Tag Archives: Construction

Hooked on minifigure-scale cranes

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.

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Every construction job needs a set of these

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.

A LEGO ŁM-50 that has the ultimate no-look shot

Were you aware of Znap, a line of LEGO sets from 1999? What about the ŁM-50 overhead loader, a piece of Polish construction equipment from the 1960’s? Well, Maciej Szymański uses the specialized pieces in the former to make the latter. It was essential to get the proper curved track up and over the operator’s head, depositing the contents of the front-loading scoop behind the machine. Based on reference pictures online, the shaping here is spot on, with some great part choices to recreate the loader’s red wheels. The model feels very clean and intentional. And the panel of intricate wires and tubing feels right at home on equipment like this.

But choosing the correct parts for that overhead track is only worthwhile if the model moves, right? Well, this model comes with motorized treads and an operational winch hooked to the front bucket. I really like the design that drops the bucket at the end of the track, completing its over-the-shoulder hook shot. Check out the ŁM-50 in action below!

An elevated excavator.

Charlie Jones has given construction equipment a futuristic upgrade with this digital build of a quadrupedal excavator. While the main arm looks to be largely stationary, there’s no doubt we’d still have tons of fun making this mech stomp around the sandbox. In the hierarchy of toy vehicles, tank treads beat wheels, but robot legs beat tank treads any day of the week.

The perfect coworker when you’re on the job.

Devid VII brings his mastery of mechs to the job site with this impressive construction robot. This black and yellow fellow is exactly who you want by your side when dealing with heavy duty labor. He can lift a thousand times more than you can, he doesn’t need a lunch break, and he can pipe classic rock into your Bluetooth enabled headphones to keep your spirits up while on the clock. What could be better?

Send the dozer on over

If you have some dirt that needs moving, some land that needs flattening, or just some noisy activity to upset the neighbors, then look no further than this awesome Dressta TD-25M series-1. Bricksley is so good at building that it doesn’t even look like LEGO. They tell us that this 1:18 scale model is fully motorized with four PU L motors (drive, pneumatic system), two LED lights, and sounds (backup alarm & horn) controlled by an Xbox One X pad via Mindstorms Robot Inventor Hub.

Care to see the whole shebang in action? You betcha! Check out the video then.

A hole lot of construction going on

There is so much going on in this LEGO construction scene assembled by Kashim K, and I’m not just talking about the well-posed minifigures. Everywhere I look, there are delightful uses of texture and color blocking to communicate different features in the build. Whether it’s the mechanics on the arm of the excavator, the patches of clay visible in the dirt, or the studs-out texturing on the white building, each surface offers a new tactile or visual experience that keeps the build dynamic. Even the transition from smooth wood slats to rough concrete walls in the pit hits the mark perfectly. But my favorite feature is below the road on the left side of Kashim’s creation. The pipes/tubes (visible in the ground thanks to the cutaway at the edge of the scene) are a strong reminder for those of us in the US to dial 811 before we undertake a project like this.

No job too big for the Technic Rexx

LEGO Technic builder Kirill Mazurov has graced us with a vehicle so amazing it deserves a second, third and fourth look. Kirill seems to be a builder of very few words. There are no descriptions with his photos. However, he has posted a video on YouTube that does all the talking for him. This model certainly has all the working functions you’d expect from a Technic model this size. It boasts an impressive fifteen motors and twenty huge tires!

For once I’m also going to be a writer of very few words and let the video do the talking. Give it a looksy. It does not disappoint!

Top 5 LEGO excavator sets that could save the world economy right now [Feature]

With the global travel restrictions imposed worldwide right now, many of us are missing airplanes and trains more than ever. But instead of cherishing the day we can all enjoy international flights again, the whole world found itself discussing a completely different means of transportation — container ships. The poor giant, 1,300-foot-long ‘Ever Given’ with about 20,000 containers aboard, is stuck in the middle of the Suez Canal in Egypt.

It seems that there’s no force in this world capable of freeing the vessel, but here enters the tiny hero — the brave little excavator. Looking at the heartbreaking pictures, we can’t help thinking of sending help to the place of the accident. Thankfully, throughout the years, LEGO has released many awesome excavator models, which, we are sure, could solve the problem in no time. Let’s dig into archives and assemble the rescue team of LEGO construction machines to save the world.

Click here to see our top picks…

LEGO Technic 42121 Heavy-Duty Excavator [Review]

There’s no such thing as a boring outside activity; there are only boring machines that make things dull and tedious. And for proper digging, you need a proper excavator, preferably a heavy-duty one. It’s been a while since we got a great LEGO Technic excavator set, but here comes the new 42121 Heavy-Duty Excavator. This 569-piece set brings back mini-scaled construction machines and uses a bunch of newly-introduced pieces for its neat design. The set is available for US $39.99 | CAN $49.99 | UK £34.99.

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with a copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

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Breaking ground and building models

Of course on Instagram and Flickr or wherever else LEGO collections and cities are shown off, one can find plenty of completed modulars and cars, maybe even some small construction vehicles, but Fuku Saku presents us with a highly detailed model of a construction site complete with a skeleton frame of a building and some great vehicles.

Saku’s vehicles are pretty detailed and are comprised of both large and small parts; an interesting part used in his dump truck would be the battle droid arm utilized on the truck’s backend. Overall both trucks make use of bricks and wheels in addition to a lot of slopes and tiles to achieve a smooth and completed look. The building frame behind the vehicles is notably comprised of many different types of plates but also includes bricks and tiling. In any case Saku’s model is a break from the usual completed buildings.

Blood, sweat and tears – behind the scenes of a medieval construction project

I always wonder what it takes to build a beautiful, weathered LEGO building like the builds of Ralf Langer. His creations always leave me with the same questions. How are all these parts connected? How sturdy is it? Can you pick it up and move it around without it falling apart? What does the inside look like? How does he manage to create such amazing builds? Well, the answer is simple: All it takes is some blood, sweat and tears (and a couple of beers). Ralf’s latest build shows us a little behind the scenes. We can see a castle style building with the scaffolding still next to it. The scaffolding itself is quite cleverly made using lightsaber handles, plates, and a lot of tools.

The building itself is pretty as usual. Ralf uses a lot of different types of bricks to give his builds a weathered look. This also helps to avoid the “big grey wall” effect. The stained glass window is quite cleverly made by attaching transparent round tiles to transparent plates with a string net between them. Unfortunately for me, this behind-the-scenes creations answers none of my questions.