Arrested Development

February 4, 2018, 4:00 pm

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We nearly titled this as ‘Stair-rested Development’… but whilst jokes about your Mom feature here regularly, that was one pun to far. Anyway, this is the stair truck from Arrested Development, recreated (rather wonderfully we might add) by TLCB regular, Master MOCer, and Brothers Bricker (boo!) Ralph Savelsberg aka Mad Physicist.

Somewhat surprisingly, considering how excellent Ralph’s model is, it functions too, with the staircase neatly extending like your Dad does when watching Game of Thrones (jokes about your Dad are fine too…). There’s more to see of Ralph’s superb airport stair truck at his photostream – take a look at his extension via the link above.

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Lost the Plot

February 18, 2018, 4:01 pm

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Lost. The most cynical, the most money-grabbing, and very probably the worst series of nonsensical shite ever shown on television. Yes, even more so than ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’.

Originally a fairly clever and intriguing J. J. Abrams idea, Lost ended up being painfully dragged over 121 episodes, by which point almost half the audience had stopped watching. And for some reason there was a Volkswagen T2 van. No we don’t know why either.

Nevertheless Flickr’s Ralph Savelsberg has decided to add the dilapidated T2 to his ever-increasing roster of TV vehicles, thoroughly undeserving though it is. It’s a lovely build though, complete with sliding doors, rusty panels, and a Lost character whom we neither know nor care about.

There’s more to see of Ralph’s Lost Volkswagen at his photostream – head back to the island via the link above, and you can watch an angry four-and-a-half minutes of Lost’s utterly pointless plot holes, abandoned storylines and shamefully obvious filler content by clicking here.

Antelopean Apparition

February 27, 2018, 4:02 pm

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We haven’t seen the ghostly US drama ‘Supernatural’ because, well… it sounds a bit shit. Besides, Buffy did it all 8 years before and she’s really pretty. Anyhoo, whilst we don’t really care much for the show, we do care very much for this, the brilliantly menacing ’67 Chevrolet Impala used throughout the programme.

This stunning Technic replica of the Supernatural Impala comes from car-building legend and TLCB Master MOCer Sheepo, who has returned from the dead after two years away from his bricks.

Powered by two XL motors, with a Servo motor controlling a two-speed semi-automatic gearbox, a medium motor driving the steering, and another the auto-opening trunk lid, Sheepo’s creation is packed with spooky automated functions that bring it to life.

The Impala also features working door locks, a detailed V8 engine, double wishbone front and live-axle rear suspension, and a fully detailed interior.

A complete gallery of images is available to view at Sheepo’s excellent website, which also includes a video of the model in action. Head over to sheepo.es by clicking here for the build’s full details, or visit the Eurobricks discussion by clicking here.

Thunderbirds are GO(NE)!

March 3, 2018, 4:01 pm

≫ Next: To Boldly Go

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Poor Alan Tracy. Left alone in space to man the Thunderbird 5 space station, in love with the beautiful Tin-Tin who’s back on earth, and having given up a career as a championship-winner racing driver, the youngest of the Tracy brothers seems to have got the bum deal. Well, apart from John of course, who has to wear lilac.

Still, Alan does get one perk, and it’s a good one – for he gets to pilot the insane Thunderbird 3 space rocket. Pictured here blasting off from Tracy Island, it appears that Alan and his brothers are abandoning earth for good. Maybe they’ve had enough of Donald Trump. Whatever the reason, it’s a spectacular scene containing some absolutely stellar building techniques, both in the wonderful recreation of Thunderbird 3 and the superb Tracy Island buildings and scenery.

Monstrophonic of Flickr is the brains behind it and there’s more to see of his jaw-dropping creation at his photostream. Click the link above to start the famous countdown. 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Thunderbirds are GO!

To Boldly Go

March 29, 2018, 11:32 am

≫ Next: The Stig Vs. Lightning McQueen!

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We really don’t understand the appeal of Start Trek. From our limited knowledge of the show we have determined that it was mostly William Shatner visiting a variety of alien planets, whose principal characteristic seemed to be being shoddily constructed from cardboard, in order to pick up hot alien babes. Oh, now we get it.

Countless nerds loved Star Trek for the aforementioned reasons, and this mini-figure scale recreation of the U.S.S. Enterprise’s ‘Galileo’ shuttle will enable mini-figure Captain Kirk to leave the confines of his ship in order to boldly go where no man has gone before.*

It’s been built by Stephan Niehoff who has done a rather impressive job, fitting his Galileo shuttle with a full interior and even building a suitably ropey-looking planet – complete with hot alien babe – on which to land it. There’s more to see at Stephan’s Flickr album, where you can watch Captain Kirk’s Art of Seduction in action.

*In exact contrast to this TLCB writer and your Mom.

The Stig Vs. Lightning McQueen!

April 13, 2018, 3:07 am

≫ Next: I’ll Be There

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If you’re here and you’re six*, you’re going to enjoy the video below! Fresh from the Disney Pixar ‘Cars 3’ movie, Lighting McQueen, Cruz Ramirez and Mater are visiting the Top Gear Test Track in LEGO form, and they’re about to meet a very special resident!

