Tag Archives: Technic

Forever 21

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This splendid creation – pictured in front of some equally splendid wallpaper – is a GAZ-21 Volga, a Soviet large sedan produced from the mid-’50s until 1970.

The most luxurious car available to individual owners within the USSR, the GAZ-21 was styled to resemble ’50s American cars, and even featured a Ford-licensed column-change gearbox, despite the rather frosty relations between the two countries at the time.

Constructed by previous bloggee paave, this Technic recreation of the GAZ-21 remarkably features that column-change gearbox, along with a working 4-cylinder engine, independent front and leaf-spring rear suspension, steering, folding seats, plus opening doors, hood, trunk, and glovebox.

A full parts list and building instructions are available, and you can take a closer look at paave’s brilliant creation via both the Eurobricks forum and his Bricksafe gallery.

Insert Midlife Crisis

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This site may have, on occasion, mocked Corvette and muscle car owners. However here in Europe we’re no better, because once a man reaches a certain age – and/or his hairline passes a certain point – he’s almost legally obliged to buy a Porsche Boxster.

This writer is closer to that point than he’d like to admit, but as he has not the funds for Porsche’s entry-level sports car, this will have to do instead.

Built by TLCB Master MOCer Thirdwigg, this brilliant brick-built Boxster (or 718 as they are now called) features a flat-six engine, working steering, opening doors and front/rear trunks, and it includes a working convertible top, for that authentic wind-in-the-thinning-hair experience.

Constructed in an appropriately midlife crisis colour, building instructions are available, and you can join us wondering if buying a Boxster would make us cool again* by clicking here.

*(It won’t. Ed.)

My Other Truck’s Also in Space

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LEGO’s new for 2024 Spacey Technic range is the mash-up we never thought we needed! It also features some superb new parts, which TLCB Master MOCer Nico71 has put to wonderful use though his brilliant 42180 B-Model.

Entitled ‘Space Garbage Truck’, Nico has redeployed the pieces from the official LEGO set to create a vehicle we hope mankind will have surpassed the need for when we’re inhabiting other planets… but seeing as our brightest minds are still creating such catastrophes as the disposable vape, perhaps that hope is misplaced.

Thus should space need clearing of mankind’s crap (It will. Ed.), Nico’s 42180 alternate has the answer. With a clever mechanically operated front-mounted grab, ingenious six-wheel steering, and a winch-based rear compactor mechanism, Nico’s ‘Space Garbage Truck’ is on hand to remove all the space-based detritus that will inevitably follow humanity wherever it goes in the cosmos.

Building instructions are available and there’s much more of Nico’s 42180 B-Model to see via his Brickshelf gallery. Click here to take a closer look, the second link above to check out Nico’s Master MOCer interview here at The Lego Car Blog, and finally you can watch his latest creation in action via the video below.

YouTube Video

Steamy Erection

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A long time ago it wasn’t diesel, electricity, or gasoline that powered humanity’s vehicles, but steam. Very heavy, with minimal range and requiring regular impractical refuelling, steam-powered vehicles were nevertheless immensely powerful – far more so than those powered by other fuels – and thus they were the engines of choice for heavy duty applications, even as all other vehicle types moved on.

This is one such steam vehicle, Nikolaus Löwe‘s fabulous Fowler traction engine, here outfitted with a working crane. Connected to the tractor-part via a wonderfully complicated-looking arrangement of ratchets and gears, Nikolaus’ creation harks back to an era of coal, soot, noise, and perhaps a little magic.

Get steamy at Nikolaus’ photostream via the link above, whilst we ponder if today’s electric fuel of choice – being very heavy, with minimal range and requiring regular impractical refuelling, but nevertheless immensely powerful – really marks a century’s worth of progress from when this was trundling down the roads.

Russian Winter

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It’s the day after the conclusion of the Russian Presidential Election, in which the highest voter turn-out in history awarded incumbent Vladimir Putin an amazing 204% of the vote, securing him a record-breaking fifth consecutive term in office.

