The sun has been shining for weeks here at TLCB Towers, so we’re feeling very picnic-y!
This superb mini-figure Volkswagen Camper by Flickr’s Kosmas Santosa has the whole office yearning for an outdoors lunch. Not with the Elves of course, as that would be madness.
See more of Kosmas’ Camper at the link, while we enjoy an Elf-free afternoon off.
Welcome to The Lego Car Blog’s new series! Today marks the start of our collaboration with one of the top Lego Vehicle groups on Flickr, the superb Head Turnerz.
Head Turnerz’ members have supplied our Elves with a wealth of blog-worthy vehicles since the group’s inception in late 2013. We’ve decided to extend the mini-figure grab-hand of partnership to the group administrators in order to bring you the Top 5 creations in a variety of categories over the coming months.
First up we’ve decided to tackle the Big One – the Top 5 Technic Supercars ever built! Over to Head Turnerz to count down the list…
Jorgeopesi’s Pagani Huayra is not just as visually stunning as the real thing, but with a working 7-speed manual gearbox, remote controlled drive, and a huge list of other amazing features, this Pagani is our favourite Technic Supercar ever. Congratulations to Jorgeopesi, and you can click here to see more of the world’s current best Technic Supercar.
The incredible Crowkillers takes a close second place with his amazing 997 Porsche GT3. Porsche’s 911 is very difficult to replicate in Lego, but Crowkillers has built the most accurate 911 we have ever seen – and it’s not just the body that’s accurate, there’s even a working 6-speed transmission hooked-up to the famous flat-6 engine. To see more details of this supercar make sure you visit Crowkiller’s brilliant website, you can even buy the instructions so that you can build it yourself!
Dirk Klijn’s McLaren MP4-12C has a 3+Reverse gearbox and is one of the most visually appealing Technic Supercars on the web. But that’s not all. It’s also fully modular – meaning that the body can be completely separated from the chassis and each component removed, replaced and upgraded with ease – exactly how LEGO themselves design their products. To see the full gallery of number three in our list click here to visit Flickr.
It wouldn’t be a Technic Supercar Top 5 without one of Sheepo‘s incredible models, and what’s better than a Volkswagen Beetle?! Sheepo’s VW Bug is not your typical ‘supercar’, but it is a technical masterpiece featuring everything that a real Beetle does, and it’s exceptionally detailed inside and out. Sheepo’s brilliant bug can be found on Flickr here, plus on his own website via www.sheepo.es.
Sariel’s incredible Enzo Ferrari comes in at number 5 with beautiful body lines and more functions than you can believe! With full independent suspension, a manual 4-speed gearbox, V12 piston engine, pneumatically opened doors, moving accelerator pedal, electrically adjustable seats, automated rear wing and much more, the only way to see it all is to take a visit to Sariel’s excellent website.
There you have it; the Top 5 Technic Supercars ever! Do you agree with the Head Turnerz choices, or has someone been missed who really should have made it onto this list? And is the Top 5 simply too red?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments or via the Feedback page, and you can let the Head Turnerz administrators know your opinion on their Top 5 by joining the discussion at the Head Turnerz Group – just click the link above to join.
We’ll see you soon for our next Top 5. Watch this space!
The totally radical Andrea Lattanzio is back dudes! We’re like, stoked, to see his new pavement ride, this primo ’60s Vee-Dub pick-up. It’s got space for his sticks and the beach bunnies can watch him rippin’ a honker the from the deck. See more of his awesome whip on MOCpages.*
*Alternatively;
One of the office’s favourite builders, Andrea Lattanzio, returns to TLCB! We’re very excited by his latest model, this brilliant 1960s Volkswagen T2 pick-up. There’s room in the back for his surfboards and the girls can watch him catching a big wave from the tailgate. See more of his superb creation on MOCpages.
Following much Elf grumbling due to today’s earlier digital creation, we’ve decided to treat them to a movie afternoon. See, we are nice occasionally! Plus they’ve found some good creations today. The first of their finds is this, probably the most famous (and loved) movie car ever, ‘Herbie’, a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle with a personality.
Star of the 1968 movie ‘The Love Bug’, in which a struggling race driver is given a helping hand by the conscious Volkswagen, Herbie went on to star in many sequels, including the recent atrocity featuring a pre-breakdown Lindsay Lohan.
