Tag Archives: LDD

Virtual Yuk

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The recent assassination of Charlie Kirk – ironically during a speech where he was criticising gun control – continues the descent of America (and many other nations, our own included) into a tribalist, binary, them and us, anyone-who-doesn’t-think-like-me-is-the-enemy hellscape.

Thus today we’re showing some BBC-esque impartiality and featuring a model of a car we dislike immensely will write about objectively.

Digitally created by Peter Blackert (aka lego911), this is an early-’00s GMC Yukon; a full-size SUV based on the Chevrolet Tahoe and powered by an enormous 5.7 V8 that made just 250bhp, similar to the vastly superior Toyota 4Runner’s much smaller V6 some 250bhp. The Yukon/Tahoe also featured side airbags, four-wheel disc brakes, and automatic headlight control, plus many other, um… facts.

Alright, we’re not very good as this factual stuff. But it doesn’t matter if we think that the GMC Yukon is two-tons of early-’00s American automotive malaise and you think it’s the best vehicle ever made. It’s OK to disagree. Even if someone’s opinions are bit unusual. We quite like the Fiat Multipla after all.

You can take a look at Peter’s excellent virtual Yukon at his photostream via the link above, whether you love the real thing, hate it, or have no opinion whatsoever.

A Virtual Triumph

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The Triumph 2000-series was, like so many British cars of the time, fantastic. Beautifully styled by Michelotti, powered by a range of smooth 6-cylinder engines, and with over 400,000 built in five countries, it was one of the finest mid-sized saloons of its era.

Which of course meant that British Leyland would go on screw it – and all of Triumph – up, as exemplified by the fact that its predecessor was a Standard and its successor a Rover. And if that makes no sense… you’re right, it doesn’t.

But let’s not get bogged down in the collapse of the British automotive industry, because back in the late-’60s and early-’70s it was still riding high, with the Triumph 2000-series a big part of that success.

This one is a 2500S estate, as superbly recreated in digital form by Lego Professional Peter Blackert (aka lego911). Alongside the excellent exterior the doors, tailgate and hood all open and there’s a detailed engine and interior too, with more to see of Peter’s virtual Triumph at his photostream. Take a look via the link whilst we fantasise about buying the real thing…

What’s Going on at Jaguar?

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If you’re even slightly into cars, you can’t help but have noticed Jaguar’s divisive rebrand that dropped this week.

Shot in some kind of soft-play-on-Mars, Jaguar’s thirty-second Statement of Intent features exactly zero cars, but does feature a variety of extravagantly dressed androgynous beings representing ‘exuberance’, ‘vividness’, ‘mould-breaking’, and gender fluidity. And that’s got people mad.

Which is perhaps unsurprising, as Jaguar’s executives have thrown the brand’s seventy year history in the bin (including its logo and typography), and yet at the same time the ire seems rather disproportionate. Because despite being entitled ‘Copy Nothing’, the new campaign copies every minority-centred advertising checklist of the last few years. And it’s genius.

Jaguar, for all their heritage, engineering brilliance, and race winning history, have barely made money in decades. We may like Jaguar, but not enough of us are actually buying their products. Not by a long-shot. If we were, they wouldn’t have needed to conduct a shock-tactics rebrand. Nor stop selling cars altogether for a year or two before returning (as they will) with $130k-and-up EVs.

In the meantime, Jaguar have created more exposure through a single thirty-second visual abomination than they have in the last ten years. And if that annoys fans of growling big cats and V8 sports cars, well we weren’t buying enough of their cars anyway.

So before Jaguar return with something wildly different from what’s gone before, here’s what they used to build; a well proportioned if traditionally styled luxury sedan, that frankly, wasn’t quite good enough. Flickr’s Peter Blackert (aka Lego911) is the builder, and you can see more of his digital recreation of Jaguar’s mid-’90s XJ6 at his photostream.

