Tag Archives: power functions

Not in Iran

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If you’ve been vaguely aware of the news over the past few weeks it’s been getting a bit bomby in the Middle East.

That’s because President Trump knew that Iran were going to start a war with America, a war that they in fact started 47 years ago, and so he started a war himself, that’s not a war, that Iran started. Ok it might be a war, but it’s not about regime change. It’s about Iran’s imminent use of the nuclear weapons that America “completely and totally obliterated” only last year. Although the regime has also changed.

Anyway, the not-a-war will only last a few weeks, in fact it’s already been won. Although it might go on forever. And NATO need to grow a pair a get involved. Not that Trump needs them.

And if all that sounds like the ravings of an unfiltered toddler making the words up literally as they leave their mouth, that’s because it is.

Thus here’s NATO’s actual front line – the one designed to keep America safe from the Soviet Union behind the buffer of Europe, which isn’t in the Middle East at all – a tremendous Czech Tatra 815-7 8×8 Starkom electronics jammer.

Constructed by Samuel Nerpas (aka Tatrovak), this incredible creation features all-wheel-drive and all-wheel-steering via eight Power Functions XL Motors and two Servos, working all-wheel suspension with adjustable ride height via two M Motors, and pneumatically driven stabilisers via another M Motor. Two CaDa micromotors power the roof-mounted weapons system, with all fifteen operable remotely via a pair of BuWizz Bluetooth bricks, plus there’s a tilting cab complete with a fully detailed interior, opening doors and hatches.

It’s a hugely impressive build, and you can take a closer look at what is still the front line of NATO, which is not in Iran, via both Eurobricks and Flickr.

Mining Cornwall

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The Cornwall Peninsula in the very south of the United Kingdom is famous for its pasties, beaches, cider, and – at one time – mining.

This began with silver and tin, plundered by the Romans, and ended with coal, plundered by the Government.

Mines were a combination of dangerous ‘pits’ and open cast, with the latter exploited by enormous mechanisation in later years. This is one such machine from the time, the 390-ton Ruston-Bucyrus 195-B electric rope shovel.


Recreated in 1:28.5 form, this spectacular replica of the Ruston-Bucyrus 195-B comes from recent bloggee Beat Felber, to work alongside his Terex 33-11C mining truck.

Like his previously featured Terex, Beat’s electric rope shovel is packed with electronics to bring it to life, with four Power Functions motors driving the tracks, two the swing motion, another the main winch, and an eighth the dipper handle. No, we don’t know what a dipper handle is.

Finally two CaDA micromotors power the bucket door release and motorised access ladder, there are two sets of LEDs lighting the model, and the whole lot is controllable remotely via twin SBricks.

It’s a hugely impressive feat of engineering, with lots more of the model to see at Beat’s ‘Ruston-Bucyrus 195-B’ Flickr album – where it’s pictured alongside the Terex 33-11C with which it would have worked mining Cornish coal.

Grab a pasty and a cider and head to 1980s Cornwall via the link above.

Lime Crush

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It’s been a quiet week here at TLCB Towers. Elves have returned, creations have been published, and no-one’s been squashed at all. Until today.

This enormous lime green machine is a 1980s Terex 33-11C, actually one of Terex’s smaller mining trucks, and one that was used extensively in Britain’s open cast mines.

It comes from Flickr’s Beat Felber who has not only expertly recreated the 33-11C’s exterior, he’s fitted his spectacular creation with remote control drive, steering, and tipping, courtesy of an SBrick programmable Bluetooth controller and a suite of Power Functions motors.

Being a mining truck of course, Beat’s Terex is much too slow to run over any TLCB Elves, but the Elf that found it took great care loading it up with gravel from the pot plant in the corridor, reversed slowly up to some of its unsuspecting colleagues, and promptly tipped the load on top of them. And then ran them over. Sigh.

Points for Elven ingenuity we suppose. Anyway, whilst we tidy that up you can check out more of Beat’s superb Terex 33-11C at his Flickr album of the same name. Click the link above to take a look.

Technically Trucking

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From a tiny RC truck to one that’s rather larger, this is nico71’s splendid fully remote controlled 1:30 Scania.

Fitted with a pair of LEGO Power Functions motors for drive and steering, Nico’s truck also features opening doors, a tilting cab, lockable three-axle trailer steering, working support legs, and – if motors aren’t your thing – a manual version that switches the electronics for ‘HOG’ steering and a piston engine.

