Tag Archives: Technic

Know The Drill

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We often link to music here at TLCB, but not today, because drill music – named after the power tool that is simply horrific to listen to – sucks.

Thus there’ll be no link to an appropriate drill track at the foot of this post, because you don’t need that in your life, but there will be a link to this; Eric Trax’s remarkable Pottinger Terrasem R3 seed drill.

Towed by a version of his previously featured fully remote controlled, SBrick-programmable New Holland TM140 tractor, the Terrasem R3 both looks and sounds like a sci-fi creation you’d expect to find on the Brothers Brick, but is in fact one of the many mechanised wonders that quite literally feed the world.

A Claas telehandler is pictured below filling the Pottinger with seed (snigger), and there lots more to see of it and the excellent tractor pulling it via Eric’s ‘Pottinger Terrasem R3 seed drill‘ album on Flickr (where you can also find a link to a video of it in action and another to building instructions) via the link above, or via Brickshelf here.

Slowly Sovieting

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Some might think today’s title could refer to Russia’s creeping direction under its definitely fairly  democratically elected President, but – fortunately for us as we don’t want to experience Novichok poisoning – it also relates perfectly to this; Sariel’s amazing fully remote controlled pneumatic and motorised Ural 375D 6×6 truck.

Sariel‘s latest astonishing creation is a spectacularly engineered replica of the mighty Soviet military truck, built entirely from Lego pieces, plus a few choice third-party-supplied enhancements.

The first of these is an SBrick bluetooth controller, which allows the four-motor 6×6 drive, steering, servo-powered 3-speed gearbox, three pneumatically locking differentials, and Brickstuff LED lights to all be controlled remotely via a mobile phone or other bluetooth device.

Sariel has further enhanced his model with RC4WD ‘Rock Crusher’ tyres, fitted to Lego rims and mounted to live axle suspension on axles 1 and 3, with pendular suspension on axle 2. A motorised rear winch, working V8 engine, opening doors and hood, and a canvas load cover complete the build, and make Sariel’s Ural one of the most realistic and technically accurate trucks of the year so far.

There’s a whole lot more of this incredible creation to see at the Eurobricks forum, plus the complete gallery of stunning imagery is available to view on Flickr, where there are even a few images that seem to depict a TLCB Elf in shot, but we might be imagining that.

You can also check out a video of the Ural 375D 6×6 in action below, in which the working functions, bare chassis, and a pug named Muffin can all be viewed.

YouTube Video

Bugzilla

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There were Elves everywhere.

This morning has been a stressful one here in TLCB Towers. Maybe we got complacent. Maybe we thought the Elves had wised up to the threat of remote control creations. Or maybe we’d simply forgotten this particular narrative, but whatever it was we were rudely and wholly reminded of the Elves’ propensity to smash one another to bits if given the opportunity.

The ‘opportunity’ arrived in the form of this, Michael217’s incredible Volkswagen Beetle monster truck ‘Bugzilla’, as featured in the video game ‘Wreckfest’.

All-wheel-drive via a Buggy Motor, Servo steering, enormous suspension above even more enormous wheels, and a slew of body-mounted spikes give Michael’s creation almost mythical Elf-squashing abilities, which were used to full effect by the one at the controls.

At least a dozen were flattened in the corridor with amusing cartoon tyre prints running down their lengths, a few were splatted against the skirting boards, and a handful were even impaled on ‘Bugzilla’ itself thanks to the spiky bricks mounted all over it.

Of course the Elf that found Michael’s creation was ecstatic about the whole event, which seeing as it’s likely a victim of multiple past smushings itself is probably understandable.

We have much cleaning up to do now, which probably includes a few trips to ‘Elf Hospital‘, so whilst we do that there’s loads more for you to see of Michael’s brilliant ‘Bugzilla’ build – which includes a V6 engine, opening doors and hood, and a detailed interior too – at the Eurobricks discussion forum, with the complete image gallery available on Bricksafe.

Click the links above to make the jump.

Stradale

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Lego Technic Ferrari SF90 Stradale

Most plug-in hybrids are a tax-dodging con. Including this one.

