The more eagle-eyed reader will have spotted his post is not, in fact, a car. But it is absolutely lovely. Built by Jonas Kramm of Flickr, this beautiful Town-scale houseboat captures all that is wonderful about boat-based living, with a superbly detailed interior and one of the cleverest brick-built hulls we’ve found yet. There’s more of the model to see at Jonas’ photostream, where a link to all of the imagery hosted via LEGO Ideas can also be found.
This is the ‘HMS Certitude’, an early-1800’s 26-gun ‘fourth-rate’ warship, as built by the rather talented hands of TLCB newcomer Powder Monkey.
Monkey’s creation packs in a boatload of features, including 26 working cannons across two decks, opening hatches and grills to reveal a beautifully detailed interior, a functioning capstan, woking rigging to set the sails, and an extensive crew of ‘Redcoat’ mini-figures.
Whilst a Navy ship, the Certitude does also feature a few ‘illegal’ (you could say piratical) techniques, including cut rigging, polyester cloth sails, and a few parts connected together in ways that LEGO wouldn’t countenance in an official set, but the result is a first rate, er… fourth-rate ship.
An extensive gallery of superb imagery is available to view at Powder Monkey’s ‘HMS Certitude’ Flickr album, or you can join the discussion at the Eurobricks forum. Click the links above to weigh anchor and set sail.
One of Steven Spielberg’s most iconic movies – and his biggest cinematic regret – ‘Jaws’ was a triumph.
The highest grossing film ever upon its release, the 1975 blockbuster spawned several increasingly terrible sequels, taught an entire generation to (unfairly) fear sharks, and arguably led to the creation of the most-watched music video of all time. Which if anything Spielberg should be more regretful for than the whole shark-persecution thing.
Anyway, paying homage to one of the all-time film greats is Justus M., who has superbly recreated the ‘Orca’ fishing boat from the movie, along with an ominous fin in the water….
Join the hunt at Justus’ photostream via the link above, and cue the most famous two notes in film-score history…
Following our recent advertising shenanigans, this TLCB Writer is ready to find another more radical source of revenue, and Eurobricks’ Supersick_ might have the answer.
This incredible creation is a late-18th century heavy frigate, and one of the finest ships to feature here in many a year. Forty-eight brick-built cannons, a working double-deck capstan to weigh anchor, a highly detailed interior complete with cabins and stove, and working rigging that can accurately replicate real-world sailing profiles all feature, as does a skull-and-crossbones flag flying from the stern and first mast…
Which means both that this galleon is operating somewhat outside of maritime law, and also that these some very well equipped pirates.
Whether stolen from an Admiralty fleet or bought from plunder, it’s clear the piratical mini-figures aboard ‘The Supernaut’ are a mightily successful crew, which this TLCB Writer would rather like to join. Fortunately he (and you) can, as builder Supersick_ has produced building instructions for this astonishing ship.
There’s much more to see, including full build details, the real-world inspiration, digital renders, and further imagery – as well as a link to those building instructions – at the Eurobricks discussion forum. Click the link above to set sail, and consider beginning a lucrative new occupation.
The Lego Car Blog is not the best place to find intricate techniques for realistic castle walls, thatched roofs, or ocean waves. This is because the aforementioned items rarely appear on vehicular creations, and if they did we wouldn’t know how to talk about them. A flat-plane crank V8 or the subtleties between super and turbo-charging – yes, the finer points on lifelike rock-work – not so much.
Except today, where here at The Lego Car Blog is the most spell-bindingly beautiful – and somewhat haunting – brick-built landscape we’re sure you’ll see in brick form. Constructed from over 50,000 pieces, this is Huynh Khang and Ky Duy Phong’s ‘Kraken Shadowy’ pirate ship, and the astonishingly real ocean beneath it.
A literal sea of transparent 1×2 bricks and plates, layered over a rolling base varying in hue and elevation, Huynh Khang and Ky Duy Phong’s creation is perhaps the finest example of a brick-built ocean it’s possible to conceive. Jagged rocks stretch out of the waves like a hand from the depths, looking perilously close to the wonderful mini-figure-crewed pirate ship navigating the waters around them.
