Tag Archives: 2020s

Electric Dreams

The future is electric. And crossover shaped. Sigh.

Here’s one such vehicle, Audi’s Q6 e-tron electric crossover, and it’s about as interesting as a Brothers Brick Annual General Meeting.

Well, in car form anyway. But in Lego form it’s a very interesting indeed, courtesy of this utterly brilliant Model Team replica by Flickr’s LEGO 7.

7’s Audi Q6 e-tron captures the electric crossover in spellbinding detail, with opening doors, LED lights, replicated badging, and one of the most lifelike interiors we’ve ever seen.

There’s much more to see at 7’s ‘Audi Q6 e-tron’ album, where twenty fantastic images are available to view. Dream electric via the link above.

Boxing Clever

The Lego Car Blog Elves have the vehicular tastes of Russian millionaires, favouring vehicles that are fast, loud, and obnoxious. Preferably with rocket launchers attached.

We however are… ok, somehow simultaneously weird and boring, so we like creations like this, a humble Iveco Daily 35S16 box van. In white.

Still, even if you’re of a more Elven persuasion, you can see this Iveco Daily 35S16 is beautifully constructed, with some ingenious techniques used to replicate the seemly simple but actually subtly tricky design. Keko007 is the builder behind it and there’s more to see of his humdrum white box on Flickr via the link above.

Vive la Révolution

The thing about revolutions is, they always end up right back where they started.

Cue the Hennessey Venom F5 Revolution, a $2.1million ultra-limited hypercar developed by England’s Delta Motorsport and produced by Texas-based Hennessey Special Vehicles.

This astonishing Technic replica of the Venom F5 comes from TLCB Master MOCer Lachlan Cameron (aka loxlego), who has recreated of one of the world’s fastest ever production cars in stunning detail.

Created using many of the parts from the official LEGO Technic 42172 McLaren P1 set, and available as a traditional manual Technic ‘supercar’ or with a suite of electronics to enable remote control drive, Lachlan’s build includes working suspension, steering, a V8 engine, sprung scissor doors, and ride-height lift.

Wheels from the 42172 McLaren P1 set and the exhaust tips have been beautifully chromed for added realism, plus the model features working LED head and tail lights, and one of the most accurate Technic interiors we’ve seen yet.

It’s an incredible homage to a wild real-world car, and with building instructions available you can create your very own Venom F5 at home. Full details, videos, and further imagery can be found at the Eurobricks discussion forum and via Lachlan’s ‘Hennessey Venom F5 Revolution’ album on Flickr, plus you can find out more about the builder via his interview here at TLCB.

As for the real Venom F5 Revolution, it’s aiming to record a top speed of over 300mph / 500kmh if Hennessey can find somewhere long enough for its 1,800bhp twin-turbo ‘Fury’ V8 to achieve it. And in a world of all-electric hypercars, that makes the Venom F5 something of a revolution. And proves that revolutions are indeed cyclical after all.

Better from the Back

BMW’s current design language is… um, challenging. Stupid aggressiveness, stupid grilles, stupid lighting, stupid grilles with stupid lighting… ‘The Human Centipede’ is less visually offensive than some of BMW’s latest offerings.

Which is why we’ve chosen to show the rear of Drop Shop‘s fantastic BMW M3 Competition rather than the front. Because so good is his brick-built replica of BMW’s latest iteration of their super saloon that its face is every bit as difficult to stomach as the real thing.

There’s much more to see at Drop’s photostream, if your constitution is more robust than ours…

Volvo²

No this time we’re not making classic Volvo jokes. Because today’s post is a Volvo atop another Volvo, for some kind of Volvo².

This phenomenal Volvo Aero truck is the work of MCD, and it might be – visually at least – the most life-like Technic truck our Elves have found to date. Constructed in 1:21 scale, the Technic panels MCD has used fit the model so perfectly it looks like they were purpose made for it, as do the genuine stickers from the LEGO Technic 42175 Volvo FMX set which work a treat here.

