Tag Archives: Control+

Kodiak Moment

This fantastic creation is a first generation Kodiak C70, a 1980s medium-duty truck marketed across both Chevrolet and GMC for a variety of applications.

Built by TLCB Master MOCer Nico71, this outstanding Technic recreation of the American workhorse captures the Kodiak’s no-nonsense exterior beautifully, but it’s what’s underneath that is most impressive.

Featuring a remote control drivetrain linked to a V8 piston engine under the opening hood, Nico’s model includes all-wheel-drive, servo steering, suspended axles, a locking fifth wheel, opening doors, and either bluetooth control via the LEGO Powered-Up app or IR Control via LEGO Power Functions.

There’s more of the truck to see at Nico’s Brickshelf gallery, where a link to building instructions can also be found, you can watch the model in action via the video below, and you can read Nico’s Master MOCers interview here at The Lego Car Blog to learn how he builds models like this one via the first link in the text above.

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The Ultimate Driving Machine

The future of BMW M-cars is electric. And automatic. The current M2 is already confirmed to be the final manual M-car, and – if the horrendous new BMW XM is any indication – the future of BMW’s M-division looks fat, almost comically ostentatious, and immensely, unfathomably, ludicrously ugly. Make your own ‘Your Mom’ joke.

Which is probably why the original 1980s BMW ‘E30’ M3, weighing under 1,200kgs and powered by a four-cylinder engine that made less than 200bhp, is being seen as something of an antidote to the overblown ridiculousness of today’s M-cars.

This lovely Technic recreation of BMW’s M-car high water mark was found on Eurobricks, and comes from previous bloggee apachaiapachai. There’s remote control drive and steering courtesy of LEGO’s Control+ motors and app, opening doors, and that’s it. Which makes it every bit as wonderfully simple as the real E30 M3.

There’s more to see at the Eurobricks forum, and you can take a look via the link above.

Brickin’ Baja

One of the coolest liveries in motorsport has got to be Toyota’s diagonal sunset-coloured TRD striping. Seemingly unchanged since the ’80s, said livery has appeared on everything from NASCARs to Baja trucks, and it’s the latter we have here today.

Built by SpaceHopper, this superb Toyota T100 Baja off-road truck features Control+ remote control drive and steering, working suspension, a fully-caged interior, stunning attention to detail, and – most importantly – a simply brilliant recreation of Toyota’s famous TRD livery.

There’s more of Space’s Toyota T100 Baja model to see at both Flickr and Eurobricks, and you make the jump somewhere in the desert via the links above.

Lego Technic H2 2023 | Set Previews

It’s new set reveal time here at The Lego Car Blog, and we have two brand new officially-licensed vehicles joining the Technic line-up for 2023! Read on to find out more about LEGO’s latest additions…

LEGO Technic 42161 Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica 

The first of the two new sets arriving in the second half of 2023 comes from a staple of LEGO’s real-world partnerships, and follows the enormous (and enormously expensive) 42115 Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 set released in 2020. Like its 3,700-piece big brother, 42161 adopts Lamborghini’s signature lime green, but shrinks the package down to a far more attainable scale and price point, and represents a Lamborghini we’ve actually heard of.

Unfortunately the functions are scaled down too, with only a miniature V10 piston engine driven by the rear wheels and ‘HOG’ steering, which doesn’t seem like much for c£50. However – like many recent Technic sets – technic-ness seems to be secondary to aesthetics.

Extra visual detail is supplied via a range of decals, and whilst we’re bemoaning the fact that ‘in our day’ a Technic set half the size of 42161 would include steering, a piston engine, suspension, and probably something else too, LEGO know what appeals to the nine-year-olds of 2023. And that’s 800 largely lime-green pieces and a badge with a bull on it.

LEGO Technic 42160 Audi RS Q e-tron

The second new set arriving in the second half of 2023 brings another real-world car to the Technic range. Sort of. This is the Audi RS Q e-tron, a prototype buggy that raced (and was soundly beaten) in the recent Dakar Rally. Still, it was an intriguing entry, using a mid-mounted 2 litre petrol engine to generate power for four electric drive motors.

LEGO’s new 42160 set recreates not just the look of the RS Q e-tron (via so many stickers), but rather excitingly it replicates the electric all-wheel-drive system too, with new hubs routing power to all four independently-suspended wheels (wearing brand new tyres).

Controlled remotely via the Control+ app, 42160 looks like it’ll be an absolute riot to drive, which will probably make up for a no-doubt infuriating build experience lining up a million stickers.