The Ferrari SF90 Stradale’s 8kw/h battery gives an an electric range of… 16 miles. So with the heater and the radio on, that’ll be less than 10. Probably a lot less.

So an EV it isn’t, but the three electric motors with which the Stradale is equipped do boost power from 780bhp to 1,000bhp, and that is a very good thing indeed. They also mean that Ferrari can keep making supercars even when new car electrification becomes mandatory, which – in the case of TLCB’s home nation – isn’t far away at all.

Until then tax dodges like the SF90 allow V8’s to keep rumbling for a little while longer, and there’s more to see of this stellar Technic Supercar recreation of the Stradale courtesy of Lukas Rs (aka F1Moc) on Flickr.

Click the link above to visit Lukas’ ‘Ferrari SF90 Stradale’ album. Just make sure you turn the heater and radio off.

Work for LEGO!

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It’s every LEGO fan’s dream job, and for one lucky applicant it could become a reality in 2021! Yup, The LEGO Company are looking for a new Model Designer to join their Technic team, where – in Billund Denmark – brand new LEGO Technic sets are brought to life!

Applicants will need mechanical, product, or toy design knowledge, either through formal education or via outside experience, good English language skills, creative software ability, and – of course – “A good understanding of the LEGO® Technic™ building system”.

The full description and details on how to apply can be found on the LEGO Careers website here, good luck, and maybe we’ll see one of your models in the TLCB Review Library in years to come!

SuperGreat

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Unlike today’s other off-road truck post, this one certainly doesn’t have a bland name. The Mitsubishi Fuso SuperGreat FX 6×6 is an off-road military tow truck, depicted here in Technic Japanese Self Defence Force form.

All six wheels are driven by a Medium Motor, the steering is powered by a combination of a  Medium and a Micro Motor, whilst the crane rotation, elevation, extension, and outriggers are all controlled manually.

Leaf-spring suspension features too and there’s more to see courtesy of LXF (Brickshelf) / syclone (Eurobricks) via the links.

Heavy Metal

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This is some heavy metal. The Ural 43206 features the usual terrible Soviet name, but otherwise it’s a most excellent heavy-duty off-road truck.

This Model Team recreation of the Ural 43206 is equally excellent, and it comes from previous bloggee Krzysztof Cytacki (aka dirtzonemaster).

Featuring a full remote control drivetrain, Krysztof’s model deploys two XL Motors to drive all four wheels, with impressive suspension on both axles, and a Power Functions IR receiver mounted in the cab.

Of course as anyone who’s put XL Motor torque through a LEGO UV-joint will know, off-roading with a driveline made from plastic can cause a few issues, usually in the form of a UV-joint exploding.

This isn’t something that will afflict Krzysztof’s Ural however, as he’s replaced the LEGO UV-joints in his model with custom metal ones, allowing for proper off-road ability.

A canvas load cover, opening tailgate, and detailed cab complete the build, and there’s more to see of Krzysztof’s metal-enhanced Ural 43206 off-road truck at both Flickr and via the video below, which includes a suitably metallic soundtrack. Click the links to take a look!

YouTube Video

Man-ic Monday

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From the world’s biggest land vehicle to one of the littlest, and the official World Record holder for the smallest road-legal production car ever made.

The Peel P50 was built for just a few years in the early 1960s, capitalising on the demand for small cheap cars that could be driven on a motorcycle license. A few companies made a great success from this need, albeit not for ever, Peel… didn’t.

Ingenious though the P50 was, a car with 28mph top speed designed for city use, but coming from the Isle of Man (a small mostly rural island off the coast of England with no cities) had (very) limited appeal, and just fifty units were produced.

Around half survive today, and they’re worth a ridiculous amount of money, with one recently fetching $176,000 at auction.

Cue John Carpenter of Eurobricks, who has built one that’s far more attainable, and it’s not even that much smaller than the real thing!

There’s working steering, suspension front and rear, an authentic single-cylinder engine driven by the rear wheel, an opening and locking door, and even a working handbrake.

