Look at this van
It’s not one shade nor hue
Quite a thing to do
Built in mostly yellow
1saac W
Decided old not new
Patina’s right on cue
Varied types of yellow
So click the link above
To show this build some love
‘Cos it’s kinda yellow
*Sorry Coldplay. Here’s the link to how it should go…
This classic Ford Econoline van, complete with some, er… ‘tasteful’ period modifications, was found by one of our Elves on Flickr, who clearly hadn’t listened to the office talk on stranger danger.
Driven by Brad, who makes a living selling foreign narcotics part-time, and his girlfriend Tiffany, who works in ‘entertainment’, this modified late-’70s to mid-’80s Econoline has got more red flags flying than a minefield.
But it’s also got a wicked three-tone stripe, side-pipes, a moon window, and is blasting Buckcherry out of the stereo, so maybe it’s worth a closer look after all… no. NO.
HCKP13 is the builder, and if you’re old enough there’s more to see of their superbly built and beautifully presented creation on Flickr, where alternatively if you’re not yet of age (or you’re a TLCB Elf), there’s also a bitchin’ monster truck version.
As if that old Dodge van parked down the street wasn’t creepy enough, Flickr’s 1saac W. has made it hover. Still don’t get into it kids. See more (from a distance) at 1saac’s photostream.
The seventies were weird. Inflation trebled, gas prices skyrocketed, everyone was on strike, and vans were adorned with murals for some reason.
The first three items on the list are making an inglorious resurgence in 2022, so we’re expecting the return of mural-adorned vans is imminent too. Flickr’s 1saac W. is one step ahead with this pair of wonderfully ’70s Dodge Street vans, each adorned with a celestial mural.
Head back to the 1970s via the link above, or just stick around for a bit, as the decade appears to returning for all of us.
This is a ZSD Nysa 522, a Polish communistical van based on the FSC Zuk, only a little nicer (hence our terrifically amusing title!). The Zuk was itself based on an FSO, which was based on a GAZ, making the Nysa the last link in effectively one long chain of Iron Curtain automotive misery.
Said Iron Curtain meant the Nysa 522 remained in production – unbelievably – until 1994, by which time the newly democratic Polish government could elect to import vans that weren’t based on the design of a Russian passenger car from the 1940s.
This lovely Model Team recreation of the ZSD Nysa 522 comes from previous bloggee and weird-Eastern-European-communist-era-specialist Legostalgie, who has captured its characterful styling beautifully. There are opening doors, including a clever sliding one on the passenger side, a detailed engine, and a lifelike interior, and there’s much more to see at Legostalgie’s ‘Nysa 522’ album on Flickr, where a link to building instructions can also be found.
Click the link above to take a look, and the link above that to see all of the weird-Eastern-European-communist-era vehicles from Legostalgie that have appeared here at The Lego Car Blog to date. All are fantastic, but we think this one is even a little Nysa…
What’s this, two creations from one builder in the same day? How lazy are we?
The answer is ‘Yes’, and ‘Very’, but 1saac W.‘s ‘Moes Mobile Diner’ is just too delightful not to publish. Plus it’s lunch time in TLCB Towers and this writer was thinking about food.
Place your order at 1saac’s photostream via the link above, whilst this writer heads to the fridge.
Grey, ugly, and slightly depressing. Most Soviet items, whether architecture or vehicular, seemed to follow these designs rules, but at least the UAZ-452 got a good nickname.
‘Bukhanka’ means ‘bread loaf’*, and became attached to the UAZ-452 thanks to its slightly loaf-like aesthetic.
The 452 has maintained said shape since its launch in 1965, and it’s still being sold virtually unchanged today, even taking until 2011 to gain seatbelts and anti-lock brakes.
Used as a van, ambulance, pick-up truck, military vehicle, minibus, and countless other applications, the ‘Bukhanka’ is common sight across Eastern Europe, and has been recreated brilliantly in brick-form by previous bloggee PalBenglat.
Pal’s 6-wide ‘Bukhanka’ captures the design of the original wonderfully and there’s more to see at his ‘UAZ-452 Bukhanka’ album on Flickr. Click the link above to loaf on over.
*And not, as it turns out, when several gu… nevermind. Google carefully kids…
The 1972 Collins ‘Crusader’ Type-II Ambulance – or ‘Boo Boo Bus’ – was Ford Econoline-based ambulance produced for domestic use by America’s emergency services.