Click the second link above to take a look, or the first if you haven’t yet seen how Jaguar’s marketing department have put a match to everything Jaguar used to be…

Digitally Dinky

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Britain’s new car market was once filled with light, nimble, rear-wheel-drive sports cars. Dozens of different models were produced, and there was room for all of them… until the arrival of the hot hatchback.

Killing off the sports car in just a few short years, the hot hatchback became the affordable driver’s car of choice, and – to some extent – still is, despite the seemingly unending march of the SUV. Thus here are three of them (although one isn’t technically a hatchback), all created digitally by Flickr’s Peter Blackert, and each was another nail in the sports car coffin.

First up (above) was Ford’s Fiesta XR2. Released in 1981, the XR2 added a 1.6 litre crossflow engine (and some black plastic, stripes, and extra lights) to Ford’s humble supermini, creating a car that could out perform any comparable sports car of the day, and yet could seat four and their luggage.

Of course small quick cars didn’t start with the Fiesta XR2, having been around since the Mini Cooper of the early ’60s. Austin and Morris – now morphed (along with many other brands) into the dysfunctional behemoth British Leyland – continued with their own sporty offering, the Mini Clubman 1275 GT. Effectively the same car as the decade-old Mini Cooper, the Clubman wore a squared off front end to make it, um… marginally uglier. The ’70s were weird.

Our last hot hatchback comes from one of the genre’s giants; Peugeot. But this isn’t their iconic 205 GTI. The 104 arrived a decade earlier, with this example being the strangely truncated three-door ‘Coupe’ version (which was some rather optimistic marketing on Peugeot’s part). A 205 GTI it was not, but it set the scene for what was to come, and you can see more of it plus Peter’s other virtual recreations of sporty seventies’ superminis at his photostream via the link above.

Virtually Toyotas

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It’s a digitally Japanese day here at The Lego Car Blog, as we have four virtual Toyota products to share with you. We don’t often blog digital creations here, but these are a) throughly excellent, and b) we’re as certain as we can be that they can be built for real, what with designer Peter Blackert (aka Lego911) releasing building instructions alongside the imagery, and having literally written the book on how to build Miniland scale vehicles.

Rule-breaking explained, on to Peter’s first pixel-based Toyota, which is the third-generation Celica, depicted here in face-lifted pop-up headlight form. Powered by a huge array of engines (although solely by the 2.4 litre in the US) the A60-generation Celica helped the Toyota brand gain a reputation for attainable sportiness, and you can see more of Peter’s version via the link.

Peter’s second model appearing here captures one of Toyota’s earlier attempts at a sports coupe, the decidedly un-sporty 1971 Crown Coupe. It looked lovely though, and the Crown station wagon is one of the most comfortable cars that this TLCB Writer has ever had the pleasure of journeying in. Jump back to 1971 via the link.

On to the early-’00s, and the single most dreary vehicle Toyota has ever created, the 2002 Toyota Camry. As we’ve highlighted here before however, dreary sells, with the Camry becoming the best-selling car in America in 2002. And 2003. And 2004. And 2005… You get the picture. There’s more to see of this one at Peter’s photostream via the link.

And finally… the Toyota that isn’t a Toyota, but heralded the arrival of the Lexus brand, the phenomenal Lexus LS400. Created to beat the best car in the world at the time (the Mercedes-Benz S-Class), the LS400 did just that, and is still lauded as perhaps the most thoroughly-engineered car ever produced. Peter’s Miniland-scale version captures the pivotal arrival of Lexus beautifully, and there’s more of the model to see at his photostream.

Further images of each design, details of the real cars, and links to building instructions can be found at Peter Blackert’s Flickr account via the links for each car in the text above, plus you can check out our interview with Peter and his published works by clicking the bonus link here.

Sci-Fi Sunday

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OK, we’re not always strictly a car blog here at The Lego… er, Car Blog, but today’s sci-fi creations do have wheels! Well, two of them do, and enough to average 4.67 wheels per model in today’s post, which is good enough for us!