The new 42160 Audi RS Q e-tron will reach stores later this year aimed at ages 10+; expect a lofty price tag, and for its all-wheel-drive system to be supplanted into dozens of MOCs that’ll feature on this site thereafter.

My Other Car is a Raptor. And a Giant Truck

Retro-inspired off-roaders are all the rage right now, with many buyers swapping their sleek modern-looking SUVs for vehicles with a more rough-and-ready pastiche. They’re still only used to drive to Walmart of course, but at least the parking lot looks more interesting.

Cue previous bloggee gyenesvi, who has recreated Ford’s newest/oldest model, the rather excellent looking Bronco, trading in an F-150 Raptor. And a Mercedes-Benz Zetros truck.

Yup, this superb fully remote controlled 2022 Bronco, complete with four-wheel-drive, steering, live-axle suspension, opening doors, hood and trunk, plus an ‘expedition kit’ for those particularly arduous trips to Walmart, is constructed only from the parts found within the official LEGO Technic 42126 Ford F-150 Raptor and 42129 Mercedes-Benz Zetros Trial Truck sets.

The bright orange body panels of 42126 and the Control+ remote control hardware (and wheels and tyres) from 42129 provide the perfect combination, with the model further enhanced by some excellent custom decals to recreate the Bronco’s distinctive front-end.

Building instructions for gyenesvi’s double B-Model Bronco are available and there’s lots more to see at both the Eurobricks forum and an extensive Bricksafe gallery. Click the links above to take a look, you can watch the model in action via the video below, plus you can click here to see gyenesvi’s previous alternate for 42129.

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Terra-Tired Transporter

This is a Foremost Delta, a 6×6, articulated, multi-terrain, terra-tired transport, and the best thing to come out of Canada since maple syrup and Elisha Cuthbert.

This incredible fully remote controlled Technic recreation of the amazing Canadian machine comes from TLCB master MOCer Nico71, who has replicated the Delta’s 6×6 drivetrain, articulated steering, and improbably suspension in Lego form.

A suite of Control+ components deliver power to the all-wheel-drive system and linear-actuator driven articulation, whilst the model also includes opening doors, a removable bed and cab, and can be equipped with front and rear winches.

Building instructions are available and there’s more to see of Nico’s superbly-engineered Foremost Delta on Brickshelf and via the excellent video below, plus you can read Nico’s Master MOCers interview here at TLCB by clicking these words. Take a look whilst this TLCB Writer returns to thinking about maple syrup and Elisha Cuthbert. Or somehow combining the two.

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Power(ed-Up) is Nothing Without Control(+)

Yes, we have nerdily butchered the marketing tagline for tyres for today’s title.

Because these are the ‘Universal Vehicle Controls’; part mechanical, part electronic twin joysticks with four degrees of movement, twin triggers, and a dashboard with a working needle, that allow Control+ LEGO sets and creations to be, er… controlled, with real feedback, all built solely from off-the-shelf LEGO pieces. It’s like the Control+ app, BuWizz, or SBrick we’re familiar with on our phone screen, but made physical.

Tobi WanKenobi owns the brain behind this rather interesting idea, and if you think it’s interesting too you can find out more on LEGO Ideas, at the Eurobricks forum here, or take a look at the ‘Universal Vehicle Controls’ in action via the video below.

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Off-Road Krazy

We have a happy bunch of Elves today, thanks to keymaker and his incredible KrAZ 255 6×6 truck. Built for off-roading, keymaker’s creation is too slow for the Elves to use it to run one another over, but great fun to ride around in the back of.

Powered by LEGO’s new Control+ motors, all six wheels are driven and suspended, and include locking differentials too, via a switch in the cabin.

Interestingly, keymaker’s chassis uses two driveshafts front-to-rear, allowing a separate motor to power each side, with the two wheels on each axle linked together via a differential.

A remote control winch, locking trailer hitch, opening doors, storage boxes and bed sides, LED lights, and a working V8 engine add to the technical realism, whilst the exterior is enhanced by a variety of off-road modifications from the video game ‘Snowrunner’.

It’s a fantastically well-engineered creation and one that’s well worth a closer look. Do just that via the Eurobricks discussion forum where full build details are available, keymaker’s ‘KrAZ 255’ Bricksafe album, where there are over forty images and technical renders, or via the excellent video of the truck in action below.

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Iveco Overland Adventure

Social media is bursting with #van/truck/buslife content. Attractive couples bedecked in hot pants and topknots regale their audience with tales of adventure, ethically-sourced all-natural vegan cuisine, and a life lived off the beaten track, only returning to civilisation to connect to Starbucks’ wifi to upload their latest vlog.

