Following yesterday’s modern DAF truck post, here’s its grandad. This stunning recreation of the classic DAF T 2400 has been built by previous bloggee Nanko Klein Paste. Nanko has detailed the chassis and engine as well as the beautiful 1960s Dutch bodywork, and you can see all the photos after the jump.
We don’t often publish fictional cars here at TLCB, because most of them are…er, let’s just say ‘inadequate’. This one though, suggested to us via the Feedback page, is rather nice. It’s the work of Davanchi M and it features a variety of details including opening doors and a clamshell engine cover. But not steering, Davanchi’s faked that. Make it work for real next time please Davanchi! Anyway, you can see more of his ‘Apollo Legacy’ supercar on MOCpages via the link above.
LEGO would probably call this a Refuse Collection Truck or something, but round our way these are bin lorries and that’s what this shall henceforth be called! Anyway, it might just be a bin lorry, but what a magnificent one it is. Zbiczasty has recreated the Volvo FH cab and Anaconda compactor so brilliantly we had to click on the thumbnail image of the real truck in his recently modified Brickshelf gallery to check it wasn’t Lego too. See what we mean by clicking the link above.
P.S. Recycle!
These two heavyweights of the performance car world were suggested by a reader, and they remind us of a time when Japan was on top of its automotive game. It’s a shame then that currently the entire Japanese auto industry makes almost nothing exciting, and both Mitsubishi and Subaru are virtually dead in the UK market. And don’t even get us started on Honda. Where’s your mojo gone Japan? We’re not the only ones missing it…
Oh, these excellent recreations of the Mitsubishi Evo X and Subauru Impreza WRX are the work of Alexander Paschoaletto on MOCpages – click here to see more.
These two matching Technic RC cars by 51yang were discovered by one of our Elves on Brickshelf. You can see the full gallery via the link above.
This, er… thingumy is apparently a Soviet Martian Dump Truck. And who we are we to argue when it looks this cool? Shannon Ocean is the builder, and you can see more of his whimsical creation here.
Another day in the office at TLCB Towers and another group of 23 Elves contentedly squabble over a single bright red Smartie. It’s their reward for finding this rather nice Tracked Articulated Tractor. This is the third vehicle built by František Hajdekr using his extremely compact track modules. The tractor is a neat blend of a hinging Technic chassis with a System body which features so many headlights that we’re not sure which is the front or the back end.
František’s first machine to use his track modules was his Tracked ATV, based on the standard Lego motorbike pieces, shown below. This looks very like quad-bikes that actually exist, using the Litefoot conversion system for travelling in deep snow. You can see more photos of both machines, plus details of the construction of the track modules and the Tractor’s chassis, by clicking this link to František’s Flickr Photostream.
The new 2015 Technic sets are in the shops now and I’ve made my customary annual pilgrimage to the temple of Mammon…
I returned with a very nice green and white Le Mans style racer (about which more soon) and this :
Looks very racy dontchathink ? It is of course set 42036, the Sports Motorbike, and it might be lego’s most handsome bike yet. 375 pieces of Technic goodness for 30 quid. Decent value, then, if not outstanding.
New element news! This comes with some very handy ‘technic single bush with pin’ pieces that’ll get moccers salivating. They have appeared in a few 2014 sets, including the big Tumbler, but 2015 is their first appearance in Technic sets. There’s also a piece that’s a 1L smooth sided bush – imagine half a pin joiner and you’re there. 42036 comes with just two of those, one of which is a spare.
What else have we got ? Well, after you’ve destroyed the box, you’ll find two instruction books, a worryingly large sticker sheet and a few bags of bits. You’ll enjoy the build well enough over a leisurely hour or so, ten minutes of which will be c.a.r.e.f.u.l.l.y. placing stickers over curved panels.
The bike itself looks ace, in a Japanese suzhonda firebusa kind of way, while functionally it’s a mixed bag…
The engine’s pretty neat. It’s a V4 (NOT A TWIN!!) that takes it’s drive from the centre of the crankshaft, it’s mounted across the bike and canted forward. Not being an expert on bikes, I have no idea how realistic this is but I find it does make a nice change from the usual set-up in Technic bikes. Still turns too slowly, though…
Suspension, on the other hand, is pretty bog standard with no surprises; wobble-strut front forks and all. Because of the thicker tyres, the front one will foul the springs too easily when it’s compressed, and I really would have thought a wider rear tyre shouldn’t be too much to ask on a bike like this… maybe they can mount the primary chain inside the swingarm while they’re at it. Some things never change…
Colours change sometimes, and this time for the better. The medium blue and red combination is very attractive with the dark grey wheels. I was hoping it’d look so nice I needn’t bother with the stickers, but alas without them it does look a bit underdressed. With the stickers on it looks great, until they start to peel…
Which leads me to Lego’s treatment of the seat. It’s a pair of stickers on the frame! This is. Just. Not. Good. Enough. At least with the exhaust underneath the rider can keep warm.
