Tag Archives: Ukraine

KRAZY

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Lego KrAZ 255 Truck Remote Control

This is a Ukrainian KrAz 255 6×6 off-road truck, launched in the late 1960s by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The KrAZ factory actually started out making bridges, then combine harvesters, before moving on to military trucks. Communism meant you built what you were told to…

KrAZ were good at trucks though, and in 1971 they were awarded the Order of Lenin (the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union) for their successes, and their products were exported to several countries around the world.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union KrAZ are no longer under the control of the state, and – a little weirdly – are supplying vehicles to the Ukrainian army to defend Ukraine from invasion by their old masters Russia.

This superb Model Team style recreation of the Soviet-era KrAZ 255 is the work of xxtruck of Brickshelf, making his TLCB debut. Underneath the realistic exterior is a remotely controlled 6×6 drivetrain, working suspension on all wheels, a detailed engine and interior, and functioning head and tail lights.

There’s lots more of the KrAZ 255 to see via xxtruck’s Brickshelf Gallery – take a look via the link above.

Trolleyed

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Lego Trolleybus Remote Control

Looking like a normal bus, but powered by electricity via overhead cables (just like a dodgem), the Trolleybus is a very smart solution for emissions-free urban transport. With the current focus on air quality and global warming it seems very strange that the humble trolleybus is now completely extinct in TLCB’s home nation.

However trolleybuses do still exist in other parts of the world, and in Ukraine amongst other countries they’re still a reasonably common sight. This ZiU-9, a remnant from the extensive Soviet trolleybus system constructed in the 1960s, is the work of previous bloggee paave, and it’s packed with functionality.

Lego Technic ZiU-9 Trolleybus

Hidden within the realistic bodywork are three Power Functions motors, five linear actuators, a LiPo battery, two IR receivers, and a set of LED lights. An XL motor takes care of the drive whilst a Medium motor controls the steering, and a Large motor completes the set providing power to each of the automatic opening doors. All of this is remotely controlled via LEGO’s excellent Power Functions infrared system.

There’s lots more to see, including a video of the trolleybus in action, at several of the key creation-sharing platforms; click on a link to climb on-board: MOCpages, Brickshelf, Eurobricks.

Lego Technic Remote Control Bus ZiU-9

Cold War

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Lego F4-B Phantom

The news is making for pretty grim reading at the moment. Russia is on the war path again (yay…), albeit covertly and surrounded by furious Kremlin denials, and America is too, although this time they have the support of forty countries including some unlikely middle-eastern allies (even Iran).

Unlike the era from which today’s models originated, the two great nuclear powers are currently fighting on different fronts, and merely throwing testosterone fuelled political doctrine at one another in regards to their respective conflicts. Of course during the Cold War it was only strong words that were exchanged too, but it could have been so very different.

The awesome F4-B Phantom was the cornerstone of America’s air attack in the 1960s-’80s, and this incredible recreation of the multi-role fighter is the work of the brilliant Bricktrix on Flickr. Featuring custom decals, working flaps, air-brakes, tail rudder, tail hook, folding wing tips, retractable landing gear and flashing nav lights, you can see the Phantom’s full gallery via the link above.

To defend the Soviet Union from the likes of the Phantom the Soviets responded with this, the Tunguska 9K22/2S6 Tracked Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft System. D-Town Cracka‘s perfectly recreated Lego version is detailed right down to the eight 9M311 surface-to-air missiles that would have been used to defend the motherland’s air-space.

Thankfully the two giant (and moronic) superpowers never exchanged fire. Just two decades earlier they had stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the Second World War to defeat Nazism too. How quickly we forget the lessons of history…

Lego Cold War Soviet Missile-Launcher