But as bad as Russia is at elections, it’s as good at off-road trucks.

State-backed Kamaz – previously part-owned by Daimler (before the Ukrainian unpleasantness), and also part-owned by a close personal friend of the newly re-elected president – produce arguably the best off-road trucks in the world, and today’s is awesome even by Kamaz’s lofty standards.

Built by previous bloggee mpj, this spectacularly cool Kamaz 8×8 Arctic Truck is roughly mini-figure* scale replica of the real eight-wheel-drive, centre-articulated behemoth.

Featuring that 8×8 drive system and articulated steering, plus pendular suspension, a tipping bed, and a working folding crane, it’s a fantastic Technic creation, and you can check it out in full at the Eurobricks forum, where an image of the real Kamaz Arctic Truck can also be found.

Click the link above to jump into the Russian Winter, as the country celebrates another six years.

*Yes, the real truck is that big!

Member 32

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As Russians head to the polls for another totally free and fair election, last week NATO welcomed its 32nd member state into the alliance. Recent aggression by its enormous neighbour forced Sweden to end its two century long neutrality, bringing with it some of the world’s most advanced pieces of military equipment to the defence union, including this; the formidable Saab 39E Gripen multi-role fighter.

Built by newcomer Akergarden, this incredible 1:18 scale recreation of the Saab 39E Gripen is fittingly one of the most advanced Technic aircraft we’ve yet featured, with four motors concealed inside powering the removable twin-spool turbofan engine, retractable landing gear, radar, and canopy.

A suite of mechanical functions are included too, with full flight-surface control via the cockpit stick and pedals, comprising of moving ailerons, canards, rudder, airbrake, flaps and slots, plus a working ejector seat, a folding air-refuelling beam, and nose-wheel steering.

It’s a phenomenal feat of engineering and there’s much more to see – including a video of the aircraft in action – at both the Eurobricks forum and Akergarden’s Flickr photostream. Click the links above to take a look at NATO’s newest toys, whilst we wonder who’s going to win the election in the country that necessitated their addition…

MC12

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Maserati might today make a range of boring SUVs (which brand doesn’t?), but back in the mid-’00s they made something rather more special. This is the Maserati MC12.

Based on the chassis and V12 engine of the Ferrari Enzo, just fifty road-going MC12s were produced, the minimum number required for FIA homologation. A further twelve MC12s were built to go racing, which they did very successfully, taking forty race wins and claiming six Teams and Drivers’ GT championships.

This incredible replica of the Maserati MC12 is the work of previous bloggee ArtemyZotov, who has recreated the real car in stunning detail. A working V12 engine, 6-speed sequential gearbox, adjustable suspension, steering, plus opening and removable body panels make Artemy’s MC12 one of the best Technic Supercars of recent times.

Building instructions are available, and you can find a link to these plus full build details at the Eurobricks discussion forum, with the complete image gallery available via Bricksafe; take a look via the links above.

Desert Lion

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France isn’t known for strong animal symbolism, with a chicken usually being selected as the animal of choice.

Peugeot – weirdly – does have a good animal symbol, what with the marque’s badge being a roaring lion. Cue this rather appropriate Peugeot 2008 DKR, first entered into the Dakar Rally in 2015, when it was, um… held nowhere near Dakar, instead taking place in South America. Where there are no lions.

Oh well, the title would’ve made sense if the rally was still held in Senegal.

No matter, because Peugeot’s desert lion was a cunning thing, being two-wheel-drive rather than four, thus allowing it to adhere to Dakar’s ‘Buggy’ regulations which permitted far more leeway in other areas.

Powered by a twin-turbo V6 diesel, and with in-built hydraulic jacks to change inevitable punctures, the 2008 DKR was… rubbish. But the following year Peugeot returned, and – having worked out the 2008 DKR’s reliability issues – won the race outright, with the 2008’s successor winning again in 2017 and 2018.

