Tag Archives: Toyota

Cor-Off-Roada

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As the world’s best selling car, the Toyota Corolla has been many things, but not often a 4×4 desert racer. Cue Randy Wilmenta, who has built his 1989 Corolla GT-S into an awesome all-wheel-drive off-roader, which Eurobricks’ 2GodBDGlory has faithfully recreated in Technic form.

With working all-wheel drive courtesy of two Power Functions L Motors (hooked up to both a transverse inline-4 piston engine and a remotely-operable 6+R gearbox), remote control steering, an electronic hand-brake, motorised clutch, pop-up headlights and differential lock, plus suspension, and opening doors, hood and trunk, 2God’s recreation of the unique Toyota packs in as much as its real-world counterpart.

3D-printed wheels and an excellent classic Toyota livery complete a superb build, and you can find out more about the model and the real off-road Corolla it replicates via the Eurobricks forum. Take a look via the link, where you can also watch a video of 2God’s brilliant build in action.

GT Four

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Rumor has it that Toyota is in the final development phase of a new Celica, over two decades after the nameplate was last used. Seven generations of Celica were produced before the model’s demise, with our favourite being this one; the fabulous early-‘90s fifth gen.

Fitted with pop-up headlights and available with a turbocharged all-wheel-drive powertrain, the fifth gen Celica brought Toyota’s championship-winning World Rally Car to the road, and there was little cooler than that.

This brilliant brick-built replica of the Celica GT-Four was discovered by one of our Elves on Flickr, and comes from previous bloggee SP_LINEUP. With phenomenal attention to detail, ingenious building techniques, and accurate 3D-printed wheels, SP’s Celica is fantastically life-like, and you can even create it for yourself. Find out more at SP’s photostream via the link.

Back to the Studio

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Unlikely as it may sound today, in the 2010s the biggest television programme in the world came from an old airfield hangar just outside of Guildford, in which three middle-aged men talked about cars.

The newly rebooted BBC ‘Top Gear’ grew from its producer having to pay audience members from his own pocket to stick around to the end of filming, to the most-watched television event on the planet. Over twenty seasons, dozens of cross-country adventures, and countless celebrity laps in reasonably-priced cars are now embedded in the memory of an entire generation, and Flickr’s NV Carmocs takes us right back to the height of mid-2010’s television with his fabulous homage to the place where it was all made.

With mini-figure versions of Top Gear’s three most famous hosts, a studio audience, and some of the most iconic vehicles and sets from the show, NV Carmocs has captured a hundred Top Gear memories in one spectacular diorama.

The studio set includes ‘The Cool Wall’, a V8 coffee table, the ‘Power Board’, and the plinth for perhaps Top Gear’s most famous ever vehicle, the near-destroyed late-’80s Toyota Hilux, also faithfully recreated in brick form.

There’s a huge amount more to see of NV Carmocs’ incredible mini-figure BBC Top Gear Studio diorama at their Flickr photostream, where over a dozen high quality images are available to view, plus even more of the starring Top Gear vehicles themselves.

Click the link above to go back to studio, and to take yourself back to when Sunday night TV couldn’t get any better…

The Toyota War

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Fought in 1986-’87, the ‘Toyota War’ was the last phase of the nine-year-long Chadian-Libyan War, which ended in defeat for Libya and Colonel Gaddafi (who started it by invading Chad) and the return of Chad’s seized territory.

It’s also possibly the only war named after the make of the pick-up trucks that primary fought it, with Toyota’s Land Cruiser 70-Series used prolifically on both sides, and – in Chadian hands – fitted with their French ally’s anti-tank missile launchers.

Of course countless wars since have been fought from the back of Toyotas, with the company’s trucks being the first choice of militias, terrorist groups, and legitimate armies, plus the UN and NGOs who try to piece broken communities back together again afterwards. In fact Toyota take this depressing usage so seriously in some markets they removed the ‘TOYOTA’ lettering from the back of their pick-ups to avoid the link with the conflicts in which they were so heavily used.

