Tag Archives: Hilux

The Indestructible Hilux

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The best selling pick-up everywhere except North America, the Toyota Hilux is favoured by farmers, NGOs, terrorists, and… Top Gear.

Some twenty years ago Top Gear embarked on what would become one of their most famous sequences ever filmed. And created the best advert for the Hilux that Toyota could have dreamed of.

Famed for their indestructibility, Top Gear decided to put the Hilux’s toughness to the test. They bought an old rusty example from a farm, and crashed it. A lot. They left it in the sea. Dropped a caravan on it. Set fire to it. Hit it with a wrecking ball. And, finally, placed it atop a tower block, and blew it up.

After all of that the Hilux was – unbelievably –  still working, and thus it became a permanent fixture in the Top Gear studio until the show’s demise. Which means the Hilux didn’t just outlive all of the tests that Top Gear put it through, but even Top Gear itself.

This homage to the world’s most famous pick-up truck comes courtesy of NV Carmocs of Flickr, who has recreated the Top Gear Hilux – dents, buckled chassis, fire-scorched paint and all – brilliantly in brick-form.

There’s more of the model to see at NV’s photostream via the third link in the text above, and if you’re one of the few people on earth that haven’t seen Top Gear’s most famous of vehicle tests, take a look at the first two…

Acceptable in the ’80s

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A simple, efficient, small, pick-up truck would probably do brilliantly in 2024. But because they don’t cost much less to produce that monstrosities like this, guess what manufacturers choose to make…

Back in the ’80s though, and you could buy a simple, efficient, small, pick-up truck, with Toyota’s being so simple it didn’t even have a name, being called simply the ‘pick-up’.

It did in the rest of the world though, where the ‘Hilux’ gained a legendary reputation. This neat grey Technic recreation of the ’80s icon (pictured in front of some equally grey ’80s wallpaper – buy some white card paave!) comes from previous bloggee paave, and features four-wheel-drive linked to a 4-cylinder engine and a high/low gearbox, leaf-spring suspension, working steering, plus opening (and locking) doors, hood and tailgate.

There’s more of paave’s ’85 Toyota Hilux to see at the Eurobricks forum, where a link to building instructions can also be found. Build yourself a simple, efficient, small, pick-up truck in 2024 – even if it is from the ’80s – via the link above!

*Today’s (fantastic) title song.

Pick-Up Bricks

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This is a 1980s Toyota Hilux, and it is the best pick-up truck ever conceived.

Slow, small, and seemingly unbreakable, the ’80s Hilux is the pinnacle of Toyota over-engineering. It also wore some excellent side stripe decals, which immediately makes it cool, as does (and is) this brilliant Model Team replica of the iconic 4×4 from previous bloggee Vladimir Drozd.

Underneath the wonderfully accurate exterior – resplendent with period-correct stripes, roof lights and fender extensions – is a Technic chassis with both steering and suspension, and there’s much more of the model to see on Flickr.

Take a look at Vladimir’s brick-built version of the best pick-up ever made via the link above.

What’s the Matter? Chicken!

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There’s clearly one vehicle that’s the most famous from the ‘Back to the Future’ movie franchise, even though it was actually a fairly poor car and one mired in one of the greatest auto industry scandals of all time.

Far less famous, but a far better car, was Marty McFly’s Toyota Pick-Up (that’s all they called it) SR5 in ‘Back to the Future – Part III’, which Eurobricks’ RM8 has recreated brilliantly in Technic form using his previously blogged Toyota Hilux as a base.

An XL motor powers all four wheels whilst a Servo controls the steering, with a third-party SBrick allowing the model to be controlled remotely via bluetooth. Solid axle suspension features front and rear, as do opening doors, hood and tailgate, working LED headlights, plus the model features a removable body and cargo bed.

There’s more to see of RM8’s superb SR5 at the Eurobricks forum by clicking here, and the obligator title reface can be found by clicking these words!

Toyota Hilux – Picture Special

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Lego Toyota Hilux 4x4

Toyota’s legendary Hilux is now in its eighth generation, and it’s more impressive than ever. But we’d rather have this one, a glorious mid-’80s fourth gen. Still seen all around the world in the most inhospitable climates, the ’80s Hilux has become something of a cult car, helped no doubt by BBC Top Gear’s unsuccessful attempts to destroy one.

Lego Technic Toyota Hilux 4x4

Which makes it a little strange that we don’t see more Hiluxes recreated in LEGO form. However today, after three years of engineering, we do have a LEGO Hilux to share, courtesy of Technic wizard Egor Karshiev (aka rm8).

