Tag Archives: ralph savelsberg

5580 Redux

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Lego Model Team 5580 Highway Rig

5580. One of LEGO’s earliest attempts at a more advanced high detail vehicle, and one of the three founding sets of the Model Team line. One of our earliest Set Reviews too…

But time marcheth on and today 5580, whilst undoubtably still a lovely set, looks a bit basic, both against LEGO’s latest releases and against many of the creations that the online community is building. Cue serial bloggee Ralph Savelsberg, who has re-booted the classic 1988-1990 set for 2016.

Lego 5580 Truck

Based a little more closely on a real truck (the Kenworth W900) and using LEGO’s latest parts, Ralph’s model has grown a bit when compared to the original, squeezing in more detail and looking a lot like the sort of model that you’ll find at a Legoland theme park.

There’s more to see of Ralph’s excellent update of one of LEGO’s most famous classic sets at his photostream – click the link above to make the jump.

Lego Kenworth W900 Highway Rig

A Bunny Rabbit… With Spiky Teeth

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Lego Volkswagen Golf Rabbit GTI

Volkswagen’s Golf GTI (or ‘Rabbit’ in the ‘States) was not the first hot hatchback. For that you need to go back a few years to the Chrysler/Talbot/Simca/Lotus Sunbeam (car manufacturer takeovers in ’70s were very complicated!). However it was the first to popularise the formula, and in doing so it nearly killed off the traditional sports car – at least until Mazda reinvigorated it a decade and a half later.

Launched in 1975 and powered by a fuel injected 1.6 litre engine with 110bhp, and later a 1.8 with a little more, the GTI was more than a match for the traditional sports cars of the day. And you could get five people on board. And they wouldn’t get wet if it rained.

This brilliant little Lego version of the iconic classic hot hatch is the work of serial bloggee Ralph Savelsberg aka Mad Physicist, and there’s more to see at his photostream on Flickr via the link above.

Bugger Me

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Lego Ford Anglia Harry Potter

Crashed into the Buggering Birch, Ron Weasley’s 1960’s Ford Anglia has never been the same since. Ralph Savelsberg aka Mad Physicist imagines happier times, before the horny tree had its way with the unfortunate car, with this superb Lego recreation of the little blue Ford, Ron and Harry. There’s more to see at Ralph’s Flickr photostream – click the link above to lube up.

Yes M’Lady

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Lego FAB1 Thunderbirds Rolls Royce

The gloomy catchphrase of Lady Penelope’s chauffeur Parker there, who seemed permanently beset my misery at the prospect of driving her ladyship around in a bright pink six-wheeled Rolls Royce. Cheer up Parker, it’s still a six-wheeled Rolls Royce, and we bet she got changed in the back a few times too…

Recreated by Flickr’s Ralph Savelsberg, and complete with Lady Penelope and Parker, you can see more of the amazing ‘FAB1’ Rolls Royce from Thunderbirds at the link above.

I Still Ain’t Afraid Of No Ghost

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Lego Ghostbusters ECTO-1 2016 Movie

We’re not really sure that the Ghostbusters franchise was in need of a reboot for 2016, but you never know, it might be good. Whatever the outcome, it’s given TLCB regular Ralph Savelsberg aka Mad Physicist another movie car to recreate for his collection. You can see more of his 2016 ECTO-1 complete with characters from the latest Ghostbusters movie on Flickr at the link above.

Two for Tuesday

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Lego VF-84 Jolly Rogers F-14A Tomcat

We round off a busy day here in TLCB Towers with two builds that aren’t cars at all. But they are excellent. Plus we quite like jet fighters because the average mental age in the office is about eleven. First up is TLCB regular Ralph Savelsberg‘s newest version of his F-14A Tomcat, this time in VF-84 Jolly Rogers spec, and joining him is Stefan Johansson, who returns to this blog following his awesome Saab Viggen, this time with Saab’s mighty 32 Lansen fighter. If you’re eleven too you can see more of each build on Flickr via the links above.

Lego Saab 32 Lansen Fighter Aircraft

Grease Lightnin’

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Lego Grease Lightnin' Ford

Well this car is systematic, hydromatic, ultramatic
Why, it could be Greased Lightnin’!
We’ll get some overhead lifters and some four barrel quads, oh yeah
Keep talkin’, whoah keep talkin’!
Fuel injection cut off and chrome plated rods, oh yeah
I’ll get her ready, I need to get her ready!
With a four-speed on the floor, they’ll be waitin’ at the door
You know that ain’t sh*t when we’ll be gettin’ lots of tit
Greased Lightnin’

Sorry about that. It’s all Ralph Savelsberg‘s fault. You can see more of his Grease Ford Deluxe on Flickr.

Lego Ford Deluxe Grease

Mercury Rising

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Lego 1946 Mercury Sportsman

This beautiful classic ’46 Mercury Sportsman convertible comes from TLCB favourite, Master MOCer, and Flickr legend Ralph Savelsberg aka Mad Physicist. A re-working of a model he built back in 2008, Ralph’s Sportsman has been significantly updated with LEGO’s newer pieces and it reminds us superbly of just how good American cars used to be before they ended up like this.