These two excellent 70-Series Land Cruisers from any one of the wars in which they so often feature come from TLCB debutant ORRANGE., who has photographed his models against a suitably deserty backdrop which we’re so familiar with seeing on the news.

A closer look is available at ORRANGE.’s photostream and you can head to a sad and usually pointless conflict somewhere in Africa or the Middle East via the link in the text above.

Cruiser of Choice

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Toyota’s legendary 70-Series Land Cruiser has traversed the world’s most inhospitable places since the mid-’80s (as well as a lot of Australian supermarket carparks), and is still on sale today.

Over that incredible forty year production run, the 70-Series has been fitted with a bewildering array of engines and body styles, courtesy the hugely diverse markets in which it is sold.

All of which makes it rather hard to choose one particular variant if you’re intent on recreating the 70-Series out of our favourite plastic bricks. So Eurobricks’ 2GodBDGlory hasn’t. He’s made all of them.

Yup, 2God’s fantastic modular Land Cruiser 70-Series can be built with five different engines (or Power Functions remote remote control), 1980s, 2000s, or 2020s styling, short, medium, or long wheelbase, SUV (with hard or soft top) or Pick-Up (with various tray/bed configurations), and a roof basket or rack.

Best of all, he’s made building instructions available for free, so you can recreate your perfect Lego Land Cruiser 70-Series at home! Find out more at the Eurobricks forum, and you can see various configurations on-location in his Bricksafe album here.

The Indestructible Hilux

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The best selling pick-up everywhere except North America, the Toyota Hilux is favoured by farmers, NGOs, terrorists, and… Top Gear.

Some twenty years ago Top Gear embarked on what would become one of their most famous sequences ever filmed. And created the best advert for the Hilux that Toyota could have dreamed of.

Famed for their indestructibility, Top Gear decided to put the Hilux’s toughness to the test. They bought an old rusty example from a farm, and crashed it. A lot. They left it in the sea. Dropped a caravan on it. Set fire to it. Hit it with a wrecking ball. And, finally, placed it atop a tower block, and blew it up.

After all of that the Hilux was – unbelievably –  still working, and thus it became a permanent fixture in the Top Gear studio until the show’s demise. Which means the Hilux didn’t just outlive all of the tests that Top Gear put it through, but even Top Gear itself.

This homage to the world’s most famous pick-up truck comes courtesy of NV Carmocs of Flickr, who has recreated the Top Gear Hilux – dents, buckled chassis, fire-scorched paint and all – brilliantly in brick-form.

There’s more of the model to see at NV’s photostream via the third link in the text above, and if you’re one of the few people on earth that haven’t seen Top Gear’s most famous of vehicle tests, take a look at the first two…

Virtual Adventure

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These days most adventuring is viewed digitally. TikTok, Instagram, YouTube… there are millions of videos purporting to show adventure, available to watch from the comfort and safety of wherever people consume such content on their phones. Which is everywhere. And so ironic it hurts.

Thus today we too are virtually adventuring, courtesy of newcomer CelestialCapture and this tremendous overland-equipped Toyota Land Cruiser 70-Series. Replicating the legendary off-roader brilliantly, Celestial has also fitted an exciting array of adventure items, including a snorkel, spot lights, bull-bar, and roof-rack, whilst some excellent bespoke ‘decals’ add to the adventure-based vibe.

There’s more to see of Celestial’s digital Land Cruiser 70-Series on Flickr, and you can head on your own virtual adventure via the link above. Once you’ve done that though, perhaps put your phone in your pocket and head outside. Real adventure is often just around the corner.

2JZ Inside

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It wasn’t just Supras that had the 2JZ under the hood. In fact several Toyota and Lexus products were powered by the internet’s favourite engine, including really weird stuff. Which means if you want 2JZ kudos without having to spend ridiculous Supra money, you could get one of these; the excellent Toyota Mark II / Chaser.

Launched in 1992, the seventh generation ‘X90’ Mark II was a mid-size sedan that lasted until 1996, and was available with a variety of engines, including a diesel, a twin-turbo, and the 2JZ.