We love humble, useful vehicles like this here at The Lego Car Blog, and this one has been built beautifully by regular bloggee 1saac W. of Flickr. Everything is LEGO, including the decals used to create the window frame and (parts of) the red stripe, and there’s more to see of 1saac’s Boo Boo build at his photostream.
Click the link above to dial 9-1-1 in 1972.
It seems the ironic that those extolling the virtues of ‘alternative living’ all do it in exactly the same way. But you don’t have to be an all-natural-vegan-top-knot-wearing-bearded-Volkswagen-bus-driving-douchebag to live the ’60s bus life. You could do it in a Transit. And the Transit is better.
Faster, more comfortable, more reliable, less polluting, quieter, and easier to drive, the Mark 1 Ford Transit makes for a much better bus than the noisy, slow, absurdly expensive default.
This lovely recreation of the first generation Transit comes from Flickr’s OutBricks, who has captured the classic van wonderfully in 7-wide. There’s more to see of the build at Out’s photostream, and you can can explore his alternative to the alternative lifestyle vehicle of choice via the link above.
What’s this? Is Batman giving up on vigilante crime-fighting in favour of all-natural-ethnically-sustainable-like-and-subscribe-#vanlife? Thankfully a ginormous gas-turbine-rocket-engine-propulsion-thingumy mounted in the bed of his ’60s Volkswagen Transporter suggests not.
Our hope is the Dark Knight is off to infiltrate the #vanlife community before beating the living crap out them. Not for being criminals, just for being douchbags. Whilst we luxuriate in that thought you can check out more of Batman’s new ride courtesy of 1saac W. of Flickr.
Batman’s going to give them not the beating that they deserve, but the one they need.
LEGO’s fab 10220 Creator Volkswagen Camper set has – after eight years on sale – finally been replaced. One of the earliest officially-licensed Creator sets, 10220 will likely become one of LEGO’s all time greats, and Flickr’s 1saac W. has channeled the Lego icon into his own astonishing miniaturised Volkswagen T1 Westfalia, some two years in the making.
1saac’s model looks every bit as detailed as its giant inspiration, with techniques used within it that seem to defy physics. Yet it’s all Lego, and the genius of its assembly is matched only by the perfection of the presentation.
We genuinely can’t figure out how it’s all been done, and if you’d like to try to work out how 1ssac has seemingly shrunk 10220 head to his photostream via the link above.
TLCB theory of the day: Before long all new cars will look like this.
Every new car launched is seemingly an increasingly enormous SUV, or is ‘lower, longer and wider’ than the model it replaces. Take these trends to their logical conclusion, and you end up with a two-tier (literally) market of monster trucks and pancakes, and nothing in the middle. Which is probably a metaphor for the current state of political discourse or something.
Anyway, enough about the polarisation of everything, here are two classically shaped commercial vehicles from HCKP13, at opposite ends of the suspension spectrum, and there’s more to see of each on Flickr. Click the link above to play higher or lower.
This pot of Communist cream is a Barkas B1000, an East German forward-control van produced from 1961 until 1988, and powered by a tiny one-litre, three-cylinder, two-stroke engine.
Available as a pick-up, an 8-seat minibus, and – as pictured here – a panel van, the B1000 could carry a one-ton payload (probably very slowly), and proved so reliable and adept at doing so it was built virtually unchanged for nearly thirty years.
This charming Model Team recreation of the B1000 comes from previous bloggee and TLCB favourite Legostalgie, who has captured the East German workhorse beautifully in beige bricks.
Opening doors and a superbly detailed interior are included, and you can head to the other side of the Iron Curtain sometime in the 1970s via the link to Flickr above.
With LEGO revealing their new (and really rather excellent looking) 10279 Volkswagen T2 Transporter set, we’re wondering if they will gradually work their way through all the Transporters as if they’re binging on Jason Statham action movies.
Getting there first though, is regular bloggee Jonathan Elliott, whose superb 6-wide recreation of the T3 Transporter looks considerably more realistic than anything that occurred in the third instalment of the movie franchise.
Click the link above to make the jump.
If we were to ask TLCB Elves to design a car (and if we could understand what they’re saying), it would probably sound something like this; “A hot rod! And it’s red! And it’s got six wheels!! And a Ferrari engine! And rocket launchers!!”
Meeting all of the above (apart from the rocket launchers), is Tony Bovkoon, who has tapped into his inner-Elf to create this siding-doored ‘Wagon Hot Rod’, complete with six wheels and a Ferrari engine.
Join the Elves over on Flickr via the link above.