The Chevrolet Corvette has finally gone mid-engined. This is not it, but it is built only from the parts found within the front-engined 42093 Technic Chevrolet Corvette set, so it’s kind of a mid-engined Corvette. Sorta.
Whatever you want to call it, it is a rather good B-Model, coming from previous bloggee Horcik Designs and featuring functioning steering and a working mid-mounted V6 engine.
There’s more to see at the Eurobricks forum, where you can also find a link to building instructions should you wish to convert your own 42093 Corvette set into a mid-engined Corvette. That’s not a Corvette. But now could be.
Dozens of brilliant B-Models were produced for the contest, and whilst the competition may be over, alternate building keeps going, as demonstrated here by TLCB Master MOCer Nico71.
Constructed only from the pieces found within the 42093 Technic Chevrolet Corvette set, Nico has created this cool-looking sand buggy, complete with working suspension, a transverse three-cylinder engine, and functioning steering.
Nico has also made instructions for his alternate available so that you can convert your own 42093 Corvette into a sand buggy at home, and you can see all the images and find a link to building instructions on Brickshelf by clicking here.
This spectacular array of racing cars is the entire Le Mans 2018 GTE Pro grid, just one of the four categories that compete side-by-side at the world’s greatest motor race.
Built over two years by Lasse Deleuran, all teams and driver combinations from the GTE Pro class of 2018 are present, with Ferrari, BMW, Aston Martin, Chevrolet, Ford, and the race-winning Porsche squad recreated brilliantly in Miniland scale, many of which have featured here individually over the last two years.
Instructions for every single GTE Pro car are available for free, and you can see more of each racer and find the link to recreate your very own Le Mans 2018 GTE Pro grid via Lasse’s photostream by clicking here.
They’re the questions we receive here more than other (apart from your Mom calling to find out if we’re free); “Where can I buy this?” / “Are there instructions?”.
We’ve reviewed a range of books here at TLCB (see here, here, here and here) that aim to answer the questions above, providing parts lists and building instructions to enable readers to create real-world vehicles from LEGO bricks. Today we have another, kindly provided by publisher ‘Brick Monster‘ who have a range of both instructional books and downloadable building instructions available at their website, offering everything from BrickHeadz to dinosaurs.
Fast Bricks: Build 6 LEGO Sports Cars!
Overview: Brick Monster’s latest publication, entitled ‘Fast Bricks’, details the step-by-step building instructions and complete parts lists for six real-world sports and performance cars. Each car is designed to match LEGO’s old six-wide Speed Champions scale which, whilst less detailed than the new 8-wide standard, should mean both a plentiful parts supply and that fewer parts are needed.
The book follows the now familiar format that we’ve come to expect from instructional publications, offering a brief (and really well written) introduction to each car, along with a few key statistics – although in this case they are about the model itself rather than its real world equivalent.
Instructions and Print Quality: The bulk of the book is taken by the step-by-step instructions, which are clear and well laid out. Minor sub-assemblies are used every so often and all parts added are highlighted by a contrasting brightly-coloured outline, which is very nice touch. A ‘Bill of Materials’ ends each section, along with the alternate colour schemes available for each build. Unfortunately we have no images of these available to show here, which is something that Brick Monster should look into so that they can showcase this content.
‘Fast Bricks’ is not the glossiest book we’ve reviewed and nor is it printed in the highest quality, but it’s well suited to its purpose, where ultra high quality paper can actually be a hinderance to following building instructions, however beautiful the product looks. On the other hand one area where higher print quality would have been useful was in the instructions for C8 Corvette pictured on the cover, where the dark blue bricks chosen are hard to distinguish against the black lines that surround them. This is never an issue with official LEGO sets and highlights just how good LEGO are at both designing and mass-producing the building instructions found in their products.
The Models: It’s the Corvette that is probably the best model within the book, although all feature a range of excellent building techniques that newer builders may appreciate learning.