This splendid Model Team example comes from recent bloggee Mihail Rakovskiy, who is making a name for himself here at TLCB with his excellent ’90s Japanese cars. His ‘X90’ Mark II is as wonderfully life-like as his other creations, with opening doors, hood and trunk, a detailed engine bay, a realistic interior, and even an accurate drivetrain visible underneath.

Superb presentation tops a brilliant build, and there’s lots more of the Toyota to see at Mihail’s ‘Lego Toyota Mark II’ Flickr album. Click the link above for the thinking man’s 2JZ.

Fanboys Assemble!

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The third generation Toyota Supra. The greatest sports car ever made, a car with Ferrari-beating performance, and capable of a million wheel-horsepower on stock internals. At least if the internet is to be believed…

This superb Model Team scale A80 Supra captures the mid-’90s fanboy favourite brilliantly, with previous bloggee Mihail Rakovskiy‘s creation including opening doors, tailgate and hood, a life-like chassis and drivetrain, and a replica 2JZ engine. With a million wheel-horsepower on stock internals. Beat some Ferraris in the greatest sports car ever made via the link above!

Celebrating Humdrum

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We love mediocrity here at The Lego Car Blog. Which is probably because we are ourselves deeply, completely, terminally, mediocre. And what’s more mediocre, automotively speaking, than a ’90s Toyota Starlet with try-too-hard pin-striping? It’s TLCB of cars. Only it’s well made and reliable.

This glorious example of Toyota’s mundane ’90s subcompact hatchback comes from Ilyabuilder724, and can fit two figures, includes an opening hood, and is fitted with try-too-hard pin-striping. Plus building instructions are available so you can build mediocrity at home. Take a look at all the imagery via the link above.

LEGO Technic 42204 Fast & Furious Toyota Supra MK4 | Set Preview

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Aaaand here it is! Probably the most over-hyped car in history, the source of a million internet arguments, and a vehicle countless LEGO fans have been waiting for ever since the company secured both ‘Fast & Furious’ and Toyota licensing rights. It’s that Toyota Supra; this is the brand new LEGO Technic 42204 Fast & Furious Toyota Supra MK4!

So does 42204 live up to enormous weight of expectation? Nope. Which makes it the perfect metaphor for the real thing. And after LEGO’s 42206 Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 F1 Car snuck in three-hundred more pieces than its Ferrari counterpart for the same cost (just like the real Red Bull F1 car), we’re beginning to think LEGO have a mighty good sense of irony.

Aimed at ages 9+ and with 810 pieces, the new 42204 Fast & Furious Toyota Supra Mk4 is rather smaller than its movie contemporary the Technic 42111 Dom’s Dodge Charger from a few years ago. And nowhere near as good.

It is instantly recognisable though, in lurid orange, with truncated bodywork decals that are every bit as terrible as those on the real car, plus a load more for the intercooler, vents, side windows, rear lights, license plate… Still, if we were nine and LEGO asked us how ‘How many stickers would you like?, we’d have said ‘Yes’ too.

A working inline-6 engine, steering, removable targa roof, opening hood, and NO2 canisters in the trunk also feature, and you’ll be able to get your hands on the new LEGO Technic 42204 Fast & Furious Toyota Supra MK4 set for around £55 when it races into stores in March 2025.

For us, it’ll probably stay on the shelf. But LEGO know what they’re doing, and in targeting 42204 at the 9+ age bracket they’ll likely sell every one they can make. And that – considering said consumers were born fourteen years after the car’s appearance in the first ‘Fast & Furious’ movie – says everything about the appeal, and hype, of an orange Toyota Supra Mk4. Even if the reality doesn’t match it.

It’s Raining Men*

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If the Super Soaker commercials and the crab from ‘The Little Mermaid’ are to be believed, it’s better when it’s wetter.

We’re not sure the teams at Le Mans would agree though, what with there being a direct correlation between precipitation and risk, but for fans (at least watching at home in the dry on TV), rain can add a huge dose of unpredictable excitement.

