Tag Archives: Half-Track

Crazy Cat

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This magnificently obscure vehicle is a 1910s Holt 75hp Caterpillar, a part-track tractor produced by the company that would later become the world-renowned Caterpillar brand. Powered by a 23 litre 4-cylinder gasoline engine, and weighing 10 tons, the Holt Caterpillar was quite fantastically slow, but was reliable and could haul almost anything almost anywhere.

With war raging in Europe and limited photos of the newfangled British ‘tanks’ operating in the mire, Holt even converted one of their 75hp Caterpillars into a ‘tank’ as a PR exercise to parade to U.S citizens with the phrase ‘America First’ painted on it, dubiously attempting to take credit for something they had nothing to do with. Make your own Trump link…

This charming replica of the Holt 75hp Caterpillar (in conventional tractor form) comes from previous bloggee Nikolaus Löwe (aka Mr_Kleinstein), and includes BuWizz controlled drive and steering, as well as accurately reflecting the bizarre exterior of the original.

There’s more to see of Nikolaus’ Holt 75hp tractor at his photostream via the link in the text above, and if you think this is weird here’s a bonus link to the ‘tank’ version, which might just be the oddest thing you see today….

Under the Mask

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Most LEGO pieces can be used in almost infinite ways. It’s the very purpose of LEGO. However there are a few parts that seem to be defiantly single-use. The Primo ride-on elephant. Anything from the awful Galidor range. And the wearable Bionicle mask.

Designed so that kids could pretend to be defending Mata-Nui or something, the mid-00’s were clearly a difficult time for LEGO. And yet out of adversity comes triumph, in the form of Scott Wilhelm‘s magnificent ‘Mobile Reactor Transport’.

Wearing the life-size Toa face like a tortoise wears its shell, the until-now-pointless-part looks purpose-made for Scott’s half-track rover. Delightful greebling is visible through the mask’s orifices and there’s more to see of the build, including the epically inventive parts usage, at Scott’s photostream.

Click the link above to see what’s under the mask.

Rat Cat

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Heavy duty applications such as pick-ups, trucks, boats, and trains all benefit from the fuel efficiency and torque that diesel engines offer.

However the passenger car market, which here in Europe was once around 50% diesel, was sold a lie. Now realised, the diesel car market has collapsed, and manufacturers can’t get rid of their diesel products soon enough.

However an engine type that’s noisy, dirty, and obsolete may be wholly unsuited to a small European shopping car (apart from to dodge CO2 taxation), but it’s literally everything you could want in a rat rod!

Cue Sin City Motors’ wild Caterpillar diesel engined half-track rat rod, recreated here by TLCB favourite Redfern1950s in superb form.

Red’s Model Team interpretation of Sin City Motor’s spectacular creation captures the insanity of the real rat rod beautifully, and there’s a whole lot more to see on Flickr via the link!

Timberjack

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This TLCB writer prefers the planting of trees to the harvesting of them (seriously, why the heck aren’t we planting trees everywhere? There is literally no downside, only cleaner air, more wildlife, and less CO2), but if they must be ‘harvested’ there are some pretty cool vehicles with which to do it. This is one example, a Timberjack 1010B as built by previous bloggee Keko007. With an articulated middle, rear tracks, and a giant grabby claw thing, it does look rather fun. See more of Keko’s beautifully presented model on Flickr via the link.

Tank-a-Cycle

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Lego Kleines Kettenkraftrad HK 101

This may be a cartoony creation, but the German military really did drive/ride about in these. It’s a Kleines Kettenkraftrad HK 101, or SdKfz 2 for short (our name for it is way better), a kind of half-tank-half-motorbike configuration designed to fit inside the hold of a Junkers JU 52 transport plane.

The SdKfz 2 was the only gun tractor capable of being transported by air in this way and it therefore became one of the most versatile vehicles of the German military, being used for everything from troop transport over deep mud to pulling heavy loads, aircraft tug work, and even cable-laying.

The Kettenkraftrad HK 101 was designed and built by NSU (who later became Audi), using the Schachtellaufwerk overlapped and interleaved road wheel mechanism found on almost all of Germany’s tracked military vehicles.

Lego SdKfz 2 KettenKrad

A four-cylinder Opel motor gave the SdKfz 2 a top speed of around 40mph, and it could climb slopes of over 24°, even in sand. A skid-steer system operated in addition to the somewhat superfluous-looking front wheel, allowing the SdKfz 2 to nimbly (for a 1.5 ton vehicle) traverse the most impassible terrains.

This magnificent recreation of the Kettenkraftrad HK 101 comes from previous bloggee and TLCB favourite Redfern1950s, who has built his SdKfZ in Afrika Korps specification, complete with two cartoonish German military officers, a removable engine-cover, and a good shot at the fantastically complicated Schachtellaufwerk track system.

