Tag Archives: Jonathan Elliott

Any colour you like, as it long as it’s black... And red

When it comes to LEGO cars, Jonathan Elliott sets one heck of a high bar. Our archives will help to erase any doubts you might have, but so too will this mega hot-rod. It’s at a slightly bigger scale than his usual, minifigure-scale-ish vehicles. All that means though is that it’s even more chock-full of details, particularly in the engine bay. And just like any self-respecting car enthusiast, Jonathan seems to enjoy tinkering with his models; the wheels on this were originally black, but a small tweak to blood-red rims has elevated this build from looking sinister to downright deadly. Which, in a hot-rod, makes it just about the coolest thing on the road.

Traditional Hot Rod

An ambulance vehicle worth all the wait

The original LEGO 600 Ambulance set was realised back in 1971. And even though its remake by Jonathan Elliot arrived more than 50 years later, it’s exactly on time. I’m so much in love with all the tiled surfaces of the new ambulance; it just looks right with original windshield placement, and smooth white mudguards add so much to the car’s retro vibe.

Ambulance classic remake

Comparing the new design to the original one is also so much fun. Jonathan turned the old printed 1×4 brick with the grill and the headlights pattern into a fully detailed front section. Still, he did such a good job preserving the original character of the car: squared headlights are perfect for the case. And now I start thinking, are Castle and Classic Space the only LEGO themes good enough to be remade today, huh?

A gangster’s roadster: please admire from a distance

A roadster too sleek for the 1930s. Open top and exposed engine. Is it some vintage Batmobile or a hot-rod noir? Jonathan Elliott presents his latest custom minifig-scale car to add to his portfolio, a roadster that could give the current Vintage Taxi GWP a run for its money. Lacking any other colour, there is just enough and barely enough chrome to break up a predominantly black visage. The owner of this vehicle must be classy and dangerous, and it definitely takes my mind to old gangster movies…

Black Roadster

If you see this parked in front of a speakeasy of your choice, RUN!
See more of Jonathan’s wonderful creations here.

Your new Uber driver has arrived

In case you’re going anywhere tonight, Jonathan Elliott has just upgraded your Uber ride. It’s no a longer a modest 17-brick-big 605 Taxi from 1971, but instead, it’s an ultra-futuristic EV vehicle. Like the emissions, the number of open LEGO studs has gone from over 30 to nearly zero. Although it took the brick-built taxis to evolve this far, let’s hope the real ones will become equally cool soon enough.

Set 605 remake

Go anywhere in the rugged Toyota FJ40

LEGO automotive enthusiasts lost our collective cookies when they came out with the 10271 Fiat 500 set in bright lemony yellow. (I think I peed a little!) It was a previously difficult color to come by but as Jonathan Elliott pointed out, even with the Fiat, there are only 352 parts available in that shade, a large chunk dedicated to minifig hairstyles. This means building your own creations in that tasty color is still somewhat difficult. Boy, don’t I know it! That didn’t stop Jonathan from building a totally awesome Toyota FJ40 though. This model is so accurate it almost feels like you can actually go off-roading in it. While he is no slouch with building LEGO cars, his automotive chops really shined with this one. Check out the archives to see what I mean.

Toyota FJ40

We got your wagon covered.

We like supercars as much as anyone else, but there’s something equally cool about vintage rides like this Volvo 240 estate by Jonathan Elliott (JE Brickworks). I mean, you’re in for a world of hurt if you try and move a couch on the roof of your Lamborghini. A model that deserves a closer look, this blue beauty has a tilted minifigure ice skate for the Volvo logo and particularly clever use of steering wheels for wheel rims.

Volvo Wagon

If you prefer your Volvos to be a bit more “heavy duty”, then check out our review of the LEGO Technic 42114 6×6 Volvo Articulated Hauler or this amazing fan-built, radio-controlled  1/20-scale Volvo FH.

That’s a big cat, in small form

Building great-looking LEGO cars at minifigure scale is always a challenge, but it’s made at least a little easier by choosing a vehicle with fairly straight lines. Of course, that doesn’t mean that builder Jonathan Elliott has been slacking off with this 1968 Mercury Cougar, as there are tons of great details here. One of the best is the side mirrors, made with grey lever bases stuck onto 1×2 panels. Plus we can’t overlook the fact that Jonathan attempted the whole thing in teal, which, while it’s seeing a recent resurgance in official sets, is still a very limiting color.

1968 Mercury Cougar

Bin there, done that

I can’t help borrowing the title for this post from the description of the build by Jonathan Elliott — it’s just as good as the truck itself. Not only is the model 6-stud-wide, but it is also a very accurate copy of Phoenix dustcart, which must be familiar to our readers from the UK.

Garbage truck

The design of the rear part is particularly impressive. The loading mechanism turned out impressively neat and compact; the design is so clean, it makes the truck a perfect example of efficient design. I wonder what the truck would look like with a massive ad on its side, but I guess like it tidy better.

Garbage truck

Mr. Mercedes makes many merry motorcars

LEGO car builder Jonathan Elliott tells us that boxy small-scale saloon cars like this classic Mercedes are fiendishly difficult to build, even more so then their curvier sportscar counterparts. I’m inclined to agree. This model is chock full of tricky SNOT (Studs not on top) techniques and complex offsetting. But I love its understated elegance. We’ve enjoyed Jonathan’s small-scale vehicles before. If vehicles of any scale are your thing, then I’d advise you buckle in and check out our archives. There’s some automotive gold in there for sure.

Black Mercedes-Benz

A little Citroën for your evening

There are a handful of cars that are instantly recognizable the world over, like the Volkswagen Beetle and the Jeep. I’d posit that the Citroën 2CV belongs right there with them, having been in production for more than 40 years. This beautiful LEGO version of the classic French car is brought to us by Jonathan Elliott, and it’s just perfect at minifigure scale. The 1×1 and 2×2 curved tiles help fill out the curves on this swoopy post-war sedan.

2CV

Teal Mog pickin’ logs

The Unimog — the multi-purpose utility truck produced by Mercedes Benz — has always been a favourite of mine. Something about the shaping of the cab and the big tractor wheels still fascinates me to this day. Since it is big and aggressive with a high ground clearance, it is something you would see in off-road races, churning up mud and climbing rocks. Yet in most cases, they are roadside repair and agricultural vehicles, sporting orange and green. Vehicle builder Jonathan Elliott reconfigured the Unimog into a logging truck — which is not so uncommon. Sporting a realistic yet simple crane hoisting some nice textured logs built up of column bricks and printed log tiles. The best part is — it’s teal!

Unimog U1700 With Hiab

What the crazy European kids were into

When I think of my childhood the Ford Pinto comes to mind. That’s because we had one when I was growing up and apparently Dad thought nothing of our safety. But across the pond, LEGO builder Jonathan Elliott tells us that during his childhood, the Mk1 Ford Transit was the ubiquitous thing in the United Kingdom as well as Germany, Belgium, and Holland. It’s still a Ford but apparently far less explosive. In fact, the Ford Transit is so revered out there that the platform is still used today in everything from school buses to police and ambulance applications. Jonathan replicated the shape nicely with this little build proving you don’t need a vanload of pieces to create an accurate LEGO model.

Early Ford Transit