Tag Archives: truck

Star Trek

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It’s been a while since a remotely controlled vehicle trundled down the halls of TLCB Towers in pursuit of a fleeing group of Elves.

However today normal service was resumed, thanks to previous bloggee keymaker, and this excellent Star 266 trial truck, driven by twin XL motors, steered by a Medium motor, and powered and controlled by a BuWizz Bluetooth battery.

All-wheel suspension and a detailed cab also feature, with the model built for a Polish truck trial competition.

Best of all, free building instructions are available, and you can find all the details of keymaker’s Star 266 at Eurobricks, plus the complete image gallery via Bricksafe. Take a look via the links above whilst we see how the ongoing machine vs. Elves chase here in the office plays out.

Enormous Dump

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Nope, not Detroit, but this; an utterly gargantuan Terex Unit Rig MT 6300AC. Designed to work alongside the world’s largest rope shovels, this 400-ton truck operates in an Australian open-cast ore mine, and is pictured here – to scale – alongside a Hilux-style pick-up, showing just how huge it really is.

Powered by a twenty-cylinder with electric assistance, the MT 6300AC produces 3,750bhp, and is now – like every piece of mining equipment it seems – part of the Caterpillar empire.

This incredible replica of the Unit Rig MT 6300AC still wears its Terex livery however, and has been recreated in phenomenal detail by recent bloggee Beat Felber, who is on something of an upload spree.

His latest build merges System and Technic building with several well chosen third-party components, including RC tyres (LEGO don’t make any large enough), SBrick bluetooth control, and a CaDa micro-motor, along with a suite of Power Functions parts to provide remote control drive, steering, tipping, and lighting.

There’s also working suspension, opening doors and hatches, plus deployable ladders, with much more to see at Beat’s fantastic ‘Terex Unit Rig MT 6300AC’ album on Flickr. Take a look via the link above, whilst we await an angry comment from a Detroit resident.

Radar Love

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This fantastic creation is a ZIL 131, a Soviet V8-powered 6×6 off-road truck built from the 1960s right up to 2012, as used by all manner of dodgy dictatorships and communist regimes around the world. And Finland.

It’s also a vehicle that has appeared on this site several times over the years. This one however, is a little different from most…

Fitted to the bed of Samuel Nerpas’ Technic version is an enormous radar system, as was mounted on the real AMU variants of the ZIL 131. Powered by two separate gasoline engines, the P19 radar antenna would raise, unfurl, and rotate, allowing the Soviet Union to deploy radar in even its most inhospitable parts.

Samuel’s incredible recreation of the ZIL 131 AMU includes that P19 radar system, with four Power Functions motors raising and unfolding the antenna, powering a decoupling clutch, and rotating it 360°.

Four more motors drive all six fully-suspended wheels, whilst another powers the steering, and yet another a compressor to deploy the pneumatically-operated stabiliser legs.

There’s loads more to see of Samuel’s astonishing build at both his Flickr photostream and at the Eurobricks forum, where full build details, imagery of the amazing antenna deployed, and videos of the model in action can also be found. Click the links above to get on the radar.

Today’s (excellent) title song.

Seismic Vibrator

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Today’s vehicle is large, ponderous, and causes seismic tremors. Just like your Mom.

It’s a Sercel Nomad 65 ‘vibroseis truck’, designed to send shock-waves through the earth to map rock density. First pioneered by Conoco in the late ’50s, seismic vibrators today conduct around half of all land surveys, with many mounted on enormous purpose-built off-road platforms such as this Sercel.

Constructed by TLCB Master MOCer Nico71 for the Sercel Company (along with a further five copies), this incredible creation mimics the Nomad 65’s operation thanks to a suite of LEGO Powered-Up and Control+ electronics.

Two XL Motors drive the wheels via frictionless clutches, whilst an L Motor powers two linear actuators that swing the articulated central steering pivot. The vibration unit is lowered and raised via another motor and pair of actuators, whilst a fourth motor drives the vibration device itself.

A motorised winch, pendular suspension, and an inline 6-cylinder also feature, with all of the model’s motorised functions operable remotely via a smartphone courtesy of the Control+ app.

The finished model contains around 3,300 pieces, measures a huge 68cm long, and best of all you can build it for yourself as Nico has made building instructions available.

