Tag Archives: Power Functions

Incredible RC LEGO Jeep is motorized, loaded with details and ready for the perfect weekend getaway

There’s nothing as great as turning your wheels off the asphalt, finding a high trail that’s little more than a path, and then driving all the way to the peak for a breathtaking view. This incredible LEGO Jeep Rubicon by Scott is so perfect it leaves me yearning for some true offroading and alpine adventure. One of the most complex models I’ve seen in a long time, this RC offroader features insane details like functioning door locks and a working glove box, plus it’s loaded to the gills with trail gear.

Skid Plate, Exhaust Headers, Grille Guard

Check out a video of this Jeep in action below, along with more pictures. Continue reading

Powering the rollercoaster with LEGO 70922 The Joker Manor [Review]

LEGO has introduced an all new roller-coaster play system in 70922 The Joker Manor. We discussed it briefly in our review of the full set, but we felt the new roller-coaster rails were important enough to merit a post of their own. As one of TBB’s least Technic-centred members of staff, I found it was great fun attempting to add Power Functions to the rollercoaster and—health and safety aspects aside—it turns out it’s also rather simple.

70922 The Joker Manor Continue reading

Spin the River Wheel

Pete Strege takes a classic carnival ride and puts a new spin on it. This lumberjack-themed Ferris wheel imitates a water wheel situated over a river and looks like it’ll fit right in at Frontierland or among some old wooden roller coasters and log flumes.

There’s even a complementary lumberjack and ox statue to add to the thematic scenery. Check out the video of the ride in action!

Motorized LEGO M4A2E8 Sherman “Easy Eight” tank from Fury [Video]

Most LEGO Sherman tanks we’ve featured here on The Brothers Brick over the years have been smaller minifig-scale versions, like the 1/35 Brickmania Sherman tank that’s inspired so many others (my own included). In contrast, Tommy Styrvoky has followed up his 1/18-scale motorized LEGO Sherman “Crab” tank with one inspired by the movie Fury.

Lego RC M4A2E8 FURY Sherman Tank

Click through to see all of this tank’s working features

LEGO Peel P50 microcar is only missing LEGO Jeremy Clarkson [Video]

Peel Engineering on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea manufactured the P50 microcar at the height of Mod fashion in the heyday of “Swinging London.” Vimal Patel (vmln8r on Flickr) has lovingly handcrafted a beautiful blue LEGO P50 that’s fully motorized, with great curves that make the little “bubble car” instantly recognizable.

Peel P50

Click through to see an adorable pug dog play with this adorable LEGO car!

BuWizz – the one brick to steer them all – on Kickstarter [News]

BuWizz is an aftermarket brick designed to bring more precise control and increased power to your LEGO creations. It is the brainchild of Roni Leben and his team over at BuWizz headquarters in Slovenia, who have just started a Kickstarter project to fund its production.

7c00f3be985a2453e2884416e4a206f3_original

 

Continue reading

Dennis Glaasker’s Big Boy is an old-school engine packed with high tech

After building two huge 1/16 Diesel locomotives, one of which we blogged in February, Dennis Glaasker (Bricksonwheels) has turned his attention to something rather more old-school: a Union Pacific 1941 `Big Boy’ steam engine.

Lego Union Pacific Big Boy in 1:38

Its scale is 1/38, based on LEGO’s track gauge. This is relatively small by Dennis’ standards, but the model is still more than 1 m long and took two and half months to build. The engine can run, albeit not on standard radius curves, and to get it to run, Dennis chose to include several custom and aftermarket parts. The wheels and the valve gear and side rods were 3D printed by Jaap Kroon (JaapTechnic). The model is driven by three (!) Power Functions XL motors, controlled through an SBrick and powered by a rechargeable RC battery pack. To top it all off, this behemoth is equipped with lights and electronics supplied by Brickstuff. Purists may be horrified by this cornucopia of high-tech non-LEGO parts, but I think it’s hard to deny that the end result is impressive.

Conveyer belt sushi restaurant built with LEGO Power Functions [Video]

One of our traditions for TBB contributors attending BrickCon every year is to enjoy inexpensive sushi at one of the two nearby revolving sushi (回転寿司) joints. If you’ve never been to a revolving sushi restaurant, you grab small plates of sushi from a conveyer built that moves around a counter that surrounds the prep area. It’s fun and delicious! Japanese builder Dr.Peisan has used LEGO Power Functions to motorize a revolving sushi restaurant.

Lego sushi train

Built on four 32×32 baseplates, the restaurant is full of funny scenes and interesting characters. There’s a group of aliens (the ultimate gaijin) tasting earth food, a reporter using a fake mic, Emmet from The LEGO Movie, and even BB-8. I expect the sumo wrestler to give the lucha libre guy a run for his money… I’m personally most impressed by the wide range of different nigiri, rolls, and desserts that roll by.

You can see lots more pictures on Flickr and the builder’s blog (in Japanese). You’ll also be able to see this in person in Kobe at Japan Brickfest 2016 in June.

Reaching higher with Beat Felber

Since mid-October I have had a pretty crazy time at work, very much at the expense of my blogging and pretty much everything else. I have built a few things, but I told my fellow contributors that I would only write something if it knocked my socks off. Well, consider me barefoot. The culprit is Swiss builder Beat Felber and his AR-1200M Mobile Crane. Tadano is a Japanese manufacturer of cranes and the model carries a Japanese livery, of the Showa Co., Ltd. of Kobe. This already makes it a bit more interesting than your average Liebherr. Furthermore, as you would expect from a builder who goes by the name Engineering with ABS, his model is full of working features.

Tadano AR-1200M Mobile Crane 05

It uses Power functions for the drive, for steering on all five axles and to extend the stabilisers on both sides, with pneumatics used to raise and lower the struts. The crane boom can be raised, slewed and extended using Power Functions and, of course, the winches are remote-controlled. It also has working lights. The boom reaches a height of 2.15 m (more than 7 ft.) and can be extended even further by adding a separate jib. This is not the tallest crane we’ve ever blogged, but size is not everything. It is gorgeous.

Motorized Kaneda’s bike

Sariel shows his Power Functions mastery yet again with this motorized model of Kaneda’s Bike from Akira. The model features remote-control steering, working lights and even a dauntless driver who you get to find out by watching the video below. You can learn more about this project from the builder’s website.

Rugged as granite

Most truck builders I know either aim for looks, with relatively little functionality, or they go for the full Technic treatment, with lots of working functions, but often at the expense of the looks or details. With his Mack Granite heavy-duty truck, Ingmar Spijkhoven (2LegoOrNot2Lego) has combined the best of both worlds.

PICT01c by 2legoornot2lego

It has Power Functions remote control for the drive and steering, working lights and working suspension, and can be fitted with a flatbed trailer than can be raised and lowered via remote control. It also looks brilliant, with a beautifully sculpted hood, a detailed interior and a carefully modelled representation of the engine.

PICT05c by 2legoornot2lego

Following fellow Dutch truck builder Dennis Glaasker the presentation of the all the goodies is top notch too, with a clever photo-edit that shows some of the inner workings and details. It wouldn’t look out of place in the manufacturer’s brochure.

Functioning Lego Claas Jaguar forage harvester

Polish Lego builder Michał Skorupka (Eric Trax) made a functional Claas Jaguar forage harvester featuring rotating cutting discs, lights, RC function with steering and more. Check out the YouTube video to see this amazingly realistic model in action.