Beautifully lit, photographed and presented, there’s a whole lot more to see of the ship – and the spectacular ocean it sails upon – at Khang Huynh’s ‘Kraken Shadowy’ album. Click the link above to jump into the ocean.
This amazing creation is a near-perfect brick-built replica of the Amerigo Vespucci, a tall ship of the Italian Navy named after the 14th Century explorer of the same name. Surprisingly despite its late 18th century appearance the Amerigo Vespucci was actually built in 1930 as a training ship, and is still in use today based at the Italian port of La Spazia. This incredible recreation of the tall ship is the work of Luca Gaudenzi and it’s one of the most spectacular vessels this site has ever featured. Head over to Luca’s ‘Amerigo Vespucci’ albumto begin your Italian Naval training.
The raising drawbridge, the most famous of which has even become an official LEGO set, is a staple feature in bad car chase movies, in which cars seem to happily jump over them with no effect whatsoever on their suspension, nor the driver’s spine. The reality of course would be somewhat different, but we think even TLCB’s Rover 200 could manage to jump the Somerset Bridge in Bermuda, what with its mighty hand-operated lifting section measuring… 32 inches.
The reason for the tiny measurement is the raising portion only needs to be wide enough to let the masts of sailboats pass through, as depicted here in this lovely recreation of the Somerset Bridge, complete with sailing boat and an array of bridge traffic, by Flickr’s dicken liu. Head to Bermuda for a tiny erection via the link above!
Since 1888, crossing Hong Kong’s spectacular Victoria Harbour has been a cheap and wonderful journey, thanks to the delightful Star Ferries. Some of the current ships have been in operation since the 1950s, although since retro-fitted with modern power, and whatever turmoil an increasingly despotic Chinese government inflicts upon the once autonomous region, the Star Ferries have remained a much needed constant.
This beautiful replica of the ‘Solar Star’ – that first sailed in 1958 and is still in use today – comes from Yama Jason, who has captured the iconic Star Ferry shape superbly in brick form. Lovely detailing and some very clever techniques make this worth a closer look, and there’s more of the model to see on Flickr. Click the link above to head from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island for just 20c.
Today’s creation is not a car, which means we’re well out of our depth. But, despite not knowing which way the wind is blowing, even we can see just how swell this magnificent 72-gun pirate galleon by Flickr’s Robert4168/Garmadon is.
To parrot a few stats from Robert, the ‘Buccaneer’s Dread’ measures 165 studs from rudder to bowsprit, 58 studs crossbeam, 170 studs tall, is crewed by 36 mini-figures (including obligatory skeletons), and features over 85 LED lights from third-party specialists Lightailing.
Robert’s voyage to complete the ‘Buccaneer’s Dread’ took three years, and the finished model is now up for sale, with much more of this piratical masterpiece available to view at his photostream. Sea dogs, buccaneers, freebooters, hearties and swashbucklers set sail via the link above!
*One hundred doubloons if you can spy all the piratical puns.
15,000 pieces, 4½ years, and 1.8 metres. A few of the astonishing statistics associated with Ciamosław Ciamek‘s breathtaking 1:38 scale Second World War U-Boat.
Constructed in six sections, each with a removable sides to reveal the spectacular detail within, Ciamosław’s incredible mini-figure scale replica of a German ‘Typ VII C U-Boot’ accurately recreates the control room, front and rear messes, bow, engine rooms, and stern, all of which were designed digitally before being built from thousands of LEGO pieces.
A crew of dozens of mini-figures are shown throughout the interior of the boat, many operating the equipment, engines, and weaponry, whilst others are off-shift in the mess.
It’s a jaw-dropping creation, with hundreds of images across two albums required to capture the model’s scale and complexity, and you can check out the first of these on Flickr via the link in the text above. Click it, sit back, and take in the most amazing World War 2 creation you’re likely to see in 2022…
The 6285 Black Seas Barracuda is probably one of the greatest LEGO sets ever released. Launched back in 1989 with just under a thousand pieces, 6285 is a high watermark for LEGO’s Pirates range that the company is yet to better. But that hasn’t stopped SuperSick.