Back in 1995 though, a team of Italian overlanding experts did things properly. Using four amazing Iveco 330.30 6×6 trucks, each outfitted for a different overlanding purpose by specialists Mussa & Graziano, the team travelled over 170,000kms through 91 countries during the five year expedition.

Better yet, there wasn’t a ‘Like & Subscribe!’ in sight, with the expedition supporting Unicef (one of TLCB’s own chosen charities) and staffed by doctors, an Italian parachute regiment, Iveco mechanics, and other people that – whilst they might not have a topknot – do know what they’re doing.

This phenomenal Technic creation captures one of the four incredible Iveco vehicles from the epic expedition, and comes from previous bloggee Lucio Switch of Flickr.

With remote control 6×6 drive, steering, locking differentials, all-wheel suspension, and a fully-accessible cab and living quarter, Lucio’s model replicates the Mussa & Graziano modified Iveco 330.30 6×6 overland truck spectacularly, and there’s a whole lot more to see at both his Flickr album and via the video below.

Click the links to start your expedition. Topknot not required.

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Star 69*

It’s been while since the last Elf-smushing, and the Elven discoverer of today’s creation was doubtless excited to reinstate the tradition with its remote control find.

Unfortunately for the aforementioned mythical worker, TLCB Master MOCer Nico71’s fantastic Technic Wester Star 6900 Twinsteer truck was too ponderous to mow down any of its Elven brethren, as evidenced when this TLCB Writer watched it trundling about the office in forlorn pursuit, much to annoyance of its driver.

But our Elves can occasionally display a degree of ingenuity…

Cue today’s Elf, which gave up using the Western Star’s Control+ powered remote control drive and steering, and instead deployed the motorised winch mounted behind the cab. Hooking it to a cage in which a couple of Elves were residing, it hauled the metal box onto the back of the truck, before driving off much to the terror of the Elves trapped inside.

We’re not actually sure where the kidnapped Elves have been taken, but they and their captor can’t have gone far. Besides, we have plenty of Elves.

Anyway, whilst we go and search TLCB Towers for a remote control Technic truck with a cage of kidnapped workers on board, you can see more of Nico’s excellent Western Star 6900 Twinsteer truck, complete with remote control drive and twin-axle steering, a motorised winch, working suspension, and a 6-cylinder engine, at his Brickshelf gallery.

Click the link above to see all the imagery and to find a link to building instructions, plus you can watch the Western Star in action (hauling a diesel pump rather than a cage full of kidnapped Elves) by clicking here.

*Today’s excellent title song.

The World’s Fastest Tractor

This is the JCB Fastrac Two, a modified version of the company’s high-power all-wheel-drive Fastrac agricultural tractor, and it holds the Guinness World Record for world’s fastest tractor. Which could be a little like claiming to be the world’s tallest midget, but the Fastrac Two really is fast, reaching over 150mph. Sowing that barley will take minutes.

This Technic recreation of the record-breaking tractor comes from JLiu15 of Flickr, and is complete with remote control drive and steering, a six cylinder engine, and authentic decals from the record-setting run. There’s more of the build to see at JLui15’s ‘JCB Fastrac Two’ album and the Eurobricks forum, where further imagery and a link to building instructions can be found; take a look via the links above whilst this TLCB Writer registers to be the world’s smallest giant.

Soviet Six

This glorious Kamaz 4310 6×6 truck was discovered by one of our Elves today, and a number of them are now merrily riding around in the load bed, following the removal of the tractor pictured within it here.

The Elf at the controls had other plans of course, but previous bloggee Vladimir Drozd’s creation is a bit too slow to mete out any smushings.

It is nevertheless still excellent, with remote control steering and drive via LEGO’s Control+ app, all six wheels suspended and driven, dropping flatbed sides, and an impressively detailed cab.

High quality decals add to the authenticity, and although one is full width Russian flag, which might a little contentious currently, we’ll use this Russian-transporting-a-tractor to link to today’s other build, which happily depicts the very opposite.

Back to the Kamaz, and there’s lots more of Vladimir’s fantastic fully RC 6×6 truck to see at both his Flickr album and the Eurobricks discussion forum – click the links in the text above to take a closer look!

LEGO Technic 2022 | Set Previews! (Pt.2)

It’s been two months since the survivors of the select group of Elven ‘volunteers’ tasked with uncovering the new-for-2022 Technic sets returned from The LEGO Company’s HQ. We were down a couple of Elves of course, but you don’t make an omelette without a few Elves getting eaten by the guard dogs. Or something.

