Tag Archives: Powered-Up

Big Green Bogie

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We’re on a bit of an Eastern European streak here at TLCB which continues with this, gyenesvi’s fantastic Zil 131 6×6, which replicates a monstrous real-world trial truck.

The 6×6 drivetrain is propelled by three Powered-Up motors plus a fourth to steer, with the wheels also turning a V6 engine under the hood. More impressive is the immense suspension, which is a combination of live-axle at the front and a tandem bogie at the rear, each with spring-loaded linkages. The result is some seriously impressive ground clearance, as displayed in the wonderful on-location shots, and you can recreate it for yourself too as gyenesvi has produced building instructions for the design.

There’s more of the Zil to see at both the Eurobricks forum and at Bricksafe, and you can pick a big green bogie via the links above.

Brickin’ Blazer

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‘What’s that crunchy sound?’ muttered this TLCB Writer to himself as he sat in TLCB Office. A weary trudge out to the corridor revealed the source, as a remote control 4×4 drove forwards and backwards over a small pile of flattened TLCB Elves.

On seeing a human the Elf at the controls abandoned its activity and fled the scene cackling maniacally, leaving its vehicle of choice (and the pile of Elves underneath it) behind. We’ll administer first-aid to the victims later, but first let’s take a look at the model!

It’s a K5-series Chevrolet Blazer, as recreated superbly in Technic form by Madoca 1977. A suite of Powered-Up electronics are packed inside, providing remote control four-wheel-drive, steering and a high/low gearbox.

Madoca has also engineered a properly clever drivetrain, with linked pendular suspension that automatically locks the differentials at high rates of axle articulation. No wonder it made such light work of squashing our mythical workers.

There’s lots more of Madoca’s model to see – including images of the ingenious engineering within – at the Eurobricks forum, plus you watch the Blazer in action via the video below. Click the links to take a closer look.

YouTube Video

Vive la Révolution

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The thing about revolutions is, they always end up right back where they started.

Cue the Hennessey Venom F5 Revolution, a $2.1million ultra-limited hypercar developed by England’s Delta Motorsport and produced by Texas-based Hennessey Special Vehicles.

This astonishing Technic replica of the Venom F5 comes from TLCB Master MOCer Lachlan Cameron (aka loxlego), who has recreated of one of the world’s fastest ever production cars in stunning detail.

Created using many of the parts from the official LEGO Technic 42172 McLaren P1 set, and available as a traditional manual Technic ‘supercar’ or with a suite of electronics to enable remote control drive, Lachlan’s build includes working suspension, steering, a V8 engine, sprung scissor doors, and ride-height lift.

Wheels from the 42172 McLaren P1 set and the exhaust tips have been beautifully chromed for added realism, plus the model features working LED head and tail lights, and one of the most accurate Technic interiors we’ve seen yet.

It’s an incredible homage to a wild real-world car, and with building instructions available you can create your very own Venom F5 at home. Full details, videos, and further imagery can be found at the Eurobricks discussion forum and via Lachlan’s ‘Hennessey Venom F5 Revolution’ album on Flickr, plus you can find out more about the builder via his interview here at TLCB.

As for the real Venom F5 Revolution, it’s aiming to record a top speed of over 300mph / 500kmh if Hennessey can find somewhere long enough for its 1,800bhp twin-turbo ‘Fury’ V8 to achieve it. And in a world of all-electric hypercars, that makes the Venom F5 something of a revolution. And proves that revolutions are indeed cyclical after all.

Blue Blood

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The Lego Car Blog Elves have been peaceful of late. We have Febrovery to thank for that, what with there being a regular supply of whimsical space-based vehicles arriving at TLCB Towers, none of which have motors, remote control, or giant smushy wheels at all.

We knew it couldn’t last forever though, and thus today normal service was resumed as one of the Elves thundered into TLCB Towers atop this, gyenesvi’s giant ‘Blue Bird’ BuWizz-powered remote control Ultra4 off-road buggy.

The Elves serenely making beep-boop space noises in the corridor stood no chance, as twin BuWizz Buggy Motors, four-wheel-drive, and double-wishbone / trailing-arm suspension squashed them into the carpet, before the Elf at the controls – maniacal with glee – fled the scene on foot.

We’ve now got some tidying up to do, so whilst we do that you can check out gyenesvi’s Ultra4 buggy at Eurobricks and Bricksafe, where further images, renders, a video, and a link to building instructions can all be found.

Green Space

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Remote control all-wheel-drive, gearbox operation, steering, and all-wheel suspension, are features normally associated with large Technic Supercars with thousands of parts. Today however, they’re all present on a model with fewer than a thousand pieces. Plus opening doors, hood, and a full interior. Which is some kind of magic.

Slovenian builder Zerobricks is the engineering wizard responsible, and you can find out how he’s squeezed a suite of Powered-Up and BuWizz components invisibly into his 1:12 green wedge-shaped racer at the Eurobricks forum. Click the link above to take a look, and play the video below to watch his creation in action.

