Tag Archives: Playstation

Ridge Racers

These days car manufacturers are delighted to work with video games makers. What you drive virtually as a kid may one day influence what you decide to drive for real. But back in the ’90s video game licensing was still rather hit-and-miss, which meant there was a glorious variety of eccentrically-named vehicles available that were inspired by – or downright copies of – real world cars.

Namco’s ‘Ridge Racer’ was one such title that eschewed licensing in favour of some tremendous own-brewed vehicles, including the ‘Assoluto Bisonte’, ‘Terrazi Troop’, ‘Age Solo Dirigient’, and – our favourite – the ‘Lizard Detector’.

Flickr’s Studworks takes us straight back to racing circa-1998 with his brilliant Speed Champions homage to the cars of ‘Ridge Racer Type 4’, complete with superb replica liveries printed by Brickstickershop.

Building instructions and access to the stickers are available, and you can fire up your PS1 to take the ‘Lizard Detector’ up ‘Wonderhill’ via Studworks’ ‘Ridge Racer Type 4 Cars’ album here!

Wipeout!*

It’s nearly 2026 and we still don’t have anti-gravity vehicles. Engineers; get with the programme already. Fortunately Sony’s ‘Wipeout’ has filled the void for three decades, providing wild anti-gravity racing to electronic beats.

Cue today’s build, this superb recreation of AG-Systems’ ‘Wipeout’ racer from the iconic video game, complete with a mini-figure scale cockpit and a fantastic replica livery.

Newcomer Andre Lackman (aka djdrey909) is its maker, and you can see further of images of his AG-Systems’ racer (and a few of its competitors) on Flickr, plus you can read more about the design and build process as well as access building instructions so you can go anti-gravity racing for yourself at Andre’s excellent website.

*Today’s title song. Of course.

Ridge Racer

It’s the mid-’90s, and the peak of racing games involved far too few pixels, minimal physics, empty highway tunnels, and an array nondescript Japanese-esque cars. Cars like this one, the ‘F/A Racing Kamata Fiera’ from 1993’s ‘Ridge Racer’.

Wonderfully constructed by Flickr’s StudWorks, this Speed Champions homage to the earliest days of Playstation racing captures the fictional racer brilliantly, including an authentically recreated ‘Namco’ livery on its appropriately blocky exterior.

There’s more to see at StudWorks’ ‘Ridge Racer – F/A Racing Kamata Fiera’ album and you can join us on a pixilated mountain highway in 1993 via the link above. And if you have no idea what racing games were like three decades ago, click here to see just how good you have it now!

Desert Adventure Dragway

The year is 1999, ‘The Matrix’ is an international phenomenon, Y2K is terrifying the computer illiterate, ‘Star Wars’ has been rebooted (for the first time), and Santana’s ‘Smooth‘ is doing its best to counteract ‘I’m Blue (Da ba Dee)‘ and ‘Flat Beat‘. It was also the year that LEGO – terrified that children only wanted to play computer games rather than with bricks – launched… a computer game.

Available on Playstation, N64, PC, and Gameboy, ‘LEGO Racers’ took the much-loved kart-racing formula pioneered by Mario Kart, and Legofied it. Weapons crates became floating bricks, karts could be rebuilt and customised, and tracks ventured throughout the LEGO universe, visiting such themes as Pirates, Ice Planet, and Adventurers.

It’s the latter we have here today, courtesy of TLCB debutant Liwnik, and his fabulous ‘Desert Adventure Dragway’ diorama. An enormous build, Liwnik’s recreation of the Racers track includes floating brick power-ups, tunnels, weapons, and of course the appropriately rubbish Racers Karts (it was the late ’90s).

A huge gallery of imagery is available to view via Bricksafe, plus you can also check out Liwnik’s photostream on Flickr. Head back to 1999 to fire a cannon ball at an island chief via the links above, and you can click here to either relive your childhood, or experience someone else’s!

Wipeout

Lego Wipeout

If ever there’s a video game crying out for a remake, this is it. Wipeout anti-gravity racing launched in the mid-’90s on Playstation, PC and Sega Saturn, and it was epic. Set in 2052, players competed in the F3600 anti-gravity league, piloting racers around a variety of ludicrous tracks to a soundtrack by legendary artists Leftfield, Chemical Brothers, Orbital and others.

Taking us right back to 1996 is Volker Brodkorb, with two gorgeous anti-gravity racers inspired by the game. Each is built brilliantly and includes a mini-figure pilot and some wonderful custom decal work to boot. You can join the race at Volker’s Flickr album via the link above, and to be reminded how awesome Wipeout was watch a race in 1080p here!

Lego Wipeout

Godzilla!

Lego R34 Skyline

We haven’t watched the new Godzilla movie, due to an unfortunate incident with the Elves at our local cinema prohibiting our patronage, but this vehicular version makes us a feel a bit better. Nissan’s R34 Skyline is getting on a bit now, but the passage of time hasn’t diminished the Godzilla legend. Senator Chinchilla helps to keep the story going with this instantly recognisable Model Team recreation. See more at the link.

Twisted Metal

Lego Twisted Metal

Flickr’s Tim Inman has been busy building this, er… thing; the ‘Meat Wagon’ from the Playstaiton game ‘Twisted Metal’. Based on a 1960’s Miller Meteor ambulance, it features a few extra modifications that you’re unlikely to find on the Emergency Services’ finest. You’ve probably noticed the guns on the front wings, but it also contains a morbidly creative method of bringing the pain; a patient strapped to a controllable gurney loaded with TNT. See all the photos on Flickr via the link above.