First up is Capt. Dad‘s Neo-Classic Space ‘Mobile Research’, because there’s nothing the mini-figures of Classic Space (or indeed, Neo-Classic Space) like more than researching stuff. Much greebling, many opening compartments, and a brilliant interior all feature, and you join in the research via the link above.

Next up is a creation from Neo-M-Tron, a sub-theme which we’ve just invented. This is the ‘Gigatron Flux Inductor’, a giganormous 6×6 cross between the mole thingy from Thunderbirds, a steam train, and a petrol tanker. Created digitally in Bricklink Studio plus copious editing programmes, Ghalad‘s creation is apparently the latter, and you can fill up your stranded lunar rover via the link in the text above.

Today’s third and final sci-fi build features no wheels at all, but it does use two LEGO transparent ball pieces for, um… reasons. Sylvain Daunais‘ ‘Universe Explorer’ looks superb however, and there’s more to see of his excellent Neo-Classic Spaceship on Flickr. Click the link above to take a look, whilst we find some things that have definitely got wheels…

Skytrain

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‘Skytrain’ might be a slightly ambitious title, but nothing moved as many troops about during the Second World War as the Douglas DC-3 / C-47. In fact so reliable is the DC-3 that many are still in use today, some eighty years on from when the plane first saw service, ferrying people and objects to and from the world’s most inhospitable places.

This lovely recreation of the iconic aircraft comes from SirLuftwaffles of Flickr, and – full disclosure – it’s digital. But you can’t tell, as SirLuftwaffles has used only readily available pieces, real-world construction methods, and produced a render that is really very good indeed.

There’s more to see including full build and digital design software details at SirLuftwaffles’ photostream – take to the skies with 27 other troops via the link in the text above.

Digital Boss

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We rarely post renders. Rarer still creations where the first part of the description is a link to building instructions. We are today though, because a) this Ford Mustang Boss 302 looks epic, and b) because builder w35wvi, here making their TLCB debut, has released building instructions for free. And that – in an era of increasing Lego building profiteering – earns them a hundred TLCB points. See more, including that link to those free instructions, via the link.

I Met Her in a Club Down in Old Soho…

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We often get asked to feature more digital builds, but, well… we just prefer the real thing. So too did Ray Davies, who – in his 1970 hit with The Kinks – rejected the advances of Lola, despite later addressing the controversy around his lyrics by stating “It really doesn’t matter what sex Lola is, I think she’s alright”.

Cue a seamless link to ‘LOLA’ from Marvel’s ‘Agents of Shield’, a 1962 Chevrolet Corvette that hides some rather trick abilities, as recreated here in this marvellous image by Flickr’s Vaionaut.

Like Ray’s admirer in that Soho club, Vaionaut’s ‘LOLA’ doesn’t feature the real pieces you’d expect, but it looks so good we can’t help but think it’s alright too. It’s also capable of doing a few things that a brick-built creation can’t, being rendered in flight in a way that’s very probably more realistic than if it had been constructed from real bricks.

Somewhere in all that there’s a metaphor for accepting someone for who they are, and you can see more of Vaionaut’s digital Chevrolet Corvette ‘LOLA’ via the link above, whilst we ponder it.

*Today’s title song.

Sparky’s Dream*

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We’re cheating a bit today, but whilst this creation by Flickr’s L E G O Z ; ) is digital, being ‘built’ in Bricklink Studio 2.0, it’s also awesome. Called the ‘SPARKY’ High Mobility Salvage Rover, it’s based on the concept art of John Wallin Liberto, and features only genuine (digital) LEGO pieces plus some rather neat photoshopping. The result looks mega and there’s more to see via the link above!

*Today’s ace (and suitably spacey) title song.

Cyber Crime

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Much of crime now occurs online. From serious stuff like bank fraud, trivial stuff like calling someone names on Twitter, or absurd stuff like teaching a pug to nazi salute, the internet is a cesspool of scumbagery. It is, of course, where The Lego Car Blog is based, which probably just adds to the argument for closing the whole thing down.