Building instructions for both versions are available, and you can find full details plus a video of the truck in action at the Eurobricks forum here, plus you can check out Nico’s interview in the Master MOCers series via this bonus link.

Printed Portals

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It’s not a purist day here at TLCB, as we follow four 3D-printed wheels with four more. And a canvas roof. And – most impressively – four exquisitely-made custom portal axles with reduction gears. Those gears are Technic, but the cases in which they are contained are bespoke and beautifully engineered by previous bloggee Michael Kulakov (aka Michael217), who has fitted them to his spectacular fully remote controlled Hummer H1.

LEGO Power Functions L Motors are combined with a third-party Geekservo motor to steer, with the model featuring all-wheel-drive, fully independent suspension, a detailed engine and interior, plus opening doors, hood and tailgate, alongside the aforementioned custom componentry.

Beautiful imagery accompanies Michael’s phenomenal creation, with lots more of the model to see at both his ‘Hummer H1’ Flickr album and at the Eurobricks discussion forum. Click the links above to take a look, and to see the unique engineering deployed in its making.

The Lego Multicar Blog

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This strange looking device is an IFA Multicar M25, a small cab-over truck built in East Germany designed to perform numerous jobs. This one comes from previous bloggee DamianPLE (aka damjan97PL) who has fitted it with motorised drive, steering, and tipper, all controlled remotely via a third-party SBrick.

There’s also a tilting cab, under which sits a working four-cylinder piston engine, opening doors, and a detailed interior too, with more to see – including a video of the Multicar in action – at the Eurobricks forum. A gallery of over two-dozen images is also available to view on Bricksafe, and you can find both via the links above.

Red Lorry, Yel… er, Red Lorry

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Despite the protestations of the Elf that found today’s creation, it is in fact only one lorry (and thus earns one meal token). But its creator (and TLCB Master MOCer) Nico71 has ingeniously engineered his design in no less than three different ways; manual, Power Functions, and Control+, with the option of BuWizz bluetooth control too.

All variants feature opening doors and hood, working steering, second-axle suspension, and a clever lockable steering mechanism for the three-axle trailer, whilst the Power Functions and Control+ variants add a motor to the steering (either via a rack and pinion or Servo, depending on the format) and remote control drive. It’s a brilliantly executed trio of options and you can find full details, plus a link to building instructions, at the Eurobricks discussion forum. Click the link above for red lorry, red lorry, red lorry, or on the video below to watch Nico’s truck in action.

YouTube Video

See You in Space Tonight*

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The Lego Car Blog Elves are running around making Beep-Boop noises today, as we’ve gone all spacey. Classic Spacey in fact.

The cause is this tremendous Neo-Classic Space satellite communications base by Flickr’s Kalais, complete with a motorised spinning satellite antenna, external walkways, a landing pad with a fantastic drop-ship, a power generator, and… a team of Blacktron agents about to commence a sneak attack.

It’s a wonderful homage to perhaps LEGO’s peak sci-fi era, and you can find further details of this expansive build at Kalais’ photostream via the link above, plus you can see how the base was constructed via the excellent video below. We’ll see you in space tonight.

YouTube Video

*Today’s title song.

Santa’s Day Off

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When Santa’s not making and delivering presents, looking after reindeer, or monitoring children’s behaviour, we’re pretty sure he enjoys some downtime in a biker gang. The beard. The extravagant outfit. The drinking. He’s a perfect fit.

Flickr’s Yuan He clearly thinks so too, having built this characterful mechanised vignette featuring a motorbike-riding Santa, a sleigh trailer in tow, and a very relaxed looking Rudolph.

Yuan has attached a motor to bring Santa’s Day Off to life, and you can see the creation in action via the link to their photostream in the text above.

Get Your Uniknicks

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We love weird old vehicles here at The Lego Car Blog. Whilst other automotive sites are enthralled by the latest Lamborghini, we’re more interested in obscure British saloons, communist-era economy cars, and Japanese boxes. Or this.

‘This’ is a Werner Uniknick UK52/60, a 1970s German forestry tractor based on the already awesome Mercedes-Benz Unimog, but cut in half and then re-attached with an articulated pivot in the middle.