Egor’s N40 series Toyota Hilux looks absolutely spot-on, even including the famous ‘TOYOTA’ script on the tailgate. Underneath the accurate Technic bodywork Egor has installed a wealth of superb off-roading goodies, allowing his model Hilux to do everything the real one can. Only in miniature obviously…

Lego Technic Toyota Hilux 4x4 RC

An XL motor provides power to all four wheels via differentials on each axle, both of which are solid and fitted with three or four link suspension. Remotely controlled steering is provided by a Servo motor, LEDs illuminate the headlights, and a third-party SBrick bluetooth receiver allows the model to be controlled via a mobile phone.

Finally the entire pick-up bed is removable, and the doors, hood and tailgate all open, revealing an engine bay and a detailed five-seat interior.

Lego Technic Toyota Hilux 4x4 RC

Egor has built both stock and ‘adventure’ versions of his remote control Hilux and has photographed them brilliantly both in-studio and in some awesome outdoor shots. There are lots more images available of both the stock and adventure versions on Flickr via the links above, you can read full build details at Egor’s MOCpage, and you can join in the discussion at the Eurobricks forum by clicking here.

Finally of course, no Technic model can be considered a proper remote control off-roader without a suitably cool video. Take at look at the Hilux in action below…

YouTube Video:

Indestructible Car

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Lego Toyota Hilux

Famously unkillable, Toyota’s Hilux pick-up is now in its eighth generation. This is a fourth gen, pictured here somewhere on Namibia’s Skeleton Coast (probably), and beautifully recreated in Lego form by previous bloggee and Town-scale off-road wizard Pixel Fox. There’s more to see of his excellent 6-wide Hilux on Flickr via the link, where you can also find a wealth of other brilliantly replicated off-roaders.

Not a DeLorean

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Lego Toyota 4x4 Pick-Up BTTF

Ah, Back To The Future, an office favourite here at TLCB Towers and the film that made a star of the iconic Delorean DMC-12, a car that was… total and complete crap.

If you’re unfamiliar with the true story of the DeLorean, which is very nearly as remarkable as the film, you can read it here, but today we’ll be moving on from that steaming turd of a car, saved from obscurity only by a chance decision by Universal Pictures, to feature a vehicle from the movie that’s the total opposite of the DMC-12.

This is, of course, a humble Toyota 4×4 pick-up, known as the Hilux in most of the world, and it’s everything the DeLorean wasn’t. Hugely successful, superbly built, and unbreakably reliable, the Toyota truck was the dream vehicle for 1980s Marty McFly. His version featured a few mods too, which have been faithfully recreated in Technic form by regular bloggee paave.

Paave’s creation doesn’t just look the part either, as underneath is a four-wheel-drive fully remote controlled drivetrain, working leaf-spring suspension, and opening (and locking) doors, hood and tailgate.

You can see all of the images as well as a video of the Toyota in action at both Eurobricks and MOCpages – click the links to go back in time.

Lego Toyota 4x4 Pick-Up BTTF

Invincible

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Lego Toyota HiLux

As proven by BBC’s Top Gear, the Toyota Hilux is the toughest vehicle ever made. Favoured by emergency relief agencies, the SAS, and er… al-Qaeda, the Hilux is in use in probably every war zone on the planet. It was also the car of choice of Back to the Future’s Marty McFly, and it’s this version that previous bloggee Paul Kim has chosen to recreate from our favourite plastic blocks. You can see more of Paul’s brilliant 1980s Hilux on both Flickr and MOCpages.

Lego Toyota Hilux

Fighting Fiction

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Lego Steam Wars

With the world in a particularly turbulent place at the moment we’ve been a little hesitant to post conflict-related creations. Today though our Elves (who regularly make the office a turbulent place too) have discovered a pair of fictional fighting vehicles that are a nice safe distance from the painful reality of Ukraine, Iraq and Gaza.

Thus, our Military tag gets another airing with these two splendidly constructed war machines. First up (above) is another exploration of the Steam Wars whimsy, this time built by TLCB newcomer Atin. It’s an Omni Terrian Impetum Pod (OT-IP), and it looks perfect for a trip to the supermarket.

Our second creation (below) comes from TLCB regular Lego Junkie, with his Raptor Improvised Fighting Vehicle. In most of the world an ‘improvised fighting vehicle’ seems to be a Toyota HiLux with a gun attached to the back, but Mr. Junkie’s looks a lot more accomplished. See more on Flickr at the link above.

Lego Rapto Truck

The Indestructible Car

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Toyota Hilux

Toyota Hilux

Toyota’s Hilux is widely regarded as the world’s toughest vehicle. Used by everyone from Aussie farmers to Libyan freedom-fighters via most of the world’s terrorists, they’ve seen action in war zones, forests, deserts and even the poles. It’s the perfect vehicle to recreate in LEGO then, and Matija Puzar has done just that. He’s a certified LEGO Professional too.