TLCB favourite Ralph Savelsberg aka Mad Physicist is the builder of this brilliant Miniland scale version of Volkswagen’s most popular car, and you can see more his Lego Herbie by clicking the link above. We also highly recommend a watch of The Love Bug for those that haven’t seen it. Judging by the elated noises coming from around the TV in the Elves’ cage room, they agree too…
Volkswagen’s humble Beetle may not have been a technologically advanced car when it was rescued from the ashes of World War II by the British Army, but recreating every working function of the real car from Lego Technic is far far beyond the understanding of TLCB office.
Spanish builder Sheepo however, has a mind of extraordinary ability, and his builds go way beyond what most think is possible from plastic bricks. His latest work may be of a simple car, but what lies within is anything but. His 1:8 scale 1967 Volkswagen Beetle features five motors, (controlling the drive, ackerman steering, brakes and gearbox), a working flat four engine, opening and locking doors, independent front suspension with swing axel rear, plus folding seats, a working steering wheel and a working brake pedal.
The Beetle is the latest in a long line of spectacular Technic Supercars from Sheepo and is available in further detail on either Eurobricks, or via his own website Sheepo’s Garage.
Interview! We’re delighted to announce that Sheepo has entered The Lego Car Blog’s Master MOCers Hall of Fame, and becomes the tenth (and final) builder in our incredible series, joining nine other of the very best Lego vehicle builders from around the world. To find out more about how Sheepo started building, what inspires him, and how he creates his Technic masterpieces simply click on the link below, or visit the Interviews page in the main menu at the top of the page.
Today’s post is something a bit special. Andrea Lattanzio (aka Norton74) has appeared here at TLCB several times with his hugely impressive European trucks, and most recently with his beautiful adaptation of LEGO’s 10220 Volkswagen Camper. His modified 10220 repurposed the original set as a canvas covered pick-up for Volkswagen Service, and Andrea has now constructed a stunning workshop to compliment his original model.
Entitled ‘Garage Life’, Andrea has recreated everything found in a typical workshop to exceptional detail, including every fitment, amenity and tool. Highlights include a Lego compressor, engine hoist, pillar drill, jack, rolling tool box, broom, axle stands, stereo system, sink with hand wash…
You can see all of the details above plus plenty more besides by visiting Andrea’s enthralling Flickr photostream or MOCpages account. Which is where we’re off to now. See you there…
Volkswagen’s Transporter is one of the most heavily modified vehicles ever made, so it’s a little surprising that LEGO’s own superb 10220 Volkswagen T1 set doesn’t seem to have followed suit. After all, LEGO is designed for modifying! We think it’s probably due to boring collectors being boring. Anyway, one builder who’s got his 10220 out of the box and had some fun with it is Norton74, a previous TLCB regular with his fantastic trucks.
Norton has removed the camper portion of his VW set and rebuilt it as a canvas covered pick-up, resplendent in Road Service livery. We think it looks even better than the original! See all the photos of the mod on MOCpages, and if you’ve got a 10220 sitting unopened in a box; you know what to do!…
The Lego Car Blog Elves are riotously excited this afternoon, because today one of them found a car named after themselves! This 5-wide slice of classic British motoring cake is a Riley Elf, which was basically an Austin/Morris Mini with a slightly ugly boot stuck on the rear, some extra chrome on the outside and some extra leather on the inside.
Volkswagen might be grabbing automotive headlines with their fancy MQB platform shared across multiple brands but the British Motor Corporation did it 50 years earlier with efforts like this. And their thriving presence today proved it worked out great in the long run… Anyway, see more of this Elf by visiting Lego Guy’s photostream.
Another day, another Elf returns to the office to be rewarded with a meal and a (red) Smartie. Today’s lucky worker uncovered this cool-looking Technic Volksrod on both MOCpages and Flickr. Built by newcomer sm 01 it’s entitled ‘Red Baron’ and it’s fully remote controlled. You can see more pictures and a video of it in action via the links.
This mean looking VeeDub Volksrod was suggested to us via the Feedback and Submission Suggestions page. Built by MOCpager sm 01 it features Power Functions remote control, opening doors, and the most important feature of all – an opening glovebox. See all the photos and a video of it in action at the link above.
oLaf is back, and he’s brought some little green adolescent crime fighters with him. The TMNT franchise always annoyed us slightly. They’re not turtles. They’re tortoises. It’s a different animal people! Anyway, see more of oLaF’s micro-scale VW ‘Turtle’ Van on Flickr.
And replies to this post must be addressed to ‘dude’, and end with ‘man.’
Moving on….
Welcome to the better-late-than-never Lego Car Blog review of the fab 10220 VW Camper van.
You may already have guessed that I rather like this model, despite not being a big fan of the original. I have had a go in one, and I can tell you that they are fun, if slow, and somewhat heavy drinkers that handle like a ship in a swell. And they have a crumple zone. You. They do serve as the only vehicle that my own old car can reliably go faster than… unless some dastardly tinkerer has stuffed a Porsche engine in one – hopefully it’ll have the Porsche’s brakes as well. The one I drove did not want to stop…
To the model!
It’s very detailed, as you can see, and is a joy to build. Give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the many details as you go along. The instructions are clear and easy to follow, so no problems there.
What you end up with is something that’s as good as all but the very best mocs out there, particularly on the inside. Don’t expect any snazzy functions, though. Lego took the (probably wise) decision to concentrate on the aesthetics inside and out rather than try to cram in a steering system. Like all but a few car builders, it’s refined looks or functions – not both.
This is why they managed to make it look so nearly perfect. The colour scheme, the vehicle’s stance on the road, all the detail, it really is something to display with pride. I said nearly perfect; the front looks OK, but the awkward steps between the red and white are not sufficiently hidden by the black tube that forms the border between them. It might have been better had the front been built differently. Still, full marks for effort, and it’s great that all the openings, errr… open, including the windscreen and the pop-up top. It’s all a considerable advance over the earlier VW Beetle set. And I do love the fact that all the windows are glazed.
Wouldn’t want that gorgeous interior to get dusty. There’s loads of great stuff in here, and this is the area where this model really shines. Behind the front seats it’s all studless, apart from the top of the folding table. There’s a sofa that folds into a bed, a little sink unit, lots of cupboard space and underneath it all is a nicely detailed model of the flat four engine. There’s even an accurate dashboard and foot pedals. My favourite part in here has to be the T-Shirt in the wardrobe that says ‘Make Lego Models Not War’; for once I don’t mind a couple of stickers. Those dinky little curtains are ace as well, and the lava lamp and…. I could go on but you get the picture. Considering the scale – 14 studs wide – there’s as much going on in here as possible, and this’ll be the reason such a relatively small model has a high piece count and price (£80). It’s well worth it.
Best of all, it’s the right size for those big old build-it-yourself homemaker figures from the ’70s. Dress a couple up, sixties style and you have a groovy shindig. Or something. Or, if you’re as creative as Iain Heath , build some Miniland Figures, with or without questionable substances…
Their names are Credence Sandstorm and Crystal Bliss, apparently..
If you ever get tired of this model, this set makes a great parts pack as well, with lots of the kind of hinges, SNOT bricks and curved pieces that are manna to car builders. There’s even a little present from the designers hidden in the engine bay, in the form of two trans-clear headlight bricks that could be any colour, but the designer must realise how precious these are to anyone who’s ever built a large car with a curved headlight. Thanks for that, and thanks for the wonderfulness that is this lovely model. 10/10.
Tiny Transporter
We’ve been posting MOCs towards the larger end of the spectrum recently, so today it’s time for something a bit smaller…
This tiny white transporter is a stretched Volkswagen T1 ‘Renntransporter’, as used by the Rennstall Bunker Porsche Team in the 1960s. Nils O is the creator, and you can see more of his mini-masterpieces on MOCpages.
This company would be the choice of peace loving hippies within 15 years. Weird.
Volkswagen, rescued by the British Army after near annihilation during the World War Two Allied bombings, was not always a global behemoth churning out millions of cars a year. Its past includes being the darling of the hippy movement, and prior to this, foundations routed in conflict. This is one of their earliest efforts, and also one of their contributions to the Axis Powers, the Type 128 Schwimmwagen. So called because it can, er, schwimm. LegoUli has used some ingenious techniques to recreate the famous wartime amphibian. Click his name to see more.