A five-axle Nooteboom trailer in tow carries another beautifully recreated Volvo hauler, with MCD’s classic Volvo F89 every bit as good as the modern Aero transporting it.

There’s more to see of both creations at the Eurobricks discussion forum, and you can click the link above to get to the square root of Volvo trucks.

Making America Great Again!

He’s back! Yes, at the time of writing it looks like Donald Trump is returning to the White House, and here at The Lego Car Blog we’re delighted. Because we’re going to get four more years of material to make jokes like this. And this. And this. And this.

Admittedly this does mean forfeiting the first woman President in US history (for the first criminal President in US history), environmental regression, and the exacerbation of sensationalist popularism, but easy material is easy material. Plus USA! USA! USA!

Cue today’s creation, America’s brand-new M10 Booker infantry support vehicle, the first units of which were delivered earlier this year.

Designed for The US Army’s ‘Mobile Protected Firepower’ programme, the M10 is “capable of providing mobile, protected, direct fire offensive capability”, with the contract won by General Dynamics Land Systems based in Michigan. USA! USA! USA! …Except the design is actually based on something rather old. And with German roots.

Yes this most modern and American of light tanks is derived from an Austrian-Spanish design from the early ’90s, that was produced by a company formed through the collaboration of Germany and Austria in the 1930s. US-Oh… No matter, a quick Americanised name-change sorted that.

This superb Lego recreation of the M10 Booker MPF is the work of newcomer Thinh Thi, who has both built and presented it beautifully, including a rotating turret, rolling tracks, and even brick-built shovels.

There’s more of the model to see at Thinh’s photostream and you can check out something defensive, older than it looks, and actually a bit German via the link above. Or in any number of Trump victory speech videos that will be circulating imminently.

Touring with Billions

Historic French car maker Bugatti – now under Rimac ownership – revealed their latest hypercar earlier this year. Named after a watch component (although coincidentally sounding like a Bugatti owner on holiday), the Tourbillon will cost over $4 million, reach 277mph, and be limited to just 250 units.

The Tourbillon also forgoes the Volkswagen-developed quad-turbo-charged W16 of Bugattis past for a new Cosworth-sourced naturally-aspirated V16 and tri-motor plug-in hybrid system, which is said to deliver around 1,800bhp, 800bhp more than the brand-defining Veyron.

Cue The G Brix‘s superb Speed Champions interpretation of the soon-to-be released 1,800bhp hypercar, which includes space for two mini-figures, a detailed engine and interior, a cunning rubber-band rear light-bar, and an opening front trunk appropriately stuffed with a suitcase full of cash.

There’s more of the The G’s brilliant Bugatti Tourbillon to see at his photostream, and you can pack your gold bars and a bag stuffed with notes to join the other billionaires on tour via the link in the text above.

The Worst Car in the World

What’s the worst car in the world?

No, it’s the Tesla Cybertruck, a truck that can’t tow, that can’t off-road, that can’t be washed in sunlight, a truck on sale with literally unfinished software, that requires a $5,000 option not to rust, a truck with windshield wipers that drop off, window surrounds that drop off, critical braking issues, critical steering issues, and with wheels that slice into the tyres wrapped around them.

A testament to marketing over substance, the Cybertruck’s only saving grace is that this automotive equivalent of the Fyre Festival is unable to be sold in Europe – because it is so dangerous to pedestrians, cyclists and other road users – so we’ll never have to see one.

Except in Lego form of course, thanks today to Thomas Gion‘s very neatly constructed 6-wide example, which demonstrates another one of the Tesla Cybertruck’s myriad of alarming issues. Click the link above to check it out, or here if you’re not sure why there’s a sliced carrot sticking out of the fender.