YouTube Video

Fare Dodging

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Fare dodging is the preserve of the terminally shifty. But not today, because Flickr’s mahjqa (a TLCB Master MOCer no less) is the creator of this excellent steam locomotive, and has released building instructions for free! A motor and battery box are hidden inside to bring this locomotive to life, with more to see at mahjqa’s photostream and via the video below. Plus you can dodge the fare to recreate it for yourself by clicking here.

YouTube Video

Duke 690

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LEGO’s expanding range of 1:5 scale Technic motorcycle sets is not only allowing fans to build some of the world’s best bikes in brick form, it’s also furnishing the Lego Community with a plethora of new pieces to enable them to create their own.

This is one such creation, borne from the pieces found within LEGO’s flagship motorcycle sets, and constructed by JoKo of Eurobricks. This stunning KTM 690 Duke brings a bike brand not yet amongst LEGO’s licensed partners into the fold, and includes working steering and suspension, a detailed engine with piston, timing chain, camshaft, and a light-brick synchronised with the combustion cycle, and a sequential gearbox.

JoKo has also built a motorised display stand that allows his model’s engine and gearbox to operate, and you can check out the full details, imagery, and a video of the bike in action at the Eurobricks forum via the link above.

Zillie Smalls

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The Lego Car Blog Elves have a well-publicised penchant for extreme violence. They’ve squashed, flattened, and smushed one-another via a variety of brick-built creations, and whilst they may be mythical, the stains left by their bodily fluids certainly aren’t.

Cue another can of carpet foam today, thanks to previous bloggee gyenesvi and this most excellent Buwizz-powered Zil 130 trial truck.

Propelled by two Powered-Up L Motors driving all six wheels with another controlling the steering, and with live-axle suspension (coil up front and leaf sprung at the rear), gyenesvi’s Zil can climb over almost anything, including a few unsuspecting Elves who were quietly watching something with Megan Fox in on the TV in their cage room.

Luckily for us gyensvi’s Zil trial truck is actually really small (and therefore a rather clever feat of Technic engineering), and thus it didn’t take long before an Elf got wedged between the rear wheels and brought the rampage to an end.

There’s more of the model to see at both the Eurobricks forum and Bricksafe, where links to building instructions can also be found, plus you can watch the truck in action in the video below. Take a look via the links above, whilst we sponge some Elf blood out of the carpet.

YouTube Video

Rambo Lambo

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Supercar manufacturers might sell more SUVs now than actual supercars, but their foray into the 4×4 market is actually nothing new. Because in the mid-’80s if you were an oil sheik you could be the proud owner of this; the mad Lamborghini LM002.

Designed mostly for the Middle East, the LM002 featured bespoke sand tyres, the V12 engine from the Countach, and a 169 litre fuel tank.

301 units were produced between 1986 and 1993, with owners including sultans, princes, dictators, sons of dictators, and Tina Turner.

This one however is owned by previous bloggee Zerobricks, who has recreated the LM002 in Technic form complete with BuWizz-powered remotely controlled all-wheel-drive, steering, and high/low gearbox, independent suspension with planetary hubs, opening doors, hood and tailgate, and a working V12 engine.

There’s lots more of Zerobricks’ ‘Rambo Lambo’ to see at the Eurobricks forum, including renders of the drivetrain and a video of the model in action, and you can join such LM002 owners as Beyonce, Mike Tyson, Sylvester Stallone, and Uday Hussein via the link in the text above.

Building Bridges

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Slightly less Russian military hardware will be unleashed on Ukraine of late, what with the latter’s decision to bring the conflict of Russia’s warmongering president to his own soil.

At least two Russian bridges, used to transport weaponry amongst other things, have been destroyed by Ukraine in recent weeks, making the scene above a little less common than it was a fortnight ago.

Said scene comes from previous bloggee Nathan Hake, whose MAZ-537 and gorgeous bridge-based diorama was built for a recent Lego show.

Fantastic attention to detail, presentation, and construction techniques are evident in abundance, with the MAZ packed with working functionality too, featuring remote control all-wheel-drive, steering, and trailer hitch lock, whilst the trailer also includes motorised legs and ramps.

There’s more to see at Nathan’s photostream and you can head to a bridge somewhere in Eastern Europe via the link above.

Get the Fire Brigade*

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Here at The Lego Car Blog we can be a bit guilty of leaning towards creations with twelve motors, fifteen sets of LEDs, and six programmable bluetooth controllers. Because we are (and this will no doubt come as a surprise to readers of a niche website about Lego cars), nerds at heart. Not Brothers Brick levels of nerdiness, but still.

Creations featuring the aforementioned suite of electronics are often amazing in their operation (there’s one before this post and there’ll be another after it too), but they’re also out of reach for many Lego fans due to the cost of the components within them.

Thus today we’re replacing resources with intellect, thanks to this superb fire truck by Flickr’s Jeroen Ottens.

Featuring just a single Powered-Up motor, Jeroen’s fire truck can rotate, raise, and extend its ladder, all of which can be controlled independently, plus deploy four stabiliser legs too. An ingenious gearbox – activated mechanically by levers mounted on the sides and rear of the truck – takes the motorised power to where it’s needed, whilst the model also features mechanical steering (front and rear), as well as opening doors and hatches.

