Do your off-world ambitions require taming unforgiving alien terrain? Then Iron Builder Industries has you covered with the Gila Mobile Mining Mech! Designed by chief engineer Duncan Lindbo, the Gila is built for Logistical Excavation & Geoengineering Operations (“LEGO” for short). The excavator buckets are made of virtually indestructible keetorange from the far end of the Unikitty system. Not convinced this mech can get the job done? See the excavator in action!
Construction vehicle kingpin Beat Felber is on a roll with functional LEGO models of the heaviest of heavy equipment. Riding right behind his impressive Terex Unit Rig comes another massive earthmover, the Champion 100-T Grader at 1/28.5 scale. The largest vehicle of its type to see general production, only 10 of these 100-ton machines were made by the Canadian manufacturer.
As with most of Beat’s builds, this model utilizes a suite of power functions to mirror the functionality of the real machine. Five motors control the blade alone, ensuring a clean shave grade. The rear bogies and front axles oscillate independently guaranteeing all 6 wheels maintain ground contact.
Here at The Brothers Brick we always admire builders who can fuse a personal passion with the possibility of LEGO, and once again Beat Felber has pushed LEGO potential with a scale model that achieves photo-accurate looks without skimping on functionality.
Despite having no prior mining experience nor the know-how to drive anything larger than a regular car, I am fascinated by Beat Felber’s new LEGO creations. Maybe the size and power of these giant earthmoving machines tickle my fancy. Whatever the reason, here’s the 400-ton Terex Unit Rig MT 6300AC dump truck. The real deal has tires that are four meters or well over 13 feet in diameter. The-um-LEGO deal has custom tires that are not official LEGO parts but suits this beast quite well.
LEGO builder Beat Felber sure loves construction equipment! Whether Liebherr, Komatsu, or in this case Orenstein & Koppel, Beat gives them their due in brick form. This particular model in the O&K livery of red and white is a 1/28.5 recreation of the RH 120 C excavator, fully motorized for the toughest jobs. And despite this functionality, there’s no skimping on the details either! Check out all the intricacies around the treads and where the boom meets the front of the cab.
Construction vehicles come in many shapes and sizes in the real world, but I’ve never seen one, LEGO or otherwise, in the shape of a cube until now. This boxy mech by SweStar looks like a cross between Ghost in the Shell and Super Mario. I love how the piston legs feel like they could hold the weight, although the sidewalk and street may not survive intact. Hopefully there is enough room inside for a mini-fridge.
As an avid fan of LEGO microscale, I adore this Lilliputian Liebherr by builder EMazingBrix. As we’ve seen with other models made for the ongoing Iron Forge competition, this scene utilizes so many cups and vessels in its makeup. A series of yellow mugs comprise the dozer’s wheels, from front idler to sprocket. An upside-down goblet forms the earthmover’s exhaust, and a pair of teacups form hardhats for the compact construction workers. And with so many atypical (and highly illegal) connections between parts, this scene bears all the hallmarks of inventive microscale.
At the start of a new year I am always looking forward to new Lego sets. They usually include new parts that I can use in my own models. What is possible now is amazing, especially compared to a few years ago, thanks to various brackets, curved elements and new colors. However, there is a drawback. I find that my models get more and more complicated. And as a result, building them becomes more time-consuming and less relaxing than it used to be.
In March, I am due to display some of my models at a show for cranes, heavy haulage and earthmoving equipment. Rather than another crane or mega windmill transporter, I decided to build a few small items typical for a construction site. I built the portable toilet and trailer last year, together with the white Iveco. The mini digger, matching trailer and blue pickup truck are new. Especially the truck isn’t all that complicated. I used old-school studs-up building and a few half-stud offsets. Sometimes building something small and a bit simpler can be a lot more fun.
If this were a LEGO Technic set, I’d see it, think it’s impressive, then probably move on to buy something else. But in the very capable hands of Michał Skorupka, he can use System brick on something that would normally be Technic and make it quite exciting indeed. This rugged Doosan DL420 Wheel Loader is about the most interesting thing I’ve seen all week and I’ve seen a major social media platform pretty much implode. It doesn’t hurt that I’m (ahem) digging the orange and dark gray color scheme. The amount of detail Michał can achieve with his creations is awe-inspiring. See for yourselves in our Michał Skorupka archives.
A product of the recent “Construction Constructions” LEGO building contest over at New Elementary, Jaroslaw Walter has implemented quite the assortment of construction contraband in this backyard diorama. First up is the expert use of the forklift roll cage for the legs of the lawn chairs and table. This furniture sits on an area of pavers made of bulldozer treads which add the perfect bit of texture to the patio area. And the dozer scoops for planters along the left wall are a brilliant choice, fitting into the rest of the scene expertly. But my favorite usage has got to be all the minifig wrenches used throughout the scene in everything from a lock to plant stems.
High-visibility equipment and overalls are as much a staple of building sites as spades, diggers and portacabins. They don’t come much more high-visibility than this fabulous excavator-walker-flamingo hybrid from Redverse. Inspired by artwork (and indeed a sub-theme, of sorts, called Tropicon) conceived by Yannick Godts, it makes great use of some of the more unusual colours in the LEGO palate. However, the local health and safety authorities likely won’t be completely happy. Sure, it’s all very high-vis, and our construction worker does have head and face protection, but no safety harness at that height? And working in swimwear? We’re not on holiday here, you know!
Hot on the heels of my Mammoet mobile crane, I decided to build another minifigure-scale crane. This time it is a truck-based crane: a Liebherr LTF 1060.
Unlike the Mammoet crane, this one uses a commercial truck chassis built by Scania. This type of cranes typically has better on-road mobility than those that use dedicated chassis. I primarily liked it because it was different and, when I found a yellow one operated by the Dutch company “Kuiphuis” pulling a trailer with accessories, I was hooked.
LEGO’s long history and the quality of the elements mean that there is a vast collection of parts suitable for this type of build. For instance, among the real crane’s accessories are a crane crab and a concrete bucket. And LEGO made a crane grab in yellow. And there is a suitable handle for the bucket, in yellow too. These parts are thirty and twenty years old, respectively.
Even LEGO construction workers need a portable toilet and a trailer for a temporary office while on a job site. Coming from builder Ralph Savelsberg, these two items are no doubt appreciated by the construction worker minifigures, despite their moods. The portable toilet features the ever lovely orange LEGO pieces for that classic look–just don’t be inside it when it comes time to move it…. The trailer itself is small, but there’s enough room inside to have a coffee break away from the elements. There’s a cute little window with shutters to watch the site and a nice step-up so no one has to jump in or out. To keep the trailer steady, since it’s only on two wheels, there are four supports. Between the two items, the color choices are spot on and the designs are keen.