There’s much more to see of Redfern’s delightful Kettenkraftrad HK 101 model as well as his other vehicles from the Nazis’ short-lived Afrika Korps campaign on Flickr – click these words to make the jump!

Lego Afrika Korps Kettenkrad

Out of Africa

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Lego Afrika Korps - Sd Kfz 7

Germany got a bit ambitious in the 1940s. Not content with being complete dicks in Europe, they sent an expeditionary force to North Africa to assist their ally Mussolini in expanding his fascist ideas across the Mediterranean. Fortunately before long the Italian King had had enough of Mussolini and arrested him in 1943, triggering the collapse of Italy’s invasions and the eventual switch to fighting against, rather than for, the Germans.

This led to the German forces surrendering in Africa in 1943, although of course continuing to fight everywhere else, and the Afrika Korps were disbanded. Not really a worthwhile campaign then, but the Afrika Korps did get some very cool vehicles…

Lego Sd Kfz 7 Half-track

This is one of them, an Sd kHz 7 half-track, which was kinda like an armed, convertible, off-road people carrier. Watch Audi launch one imminently…

This wonderful cartoon-esque Afrika Korps Sd kHz 7 comes from previous bloggee and TLCB favourite Redfern1950s, and not only has he loaded his half-track with period-correct goodies, he’s built some interesting-looking characters to ride in it too!

There’s much more of the Sd kHz 7 to see at Red’s Flickr photostream – head to Africa and join the Korps via the link above!

Lego Sd Kfz 7 Half-track

Sonderkraftfahrzeug 250

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Lego Technic Sd.Kfz. 250 Half-Track

A valiant effort from your brain in trying to pronounce that title as you read it. Have another go…

The Sonderkraftfahrzeug or ‘special motor vehicle’ (hereby known as the Sd.Kfz. 250, as even the Germans didn’t like to pronounce it), was a lightly armoured half-track multi-purpose transport used by the German military throughout World War 2.

Armed with a single or double machine gun, the Sd.Kfz. 250 saw duty as a troop carrier, radio vehicle, command transport and reconnaissance car, and could reach almost 50mph.

This rather neat remotely controlled Technic version of the Sd.Kfz. 250 comes from Chawn of Eurobricks, and features working suspension, twin L-Motor drive to both the tracks and the front wheels, and RC steering.

There’s more to see of Chawn’s remote control half-track – including a video of it in action – at the Eurobricks forum – make the jump via the link above.

Space Army Knife

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Lego Sci-Fi Vehicle

We don’t know what has got into the Elves recently but everything they’re finding is a bit weird. Still, at least this creation has got wheels. And tracks. And a rail gun / rocket launcher / giant laser thingumy / drop-ship landing pad…

Apparently this is a Utility Platform Vehicle (UPV), and it appears that can perform more functions than a Swiss army knife. A spacey Land Rover Defender if you will. Only probably more reliable.

It’s the work of Flickr’s ZCerberus and you can check it out in various configurations by visiting his photostream. Click the link above for all the images.

Lego Sci-Fi Vehicle

Army Surplus Special

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Lego Wacky Races Army Surplus Special

And now here they are! The most daredevil group of daffy drivers to ever whirl their wheels in the Wacky Races – competing for the title of The World’s Wackiest Racer!

Redfern1950s has made the whole TLCB office very happy with his recreation of the infamous ‘Army Surplus Special’. You can check it out here, and if you do please add a comment encouraging him to build the rest of the Wacky Races’ crews! Go on Red, you know you want to!

Wartime Wednesday

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Lego M3A2 Half-TrackWe came down to the cage room here at The Lego Car Blog Towers to much noise this morning, where two Elves were embroiled in what may well have become a fight to the death. Meal tokens (and the occasional Smartie) are highly prized amongst our delinquent workforce, as without them they have to survive by eating the wallpaper paste left-over from the redecoration of our sumptuous boardroom. Luckily for the Elves today we’re feeling generous, so two meal tokens were distributed and we’re bringing you both of their finds.

First up (above) is a beautifully recreated M3AT Half-Track, built by Flickr’s Captain Eugene. There may be a couple of ‘Brick Arms’ pieces in there but it looks too good to ignore on a minor technicality. Today’s second creation comes from Daniel Siskind who has also recreated a World War II vehicle in mini-figure scale. His M1 Light Tractor, and those that drove them, were some of the unsung heroes of the conflict, building the ports, airfields and barracks that were needed to move and house the Allies.

You can check out both creations in further detail on Flickr via the links in the text.

Lego M1 Bulldozer