However, unfortunately for us in some cases the builds are not particularly recognisable as the car they are purported to be. We could have ten guesses for the Mazda MX-5 and Lamborghini Huracan and we wouldn’t have guessed correctly, with other models having only a passing resemblance to their real-world counterparts.
It’s a shame, because – whilst not really offering anything new – the layout, instruction designs, descriptions, and parts lists of ‘Fast Bricks’ are all pretty good.
Verdict: We wouldn’t have thought there was a need for yet another building instructions book, however the constant requests we receive here at The Lego Car Blog indicate that – as usual – we know nothing, and there remains a significant interest in step-by-step instructions for models.
We’re not sure that any book is the best medium for providing step-by-step instructions anymore, with digital downloads performing the job just as well, but nevertheless ‘Fast Bricks’ take on the book-based instructional formula is another competently engineered addition, utilising well-judged techniques and instructional designs to walk readers from a pile of LEGO bricks to a finished sports car model. We just wish the models found within it looked a bit more like the cars they’re supposedly based upon.
It’s an American double here at The Lego Car Blog! After today’s other post here’s one celebrating the best of what the USA has to offer; the C8 Corvette**. For most of its history the Corvette has been… er, Not Very Good, but the latest version is a properly good sports GT, with the ability to go around a corner and everything.
Pleased with this not insignificant step, Chevrolet were on the verge of taking on the big league of European sports cars, but their Corvette still lacked one key ingredient; its engine is in the wrong place.
Cue the brand new 2020 C8 Corvette, which – for the first time in the Corvette’s history (and pretty much America’s for that matter***) – has the engine in the middle. This could be a proper Porsche beater.
Following his brilliant Chevrolet Corvette C8 coupe featured here last year, Flickr’s Lasse Deleuran has now built the convertible version, and it looks fantastic! A beautifully replicated interior and a sort-of-working roof are our highlights, and there’s more to see of his 2020 Corvette C8 convertible at both the Eurobricks forum and his Flickr photostream – click the links to take a look!
The Chevrolet Corvette is due a bit of change in 2020. Now just about able to compete with European supercars thanks to someone showing Chevrolet something known as a ‘Corner’, the current Corvette is actually quite good. Not resting in their laurels, Chevrolet are about to knock it up a notch and move the engine to the middle of the car, making the C8 Corvette the first mid-engined GM product since the 1988 Pontiac Fiero.
This Lego version of the new Corvette comes from Flickr’s Lasse Deleuran who has built his recreation of the of C8 long before the real car has even been released, basing his model on the pre-production prototype shown at a media event this year. Whether buyers will like the new mid-engined layout or not will probably depend on whether they can embrace change, progress and handling balance, or whether they’re from Texas, but whichever camp you’re part of you can see more of Lasse’s excellent Miniland-scale C8 Corvette via the link above.
Little red Corvette
Baby you’re much to fast
Little red Corvette
You need to find a love that’s gonna last
Little red Corvette
Honey you got to slow down (Got to slow down)
Little red Corvette
‘Cause if you don’t you gonna run your
Little red Corvette right in the ground
It wasn’t much of a leap to today’s title song. This little red Corvette comes from Ben of Flickr, who has captured the ’67 Sting Ray superbly in Speed Champions form. See more via the link, and you can watch Prince’s title song here.
From one of America’s worst 1960s vehicles to one of its best. The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray was something of a revolution for US sports cars when it arrived in 1963. This is the C3 iteration that launched a few years later, with about 58 different V8 engine options (seriously, just look at this list!), the same slightly dodgy handling, and ridiculously good looks. This lovely Speed Champions-esque version of the iconic American sports car comes from previous bloggee ZetoVince who designed it for the ‘How to Build Dream Cars with LEGO Bricks‘ book reviewed here last year. Head to ZetoVince’s photostream via the link above for more details, and you can read our review of the book in which it features by clicking the final link in the text.