This tremendous Technic recreation of our new favourite thing comes from previous bloggee and TLCB Master MOCer Nico71, who constructed it for the recent BuWizz Gathering 2025 in Slovenia.

Powered by a BuWizz bluetooth battery and four Power Functions motors, Nico’s Uniknick features remote control four-wheel-drive via portal hubs, articulated steering via twin linear actuators linked to the steering wheel, and a motorised winch, plus centrally-oscillating suspension, a working and removable four-cylinder engine, and opening doors and hood.

It’s a build as impressive as the real-world vehicle it replicates, and you can recreate it for yourself as Nico has produced building instructions too. There’s much more to see at the Eurobricks forum (including links to instructions) and you can articulate your way there via the link above.

YouTube Video

Aerial Platform

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This is a Volvo FM Angloco Aerial Platform, or ‘massive fire truck’ to most of us. Based on the real aerial platforms in service in the UK, this terrific Technic example comes from MCD of Eurobricks, who has not only recreated the exterior and British livery beautifully, his model works too, thanks to a motorised main boom, mechanical support legs, working steering, and a suite of Game of Bricks LED lights.

There’s more to see at the Eurobricks forum, where MCD has published his Volvo Aerial Platform alongside a more conventional Scania P280 fire truck also outfitted by Angloco, and you can call the fire brigade via the link above.

Casagrande Crawler

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This is a Casagrande C400XP2 hydraulic crawler, a machine built to, um… hydraulically crawl. OK, full disclosure, we don’t really know what it’s for, but it looks the business.

Powered by nine motors, this remarkable Technic replica of the C400XP2 comes from Aleh, and features subtractor tracked drive, a rotating superstructure, a multi-stage winch and boom, and a motorised 6-cylinder engine.

Even cleverer, all nine motors (even those driving the tracks) are fitted within the rotating superstructure, and with internal renders and building instructions available you can find out how it’s done.

There’s much more to see at Aleh’s Bricksafe folder and via the Eurobricks forum, and you can hydraulically crawl you way there via the links above.

Gray Giant

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The monochrome vibe continues at The Lego Car Blog today with this, Lucio Switch’s immense European heavy-duty truck.

Lucio’s creation is amongst the most visually lifelike of any Technic models we’ve featured, assisted by the enormity of its scale, and is packed with working functionality. This includes a tilting and sprung cab and opening engine access panel, motorised remote control, and a pneumatically raising/lowering second axle, with air pressure built via an on-board compressor.

It’s a hugely impressive (and hugely sized) creation, and one that’s presented to perfection, with over twenty stunning images available to view at Lucio’s ‘Heavy Duty Tractor Truck’ album on Flickr. Join us there via the link above.

Minneapolis Metro

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This splendid creation is a 2000’s New Flyer D60HF Metro Transit bus, which – in this case – can bend its way around the streets of Minneapolis thanks to an articulated pivot at its centre. The work of previous bloggee JLiu15, this fantastic Model Team replica of a staple of the Minneapolis transit system is packed with motorised functionality, including doors, drive and steering, with a whole lot more to see on Flickr. Head to JLiu15’s ‘Motorized 2003 New Flyer D60HF Metro Transit Bus’ album via the link above to hop on board the No. 535.

Dihedral Synchro-Helix

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You see, it’s not all Your Mom jokes and toilet humour here at The Lego Car Blog, because today we’re doing science. Just look at that title!

The source of our newfound intelligence is this incredible Koenigsegg Agera RS by Eurobricks’ mihao, which includes – amongst much else – fully functional dihedral synchro-helix doors.

Of course our enormous brains know exactly what ‘dihedral synchro-helix’ means, but we’re not going to write it here so as not to alienate our readers.

Besides those brainiac doors, mihao’s phenomenal Technic Supercar includes opening front and rear clamshells, a removable roof, front and rear LED lights, remote control drive, steering, and motorised adjustable independent suspension, plus a V8 engine hooked up to an eight-speed (plus neutral and reverse) paddle-shift sequential gearbox.

It’s a Technic engineering masterclass, and one you can have a go at yourself as mihao has released building instructions for his astonishing model for free (a hundred TLCB Points to mihao).

There’s loads more to see, including a link to those free instructions, at the Eurobricks forum, plus you can watch this amazing Agera in action via the video below. Click the link above to earn your engineering doctorate.

YouTube Video