The Sercel’s complete image gallery can be found at Nico’s Brickshelf, plus you can watch the model in action via the video below. Take a look whilst we congratulate ourselves for successfully making it to the end of this post without a single sex toy analogy. Who knew a ‘Your Mom’ joke could be the high road!

YouTube Video

Achtung Baby

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This is a Mercedes-Benz Unimog U20, one of hundreds of Unimog variants, but unusual in being the only ‘forward control’ version, and – by TLCB maths – exactly ten times better than a long-standing Irish soft rock band.

It comes from previous bloggee and Master MOCer Thirdwigg, who has packed it not just with working Technic functions, but also an array of attachments and tools in much the same way as the real thing would be.

Working steering, pendular suspension, a piston engine, and a tipping cab all feature, with a folding crane, three-way tipping bed, street sweeper, and snow plough all attachable via the adjustable hitches and mounting points.

There’s much more of Thirdwigg’s excellent Technic Unimog U20 to see at both his Flickr album of the same name and at the Eurobricks forum, where full imagery and yes – building instructions are available too!

Put the Sausage in the Hole

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Yes, we’re trying to mess with search engines again. This is a Mercedes-Benz LK ‘Rundhauber’ (round bonnet) box truck, and its creator 1saac W. began the build by inserting a LEGO sausage into a 1×1 round-with-bar-attachment piece. His words.

Crude beginnings aside, the result is rather excellent, and there’s more to see of 1saac’s sausage-insertion construction at his photostream. Click the link above to put it in.

Beer Container

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This is a DAF FTG XF 530 Sleeper Cab, and it’s been built – rather beautifully – by previous bloggee Arian Janssens of Flickr. It’s also not alone, being hitched to an enormous three-axle container trailer complete with a giant tank of… we have no idea. Beer perhaps? We can but hope.

What ever is in it, there’s more to see of Arian’s impressive build at his ‘DAF FTG XF 530 SLEEPER CAB’ album, where an alternative more jazzily-hued container load can also be seen. Click the link above to  take a look and cross your fingers it’s beer…

Pick It Up

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After some quiet days we’re picking up the pace of posting, with today’s second creation being this gorgeous 8-wide ’50s pick-up truck by TLCB regular 1saac W.

Taking inspiration from many classic trucks, 1saac’s creation packs in a plethora of clever building techniques with some inspired parts orientation. Whitewall tyres and chrome pin-striping adds to the period appeal, and there’s more to see at 1saac’s photostream. Click here to pick your way over.

Optimally Posting

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It’s been a while since we last posted a Lego creation. This may have been because we’ve been at the pub, but as there’s a longstanding narrative running through this website to do with mythical Elves finding blog-worthy Lego creations, let’s go with them not finding anything. Yeh, that.

We do genuinely only publicise creations that we believe warrant it though, and today we have the first of many now we’re back from the pub TLCB Elves have found some.

This one comes from TLCB debutant Levente Lévai, whose own interpretation of Transformers’ Optimus Prime transforms from truck to robot and back again with such incredible complexity it makes our heads hurt. Although that could be the lingering aftermath of the pub.

There’s loads more to see of Levente’s spectacular transforming Autobot on Flickr, where there are dozens of images depicting the extraordinary metamorphosis. Click the link above to roll out.

LEGO Technic 42175 Volvo FMX Truck & EC230 Electric Excavator | Set Preview

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Following our preview earlier this month of the brand new H2 2024 LEGO Technic sets you may have been wondering where the promised fourth real-world vehicle was. Well today can we reveal all, starting – as the more eagle-eyed reader will have spotted – with the new 42175 Volvo FMX Truck & EC230 Electric Excavator not being one real-world vehicle at all, but two.

Following a long tradition of truck-with-trailer-and-vehicular-load Technic sets, 42175 ushers Volvo’s off-road FMX truck and electric EC230 tracked excavator into the Technic line-up, bringing pneumatics back in the process.

Aimed at ages 10+ and constructed from 2,274 pieces, 42175 features working steering, a tilting cab, and a six-cylinder engine on the truck, fold-down ramps on the trailer, and a 360° slewing superstructure and a two-stage pneumatically-operated bucket arm on the excavator.

There’s also a ‘charging station’ that can be lifted off the trailer by the excavator for when it needs some more electricity, which we can only assume in real-life would be a giant battery or – more ironically – a diesel generator. Either way it looks a bit pointless within the set, doing precisely nothing whatsoever.