Loosely based on the original set, SuperSick’s Black Seas Barracuda Redux adds a host of smooth techniques and piece upgrades, plus an additional twelve cannons, to create very possibly our favourite pirate ship ever. In fact, apart from the flags flying in the wrong direction (sailing basics SuperSick!), it could be the perfect ship.
Join the piratical adventure at the Eurobricks forum via the link above.
TLCB’s luxury yacht, paid for by the riches that blogging Lego brings, doesn’t get mentioned much here. We like our privacy, and it’s hard enough keeping the multitude of attractive girls away as it is, without them knowing about the boat.
Ted Andes has no such qualms however, uploading this rather wonderful Technic yacht ‘Sundancer’ to Flickr.
A mini-figure cabin, keel, rudder, plus marvellous fabric sails fashioned from the LEGO Carousel set’s canopy create a boat very nearly as beautiful as TLCB’s, and you’re welcome on board via the link above. Ted’s of course, not ours.
This is the Noordborg, a 49 metre coaster built for the Dutch shipping company Wagenborg in the 1960s. Well, this one isn’t, being 1.25 metres long and built by Eurobricks’ Jebbo, but it’s every bit as wonderful as the real thing.
1:40 scale makes Jebbo’s coaster approximately mini-figure scale, with it requiring 26,000 LEGO pieces to create.
Spectacular detail is everywhere, and there’s more to see of Jebbo’s beautiful brick-built boat at the Eurobricks discussion forum. Click here to climb aboard.
This is a Kirov-Class Cruiser, built between 1933 and 1944 for the Soviet Union and deployed on the Black Sea during the Second World War.
The largest ships operated by the Soviet Navy post the Russian Civil War, the Kirov-Class ships featured technology from a variety of nations, with the design being Italian, the radar systems American and British, the boilers British, and the aircraft catapults German.
All of which were countries that the Soviet Union was either at war with or directly hostile to during the time the Kirov-Class ships were in service. It’s a funny world.
This spectacular recreation of a Kirov-Class Cruiser comes from Kirill Simerzin of Flickr, who has replicated the real ship beautifully, from the Italian propeller on the bottom to the American radar systems at the top.
There’s more of the build to see at Kirill’s photostream – click the link above to keep your enemies close…
This is the Cigarette One 515, an unfeasibly enormous AMG-powered speedboat built by the Cigarette boat company, whose story is rather fantastic. Or rather, the story of their designer is…
Donald Aronow was born in Brooklyn to a Russian-Jewish immigrant family in 1927. After working overseas during the Second World War, Aronow returned to the U.S and started a construction firm during the boom of the 1950s. A few years later, aged just 32, Aronow was a millionaire, and moved to Miami where he began racing boats for fun.
Over the next decade, and after winning two Powerboat World Championships, racing boats had become a business, with Aronow selling his race-winning Cigarette powerboat designs to the super-rich, politicians, and crime bosses alike. We suspect some were all three.
The speed of Aronow’s boats meant they became a popular choice for Miami’s cocaine smugglers, and the U.S Customs Service who aimed to catch them (via a deal brokered by Vice President George H.W Bush, who was a Cigarette customer himself).
This choice of customer eventually became Aronow’s undoing, and he was shot dead in 1987 by fellow-boat racer turned racing-company owner Ben Kramer and an accomplice, after a business deal turned sour. That Kramer was already a drug smuggler himself (despite winning the American Offshore Powerboat Championship only the year before) perhaps should’ve been a red flag.
The Cigarette Company continued after Aronow’s murder however, and this awesome looking Lego recreation of the One 515 shows their boats are as mad today as ever. It comes from previous bloggee Drop Shop, who has packed it with details and brilliant building techniques to accurately capture the insanity of the real thing, and there’s lots more of the build to see at Drop Shop’s ‘Sinister Cigarette’ album on Flickr.
Finally, if you think all of the above would make for an amazing movie, you’re right. Unfortunately we got a terrible one. Still, you can check out the ‘Speed Kills’ trailer here, as the post’s title hinges on it!