LEGO’s official Disney Pixar ‘Cars 3’ Juniors sets are available to buy now.

*Or a TLCB Elf

I’ll Be There

September 9, 2018, 1:59 am

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We’re not sure what was going on in the ’90s, but TV theme tunes seemed to focus on simply turning up, Friends and Baywatch being prime examples. This writer was much too young to appreciate Baywatch at the time and thought it was actually serious rescue drama, rather than light pornography for Dads, but nevertheless they did occasionally save people from the dangers of two feet of salt water.

One of the tools at their disposal to accomplish this was a fleet of bright yellow pick-up trucks, such as this Dodge Ram by Flickr’s ER0L. ER0L has recreated the ageing Dodge brilliantly in 7-wide Speed Champions style, and he’s thrown in a plethora of rescue apparatus for when the Baywatch lifeguards do finally actually rescue someone. See more of the classic Ram at ER0L’s photostream by clicking here.

Stranger Vans

December 12, 2018, 3:29 pm

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Normally amongst the most mundane vehicles on the roads, vans don’t often appear here at The Lego Car Blog. Today though, we have two, and they’re strange ones at that.

First up is an admittedly boring 1980s Chevrolet G-Series panel van, although it has been wonderfully recreated in 6-wide mini-figure scale. However it’s a van which stars in the Netflix sci-fi series ‘Stranger Things’ and it really does do something strange. Click the link to find out what, and you can see more of the superb model pictured above courtesy of Andrea Lattanzio (aka Norton74) by clicking here.

Today’s second van doesn’t do anything out of the ordinary but it was, for America at least, a strange vehicle. This mid-’60s Chevrolet ‘forward control’ van mounted the driver and controls right at the front of the chassis, leaving more space in the back for carrying things. Common in Europe and Asia, this design never really took off in the ‘states, which is a shame as we think Chevrolet’s 1960s efforts looked pretty cool. This one comes from Tim Henderson of Flickr, it’s also built in 6-wide mini-figure scale, and there’s more of it to see at Tim’s photostream by clicking here.

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Do-It-Yourself Mr. Bean

December 23, 2018, 11:36 am

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Mr. Bean, one of Britain’s most beloved TV characters, had quite an adventure in his 9th episode. Taking full advantage of the New Year’s Day sales, Mr. Bean bought himself an armchair, paint, brushes and a new mop. Only one problem; his little 1980s Mini was far too small to contain his copious purchases.

Fortunately Bean is a clever fellow, and thus he managed to construct an elaborate driving mechanism from the very items that caused the problem in the first place! What could go wrong? Find out by clicking here, and you can see more of this superb homage to TV gold courtesy of Flickr’s PixelJunkie by clicking here.

Miami Vice

February 10, 2019, 10:56 am

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Ferrari didn’t allow Miami Vice to use their cars, because they are – famously – dicks when it comes to their brand protection. The producers decided they wanted Ferraris anyway, and commissioned Corvette-based replicas to create their desired movie cars. We’re not sure who had the last laugh there, the Miami Vice production company or Ferrari, who received marketing for free without even having to lend out a couple of cars.

This neat replica of a replica of a Ferrari Daytona Spider in Miami Vice black on Magnolia spec comes from previous bloggee Jonathan Elliott, and a rather splendid job he’s done too. See more at the link above.

Maranello Magnum

March 18, 2019, 5:01 pm

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This is a Ferrari 308 GTS, made (more) famous by its continued appearance in 1980s Hawaii-based drama ‘Magnum PI’, and built from 1975 in Maranello Italy before being replaced a decade later by the 328.

Designed by Pininfarina the 308 also has the claim of being the slowest Ferrari ever made, as a 2 litre version (known as the 208) was produced to dodge a tax in Italy that applied to cars over 2000cc. Strangely the 208 was still a V8, just a pointlessly small one, and thankfully ‘Magnum PI’s Thomas Magnum got the proper 2.9 litre 240bhp version.

This excellent recreation of Magnum’s mid-’80s Ferrari 308 GTS comes from Flickr’s Peter Blackert aka Lego911 and there’s more to see at his photostream via the link.

Dragula

March 19, 2019, 6:05 am

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Some vehicles are metaphorically coffins-on-wheels (this, this and this for example), but today we can go one better! Designed by Hot Rod building legend George Barris, this amazing machine is the Dragula, as constructed for the 1960s TV comedy ‘The Munsters’. This marvellous Model Team recreation of the scary sportster is the work of Tim Inman (aka rabidnovaracer), and comes complete with side-stack exhausts, lantern head and tail lights, and Grandpa Munster himself. Head over to Tim’s photostream via the link above for a spooky good time.