Lego Mercury Sportsman Convertible

Mercury, created by the Ford Motor Company in the mid 1930s, was killed off during the restructuring of America’s ‘Big Three’ auto manufacturers following the financial crisis in 2011, but by that point its products were little more than appallingly bland re-badged Fords anyway. Mercury’s 1940s offerings were far more interesting – Take a trip back to to 1946 courtesy of Ralph via the link above.

Lego Mercury Sportsman Ralph Savelsberg

Taxi Driver

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One of the greatest movies of all time – Martin Scorsese’s 1976 ‘Taxi Driver’ – created two very different but equally brilliant stars in Robert De Niro and a very young Jodie Foster. There was another star of course; the bright yellow Checker Marathon cab driven by De Niro’s Travis Bickle. Already world famous, the Checker didn’t need the movie to earn its notoriety, but it did probably become much cooler as a result. This perfect replica of the iconic classic cab comes from TLCB regular Ralph Savelsberg aka Mad Physicist, and you can see more here.

Lego Taxi Driver Checker Marathon

Bomb Disposal: If You See Me Running Try To Keep Up!

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Lego VW Crafter Bomb Disposal

A staple fixture in ‘funny’ t-shirts, today’s blog title is probably a bit too close for comfort these days. Bomb disposal engineers have always done incredible work, but in Europe for the past few decades their main job has been to take unexploded World War 2 bombs down to the dump and claim the scrap metal value.

Not anymore though. Thanks to the utter shitbags in ISIS and their like, sadly it’s all getting a lot more serious. The heroes depicted in bricks above belong to the Dutch Ministry of Defence Bomb Disposal Division, and with their rather cute looking robot they’re ready to keep the streets of Holland shrapnel and body-part free.

TLCB regular Ralph Savelsberg aka Mad Physicist is the builder, and you can see more of his Bomb Disposal Team and their Volkswagen Crafter long-wheelbase van on Flickr – cut the blue wire at the link above.

Lego Volkswagen Crafter Van

The Eliminator

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Lego ZZ Top Eliminator Hot Rod

ZZ Top’s ‘Eliminator’ hot rod is very nearly as famous as the band themselves. This ace Miniland replica of the iconic ’33 Ford Coupe comes from TLCB regular Ralph Savelsberg and there’s more to see here.

Lego ZZ Top Eliminator Car Ford Coupe

Israeli Air

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Lego F-4E Kurnass Phantom

Israel is a force to be reckoned with in the Middle East, thanks largely to some serious U.S-provided hardware. Still, with Russia having provided most of Israel’s neighbours, on which it is not on good terms, with their own tools of death it’s turned out well for everyone… oh wait, no that’s not right.

Anyway, on to this particular instrument of U.S meddling, the glorious McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom (re-named ‘Kurnass’ for the Israeli Air Force), which the state used up until their switch to F-16s in 2004. This perfect Lego recreation of the famous fighter comes from TLCB regular and Brothers Bricker Ralph Savelsberg, and you can see all the images at his photostream here.

Lego F-4 Phantom

Road to Bonneville

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Lego Pontiac Bonneville 1965

America is just about emerging from the automotive wastelands it’s been occupying since the late 1970s. Sadly though, Pontiac didn’t survive its stay in the wilderness, dying alongside such names as Saturn, Oldsmobile, and Eagle. But Ralph Savelsberg hasn’t forgotten Pontiac. His recently updated and totally beautiful 1965 Bonneville reminds us of a time when the American car wasn’t a fat joke, and ‘Aztek‘ only referred to an ancient civilisation in South America. You can see more of his glorious tribute to old-school Americana on Flickr – click here to take a trip to ’65.

Lego Pontiac Bonneville

The Cannonball Run

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Lego The Cannonball Run

Illegal street racing was on the big screen long before The Fast and the Furious franchise made it cool. 1981’s ‘The Cannonball Run’ was based on the real illegal street race across America that occurred two years earlier, although we expect the movie took a little bit of artistic license with the story…

If you’ve not seen it yet get yourself over to YouTube, and you can see more of one of the star vehicles from the movie – a Dodge ‘ambulance’ – courtesy of TLCB regular Ralph Savelsberg.

Lego The Cannonball Run

Walk this Way

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Lego The Walking Dead RV

The world’s second favourite television RV has featured here at TLCB before, and now Flickr’s Ralph Savelsberg (aka Mad Physicist) has taken Dale’s RV from the hit AMC series The Walking Dead to a new level. This flawless recreation the classic Winnebago includes a complete interior, authentic blood splatter, a shotgun-armed Dale, and – of course – a hungry zombie. There’s lots more to see on Flickr – click here and get ready to run!

Lego The Walking Dead RV