It’s a brilliant example of Technic engineering ingenuity, and you can take a look at how Jeroen has done all this with just one motor at his photostream. Click the link above to get the fire brigade.

*Today’s wonderful title song, featuring equally wonderful moustaches.

Coal’s OK

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This astonishing creation is an O&K RH 120 C, a 200-ton mining excavator used in British open-cast coal mines in the 1980s, and – as the most successful excavator in its class – all around the world.

Subsequently built by Terex and then Caterpillar, the RH 120 C is still in production today, with this spectacular brick-built replica paying homage to the design’s first incarnation.

Constructed by Flickr’s Beat Felber, this 1:28 scale model recreates not just the O&K’s exterior in brilliant detail, but the operation of the excavator too, thanks to a suite of Powered-Up, Control+, and Power Functions components hidden within.

A pair of Powered-Up L Motors drive the tracks, another the slewing, whilst a Power Functions XL Motor drives the huge boom. A further two motors operate the bucket, with all six able to be controlled remotely via two Control+ hubs.

Authentic period-correct decals, superb attention-to-detail, and fantastic presentation make Beat’s O&K one of the finest models to appear here this year, and you can find the full gallery of incredible imagery at his ‘O&K RH 120 C’ album on Flickr. Click the link above to visit a British coal-field c1985, and take a closer look.

Four-in-a-Fiesta

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Ford’s Fiesta might recently have (inexplicably) ceased production, but it remains one of the most popular cars on the World Rally Circuit.

Cue Zerobricks’ fantastic Technic recreation of the Fiesta WRC, based on a real car run by the Slovenian ‘GM’ racing team.

Underneath the remarkably well-replicated bodywork, Zerobrick’s creation packs in a seriously impressive remote control drivetrain, centre of which are four (yes four!) BuWizz motors, one powering each wheel. A LEGO Powered-Up L Motor operates the steering, with twin BuWizz 3.0s controlling all five motors via bluetooth.

Long-travel suspension, a transverse inline-4 engine (powered via the aforementioned BuWizz drive motors), plus opening doors, hood and rear hatch also feature, with the visual realism enhanced by superb 3D-printed wheels and custom graphics.

It’s every bit as impressive as the real Fiesta WRC car, and if you’re interested in seeing what four BuWizz motors and all-wheel-drive can do (a lot!), you can check out Zerobricks’ incredible Technic rally car at the Eurobricks forum and via the video from the official BuWizz YouTube channel below.

Seismic Vibrator

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Today’s vehicle is large, ponderous, and causes seismic tremors. Just like your Mom.

It’s a Sercel Nomad 65 ‘vibroseis truck’, designed to send shock-waves through the earth to map rock density. First pioneered by Conoco in the late ’50s, seismic vibrators today conduct around half of all land surveys, with many mounted on enormous purpose-built off-road platforms such as this Sercel.

Constructed by TLCB Master MOCer Nico71 for the Sercel Company (along with a further five copies), this incredible creation mimics the Nomad 65’s operation thanks to a suite of LEGO Powered-Up and Control+ electronics.

Two XL Motors drive the wheels via frictionless clutches, whilst an L Motor powers two linear actuators that swing the articulated central steering pivot. The vibration unit is lowered and raised via another motor and pair of actuators, whilst a fourth motor drives the vibration device itself.

A motorised winch, pendular suspension, and an inline 6-cylinder also feature, with all of the model’s motorised functions operable remotely via a smartphone courtesy of the Control+ app.

The finished model contains around 3,300 pieces, measures a huge 68cm long, and best of all you can build it for yourself as Nico has made building instructions available.

The Sercel’s complete image gallery can be found at Nico’s Brickshelf, plus you can watch the model in action via the video below. Take a look whilst we congratulate ourselves for successfully making it to the end of this post without a single sex toy analogy. Who knew a ‘Your Mom’ joke could be the high road!

YouTube Video

Hauling Lumber Off-Road. Definitely

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The most popular vehicle in the U.S is not a Camry, CR-V, or RAV4. No, it’s a pick-up truck, specifically the Ford F-150, now in its fourteenth generation.

With ¾ million sales in the U.S. last year, Ford sold 50% more F-150s than the next best-selling vehicle in America (also a pick-up). That’s a lot of people hauling boats, working on building sites, or carrying lumber.

Perhaps just one or two are used for nothing more than driving to Walmart of course, but we’re sure that 99% are absolutely used for pick-upy things. Definitely.

This F-150 is the work of previous bloggee gyenesvi, who has packed his 1:14 Technic version with working functions. Four-wheel-drive comes courtesy of a BuWizz bluetooth battery and twin Powered-up Motors, steering is driven via a third motor, and a high/low gearbox by a fourth, all of which can be operated remotely.

Realistic five-link suspension, opening doors, hood and tailgate, and a detailed interior also feature, and you can check out full details – including a link to free building instructions – at Eurobricks. You can also watch the model in action via the video below, plus you can find the complete image gallery via Bricksafe, where gyenesvi has photgraphed his creation on location off-road, where almost all real Ford F-150s also spend their time. Definitely.

YouTube Video