Tag Archives: GAZ

Clickety Click

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This splendid creation is a soviet-era GAZ 66 off-road truck, and it’s currently trundling around the office with a gaggle of TLCB Elves in the dropside-bed. Powered by a BuWizz 3.0 bluetooth battery, previous bloggee keymaker has squeezed in remote control steering, four-wheel-drive, a powered and locking winch, live-axle suspension, and a miniature V8 engine, all in model measuring just 30cm long.

A complete image gallery is available to view at Bricksafe, whilst full build details, a video of the model in action, and a link to building instructions can be found at the Eurobricks discussion forum via the link above too. Clickety click to take a peek!

*Fifty TLCB Points if you can figure out this post’s title.

Communist’s Choice

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Communism wasn’t renowned for giving its citizens choice. However today we have no less than four communistical vehicles to choose from, each built by PelLego of Flickr as apart of a wider collaborative build.

From left to right are a Kamaz 55102, a nondescript green tractor, a GAZ 66 covered truck, and a (somewhat later) GAZ Tigr, and there’s more to see of each, plus the collaboration in which they appear, at Pel’s photostream via the link above.

And – because we haven’t been threatened in a while – here’s a bonus link to the last time a GAZ Tigr appeared on this site…

The Dissappeared

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Revealed, somewhat oddly, at the 1970 London Motorshow, the Volga GAZ-24 was a large luxury car produced by the Soviet Union for – as was often the case – its own military and Government officials.

A special permit was required to purchase one (because Communism), which meant that we’d have been rather nervous if we saw a GAZ-24 driving behind us; by the mid-’70s there were an estimated 10,000 political prisoners in the Soviet Union, and there was a lot of space in the GAZ’s trunk for bodies…

This stunning recreation of the Volga GAZ-24 comes from previous bloggee Legostalgie, who has captured the classic American styling brilliantly (the Soviet Union may have hated America, but they loved its cars).

A detailed engine bay, realistic interior, four opening doors, and an opening trunk large enough to enable a few ‘disappearances’ all feature, and there’s much more to see at Legostalgie’s ‘Volga GAZ-24’ album on Flickr. Click the link above to obtain your special permit.

Call the Emergency Serv… Oh

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It’d been a peaceful week here at TLCB Towers. Sure there was an Elf fight to break up after one of them found an almost empty (but evidently still delicious) glue stick in the bin, but otherwise creations have been found, meal tokens have been awarded, and no-one has been squashed. Until today.

This is a GAZ 66 fire truck, an all-wheel-drive Soviet water tank on wheels that is still used in Russia today. Well, this one isn’t, being rather smaller, but it’s just as impressive as the real thing.

Built by Danifill of Eurobricks, this fully RC Technic recreation of the Soviet-era fire truck proved to be a throughly capably Elf-smushing machine.

Lured in by the functioning flashing blue lights and the fact that, well – it’s a fire engine, the Elf at the controls drew in a crowd of Elven admirers, before promptly squashing them thanks to the GAZ’s genuinely surprising turn of speed.

An RC Buggy Motor, Servo steering, a BuWizz bluetooth battery, live-axle suspension, and four-wheel-drive deliver equip Danifill’s creation with impressive Elf-smushing performance, whilst a tilting cab, V8 engine, opening and locking doors, and detailed fire apparatus add nothing to that, but do look most excellent.

There’s lots more of Danifill’s remote control Technic GAZ 66 Fire Truck to see at the Eurobricks discussion forum, including further imagery and a link to a video of the model in action, plus you can see one of the builder’s earlier fire engines to feature here by clicking this bonus link.

Take a look via the links above whilst we apply some Elven first aid…

Vintage Erection

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If the content of TLCB’s spam folder is to be believed, we’re in for a future of certain erectile disfunction. However, not all old things have trouble getting it up, as this unusual GAZ-AA ‘Tower Wagon’ by Kent Kashiwabara proves.

The GAZ-AA was effectively a Ford Model A constructed under license in Russia, long before the two countries hated one another and the Soviet Union began buying everything from Fiat.

This particular GAZ-AA is based on the Model-A pick-up, but features an extending platform tower mounted behind the cab that can whir skywards, in Kent’s model thanks to some cunningly concealed Power Functions motors.

Remote control drive and steering also feature and there’s more to see of Kent’s erection at his ‘GAZ’ album on Flickr. Click the link above to get it up.

Predictive Bricks

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Regular readers of this farce of a Lego site may recognise this GAZ-2402. Matthew Terentev‘s soviet station wagon has appeared here before, first as a mundane family car and then as a V8-powered drifter. Now though, and perhaps mirroring where society is headed, Matthew has converted the classic Communistal estate car into something far more… aggressive.

As the world’s economy teeters on the brink of collapse, its climate on the brink of a catastrophic irreversible temperature rise, and a deadly disease has wiped out a million and counting, we’re waiting for the rioting and looting to start. And it’s not even Black Friday yet.