The entry point to the Technic range for 2019, 42088 is aimed at builders aged just 7+, with 155 pieces and a sub-£10 price tag. As has become the norm for Technic sets even at this scale, 42088 features a bit more visual detail than the range has historically used, but pleasingly it still features a lovely crane boom mechanism that utilises a worm gear to provide elevation. A tow truck B-model deploys the parts to achieve the same function and we think either build is a fine way to kick-off Technic for a younger builder.
…
42091 Police Pursuit & 42090 Getaway Truck
Unlike these two…
42091 and 42090 are the usual two pull-back motor powered sets that join the Technic range each year. Like past years they feature absolutely nothing beyond their pull-back motorisation and, like past years, they are somewhat aesthetically challenged, despite the inclusion of a wealth of colourful stickers. Each set contains around 120 pieces and the two models can be combined to create something even more hideous should you feel the need to. 42091 and 42090 will sell very well we suspect, but if you’re going to buy a child an entry point into Technic, you could do so much better…
…
42089 Power Boat
For less money than either of the two monstrosities above you could have this; a rather excellent looking power boat, complete with a working single cylinder engine that spins the propellor as the boat is pushed along. 174 pieces, some neat stickers, and a hydroplane B-model complete the reasons why 42089 is vastly better than the Getaway Truck and whatever that police thing is supposed to be, and it’ll reach stores in January.
…
42092 Rescue Helicopter
Arriving just in time to rescue countless amateur snowboarders this ski season comes 42092, the only aircraft in the 2019 Technic line-up. With just over 300 pieces, 42092 increases the number of working functions whilst retaining an 8+ target age, with working main and tail rotors, a functioning winch, opening side and tail doors, and featuring the usual colourful stickers. 42092 is also sort-of-mini-figure-scale, and includes a stretcher piece originally found in the Town range with which to evacuate broken snowboarders. A slightly odd jet plane B-model can also be built, but that can’t rescue anyone. Get your hands on 42092 when it lands in January.
…
42093 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Continuing LEGO’s genius decision to partner with real-world auto-makers comes 42093, a 579-piece Technic version of Chevrolet’s mighty Corvette ZR1. Working steering and a miniature V8 engine make appearances, and 42093 uses bricks to replicate the Corvette’s shape rather than just stickers (although these are present) which we rather like too. A hot rod forms the B-model and we expect 42093 to cost around £35/$40 when it reaches stores next year.
…
42095 RC Stunt Racer
Dropping two-hundred pieces but adding Power Functions motors, an IR receiver, and a controller is 42095, a very weird (but probably very fun) ‘Stunt Racer’. Each of the two large motors separately powers one of 42095’s tracks, giving the model skid-steering and likely excellent cat/Elf chasing ability. A B-model so similar we wonder why LEGO bothered can also be built, and you’ll be able to terrorise your pets for around £75/$80 from January 2019.
…
42094 Tracked Loader
And now for our favourite; 42094 Tracked Loader. With 827 pieces but no motors, 42094 should be good value at around £65/$70 and it includes the most technical sophistication of the H1 2019 line-up. Linear actuators are driven via hand-powered wheels mounted at the rear of the loader, controlling the boom elevation and grabby claw up front. 42094 also includes suspended tracks, a rear winch, a rotating cabin, and a B-model that looks very nearly as good as the main vehicle. 42094 looks to be great addition to the 2019 Technic line-up and may even give that Porsche 911 RSR a run for our money.
…
Which is your favourite new Technic set of 2019? Let us know in the comments, and you can read our reviews of dozens of LEGO’s past Technic sets via the Set Review Library here.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans 2018 is nearly upon us! The world’s greatest endurance race is now in it’s 86th year, and in 2018 will feature sixty cars in four different classes, from the ultra-hi-tech LMP1 prototypes to the GTE Am class of supercars and gentleman drivers.