This year’s 24 Heures du Mans delivered on that promise, as the heavens opened mid-way through the race and brought on a four hour safety car period followed by treacherous racing. After the twenty four hours had elapsed the winning Ferrari finished just fourteen seconds ahead of the second place Toyota, with a record nine cars all on the same final lap.

Cue recent bloggee SFH_Bricks, who has recreated that incredibly tight margin, and the rain that enabled it, in this stunning Le Mans 2024 diorama. Featuring the Ferrari 499P, Toyota GR010, and a huge dose of spray, SFH has captured the rain-soaked Circuit de la Sarthe spectacularly; we can practically feel the wetness from here.

Click the link above to take a look through the spray, and this bonus link to see the vast collection of Le Mans creations in our Archives.

*Obviously. Because Le Mans!

Acceptable in the ’80s

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A simple, efficient, small, pick-up truck would probably do brilliantly in 2024. But because they don’t cost much less to produce that monstrosities like this, guess what manufacturers choose to make…

Back in the ’80s though, and you could buy a simple, efficient, small, pick-up truck, with Toyota’s being so simple it didn’t even have a name, being called simply the ‘pick-up’.

It did in the rest of the world though, where the ‘Hilux’ gained a legendary reputation. This neat grey Technic recreation of the ’80s icon (pictured in front of some equally grey ’80s wallpaper – buy some white card paave!) comes from previous bloggee paave, and features four-wheel-drive linked to a 4-cylinder engine and a high/low gearbox, leaf-spring suspension, working steering, plus opening (and locking) doors, hood and tailgate.

There’s more of paave’s ’85 Toyota Hilux to see at the Eurobricks forum, where a link to building instructions can also be found. Build yourself a simple, efficient, small, pick-up truck in 2024 – even if it is from the ’80s – via the link above!

*Today’s (fantastic) title song.

Audi + Batman =

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What do you get if you cross an Audi RS Q with the Batmobile? A Toyota Tacoma-ish pick-up truck. Obviously.

This superb Technic truck is the work of newcomer mirrorbricks, and is constructed using only the parts from the excellent 42160 Technic Audi RS Q e-tron and the rather less excellent 42127 The Batman Batmobile set.

Remote control four-wheel-drive and steering, a V6 piston engine, front and rear suspension, opening doors, hood and tailgate, plus LED lights all feature, as do some glorious retro decals and ‘KC’ lights, and there’s more to see of mirrorbricks’ brilliant double-B-model at the Eurobricks forum.

Click the link above to take a look at the best and only Batmobile-Audi mash-up we’ve seen. Unless you count Bruce Wayne’s Lamborghini of course…

Toyota-ish

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When is a Toyota not a Toyota? When it’s a BMW or a Subaru… At least if the JDM-fanatics of the internet’s comments section are correct.

They’re not correct of course, because a) the fanatics of any brand are morons, and b) because globalisation is the way the car industry operates, and has done for decades.

There are Toyotas that are Mazdas and vice-versa, Toyotas that are Subarus and vice-versa, Toyotas that are Suzukis and vice-versa… and the list goes on and on, including Peugeots, Citroens, Opels, Fiats, Volkswagens, Daihatsus, Chevrolets…

“But what about the Supra?”, the internet cries! Well that does use BMW bits, but they were arranged by Toyota. And put together by neither company. Plus – whisper it – there are BMWs with Toyota parts too…

Thus we’d happily have a Toyota Supra, or a GT86, each of which shares more than a little with cars from other manufacturers.

Cue newcomer builtbydave_’s awesome modified versions of the Toyota Supra and GR86, er… we mean Subaru BRZ, each wearing a wide-arch body kit that makes them even less Toyotary than when they left the factory.

Photographed brilliantly and featuring some clever building techniques, each ‘Toyota’ is well worth a closer look, and you can do just that at builtbydave_’s ‘Subaru BRZ’ and ‘Streethunter Toyota Supra’ albums respectively. Just don’t look too closely or you might find a BMW logo…