Matthew is well prepared for the impeding nightmare though, outfitting his GAZ-2402 with all-wheel-drive, raised suspension, an enormous spiky snowplough arrangement on the front (that necessitated the engine moving to the interior), and roof-mounted gun turret.

The office’s Rover 200 looks woefully inadequate for the coming apocalypse by comparison, so whilst we consider what we can do to upgrade it with $12 and some duct tape, you can check out Matthew’s post-apoc creation on Flickr via the link above.

The end is nigh.

Sideways in the Soviet Union

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Matthew Terentev’s Volga/GAZ-2402 station wagon has appeared here before, being a somewhat unusual choice for a Technic ‘Supercar’, with working steering, engine, and suspension. He’s now gone a step further though, replacing the miserable inline 4-cylinder engine with a V8 (which the real 2402 was actually available with), and he’s added a whole host of other exciting modifications including lowered suspension, aero, and – most importantly – racing decals and stripes, which are worth at least an extra 200bhp on their own.

We’re not sure how suited a Volga/GAZ station wagon is to drifting (about as much as your Mom is to the 110m hurdles we suspect), but because we’re rather sad here at TLCB we love unlikely cars turned into racers. Plus the Elves would’ve have rioted had we not blogged a drift car with racing stripes.

There’s more to see of Matthew’s drifty GAZ-2402 station wagon (and the unmodified permit-only family car on which it’s based) at his photostream. Go sideways in the Soviet Union via the link above!

Soviet Station Wagon

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The Soviets may have hated America, but they sure liked its cars. This is the GAZ-24, specifically the 2402 station wagon produced from 1971 all the way up until the mid ’80s, despite looking like something straight out of America in 1963.

Powered by either a 2.5 litre four cylinder or an American-aping 5.5 litre V8, the GAZ-24 was famed for its toughness, and whilst limited numbers were exported, it wasn’t really available to the common Russian man, being reserved only for those with a special permit that allowed its purchase. Because Communism.

Matthew Terentev has got himself a 2402 though, by building this most excellent Technic recreation, complete with accurate leaf-spring rear and independent front suspension, a working inline 4-cylinder engine under the opening hood, ‘Hand of God’ steering and a working steering wheel, plus opening doors and tailgate.

There’s lots more to see of Matthew’s superb Soviet station wagon at his photostream on Flickr – grab your special permit, click the link, and pretend you’re a 1980s Russian pretending they’re a 1960s American.

Fireman Gaz

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Classic British children’s TV show Fireman Sam will always have a special place in our hearts, despite the fact that we don’t remember Sam actually putting out many fires (they’re quite perilous for a show aimed at the under sixes), and the fact that fire’man’ is probably a bit old hat these days.

Still, we’re sure there are plenty of firewomen called Sam, and plenty of firefighters called other things too, such as Gaz. Although that’s a bit colloquial for the title of a kid’s show.

Anyway, it is the title of this post because this is a GAZ, although it’s short for ‘Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod’ rather than ‘Garry’. Built by Danifill of Eurobricks this GAZ 3307 fire truck features working suspension, twin L Motor drive, Servo steering, BuWizz control, LED lights, and opening everything, and there’s more to see at the discussion forum via the link above.

Gazza

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A footballer with a drinking problem, a guy in every pub in the Midlands, and a Soviet truck maker. GAZ (Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod) have produced vehicles for almost 90 years, mostly (as with everything in the times of the Soviet Union) for the military. These days they also produce vehicles for Volkswagen, Chevrolet, and others under license, but it’s their military trucks they remain most known for, like this excellent mini-figure GAZ-66 built by Flickr’s de-marco. Clever techniques abound and there’s more to see of de-marco’s truck at his photostream – click the link above to check it out.

Russian Dump

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We’ll let Russian readers insert their own joke linking to the title so we don’t get poisoned by Novichok. Or we can make one about what fetish your Dad’s internet history reveals… Nope, we’re going to rise above it today* – on the the model!

This gorgeous GAZ-53 dump truck is the work of previous bloggee Samolot, who has created this beautiful fully-functioning Technic replica of the Soviet medium duty truck produced from 1961 right up until 1993.

Samolot’s model looks superb (particularly in the wonderful outdoor shot above), and features a long list of engineering ingenuity, including working front and rear suspension, remote control drive via a single XL Motor, steering via a Servo, a remote control four-speed gearbox, and a Medium motor-powered functioning tipper.

There’s much more to see of Samolot’s brilliant build at the Eurobricks discussion forum by clicking here, where you can also find a video demonstrating the GAZ’s working functions.

*Kinda

Wrong Side of the Tracks

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Lego Technic Soviet Truck

Even for Soviet Russia, this vehicle is weird. This is a BWSM 80, which sounds perilously close to something your Mom would be into, but was in fact a prototype Soviet design that fused a GAZ 53 truck with a DT 75 bulldozer to create… whatever the hell this is.

In normal use the BWSM 80 operated as per a regular truck, albeit one with a track system suspended between the wheels. However in extreme conditions the BWSM could lower the track system thus raising its wheels off the ground, and thereby becoming a skid-steer tracked vehicle in the process. If, as we were, you’re struggling to figure that out, take a look at the video below!