Brickin’ Bronco B-Model

LEGO’s brand new Technic 42177 Mercedes-Benz G 500 Professional Line set is proving to be a veritable goldmine of parts. Despite only launching a few weeks ago, several superb 42177 B-Models have appeared here at The Lego Car Blog already, and today we have another; this fantastic Ford Bronco by Eurobricks’ Alex Ilea.

Featuring four-wheel-drive with three locking differentials, working steering via the wheel or HOG, independent front and live-axle rear suspension, a high/low range gearbox, a V6 engine, opening doors, hood, and tailgate, a folding bench, plus removable body panels and roof, Alex’s Bronco is as packed with functionality as the official G-Wagen set on which it’s based.

91% (2,625) of the donor set’s pieces are used in the Bronco’s creation, and if you prefer your 4x4s with American fun rather than German assertiveness you too can turn your 42177 Mercedes-Benz G 500 into a Ford Bronco, as Alex has also produced building instructions for his alternate design. See more at both the Eurobricks forum and Bricksafe, plus you can also click here to watch a video of Alex’s Bronco B-Model in action.

The Last True Lotus

This TLCB Writer, living in Lotus’ home-market, can’t remember the last time he saw an Elise. Or an Exige. Or an Evora.

He can however, remember the last time he saw Lotus’ new five-meter-long, 2.6-ton ‘hyper SUV’. Because it was yesterday. In fact, because of the previously alluded to SUV arms race that takes place around TLCB Towers, they’re seen with alarming regularity. This is of course good news for the future of Lotus, and – simultaneously – bad news for the future of Lotus. Because if a Lotus is a Lotus in name only, then arguably the company is already dead.

Happily though, there’s one last hurrah before all Lotuses become near-three-ton Chinese-built electric behemoths; the fantastic Emira.

Launched in 2022, the Emira is Lotus’ final combustion-engined car, powered by either an AMG-sourced turbocharged 4-cylinder, or a Toyota-sourced supercharged V6, and available with a manual gearbox.

It’s the latter we have here today, in the form of newcomer Combustible ice‘s superb Technic recreation of the British sports car. The transverse mid-mounted V6 is present, as is a six-speed gearbox, all-wheel suspension, working steering, and opening doors, front trunk and engine cover, along with a stunning replication of the Emira’s pretty bodywork.

It’s one of the standout Technic Supercars of 2024 and there’s lots more to see, including technical renders and images of the chassis, at the Eurobricks discussion forum. Click the link above for a look at the last real Lotus…

My Other Car is Also a Ferrari

The average Ferrari owner doesn’t own only one. In fact two-thirds of Ferrari owners own at least one other prancing horse amongst their five car garage. Which makes today’s post very apt for Ferrari ownership, as this spectacular Technic recreation of Ferrari’s latest 12-cylinder super car, the 12Cilindri (yes, Ferrari are still crap at names) has been constructed solely from the parts of another.

Like the 42143 Ferrari Daytona SP3 set on which it’s based, Alex Ilea’s alternate features a working engine, steering and suspension, an 8-speed paddle-shift gearbox, and opening doors, hood and trunk, with the model presented beautifully to boot.

Building instructions are also available, so if you own a 42143 set and you’d like to become a proper Ferrari owner (i.e. have access to more than one), then head to the Eurobricks forum where a link can be found, plus you can click here for the full Bricksafe gallery of top quality imagery.

#MorePatriotism

The misplaced patriotism continues here at The Lego Car Blog, with another American automotive icon. The Ford Bronco first appeared in the 1960s, and now – after a twenty-five year absence – the new sixth-generation model has reignited Ford’s rugged go-anywhere reputation.

Powered by a range of turbocharged engines with up to 400bhp, the 2021 Bronco continues the nameplate’s legacy, with body-on-frame construction, two and four-door variants, a removable roof and doors, and about two hundred different trims named after various outdoorsy-things.

This phenomenal Model Team/Technic replica of Ford’s most sought-after 4×4 comes from previous bloggee DamianPLE, who has recreated the off-road icon brilliantly in brick form.

