Tag Archives: transporter

Elven Argument

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We don’t speak elvish, but nevertheless we still understood the gist of the jabbering, pointing, and jumping up-and-down that occurred following one of Elves’ discovery of this car-transporting railway wagon.

Said creation is a DDm 915 Deutsche Bundesbahn Autoreisezug (apparently), and the aforementioned Elf was trying to convince us that it deserved eleven Smarties for finding it – one for each vehicle on board, and another for the wagon itself.

Despite being mildly impressed the Elf could count into double-digits it won’t be getting eleven Smarties, so whilst we have that argument you can check out more of the neat railway wagon that caused it courtesy of Thomas Reincke of Flickr via instructions by fellow Flickr-er BigDeady. Click the link to take a look.

Quality Escorts

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Running a world-famous Lego blog has its upsides. Probably.

We however, are running a crumbling ruin in the corner of the internet, and whilst we receive precisely none of the fame and riches of the proper Lego sites, we do receive all the spam, marketing messages, ‘guest post’ requests, and doubtless-deserved complaints that go with it.

These take many forms, but are usually centred around medicines of a dubious nature, ‘Gucci’ handbags, and women of an also dubious nature. Cue today’s title, because we already receive a torrent of spam on the subject, how much worse can it get?

These two mini-figure scale escort vans are not the European Ford variety (nor ladies of negotiable affection), but the sort used to prevent inattentive drivers from crashing into the back of a slow-moving house, boat, or house-boat.

Built by regular bloggee Ralph Savelsberg they are a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Volkswagen Transporter respectively, both feature some neat decal-based liveries, and there’s more of each van to see at Ralph’s photostream. Click the link above to be escorted there.

Just a Small Slice

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From yesterday’s vertically-adjusted vehicle to one that’s been altered rather more horizontally. Built for the Tillamook Creamery, several of these drastically shortened cheese-coloured Volkswagen Transporter ‘Yum Buses’ were (and are) used to promote Tillamook’s dairy-based deliciousness. This mightily complicated miniature version comes from regular bloggee 1saac W., who has captured the promotional vehicle beautifully, with a myriad of ‘cheese wedge’ bricks rather appropriately deployed to form the bus’s rounded shape. There’s more to see on Flickr and you can grab yourself a slice via the link above.

EuroVan

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This is the Volkswagen EuroVan, or the T4 Transporter to most of the world, produced from the early-’90s to the early-’00s, and available as a van, passenger vehicle, kombi, chassis-cab, pick-up and camper.

This one, being called a ‘EuroVan’, is the North American version, where the T4 Transporter was sold from 1992 and 2003, almost exclusively with VR6-power. In Europe we could get a 1.9 naturally-aspirated diesel with 60bhp, so really we think the ‘states should’ve got that one…

Anyway, this EuroVan comes from previous bloggee Danifill, who has recreated the ’90s Volkswagen brilliantly in Technic form. There’s remote control drive and steering via a BuWizz bluetooth brick, independent front and live axle rear suspension, working head and tail lights, and brick built VR6 engine under the opening hood.

There’s more to see at the Eurobricks discussion forum – make the jump to all the details, imagery, and a video of the van in action via the link in the text above.

Truck on Trucks on Trucks

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If you like trucks, this post is for you! Specifically, if you like 1980s DAF FA and FT trucks this post is for you, but that’s probably a bit niche. Still, there must be a DAF fan club somewhere.

Anyway, this suite of DAF trucks was discovered by one of our Elves on Flickr, and it’s now hoping for five meal tokens.

Previous bloggee (and, unsurprisingly, DAF-building specialist) Arian Janssens is the man behind it, having constructed a DAF FA 95.380 ATI sleeper cab transporter and trailer, plus a DAF FA 800, FT 2100, FT 2500, and a DAF 400 flatbed for it to haul. That’s a lot of ’80s Dutch trucking.

All are excellent recreations of their real-world counterparts, and there’s more to see of all five Model Team DAFs at Arian’s ‘DAF FA 95.380 ATI Truck Transporter’ album. Click the link above to join the DAF fan club.

Daily Delivery

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We’re into the last week of BrickNerd and TLCB’s Festival of Mundanity competition. There have been over fifty entries so far, with two today bringing the hum-drum world of daily deliveries to the brick.