But no! Some eight weeks later three very bedraggled and rather thin Elves have made it back! Which means we have three more brand new Technic sets to share with you – huzzah. So without further preamble, here are the final* three new additions to the 2022 Technic line-up.

42140 App-Controlled Transformation Vehicle

The first is this, the ‘Transformation Vehicle’, which is a title both rather meaningless and wrong, as it doesn’t transform at all. What it does do is flip upside-down, revealing another body underneath, and we’d be lying if we said we weren’t properly excited about this!

Controlled by LEGO’s new Control+ app, 42140 can skid steer after the cat via your mobile phone, and if you accidentally turn it over against a chair leg, you can simply carry on using the blue body rather than the orange one shown here, thus continuing the pet torment.

It doesn’t appear as if 42140 does anything else, but nevertheless it looks great fun, although – full disclosure – we may have been influenced heavily by adverts for the Tyco Rebound as children. And yes, toy commercials really were like that in the mid-’90s.

The 42140 App-Controlled Transformation Vehicle includes 772 pieces, is aimed at aged 9+, and is expected to cost around $130/£115 when it reaches stores in March. Your cat’s definitely going to meet its match.

42133 Telehandler

From $130 cat-chasing devices to a 143-piece pocket-money starter set. The 42133 Telehandler is one of the smallest Technic sets in the 2022 range, costing just $13/£9, and – as starter sets go – it’s perfectly good. There’s working steering (although at the front rather than the rear), and a boom that can raise/lower mechanically too, whilst keeping the fork level. A decent entry point for the Technic range.

42139 All-Terrain Vehicle

The largest of the final three* sets to join the 2022 Technic line-up is this, the 42139 All-Terrain Vehicle. We’d call this a ‘quad’ in our home nation, which of course it isn’t as it has six wheels. All six are suspended, with a pendular axle on the front and shocks at the back, there’s working steering via the handlebars, a tipping load bed, winch, and a piston engine with a high/low range gearbox.

Which all looks rather good we think, although the stickers are probably unnecessary, plus there’s a chain-saw and a few logs so you can pretend to be a lumberjack.

42139 is aimed at ages 10+, features 764 pieces, and is expected to cost around $80/£65 when it reaches stores. It’s also probably our favourite of the bunch. Unless we want to chase cats.

*You may have noticed a few asterisk symbols in this post. That’s because these aren’t quite the final three new Technic sets. There’s one more to come, and it might just carry both ‘McLaren’ and ‘Formula 1’ licensing….

Want a Lift?

Lifted trucks, a favoured vehicle for a subset of the American populous that we mock regularly on these pages, are resolutely awful.

Even though the suspension is raised, the lowest point of the chassis (usually a differential) is unchanged, thus ground clearance remains exactly the same. Only now the handling, fuel economy, and refinement are worse.

The Lego Car Blog Elves of course, having very small brains indeed, absolutely love lifted trucks.

This one comes from JLiu15, and – despite it being much too slow to run any Elves over – the Elf that found it seems rather pleased.

Remote control all-wheel-drive, three-mode steering (front wheels, four wheels, and crab), a V6 piston engine, and – most notably – ludicrously lifted suspension all feature, and there’s lots more to see at the Eurobricks discussion forum. Click the link above to take a look.

My Other Jeep’s a Truck

LEGO’s 42129 Technic Mercedes-Benz Zetros set offers the chance to get a fully remote controlled ‘truck trial’-capable model off-the-shelf. And we like that.

What we like even more is taking the ready-to-go RC components and off-road hardware from the official set, and using them to create something entirely new. It’s what LEGO is all about.

Cue gyenesvi of Eurobricks, who has dismantled his 42129 Mercedes-Benz Zetros set, repurposing the pieces within it to create this; a splendid Jeep Wrangler Rubicon alternate.

LEGO of course already make an official Technic Jeep Wrangler Rubicon set, but it’s nowhere near as capable as this one. And nor does it look as good.

Gyenesvi’s 42129 B-model includes floating axle suspension front and rear, remote control drive and steering (operating via the Control+ app), a high/low range gearbox with selectable four-wheel-drive, opening doors, hood and trunk, and a detachable hardtop.

All in, it’s a far more convincing Technic Jeep than LEGO’s version, and if you own the 42129 Mercedes-Benz Zetros set you can create it for yourself, as building instructions are available.

Find out more via the link to Eurobricks above, plus you can watch gyenesvi’s 42129 alternate in action via the video below.

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