Stranger Blazer

March 22, 2019, 10:25 am

≫ Next: Racing Resistance

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Here in TLCB’s home nation police cars all look pretty much the same, so a coffee-coloured police car really would be a strange sight. Not so in the Unites States though, where police livery varies widely from state to state. That makes this 1980 Chevrolet Blazer K5 police car not strange at all, but it is a starring vehicle in the TV show ‘Stranger Things’, being driven by Police Chief Jim Hopper, and that can be very strange indeed.

This ‘Stranger Things’ Chevrolet Blazer was suggested to us by a reader and comes from TLCB Master MOCer Andrea Lattanzio aka Norton74, who has recreated both it and Hopper’s cabin beautifully in Lego form. Click here to head over to Andrea’s photostream for all the strange goings on.

Racing Resistance

March 29, 2019, 2:27 am

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We’re not exactly Star Wars connoisseurs here at The Lego Car Blog, so we know even less about ‘Star Wars: Resistance’ than Donald Trump knows about using food banks. OK, full disclosure, we know nothing about ‘Star Wars: Resistance’, but quick Google reveals it to be a CGI cartoon inspired by Japanese anime. And that’s all we’ve got. Nevertheless we do really like the spaceships found within it, if this collection by newcomer Mansur Soeleman is anything to go by. Looking a bit like historic racing cars is a sure way to get TLCB Team on board, and there’s more to see of Mansur’s excellent ‘Star Wars: Resistance’-classic-racing-star fighter-thingies on Flickr.

Stranger Things

June 7, 2019, 1:28 pm

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With LEGO branching out into the appropriately strange theme of Stranger Things, a strange LEGO Ideas condition is currently underway to build something strange. This is saabfan2013‘s entry, a suitably spooky set-up depicting four of the shows character’s atop some excellent brick-built bikes. Head to saabfan’s photostream via the link above for more strangeness.

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This Goes Up To Eleven

June 10, 2019, 1:24 pm

≫ Next: Thunderbirds to the Rescue!

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For once we’re not referencing Spinal Tap (well we are a bit), but this iconic scene from the TV series ‘Stranger Things’ in which psychokinetic schoolgirl Eleven flips a delivery van through thoughts alone. Built for the LEGO Ideas ‘Stranger Things’ competition, Flickr’s Hachiroku has captured the scene brilliantly and there’s more to see at his photostream here.

Thunderbirds to the Rescue!

June 11, 2019, 1:01 pm

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Back in the 1960s if you needed rescuing and didn’t mind your rescuers being supported by a few wires then the Thunderbirds were there to save the day! Equipped with three flying rescue vehicles, a space station, one submarine, and a seemingly endless range of land based paraphernalia, the Tracey brothers were prepared for any situation. Piloted by Scott, Thunderbird 1 was perhaps the vehicle deployed most frequently, being able to fly like a plane, take off like a rocket, and hover like a helicopter. Or more accurately a Harrier jump-jet. This amazing recreation of the first Thunderbird is the work of Gary Davis of Flickr who has used some serious skill and a lot of pieces to recreate the famous aircraft in an enormous scale. He’s also managed to get it signed by the actor who voiced Scott in the series, which is a nice addition. Take a trip to Tracey Island via the link above for all the photos of Gary’s incredible build!

More Than Meets the Eye

October 27, 2019, 1:11 pm

≫ Next: Wrong Side of the Tracks*

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It’s a happy day for the Elves here at TLCB Towers as a number of them found these brilliant Transformers Autobots by Flickr’s Alex Jones (aka Orion Pax). Normally this would have led to an Elf fight, but in a rare moment of Elven cooperation they approached us with their finds collectively, in the hope that Transformers cartoons would be played. Their peaceful approach has been rewarded, with the discovering Elves duly awarded a meal token each and all Elves here at the Towers now contentedly watching Transformers cartoons. You can thank Alex for the harmony via the link above, where you can find his excellent transforming Ironhide, Cosmos, Powerglide, Mirage, Hoist, Jazz, Blaster, and Bumblebee Autobots.

Wrong Side of the Tracks*

November 11, 2019, 12:12 pm

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Thomas the Tank Engine has had enough! Fed up of shunting along the stupid Ffarquhar branchline, rescuing the hapless James, and taking orders from the authoritarian Fat Controller, Thomas has grown himself mechanical arms and legs purely from the rage burning inside his boiler, he’s about to get mad, and Vicarstown isn’t going to know what hit it.

Flickr’s Dvd owns the somewhat unhinged mind that has managed to turn a children’s classic into a steam-powered automaton and there’s more to see of his frankly terrifying Thomas the Mech Engine creation at his photostream. Now will someone please build a car so we can blog without having nightmares.

*Today’s title song.

Holy Guacamole Batman!

January 19, 2020, 11:25 am

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Batman may have been a bit… camper back in the ’60s, but Adam West was considerably more violent, at least if this Technic recreation of the ’66 Batmobile is anything to go by. Created by previous bloggee James Tillson it features working steering, a flame afterburner, a rocket launcher, and a ‘chain slicer’; basically a giant circular saw that appears out of the front like something from Robot Wars. That’ll leave a mark…

Head to James’ Flickr photostream or the Eurobricks discussion forum to see more.