This spectacular homage to the wild mid-2010s buggy has been constructed by previous bloggee Lipko, who has not only captured the 2008 DKR’s exterior brilliantly, he’s included the mid-mounted V6 diesel engine, in-built jacks, monster suspension, working steering, and a 4-speed sequential gearbox, plus squeezed in two spare wheels, which was apparently the hardest part of the whole build.

A neat livery, full roll-cage, and a superbly-detailed engine bay and interior add even more realism, and you can check out full details and find further photos of Lipko’s model at the Eurobricks forum.

Click the link above to see more, or on the video below to watch the desert lion in action.

YouTube Video

Forkin’ Stud

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No, not this TLCB Writer (despite the fame and girls that writing about Lego cars brings*), but this rather lovely and decidedly old-school replica of a Vallée 4DA20 forklift, as built by Philippe Moisan, here making their TLCB debut.

Articulated steering, a worm-screw lifting mechanism, a detailed engine under a hinged cover, and a whole lot of studs make Philippe’s forklift a charming build, and you can check it out in full at his ‘VALLEE’ album on Flickr. Click the link above for fork-load more.

*Which is none at all.

My Other Recycling Truck is a Recycling Truck

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The LEGO Technic 42167 Mack LR Electric Garbage Truck is a thoroughly good addition to the 2024 line-up. Small, cheap(ish), and packed with proper mechanical functions, it’s a welcome return to the roots of Technic.

It’s a set that can also be used to create a properly good B-Model, as proven here by mpj of Brickshelf, who has recycled his Mack LR into this excellent cab-over tipper truck.

Complete with a mechanical crane behind the cab, working steering, and a tipping box, it’s as functional as the set upon which it’s based, and there’s more to see at mpj’s ‘42167 B-Model’ album via the link above.

Ford Vs. Ferrari

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2019’s ‘Ford Vs. Ferrari’ (or ‘Le Mans 66’ in Europe) was an excellent movie. Pitching the all-American (cough-but-actually-British-cough) Ford GT against the might of Ferrari’s racing programme, it brought one of the greatest motorsport battles to the big screen, and a much deserved spotlight to the late Ken Miles.

Despite Enzo Ferrari’s distain for certain American organisations though, the marque has always shown reverence to America in its naming, with models such as the ‘California’, ‘Daytona’, and, er… ‘America’ in its back-catalogue.

The Ferrari 575 ‘SuperAmerica’ went even further (although perhaps the `Super’ bit was referring to itself rather than the country), and has been constructed here brilliantly by TLCB Master MOCer Lachlan Cameron, using 72% of the pieces from the Technic 42154 Ford GT set.

A working V12 engine, independent suspension, functioning steering, a retractable roof, plus opening doors and hood all feature, with the model enhanced by a few non-official stickers, chrome parts, and LED lighting too.

There’s much more to see at Lachlan’s ‘Ferrari 575 SuperAmerica’ album, and you can turn your own Ford into a Ferrari via the link in the text above.

Even More Mogin’

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There are almost as many variants of Mercedes-Benz’s Unimog as there are tasks for them to do. Which is probably the point. Endlessly adaptable, the Unimog is also the perfect choice for Technic builders, as proven by Flickr’s Thirdwigg, who’s back here with another fully-functioning brick-built replica of the heavy-duty tractor.

This one is a U530, complete with a three-way* tipping bed, working steering, a piston engine, under the tilting cab, pendular suspension, plus front, centre and rear selectable PTOs.

There’s a rear pneumatic outlet too, which mean’s Thirdwigg’s model can be fitted with nearly as many pieces of additional equipment as the real thing, with a folding crane, trailer, and snow-plow some of those included in his extensive Flickr gallery.

Building instructions are available (and they’re free!), with much more to see at Thirdwigg’s ‘Unimog U530′ album. Click the link above for even more mogin’.

*Snigger

My Other Car’s a Ford GT

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We suspect that most people, if they could turn their car into a Bugatti Chiron, would.

It’d be an easy question for us here at The Lego Car Blog, as a battered Rover 200 has rather less allure than the world’s fastest production car, but even owners of 200mph supercars would probably make the switch.