First up (above) is ABrickDreamer‘s Piaggio Ape, which might seem interesting to our American readers, but in rural Italy (or India) these scooter-based pick-up trucks are everywhere, hauling improbable loads with as little as 50cc.

In production since 1948, the latest Apes can be fitted with 200cc petrol or 400cc diesel engines (although 50cc versions are still on sale!), and continue to be a common sight performing the most mundane of tasks, usually with a wearing-looking moustachioed driver on board perpetually wishing he had an extra 200cc.

A common sight in much of the world too is today’s second contest entry, the Volkswagen Transporter. An no, it’s not a camper.

Still in use by the thousand in South America, most Volkswagen T2s are not cool campers, surf buses or hippy time machines, they’re just… vans. And outdated noisy ones at that.

This splendid brick-built Transporter is transporting eggs, and comes from PalBenglat, who has captured its unpretentious simplicity beautifully.

There’s more to see of Pal’s Volkswagen Transporter van and BrickDreamer’s Piaggio Ape at their respective photostreams via the links, and there’s still time to get your Festival of Mundanity entry in, and be in with a chance of winning an awesome BuWizz Pro bluetooth battery (which we’ll be reviewing here very soon) along with some other fantastic prizes!

To the Bat Bus!

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What’s this? Is Batman giving up on vigilante crime-fighting in favour of all-natural-ethnically-sustainable-like-and-subscribe-#vanlife? Thankfully a ginormous gas-turbine-rocket-engine-propulsion-thingumy mounted in the bed of his ’60s Volkswagen Transporter suggests not.

Our hope is the Dark Knight is off to infiltrate the #vanlife community before beating the living crap out them. Not for being criminals, just for being douchbags. Whilst we luxuriate in that thought you can check out more of Batman’s new ride courtesy of 1saac W. of Flickr.

Batman’s going to give them not the beating that they deserve, but the one they need.

The Transporter 3

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With LEGO revealing their new (and really rather excellent looking) 10279 Volkswagen T2 Transporter set, we’re wondering if they will gradually work their way through all the Transporters as if they’re binging on Jason Statham action movies.

Getting there first though, is regular bloggee Jonathan Elliott, whose superb 6-wide recreation of the T3 Transporter looks considerably more realistic than anything that occurred in the third instalment of the movie franchise.

Click the link above to make the jump.

Transport of Champions

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If storing all your Speed Champions models is tricky, take a look at The G Brix‘s solution! A previous bloggee here at TLCB with his excellent Speed Champions scale cars, G Brix has now constructed this superb car transporter truck to carry them, complete with opening tool storage, working lifts and ramps, and – perhaps most importantly – a glorious two-colour racing stripe reminiscent of classic Town LEGO sets. Click the link above to take a look at G Brix’s brilliant Transport of Champions.

Giant Balls (of Gas)

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It’s some time in the future, and the Earth is completely depleted of helium. Clearly such a situation has massive ramifications, and the balloon-animal industry, vital to so many, have apparently take matters into their own highly-skilled balloon-bending hands.

Sending equipment to the Jupiter’s moon Europa, the inflatable contortionists are mining the satellite for its precious precious helium, returning the gas to Earth via transport ships, and – before that – these enormous gas-rovers.

With twelve-wheel-drive, a crew of five, and eight huge gas-filled balls, the gas-rovers are impressive machines, at least in the minds of Jon & Catherine Stead, whose backstory we have completely butchered for the purpose of this silliness.

We could have gone with either a testicle or enhanced-boobs theme though, so count yourself lucky Steads!

Anyway, their Europa gas-rover is a properly good build, with LED lighting, incredible brick-built wheels, and an ace five-person cockpit, where – presumably – the crew all talk in squeaky voices.

Head over to Jon and Catherine’s excellent ‘Helium Transporter’ album on Flickr to see more, and request a balloon giraffe.

Volkswagen Pride

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It’s Pride Month, which used to be Pride Week and before that Pride Day, but – like that girl in the office who drags her birthday out over three separate weekends – it seems to have become wildly and unnecessarily long. Because really there shouldn’t be the need for Pride anything at all.