The three other components (truck, trailer, excavator) look sufficiently playable however, if a little under-endowed aesthetically for the £170 / $200 asking price. This is particularly true for the excavator’s bucket arm, which uses two small buckets to create one of the correct size. If this approach isn’t to support a B-Model, it’s a bit of a corner cut.

Still, 42175 could be a worthwhile addition to the 2024 Technic line up, and you’ll be able to get your hands on it when it reaches stores in August of this year.

Mad Maximum Squashing

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Longstanding readers of this stagnent puddle in the corner of the Internet will know that TLCB Elves – the mythical creatures whose unending and unpaid job it is to find the creations that appear here – have a penchant for extreme violence towards one-another. This usually takes the form of a hit-and-run (see here, here, here, here and here), and today normal service was resumed as one of their number found this.

‘This’, is a fully remote controlled replica of the wild ‘Big Foot’ monster truck from ‘Mad Max – Fury Road’, as built by TLCB Master MOCer Sariel, and powered by twin Control+ L Motors driving all four wheels. Said wheels are shod in huge non-LEGO RC tyres, plus there’s working suspension, a V8 piston engine, and two bed mounted guns for maximum movie authenticity.

All of which means that for the Elves that weren’t squashed, it’s probably the Best Creation Ever. And even for those that were, it was still the Best Creation Ever right up until the moment it smeared them into the office carpet. There’s more of the model to see at Sariel’s ‘Mad Max Big Foot’ album, you can watch it in action via the video below, and you can read the builder’s interview here at The Lego Car Blog by clicking these words.

YouTube Video

Truck Boots Jeans Girl Creek Boots Truck*

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That’s the most American title we’ve published yet. Apart from this one of course. If you’re into bro-country music then this post is for you, as today we have the perfect truck to go with your boots, jeans, girl, and boots.

Built by previous bloggee Jakub Marcisz, this fantastic 1990 Dodge Ram features opening doors, hood, and tailgate, working steering, a detailed interior and engine, and a superbly executed exterior.

Building instructions are available, with lots more of the model to see at Jakub’s ‘Dodge RAM 1990’ Flickr album and at the Eurobricks discussion forum. Plus if one truck isn’t enough (and it never is in bro-country), here’s another from Jakub’s back-catalogue. Truck, beer, girl, boots, truck…

*What every bro-country song sounds sounds like.

Future Containment

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Most Lego sci-fi builds are ginormous interplanetary spaceships designed for various important space-based assignments.

Which is all very well, but we suspect that – even when we’ve colonised other planets – 99% of both persons and vehicles will still be driving about on a paved surface. After all, mankind has been flying for a hundred years, but only a tiny fraction of us are in the air.

Thus it’s rather refreshing to see a sci-fi builder turn their hand to what will inevitably be the vast majority of future transport; the stuff that looks pretty much the same as it does now.

Cue Flickr’s Shuppiluliumas, here making their TLCB debut, and these two ace sci-fi trucks. Both are packed with details such as tilting cabs, posable steering, and brick-built drivetrains, and each design features just enough futurism to transport the viewer to a time ahead of our own. Plus one of them’s transporting a giant positron cannon, which helps.

There’s more of each truck to see at Shuppiluliumas’ photostream, and you can jump to future normality via the link above.

Master MOGer

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TLCB Master MOCer Thirdwigg continues to expand his Mercedes-Benz Unimog catalogue. This one is a U5000 short cab tipper, meaning there’s more room to put stuff to tip. A three-way (snigger) tipping bed, working steering, high/low gearbox, rear suspension, piston engine, plus front and rear winches all feature, and you can see more – including a link to building instructions if you’d like to create it yourself – by clicking here.

Daffy Truck

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This ginormous green machine is a DAF XG, the brand’s 2021 replacement for the XF truck that is ubiquitous across Western Europe, and here at TLCB too.

Constructed by MCD in 1:21 scale from around 1,300 pieces, this brilliantly-built replica of the XG – shown here pulling a tipper trailer designed by fellow builder Niklas Kaemer – features working steering, opening doors, and a whole lotta lime.

Building instructions are available and you can find out more at both the Eurobricks discussion forum and MCD’s ‘2021 DAF XG 4×2’ Rebrickable page. Click the links to take a look.