There’s lots more to see of John’s Peel P50 at the Eurobricks forum, including build details and a video of the working functions in action. Head to the Isle of Man c1964 via the link above! (Just be prepared for the villagers to point and laugh.)

Towering Inferno

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This is the NASA ‘Launch Umbilical Tower’, designed to send the world’s most powerful machine – the Saturn V rocket – into space, and carried by the world’s heaviest land vehicle.

LEGO’s enormous 92176 NASA Saturn V set has allowed space fans to conduct their own bedroom-based lunar missions, but the ‘blast-off’ bit (in this writer’s opinion, the coolest bit) requires a few additional accessories not supplied by LEGO…

Fortunately Janotechnic of Eurobricks – here making his TLCB debut – has the answer, not only building this incredible 1:110 scale Technic Nasa Crawler and Launch Umbilical Tower, but doing so from three official LEGO Technic sets; the 42055 Bucket Wheel Excavator, the 42082 Rough Terrain Crane, and the 42098 Car Transporter.

That expansive parts supply has enabled Jano to equip his B-B-B-Model with a huge array of motorised functions, including drive and steering, crane rotation, retractable support swing-arms, and even a working lift within the tower!

It’s an incredible creation and one that (in simplified form below) you can build for yourself, as building instructions are available. There’s more of Jano’s amazing NASA Crawler and Tower to see – including a video of the model’s motorised and mechanical functions – at the Eurobricks forum. Click the link above and prepare to blast-off!

My Other Tracked Vehicle is an Excavator

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We’re not sure that this title really works as a bumper sticker, but as this snow groomer by Dyens Creations doesn’t have a bumper it’s moot anyway. Dyen’s creation is indeed constructed from another tracked vehicle though, being built entirely from the parts found within the Technic 42121 Heavy Duty Excavator set. There’s an adjustable elevating blade, a rotating and extending crane, and an attachable ice grinding thingumy too. Building instructions are available and there’s more of Dyen’s snow groomer B-Model to see on Flickr, at Eurobricks, and via the video below.

YouTube Video

Mini Mechanics

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The creations we feature here at The Lego Car Blog can – at times – become a bit ‘aesthetics over everything’. That’s entirely our fault, as we want images that look cool on a screen and that our readers want to share, but building with Lego is about much more than just that.

This Technic mini mobile crane by SaperPL is an example, as whilst it does look rather nice, its real beauty is in the proper mechanical engineering packed inside.

Despite its small size, SaperPL’s crane includes working steering on three axles, with the forth non-steered axle driving a little piston engine under the cab, extending stabiliser legs, and a crane boom that can rotate 360 degrees, elevate, extend and winch, all via hand-powered knobs and cogs.

It’s exactly what Technic should be about and it’s well worth your click, particularly as SaperPL has made free building instructions available, which earns him a hundred TLCB points.

There’s more to see at Eurobricks via the link above, plus you can watch all of the excellent mechanical features in action via the splendid video below.

YouTube Video

Caseload

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This is a fully remote controlled Case QuadTrac 620, built by mktechniccreations, and it’s really very good at squashing Elves. It’s also one heck of a build, with no less than six Power Functions motors, two BuWizz bluetooth batteries, and a pneumatic system with on-board compressors. And that’s before we get to the Elmer HaulMaster 2000 trailer.

Back to the Case, where two L Motors drive the fully suspended tracks, whilst a Servo articulates the pivot steering (the rear section of which can also oscillate independently from the front to keep the vehicle level on uneven ground).

Two M Motors power the on-board pneumatic compressors/switches, a third drives the rear PTO, there’s a suspended cab, swing-out ladder (that automatically pivots out of the way of the tracks when the tractor articulates), a rotating driver’s seat, and pneumatically operated hitches.

The Elmer HaulMaster trailer features a few trick of its own too, with the Case’s PTO driving the conveyor belt and auger worm-gear, pneumatically operated auger boom extension, and pneumatically deployed support legs.