Somewhere in the middle sits GTE Pro, in which professional drivers for both works and independent teams will fight it out whilst dodging the ludicrously fast LMP1/2 cars hurtling past. This year six different manufacturers have qualified, and previous bloggee Lasse Deleuran has built all six beautifully in Lego form.
There are three Porsche 911 RSRs (featured here previously), two Ferrari 488 GTE EVOs, a Ford GT, a Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, plus the brand new Aston Martin Vantage AMR and BMW M8 GTE.
Each is a fantastic build utilising some ingenious techniques to capture both the complicated GTE-class aero and to accurately recreate the liveries of the teams. Head over to Flickr via the link above to see more of each build and choose your favourite!
Nope, not that Spanish exchange girl from your youth that you always wish you’d kept in touch with, but this rather neat steam corvette sailing under Chilean colours.
Built for the Chilean Navy by a British shipyard in the 1850s this Esmeralda is one of several Chilean warships to carry the name, and was sunk in the Battle of Iquique in Chile’s defeat to Peru and Bolivia in 1879. We know so little about about South American conflicts that our narrative ends there, but the model of the lost ship itself is nevertheless beautiful. Flickr’s Luis Peña is the builder behind it and there’s more to see of his gorgeous recreation of the Esmeralda via the link above.
Your Dad’s browsing history contains this post’s title, but for very different reasons. Anyhoo, these two lovely classic muscle cars by previous bloggee Jonathan Elliott were discovered on Flickr today and they’re a superb accompaniment to LEGO’s own Speed Champions sets. Jonathan’s grey 1960s Ford Mustang Fastback and red Chevrolet Corvette capture the iconic shapes of their real-world counterparts beautifully, both being instantly recognisable even at this small scale. There’s more to see of each classic muscle car at Jonathan’s photostream – click the link above to take a look.
Lasse Deleuran (aka gtahelper)’s stunning Chevrolet Corvette C7.R has appeared here at The Lego Car Blog before, and now he’s made another. OK, that doesn’t warrant a re-post, but the arrival of free instructions does! You can build your own incredible Lego replica of the Corvette C7.R in 2017 Le Mans GTEPro spec at either Eurobricks or Flickr – click the links for the details.
Is the Chevrolet Corvette a supercar? If this were YouTube there would now be a heated discussion, someone would call someone else something rude, and Hitler would probably eventually be mentioned.
This is The Lego Car Blog though, and our readers are (generally) more civilised than the baying mob found within the YouTube comments section. However, we’ll throw our thoughts into the Corvette Supercar argument because, well… we can: We don’t know.
Yup, we’ve wussed out and sat on the fence, because the area the Corvette occupies between Sports and Super Car is greyer than ever. Once ridiculed by us here in Europe, the Chevrolet Corvette is now actually quite good, and in Z06 form it’s certainly quick enough to enter the supercar league. But ‘quick’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘supercar’.
It seems that Chevrolet themselves have had enough of the argument and rumour has it they’re readying a mid-engined version of the Corvette to silence the debate. Whether that happens or not what we are confident in is that this stunning C7 series Corvette Z06 by newcomer Dylan Sebastian is a bona-fide Technic Supercar.
With a working V8 engine, independent suspension on all four wheels, plus steering and drive via remote control, Dylan’s Corvette has all the Technic Supercar boxes ticked, plus opening doors and hood, and LED lights.
What’s that? Technic Supercars need to have a gearbox? Damn…
Well it seems Dylan’s Z06 is even more true to the real Corvette than we thought, itself being as supercar debatable as the real thing. Whatever it is though, it’s a model that’s definitely worth a closer look, and you can check out all of the photos at Dylan’s Flickr album and you can read more about the build and watch a video of the model in action at the Eurobricks discussion forum.
This instantly recognisable Chevrolet Corvette C7R race car was discovered by one of our Elven workforce on Brickshelf today. It’s been built by gtahelper and it’s a superbly accurate 1:20 scale recreation of the GT3 contender. See more at the Brickshelf album via the link above.