Underneath the superbly recreated exterior Damian’s model features four-wheel-drive, a high/low gearbox, locking centre and rear differentials, working suspension and steering, a highly detailed V6 engine, folding seats, and – like the real thing – easily removable doors and roof.

A huge gallery of stunning imagery is available to view at Damian’s Bricksafe gallery, which includes close-up photos of the chassis as well as on-location shots, plus you can find the model’s discussion topic and further details at the Eurobricks form, where an excellent video of the Bronco’s working features can also be found.

Take a closer look via the links above, whilst we try to remember our own automotive heritage and post a model of a Morris Marina or something…

#Patriotism

America is in the news of TLCB home nation rather a lot at the moment. Whilst we’ve quietly called, held, and politely delivered the outcome of an election in six weeks, America’s year-long campaign season continues, and – with perhaps a depressing inevitability – the barrage of political slurs, plus an argument about golf handicaps for some reason, has spilled over into something far worse.

Thus to remember that America isn’t just gun violence and two old men insulting one another, today we have the most American thing we can think of short of chanting ‘Freedom!’ on loop or a Mustang crash; the Chevrolet Corvette C7.

Built by Eurobricks’ mihao, this stunning Technic recreation of the last front-engined Corvette is so realistic we can almost see the retired dentist behind the wheel. Working steering, adjustable suspension, a V8 engine connected to a paddle-shift gearbox, opening doors, hood and trunk, plus a removable targa-roof all feature, and the model can also be fully motorised, with remote control drive, steering, and LED head and tail lights.

Building instructions for both the mechanical and motorised versions of mihao’s model are available, and you can find them and lots more besides at the Eurobricks forum. Click the link above to take a look at mihao’s fantastic American icon, and whichever old man you vote for, neither the other one, nor his supporters, are your foe.

YouTube Video

Iconic Evolution

The Porsche 911 may have looked pretty much the same for the past sixty years, but due to multiple ground-up redesigns it’s a vastly different machine from what it once was. Even the car used as the basis for LEGO’s 2016 Technic 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS set is now a long way behind the latest 911 iteration.

This is the newest version of Porsche’s evergreen endurance racer, the 565bhp 992-based GT3 R that made its debut last year.

Built by Lachlan Cameron (aka loxlego), this astonishing Technic replica of the GT3 R features working steering, five-height adjustable suspension, a six-speed paddle-shift gearbox (plus neutral and reverse), a flat-6 piston engine, plus opening and locking doors and engine cover.

Presented beautifully, you can find the complete gallery of images and full build details via Lachlan’s ‘Porsche 911 (992) GT3 R Flickr album, the Eurobricks discussion forum, and via the video below, plus you can find out how he creates amazing models like this one via his Master MOCers page by clicking this bonus link.

YouTube Video

Crossbreed

Porsche are now an SUV maker, with a small sideline in sports cars. Lamborghini are the same. And so are Aston Martin, Bentley, and even Lotus. It was inevitable then, that Ferrari would cave too, and build a four-wheel-drive, off-road capable two-ton monstrosity for the terminally wealthy.

Of course Ferrari, like every other sports-SUV-maker, claim the Purosangue (which translates as ‘thoroughbred’*) isn’t actually an SUV at all. Which is of course nonsense. But it is fitted with a naturally-aspirated V12, so it does at least sound like a supercar.

This fantastic Technic recreation of the Ferrari Purosangue has one too, along with an 8-speed sequential gearbox, all-wheel suspension, four opening doors, hood and tailgate, and remote control drive and steering courtesy of a third-party BuWizz bluetooth battery and LEGO Buggy Motors.

New comer brictric is the creator behind it, building instructions are available, and there’s lots more to see of their incredible replica of Ferrari’s ‘not-an-SUV’ at both the Eurobricks forum and Flickr. Take a closer look via the links whilst we await a letter from Ferrari’s lawyers.

*Which is trying just a bit too hard.