It’s an unfathomably complex and wonderfully engineered build, and there’s lots more to see of mktechniccreations’ incredible creation at the Eurobricks forum via the link above, where complete technical details, further imagery, and a link to building instructions can be found.

You can also see all the amazing working functions of both the Case Quadtrac 620 and Elmer HaulMaster 2000 in action via the video below; click play to take a look at one of the best models of 2021 so far.

YouTube Video

Hummers Suck

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Categories of people that like Hummer; Under nines. TLCB Elves. Conspiracy-theorising, ‘FREEDOM!’-yelling neanderthals. Middle-eastern oil sheiks. Idiots.

This is a Hummer H2, and we absolutely love it! Not the real car of course, which is total garbage, but this thoroughly excellent fully remote controlled Technic recreation by Eurobricks’ damjan97PL.

The real Hummer H2 was neither capable nor sophisticated, but damjan97’s version is certainly both. Two XL Motors power the 4×4 drivetrain which includes three differentials, independent front and live-axle rear suspension, and Servo steering (which is also linked to the steering wheel).

A working V8 engine resides under the opening hood, all four doors open and lock, the seats adjust via geared racks, and there’s an SBrick programable brick mounted in the cabin providing bluetooth remote control.

It’s as excellent as the real Hummer H2 is terrible and there’s much more to see of damjan97PL’s incredible creation at the Eurobricks forum at the link above, or via the extensive image gallery available on Bricksafe.

Click the links above to join under nines, TLCB Elves, conspiracy-theorising ‘FREEDOM!’-yelling neanderthals, middle-eastern oil sheiks, and this TLCB Writer (an idiot) in taking a look!

Three is the Magic Number

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Britain has a long tradition of making crap cars. This is widely considered to be one of them.

The Reliant Robin has been the butt of jokes in TLCB’s home nation for years. Cheap, slow, and missing something that is taken for granted with almost every other car (a fourth wheel), it was derided for decades.

However, the humble Robin (and its Rialto and Regal forbears) was actually phenomenally successful. The second most mass-produced fibreglass car in history, the Robin’s success came from its ability to exploit loopholes, as with Germany and France’s microcar classes and Japan’s kei cars.

Three wheels meant the Robin could be driven on a motorcycle license, drivers paid less tax, and the oil crisis of the 1970s caused sales to rocket. It was this success that led to the derision, as there were actually loads of British three-wheeled microcars but no-ones heard of any of the others.

This brilliant Technic recreation of everyone’s (least)favourite British car comes from previous bloggee Danifill, who has not only replicated the Robin’s inline 4-cylinder engine, the steered and suspended centre wheel, and the live rear axle, he’s also equipped his Robin with a third-party BuWizz bluetooth battery and three (appropriately) Power Functions motors.

An XL Motor drives the rear wheels, a Servo powers the steering (which also turns the steering wheel), whilst a Medium motor controls a two-speed gearbox. There are also opening doors with functioning locks, an opening hood and tailgate, plus working head and taillights too.

It’s a great build of a crap but somewhat unfairly derided car and there’s more to see of Danifill’s ’90s Reliant Robin at the Eurobricks forum, where there’s also a video in which you can watch all three wheels in action.

Avoiding Rocks

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Not all race-winning Mercedes racing cars are silver. This is the famous ‘Red Mercedes’, the 1924 winner of the immense ‘Targa Florio’ road race across Italy, rumoured to be painted red to stop nationalistic fans throwing rocks at it, in case it was an Alfa Romeo.

Powered by a supercharged two-litre four cylinder engine, the ‘Red Mercedes’ began Mercedes-Benz’s journey with forced-induction racing cars that culminated in the amazing SSK in the early 1930s.

This utterly beautiful Technic replica of Mercedes’ 1924 race winner comes from Nikolaus Lowe, who has equipped it with a working four-cylinder engine (with a functioning hand-crank), period-correct leaf spring suspension, steering, and a two-speed gearbox.

Nikolaus has photographed and presented his creation superbly and there’s more to see of this stunning build at his ‘Mercedes Targa Florio 1924’ album on Flickr. Click the link above to take a closer look.