In other news, the B-model looks pretty cool:
…makes a change from the endless sea of choppers and dragsters doesn’t it ? I like this drag-bike type thing very much, mostly because the front end doesn’t wobble so much. There’s an instruction book for it as well.
Overall, this is a bit style-over-substance (engine excepted) and, while it looked like it might be an outstanding bike, it’s really rather… average. It’s saved by it’s good looks and that B-model. 7/10
We deliberated quite a lot about whether to give this post the same title that Flickr’s _Tiler has used for this creation. Not because we’re a clean bunch here at TLCB (as the regular notes about your Mom testify), but more because whenever we title a post… er, ‘ambiguously’, we get inundated with spam.
Anyway, we’re risking it. And if you’re too young to know what this title means, ask your Mom…
Now that’s an impressive cockpit.* Ralph Savelsberg returns with a brilliantly recreated version of the ’80s Blue Thunder helicopter. Click his name above to see more on Flickr.
*Your Mom would like it.
This is special Special. Due to an inflated sense of self-importance we tend to write quite a few meaningless words here at TLCB. For this post though, whatever we say is completely moot, because this creation is so utterly beautiful the only way to do it justice is through images. Lots and lots of images. So here they are…
It’s a 1935 Auburn Boattail Speedster, and although it’s a bit early to guess ‘Car of the Year’, this is quite possibly it. Used in an Indiana Jones movie, Flickr’s Veeborg has recreated the incredible pre-war roadster in wonderful detail.
You can see the full gallery at Veeborg’s photostream here, or at his MOCpage here – they might be the best Lego links you click on this year…
It’s No.2 in the ‘How to Become a Lego Professional‘ interview series, and we’ve got an actual LEGO set designer (and published author) to join us! You can’t get more ‘Pro’ than that.
Nathanael Kruipers aka NKubate has designed several recent LEGO Technic sets that you may own at home! So what does he think is most important in the Lego Community? Click below to read his thoughts…
This neat Technic/System tractor was discovered on Flickr. Bobofrutx is the builder, and you can see more at his photostream by clicking here.
Kingfisher. It’s a name that’s used a lot. For a children’s book publisher. A rather good beer. An airline. A bird. And this; the World War II era Vought OS2U floatplane. Over 1,500 Vought Kingfishers were produced after its introduction in the late ’30s, and we think it might be one of the prettiest planes ever made. TLCB favourite Henrik Jensen has reproduced the unusual aircraft superbly, and you can see more his recreation on MOCpages.
Ask a 12 year old who the best racing driver ever is and they might very well say ‘Ken Block’. He’s not of course – in fact he seems to simply crash a lot – but what he has done it tap into the power of YouTube magnificently.
Block’s ‘Gymkhana’ series has become one of the most watched things on the internet, and has attracted big sponsorship as a result. Ford provide Ken with his current wheels, but unusually his most recent video didn’t use something from their current range. At least on the surface. Instead Ken built the world’s first (probably) all-wheel-drive first generation Mustang, which he used to tear up the streets of LA in spectacular style.
It’s a car ripe for reproducing in Lego form, and Technic legend (and the first builder in our ‘Pro’ series) Sariel has done just that. Powered by two RC LEGO Buggy Motors, with working headlights and independent suspension, his Technic Ford Mustang looks as cool as Ken’s real deal. And it works. You can see all the photos on MOCpages, but before you do, make sure you watch the amazing video below…
YouTube Video:
Here at The Lego Car Blog we like, well… Lego and cars. The Elves add violence to this list (and Smarties of course), so when a few discovered gaming site gamesfreak.net and their free-to-play Lego games most of our workforce rushed over to find a game that could tick off all the things on their list.
Our favourite game – and one that manages a great combination of the three of the Elves’ desired attributes above was LEGO Racers Crosstown Craze.
Launched as an official LEGO online game back in 2008, Crosstown Craze is a simple 2D driving simulator in which you can race an assortment of LEGO Racers vehicles down an obstacle-strewn raceway. Smashing your competitors out of the way whilst collecting the power-boosts, health packs and other goodies strategically placed in the road helps your cause, and if you cross the finish line first you progress to meet another – tougher – opponent.
Crosstown Craze is quite similar to the CD-ROM game that came with this set way back in 1998, so don’t expect Grand Theft Auto V rivalling graphics. However, in an era of quick and easy mobile gaming, games like this one from times past have seen a second-coming, easily matching many of the games for sale via Android or Apple’s App Store.