That video, and the creation within it, comes from previous bloggee (and apparent Technic wizard) Samolot of Eurobricks, who has recreated the Russian prototype in brilliantly-functional remote control Technic form.

Two Power Functions L Motors drive both the wheels and the tracks, with some ingenious decoupling mechanism we’re struggling to fathom dividing the power appropriately between the two. A Medium Motor drives the lifting mechanism to deploy the tracks, which also feature suspension, and there are LED headlights up front too.

There’s much more of Samolot’s wonderfully odd creation to see at the Eurobricks discussion forum via the link above, or you could just watch that amazing video again!

Lego Technic GAZ 53 Truck

The Unknown Off-Roader

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Lego ARO 244

Today’s post is a car that we’d never heard of, despite more than 300,000 being produced over nearly forty years and it being sold in over one hundred countries. Back to school for TLCB Team…

This is the ARO 24-Series, a Romanian 4×4 launched in 1969 and sold, after many revisions, right up until 2006 when the company finally folded in rather weird circumstances.

ARO began by building a relicensed version of the Soviet GAZ-69 military 4×4 in the late-1950s before designing their own vehicles such as the 24. The 24-Series was a huge export success; over 90% of production was exported before 1989, with the model also built in Portugal and Italy.

After thirty-five years of production the Romanian government decided to sell ARO to an American businessman who planned to import the 24-Series to the US. He managed to convince 200 dealers to pay $75,000 each for franchise rights, and then pressured them to send more money for vehicles. The dealers refused insisting they pay on delivery, and the venture collapsed.

The Romanian government then learned that the buyer had sold the tooling and assets, and that the documents used to purchase ARO were falsified. They sued in 2006 and the import company fired all its employees, sold its headquarters and disappeared. It was a strange ending to a rather good car, one that was an unusual communist success story killed by capitalist greed.

Today’s creation depicts a second generation 24-Series and has been superbly built by previous bloggee Pixel Fox of Flickr. There’s more to see of his excellent Romanian 4×4 by clicking here, and you can discover his ever-expanding back-catalogue of brilliant mini-figure scale off-roaders by visiting the full album here.

Election Enforcement

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Lego Technic GAZ Tigr SPM-2

Russia’s recent presidential elections once more provided an emphatic win for Vladimir Putin. Securing his fourth consecutive term in office with a huge 77% of the vote, Putin defied the odds, a constitution which limits consecutive terms to two, accusations of voting irregularities, and the assassination and imprisonment of the other candidates. A thoroughly deserved win then!

The run-up to the election which delivered Putin’s decisive victory was also assisted by a thorough and active police force, ensuring the the Russian people were safe and secure to cast their all-important vote. Many vehicles were deployed to this end, but our favourite is this, the GAZ Tigr SPM-2.

Lego Technic GAZ Tigr SPM-2

With 7mm armour plating, a four foot wading depth, and powered by a 5.9 litre Cummins diesel engine, the GAZ Tigr is the perfect vehicle for Russia’s armed forces to traverse their country’s vast and varied landscape. It’s also large enough to hold a number of police officers plus any citizens that are as yet unsure of whom to vote for.

This brilliant police-spec Technic GAZ Tigr SPM-2 comes from previous bloggee filsawgood and instead of containing undecided voters/rival political candidates it’s stuffed full of technical wizardry. All four independently suspended wheels are powered by a pair of BuWizz bluetooth bricks controlling four Large drive motors and Servo steering motor, whilst a Medium motor powers the front-mounted winch. There’s also a six-cylinder piston engine, opening hood, doors and sunroof, and a fully appointed interior ready to receive any political dissidents.

Lego Technic GAZ Tigr SPM-2

There’s lots more to see of filsawgood’s hugely impressive GAZ Tigr SPM-2 at both Flickr and the Eurobricks discussion forum – take a look via the links above and remember to show your support for the President in the comments.

But It’s All Right Now, In Fact It’s a GAZ

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Lego Technic RC GAZ 3351 Sariel

This Thunderbirds-looking thing is actually a GAZ 3351, a real all-terrain transport vehicle with its roots in the Soviet Union. Well, this one’s made of LEGO, but you could buy a real one if you wanted to.

Which is what we suspect the Elves, if they had any money or concept of money, would do – such was the joy (and carnage) amongst them when this powered into the office this morning.

Lego Technic RC GAZ 3351 Sariel

Driven by an XL Motor inside each section and steered via a linear actuator powered articulated pivot, Sariel‘s GAZ 3351 can go almost anywhere, and over almost anything – TLCB Elves included.

The four tracks providing this go-anywhere, smush-anything ability are suspended via oscillating bogies, and are constructed from 560 individual rubber axle-joiners.

This gives the GAZ incredible traction, but the design wasn’t without its teething problems, which you can watch in Sariel’s excellent development and demonstration video below. There are more images to see of Sariel’s GAZ 3351 at his photostream too – click here to take a look.

YouTube Video: