Tag Archives: World War 2

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Lego Messerschmitt Bf 109K

Germany’s Messerschmitt 109 was the top World War 2 fighter until the Spitfire became the dominant force in aerial combat. Built by the same company that would later go on to manufacture weird bubble cars the 109 was hugely successful in the skies over Europe, and much of the rest of the world. Being on the losing side has meant the Messerschmitt has perhaps slipped from the public conscious when compared to its Allied rivals, but the 109’s pilots were no less skilled or brave than those flying the Allies’ Spitfires, Hurricanes or Mustangs. Daniel Siskind has built two versions of the famous German fighter (hence the title), and you can see more of them and his other military builds on Flickr.

Supermarine Spitfire

Lego Supermarine Spitfire

We’ve not posted a plane for a while, so here’s one of our favourites; the beautiful Supermarine Spitfire, built here in Mk. IX form by Henrik Jensen on MOCpages. See all the photos at Henrik’s MOCpage.

Elf For a Day

Lego USS Missouri

Here at The Lego Car Blog we love to hear your feedback and your suggestions if our Elves have missed a creation worth posting. A little outside competition helps to keep them sharp too.

This post was suggested to us via the Feedback and Submission Suggestions page by one of our readers, and although it’s not a car we do occasionally blog other transport-related creations. It is in fact a 1/350 replica of the USS Missouri battleship that saw service in World War 2 and the Pacific, built by a previous ‘Featured TFOL (Teen Fan Of Lego)’ Achintya Prasad. See all the photos, and a video demonstrating the motorised rotating fore guns, on either MOCpages or Flickr.

If you’ve found a creation our Elves have missed and you think it should be here please visit our Submission Guidelines. Please note that self-requests are not encouraged.

Battlefield Recovery

Lego M31 Armored RecoveryBreaking down in battle presents problems. The local recovery firm may be a little unwilling to venture out to get you, spare parts might be a bit tricky, and their tow truck is probably on the small side. Thankfully the US military had it covered in World War II with their massive M31 Armored Recovery Vehicle (ARV). Daniel Siskind has recreated the wartime machine beautifully, and you can see more on Flickr.

GMC CCKW

Lego GMC Army TruckThis nondescript abbreviation is an American GMC army truck built during World War 2, that then saw service in the Korean War a few years later. Featuring 6×6 drive the CCKW was used to transport all manner of military goods and was built in a variety of specifications. =DoNe=‘s closed cab flatbed version is shown here and you can see more on Flickr.

 

Wartime Wednesday

Lego M3A2 Half-TrackWe came down to the cage room here at The Lego Car Blog Towers to much noise this morning, where two Elves were embroiled in what may well have become a fight to the death. Meal tokens (and the occasional Smartie) are highly prized amongst our delinquent workforce, as without them they have to survive by eating the wallpaper paste left-over from the redecoration of our sumptuous boardroom. Luckily for the Elves today we’re feeling generous, so two meal tokens were distributed and we’re bringing you both of their finds.

First up (above) is a beautifully recreated M3AT Half-Track, built by Flickr’s Captain Eugene. There may be a couple of ‘Brick Arms’ pieces in there but it looks too good to ignore on a minor technicality. Today’s second creation comes from Daniel Siskind who has also recreated a World War II vehicle in mini-figure scale. His M1 Light Tractor, and those that drove them, were some of the unsung heroes of the conflict, building the ports, airfields and barracks that were needed to move and house the Allies.

You can check out both creations in further detail on Flickr via the links in the text.

Lego M1 Bulldozer

Forgotten Hero

Lego Ilyushin II-2Until now we’d not seen a Russian World War 2 fighter recreated in LEGO. Perhaps this is because the US and UK wrote much of post-war history, or because Russia’s contribution was quickly forgotten due to its Stalin-esque links and the Cold War.

This one-sided praise has gifted the Spitfire, Hurricane and Mustang with everlasting fame, whilst Russia’s contributions lie largely ignored. Which is shame, because this plane, the Ilyushin II-2, repelled the German invasion of Russia and is in fact the most numerous miltary plane ever made. In sheer numbers, no aircraft made a larger contribution to halting the spread of Naziism. Flickr’s Dornbi gives the Ilyushin some much needed recognition, and you can see the full gallery at the link.

Casualty of War

Leg Plane RWD-14 CzaplaDiscovered on Flickr this Lego recreation of a Polish RWD-14 Czapla reconnaissance plane is one of the vehicular casualties of the Second World War. Whilst the Czapla did have two machine guns fitted it was no match for the Luftwaffe fighters. 65 were built for the Polish Airforce in 1938 and ’39 and all were destroyed by the invading Germans, or in the following assault by the Soviets. Now, like so much from the wartime years, the RWD-14 Czapla only exists in photographs. mrutek adds his Lego version to the memory.

Wings

Lego Seaplane Curtiss SeagullWhilst we are primarily a car blog, as defined by our imaginative title, we do occasionally like to poke an exploratory tentacle into the world of planes. Today we bring you two of the best recently uploaded to the interweb, representing both sides in the Second World War, and utilising markedly different technologies.

First up (above) is this beautiful Curtiss Seagull, built only between 1935 and 1940, but used extensively throughout the war aboard US warships as observation, scout and training aircraft. JBIronWorks has recreated the aircraft wonderfully, and landed it at a lovely tropical beach. See more on Flickr via the link above.

Second, and representing Germany, is the world’s first jet powered fighter; the Messerschmitt ME 262. Entering service in 1944 the Messerschmitt had, perhaps thankfully, only a brief operational history that ended with the conflict in 1945. It had proved a formidable (and deadly) opponent and influenced aircraft design long after the war. Flickr user LegoUli recreates what is arguably the first aircraft of the modern era, and you can see more of his Lego version along with his other wartime creations at his photostream here.

Lego Messerschmitt ME 262

Black Widow

Lego Northrop P-61 Black WidowThis Northrop P-61 ‘Black Widow’, built by Sydag on Flickr, shows what a long exposure can do for your pictures, in this case giving the appearance of turning propellors when no motors are to be found in the model. Clever photography for a clever build!

This is the second P-61 we’ve published here at TLCB. The first contains a brief summary and history of the American interceptor, which you can find by using the Search function at the foot of this page, or by clicking the relevant ‘tags’ under this post.

P-51 Mustang

Lego P-51 MustangThis glorious North American P-51 Mustang was discovered by one of our Elves today on Flickr. The work of mrutek, A TLCB veteran, it’s a model that clearly shows the advantages of LEGO’s newer smooth curved pieces, which allow the Mustang’s famous fuselage and wing shape to be re-formed from our favourite plastic blocks without losing their stunning fluidity. Check out all the photos of this beautiful Second World War fighter on Flickr here.

Plastic Duck

Lego DUKWThis Lego DUKW World War II amphibious truck is certainly more fun than a yellow bath toy, although it probably doesn’t float. The real thing does though, hence the ‘Duck’ nickname. Over 21,000 were produced for the Allies during the Second World War for use in the Pacific and during the D-Day Landings, with many surviving today as tourist and leisure craft on our cities’ rivers. Daniel Siskind has built the Lego version we have here, and you can see more of it and his other Lego creations via Flickr.

Learn to Fly

Boeing Stearman PT-17This lovely Boeing Stearman PT-17 biplane is the work of mrutek on Flickr, and it’s our second song-titled creation of the day. The PT-17 was designed as a training aircraft for the US military in the 1930s and ’40s, with over 8,000 produced during the period. It’s therefore perhaps a bit of an unsung hero of the Second World War, as it was the tool of choice for training pilots who would later take to the skies to defend the Allies in far more war-like machinery.

Following the war the large surplus of PT-17s were sold to the civilian market, to be used as crop dusters, leisure aircraft, and in aerobatics display teams. As such, unlike many aircraft from the annals of history, many PT-17s survive and are in use today. Perhaps the little biplane, in a roundabout way, has received the recognition it deserved after all.

Desert Warrior

Lego Opel Blitz TruckThis magnificent wartime Opel Blitz supply truck is the work of Vibor Cavor aka Veeborg on Flickr. We’ve featured a few of his models on The Lego Car Blog before, but this one made our jaws hit the floor in awe. It might just be the best truck we’ve ever blogged. We can’t come close to doing it justice here, so head over to Vibor’s photostream for all the images and details. We’ll see you there.

Lego Opel Blitz Supply Truck