Cue Dyens Creations of Flickr, who has done just that, turning his Technic 42154 Ford GT set into this excellent Bugatti Chiron alternate. There’s more to see at Dyens’ album; take a look via the link above, whilst we wonder how much sticky-back plastic and papier-mâché would be needed to give TLCB Rover 200 a Bugatti-based makeover.

Big Tip

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Discovered by one of our Elves on Eurobricks, this fantastic model is an Iveco T-Way, a heavy-duty 8×4 truck outfitted – in this case – as a huge tipper.

Built by previous bloggee mpj, the truck includes remote control drive on the rear two axles, steering on the front two, all-axle suspension, and – of course – a massive tipping body driven by a motorised linear actuator.

LEGO’s Powered-Up components allow the truck to be operated via bluetooth, and you can see more (and find a link to building instructions) at the Eurobricks forum. Click the link above for a big tip.

LEGO Technic Mercedes-AMG F1 W14… | Set Previews

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#TeamLH #Blessed #Vegan #JoiningFerrarifortheMoney

Shock Formula 1 news this week, as the most successful driver of all time is due to depart the team with whom he has won six World Championships to join Scuderia Ferrari at the end of the 2024 season.

Lewis Hamilton is looking for his eighth title, to take him clear of sharing the championship record with Michael Schumacher, and thinks Ferrari might be the team to do it (despite their long-time strategy of buying past champions, and promptly consigning their winning streak to history). There may also be some money involved.

Cue #TeamLH, surely at the bottom of even the filthy cesspit that is ‘X’, losing their collective minds, and 2024’s Mercedes-AMG F1 W15 being the team’s last to be driven by Lewis.

But back to 2023 – when Hamilton was definitely never ever leaving Mercedes-AMG – and two new LEGO Technic sets that add the season’s second best car to the 2024 Technic line-up; These are the brand new Technic 42165 Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance Pull-Back and Technic 42171 Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance.

Technic 42165 Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance Pull-Back

Constructed from 240 pieces and aimed at ages 7+, the Technic 42165 Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance Pull-Back, which we won’t be referring to by its full title again, brings Hamilton’s 2023 Formula 1 racer to bedroom floors for a pocket-money price.

With accurate shaping and livery, plus authentic sponsorship decals, 42165 looks fantastic (even if it doesn’t have slick tyres…. again), making it perhaps the best Pull-Back Technic set LEGO have ever created.

But it’s also $27/£21, which is about twice the price that Technic Pull-Backs used to be. Thus despite being the best ever Pull-Back Technic set, it might simultaneously be the worst $27/£21 one, with no technical features whatsoever.

For #TeamLH* we suspect that won’t matter though, and if you’re among them you can get your hands on the new 42165 Pull-Back when it goes on sale later this year.

Technic 42171 Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance

At six times the pieces and nine times the price, this is 42165’s (much) bigger brother; the brand new LEGO Technic 42171 Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance.

Aimed at ages 18+, 42171 recreates Lewis Hamilton’s 2023 Formula 1 car at a huge 1:8 scale and, unlike the recent non-specific 42141 Technic McLaren Formula 1 Race Car set, is a true replica of its real-world counterpart.

With accurate sponsorship decals and awesome new slick tyres (hurrah!!), 42171 certainly looks the part, but is perhaps a bit light on the technical bits. There’s working steering, a V6 engine and rear differential, an opening rear wing mimicking DRS, and… that’s it. Which is about as much a set costing a quarter of the price. And that price is $220/£190.

Thus despite its 1,520 pieces, 42171 is going to be a rather exclusive set. Which is suitably Formula 1. Expect to see those ace new tyres opening up a world of new creations though…

*If #TeamLH discover that LEGO included an Ayrton Senna mini-figure in the Icons 10330 McLaren MP4/4 set, but that neither of these Mercedes-AMG F1 sets include a miniature Lewis Hamilton, Twitter’s going to explode.