The gamesfreak.net guys have over 30 other free Lego games to choose from, including strategy, character (such as Harry Potter), and building games. All their games are user-rated, and whilst some do take a little while to load, the site is generally quick and easy to use, and it requires no user account – you can simply click and play.
Kill some time and play for free – Click on the image below…
[Thank you to gamesfreak.net for donating to our charity fund]
Another day, another Elf, another meal token, and another model to show you. This remote controlled Technic Baja Buggy was found on Brickshelf. It’s the work of Pipasseyoyo and it’s packed full of functionality. There’s lots more to see at the link above, plus you can watch a video of it in action below.
YouTube Video:
If ever a Technic set could polarise opinion, it’s this one…
It is of course the new for 2015 42039 24 hours race car.
Some say it’s ugly, others say it doesn’t do enough, or what it does do is gimmicky, or there’s the sticker haters (can’t say I blame them..). Time to confuse the issue further with TLCB’s two pence worth…
I rather like it.
Let me explain, since the above four word review might not be what you came here for. First of all, to these eyes it looks nicer without stickers, and it’ll certainly look nicer than one with peeling stickers a few years down the line…
The bright green and white panels work pretty well. Not flawlessly (there’s a few awkward gaps here and there) but the overall effect leaves you in no doubt about what it is. It was differently designed in the preliminary images (I won’t put one here because they’re all watermarked, but you’ve probably seen them) and most people seem to prefer the way it was in prototype form.
The main changes made before the production version concern the headlight design, wheelarches, cockpit design and the loss of the rear central fin. This last point is a bit of of a pity since it hurts the model’s authenticity but I actually agree with Lego’s decision about the other aspects. While the headlight design we got isn’t as sleek, it’s more realistic and actually looks better. This change was probably made to facilitate the installation of PF lights. The original, rounder, wheelarch pieces, while individually more attractive than what we were given, didn’t blend as well with the side profile and look too narrow from above. I’ll take the too-square wheel wells of the production version, just. I find the changes made to the cockpit and door design to be an improvement as well.
So there. That’s settled that. Now, time to see what this beauty (?) does…
It’s an enjoyable build, working from the single, large square-bound instruction book. Still no sign of another one for the B-model… At 1200 pieces or so, this set is on the large side for one without numbered bags but I encountered no problems finding anything in the large pile of bits. After a few hours I had an engaging toy to play with. It’s a lot like the old 8461 Williams from 2002 in that respect…
Anyone hoping for an all-singing-and-dancing Technic Supercar is in for a bit of a disappointment. 8880 this ain’t, but it does have a V8, working steering and suspension as well as opening gullwing doors and engine cover. These last two functions are controlled via the machine’s only gearbox using an unobtrusive black gear on the side. It is a bit gimmicky although the system works well. The new gearbox parts used here do make assembly more foolproof (no more putting free-wheeling gears on the wrong way round…) and operation feels slightly more positive than before. The difference is small, but noticeable. I’d still prefer the transmission to vary the speed of the engine relative to the wheels though…
…Mostly because the engine is (again!) very nearly silent. This is a race car! Give it some noise! It could do with a bit more detailing as well. While it’s nice to be able to raise the engine cover, there’s not a lot to see when you do.
Suspension works well, with about the right travel, stiffness and ride height. The design is fairly standard double wishbones all round. A pushrod set-up like that in the aforementioned Williams might have been nice, but what we get does it least work properly.
Steering is fine; again a fairly standard HOG system, but the hub parts used here do allow a decent amount of lock and it works smoothly and well. There’s nothing for me to complain about, then… apart from the completely vertical and unconnected in-cab wheel, perhaps.
Like many recent models, it’s designed to be easy to motorize, although in this case there’s not much point. It might be fun to watch the doors or engine cover whirr up once, but that’ll be it. The electrics are well hidden however, with plenty of space under the opening front panel for the battery box to hide in.
The B-model is a Paris-Dakar style rally raid truck, and it looks pretty good. The very low profile tyres that suit the main model perfectly do look odd on it though. Still, a fine effort. The Le Mans car is a fine effort too. Good looking, thoughtfully designed, fun to build, and something Lego Technic hasn’t done before in a colour that’s new to Technic and very attractive. We’re still waiting for that all-singing-and-dancing Technic Supercar, however.
In many ways, this is more like the old Racers line than a true Supercar, and if you can accept it on those terms and like the look of it, you’ll enjoy it. 8/10.
Series 22 of the world’s favourite television show is nearly here, and this time they’ve picked up a few (virtual) bricks…