Fortunately (apart from in that pug case), there are cyber police attempting to control the online douchbaggery, and in our minds they travel around in things like this.

Appropriately digitally rendered by TLCB debutant cixpack, this ‘2069 Polara’ NYC Police hover car looks like something in-between the Blues Brothers and Fifth Element; and would be suitably terrifying if it turned up outside a troll’s abode to administer a kick to the balls (TLCB’s favoured proposed internet policing style) whenever they used the internet as a toilet.

There’s more to see of cixpack’s virtual NYPD hover car on Flickr – click the link above to take a look. Just remember to be nice!

Cab-Over-Banana

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Curvy, yellow, delicious, and contained within its own handy wrapper, the banana is a wonderful fruit. Equally curvy, nearly as yellow, and highly delicious (if you’re a TLCB Elf), Tauriel1‘s hot rodded cab-over got the Elves most excited. Until they found out it’s digital, meaning it can neither be ridden on or chewed.

Still, it does look absolutely marvellous, and if you’re wondering ‘why don’t TLCB publicise more digital builds?’, it because they rarely look like this.

Newcomer Tauriel1 has an array of digital creations in their photostream and you can view more of the ‘cab-over’ featured here alongside their other designs on Flickr. Click the link above to make like a banana and split.

Size Matters

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Much like your Mom’s waistline or Donald Trump’s self-interest, some things just keep getting bigger. This is L E G O Z ; ) ‘Wegener 48400 Mining Excavator’, and if you thought his mining truck that featured here earlier in the month was massive, just look at this!

Created digitally in Bricklink Studio 2.0, the 48400 measures over 100 virtual studs in length and 90 high, making the mini-figures on board look very tiny indeed. Like Donald Trump hands.

A fusion reactor powers the 48400 and its 46×50 stud bucket, with the necessary tanks of water and nitrogen slung underneath. A crew of ten mini-figures operate the excavator (although it can accommodate up to fifty), and two cockpits control the bucket arm and tracked steering separately due to the vehicle’s immense size.

It’s an incredibly inventive design, with astonishing attention to detail everywhere you look. And there is a lot to look at, with the images enhanced in photoshop to include a lifelike livery, decals, and the ‘Hibernia’ background landscape.

There’s loads more to see of the 48400 and the Wegener mining truck that featured here previously at L E G O Z’s ‘Wegener Mining [Red Series]’ album on Flickr – click the link above to make the jump into a very large digital world.

Virtually Vast

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This is not a car. And nor is it even built in real bricks. But it is awesome, and rendered – as you can see – superbly. If you’re wondering ‘Why don’t TLCB feature more digital builds?’, well mostly it’s because they don’t look like this.

Designed  by L E G O Z ; ) of Flickr, this enormous (if it were real) ‘Wegener Mining Dump Truck’ joins a range of models created for the ‘Hibernia’ theme that seems to have inspired many in the online Lego Community. We’re not too sure what said theme involves exactly, but we know it’s cold.

L E G O Z ; ) addition to the Hibernia landscape was ‘built’ in Bricklink Studio 2.0, uses only actual LEGO bricks (although some are in colours yet to be produced) and features some mega detailing throughout.

Head onto the digital ice via the link above for all the stunning imagery.

Mining Hibernia

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We’re often asked why we don’t feature more digital builds. Well mostly it’s because they don’t look like this. ‘This’ is Finn Roberts‘ Mining Truck, built to serve the icy world of Hibernia that seems to be popping up all over the place in the online Lego community of late, and rendered so well you’d be hard pressed to know it’s a digital build.

What makes the renderings even more impressive is that they showcase the model’s ‘working’ features, like its enormous tipping bucket, folding entry ladder, and four-wheel-steering system. Head to Hibernia via the link above to see more, where there’s also a link of to an animation of Finn’s model in action.