and can be re-built into a more traditional powerboat should you wish to deploy those sail pieces elsewhere. It also floats(!), which immediately makes it cooler than any other set in this line-up (because who doesn’t like a good bath toy?). Aimed at ages 8+ expect to pay around $40/£35 for 42105, and for bath time to become much more interesting.

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42106 Stunt Show

42106 pulls us back from bath time fun to, well… pull-back fun, but it could have good play value. Not much else mind. The 42106 Stunt Show includes three models in one; a pick-up truck, trailer/ramp, and a motorcycle, each looking fairly terrible despite the flame decals. The trailer features mechanically operated legs to turn it into a ramp and the truck includes steering, but that’s all. Which is nowhere near enough for a set costing $50/£45. Admittedly jumping the bike through the flaming hoop does look rather fun, but not $50 of fun, and we suspect even the Elves would tire of it quickly. We’ll be leaving this one on the shelf…

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42108 Mobile Crane

The final set of H1 2020 is the largest of the line-up (not withstanding the officially licensed 42110 Land Rover Defender and 42109 Top Gear Rally Car sets revealed here at the end of 2019), the near 1,300 piece 42108 Mobile Crane. Forgive us for not being particularly excited by this one, because it does look like a reasonable set. It’s just that LEGO have released countless eight-wheel mobile cranes over the years and they’re all becoming much the same.

42108 does feature a wealth of mechanical operations, with eight-wheel steering, boom elevation, rotation and extension all via hand-powered mechanisms, a working winch with a ratchet to allow it to lift loads, and four functioning stabilisers. However despite the increase in detail that we’ve come to expect from modern Technic sets and enhanced realism thanks to a few well-judged decals, 42108 is an utterly unmemorable product. It’s also priced at around $95/£85 which – particularly as it includes no B-Model – is rather a lot.

We’ll go sailing on 42105 instead…

2019 | Year in Review

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Well it’s been quite a year. TLCB’s home nation had yet another election, President Trump became the third U.S leader in history to be impeached (not that it means anything at all), Greta Thunberg led the world’s children on strike over climate change, during which time the world’s leaders literally fiddled whilst California and Australia burned, and Russia were thrown out of the Olympics for mass state-sponsored doping (again).

It’s been a busy year for the automotive world too, with PSA and FCA merging to create, er… PSFCAA(?), Nissan-Renualt-Mitsubishi boss Carlos Ghosn’s arrest (and current exile in Lebanon after smuggling himself out of Japan whilst on bail), Elon Musk inadvertently smashing the windows of his own truck live at its unveiling, Volkswagen revealing the most ambitious ‘we’re not evil, honest’ plan since Italy swapped sides in World War 2, and flying cars still not becoming a thing despite Blade Runner now being set in the past.

But enough on the criminality of the President, Carlos Ghosn, Russian athletics, and Volkswagen, what about The Lego Car Blog? Well the good news is we’ve not done anything criminal…

Stats:

The bad news is we saw a drop in visitors for the second year, after six consecutive years of growth, and will end the year at about two thirds of a million. That’s still a lot of people mind, and we’re still surprised that anyone at all likes this site enough to visit it, so if you’re reading this; thank you. Those numbers don’t include visits to our Facebook page either, where all posts now also appear.

Search engines brought around 200,000 visitors, with Pintrest and Facebook the next greatest referrers. Our most popular page was, as ever, the Review Library, which now holds over one-hundred reviews of official LEGO sets, books, and third-party products such as BuWizz and SBrick.

The most viewed creation of 2019 was Lachlan Cameron’s awesome Ford Mustang [Hoonigan], which was also received the most clicks of any link we published whilst the video of the real [Hoonigan] Mustang tearing up the streets of LA at the hands of Ken Block was the most watched media. The second most clicked video link was altogether more silly.

The United States proved to be the most popular visitor country once again, perhaps as people try to escape the inane gibberish that seems to be going on there at the moment. Germany and the UK make up the rest of the top three, probably for similar reasons.

In all visitors from two-hundred countries visited The Lego Car Blog over the course of 2019, with several counties posting a visitor of number of one, including Iran, Liberia and Haiti amongst others. If you’re reading this and you’re that one – thank you, and you are part of something much bigger! There were also three visitors from Vatican City, which makes us kinda hopeful that one might be the Pope, but if it is we’d better stop making ‘Your Mom’ jokes…

Interviews:

OK, we forgot about these in 2019, with just one new builder added to the Master MOCers Hall of Fame. The wonderful Redfern1950s joined us for the twenty-first interview and you can find his page via the link above, plus read the twenty interviews that proceeded his via the main menu at the top of the page.

We’ll try to do better in 2020. Unless we forget again…

Lastly, your visits and clicks here at The Lego Car Blog have continued to do good, with a few thousand dollars now raised in total via the adverts that you view. We don’t allow many ads to appear here, and whilst some are dubious in their content – ‘Local Mom makes $[insert ridiculous amount here] without working!’ is perhaps the most irritating – we hope they’re not too intrusive and we’re more than happy to take money from internet marketing companies and redistribute it to those that need it most.

As has been the case for some time we’re pondering whether we can and should do more with this platform, and should that ever happen we will of course let you know. For now though, things continue as they are.

2020:

As we enter a whole new decade The Lego Car Blog will continue to champion the best Lego vehicles created by the online community. TLCB Elves are searching Flickr, MOCpages, Eurobricks, Brickshelf and other creation-sharing sites as you read this, in the hope of uncovering the next blog-worthy model that will earn them a meal token.

If you’d like to suggest something they’ve missed you can continue to do so via the Feedback page, Contact page or on Facebook, where you can also let us know your thoughts (good and bad) about what we write.

Thank you for visiting us in 2019, and we wish you all a very Happy New Year!

TLCB Team

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42112 Concrete Mixer Truck

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42113 Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey

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42114 6×6 Volvo Articulated Hauler

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42101 Buggy

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42102 Mini Claas Xerion

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42103 Dragster

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42104 Race Truck

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42105 Catamaran

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42106 Stunt Show

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42108 Mobile Crane

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