However, the fact that when the Volkswagen Type 2 Transporter was launched the government of TLCB’s home nation determined which sexualities were acceptable and which were not, and in many other countries the government still decides which sexualities are acceptable and which are not, probably explains the continuing need for Pride and the fight for equal rights.

Cue 1saac W.‘s excellent Volkswagen T2, pictured here in both monochrome, and a rather more rainbowy paint scheme in support of Pride Day/Week/Month. Click the link above to see more, whether you’re monochrome, rainbow, or anything in between.

VeeDub WooWoo

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Ah, LEGO’s ‘Light & Sound’ system. Before Control+ Apps, Code Pilots, and third-party SBricks, a simple 2×2 brick with a little battery in it that went either ‘Niiii!’ or ‘Wooo!’ depending which way it was turned was the only thing available. And it was marvellous. If a little annoying for every parent of a child that owned one.

Ralph Savelsberg has dug out his thirty-year-old LEGO ‘Light & Sound’ bricks to fit them to his thoroughly modern Miniland scale Dutch police Volkswagen Transporter, and they duly give it ‘Niiii!’ and ‘Wooo!’ abilities as well* as they did to models three decades ago!

Ralph hasn’t left it there either, installing a Power functions remote control drivetrain to his Transporter, cunningly concealed in the back.

There’s more to see of Ralph’s excellent ‘Niiii’-ing and ‘Wooo’-ing Dutch police van on Flickr. Click the link above to annoy your parents.

*’Well’ is a relative term.

Board Shorts

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Short things are sometimes good things. Shortbread for example. Being short-listed. Skirts. Salma Hayek. OK, we’re getting off track, but this Volkswagen T1 Camper ‘Shortie’ by 1saac W of Flickr is definitely a good thing, and you can see more of it at his photostream just a short click away.

Green Space

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Volkswagen’s T1 ‘Transporter’ has been many things. Hippy camper, fire engine, pick-up, and covered van, the versatile VW has been used for all manner of tasks, however not – to our knowledge at least – as a medium duty dropside truck.

Thank the miserable 1200cc-1600cc air-cooled engine for that. Still, if you’re going to turn a T1 into a truck, you’re going to need to move the rear-mounted engine anyway, so upgrading it is going to be the least of your problems.

Flickr’s Tony Bovkoon has done just that though, with his lime green wooden drop-sided T1 hot rod truck, complete with a mid-mounted engine that is presumably somewhat beefier than the tiny flat four that originally hung out the back.

We’re not sure what to make of Tony’s VW T1 hot rod truck arrangement but you join us in pondering its existence at his Flickr album by clicking here.

Transport RSR

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Porsche’s 911 RSR racer is easily the most earsplitting racing car that this TLCB Writer has heard. Aston Martin and Corvette V8s, Formula 1 cars,  LMP1 racers, historic V12s… nothing hurts your ears like an RSR. They’re quite a thing to behind then, and LEGO have added their own rather excellent (and significantly quieter) version to the Technic line-up with the 42096 Porsche 911 RSR set.

The real 911 RSR is damaging hearing globally as it races around the world in various international series, including the World Endurance Championship which includes Le Mans, and GT3 racing. Transported by large trailers, we would not want to be inside when an RSR is fires up. Previous bloggee Lucio Switch has decided that his 42096 set deserves a fitting race transporter too, and as such has built this incredible fully remote controlled Technic truck and trailer to match the 42096 Porsche 911 RSR set.

Inside the trailer, which includes a matching livery, are tools and a tyre rack, a parking space for the 911 RSR set, and a six-seat cabin/meeting room for the team. The truck towing the trailer is just as impressive, with a brilliantly detailed six-cylinder engine (above) and interior, working steering, suspension and fifth wheel, and opening doors and hood. It also looks spectacular, as you can see in the beautiful photos here, with Lucio’s stunning presentation and lighting.

Both truck and trailer also feature Power Functions motors, giving the model remote control drive and steering, a two-speed gearbox, motorised support legs and a powered trailer ramp. There are more images of this phenomenal racing transporter available to view at Lucio’s Flickr album entitled simply ‘US Truck’ and at the Eurobricks discussion forum – Click the links to make the jump to see full details, and if you haven’t heard the real Porsche 911 RSR on which the 42096 Technic set is based, max your speakers, click here, and then imagine a noise at least a billion times louder.