Lately, I’ve been having a lot of fun building minifigure scale trucks, instead of, say, aircraft or larger-scale vehicles. These are three of my latest: Dutch DAF trucks. The first represents an XF105 Super Space Cab, with a trailer carrying a 40ft Maersk refrigerated container. It is similar to thousands that roam European motorways.
You may or may not be familiar with the Unimog – Mercedes’s all-wheel-drive multi-purpose utility vehicle. Usually they can be found constructing European highways or operating farm equipment. LEGO Technic veteran Kyle Wigboldy built the Unimog U-400 with an orange cab cleverly constructed with a combination of Technic elements and traditional LEGO. It took me a closer look to realise that this isn’t an official set from ten years ago, but rather a smaller build. Now that I have taken a closer look, this is in the same scale as the upcoming LEGO Technic 4×4 Zetros, which is based on a similar Mercedes truck.
This build is packed to the brim with functions, such as the Technic essentials: engines, steering, suspension, all-wheel drive. This Unimog model also offers pneumatics, and power take-offs linked to the drive, which allow attachment equipments to be powered from the truck, as demonstrated by the motorised LEGO set. While this build does not come with attachments, it does have a flatbed with variable three-way tilt. You can check it out in the video below:
Check out some other Unimogs that other people have built!
While LEGO System builders enjoy the just-unveiled 10290 Pickup Truck, Technic fans can have some fun too, as LEGO also unveiles two new Technic sets, 42128 Heavy-duty Tow Truck and 42129 4×4 Mercedes-Benz Zetros Trial Truck. As usual, the sets are filled with various play functions, both manual and motorized. The new sets join 42126 Ford F-150 Raptor, that was revealed just yesterday.
Like many men my age, at heart, I don’t necessarily feel all that different from when I was six years old and playing with my LEGO train. Besides LEGO and trains, as a boy, I liked fire engines, diggers and trucks, preferably with lots of lights. My latest build still fits that pattern. It is a Mercedes Actros truck with a stepframe trailer, as operated by the Dutch company Mammoet, which is Dutch for mammoth.
They specialize in heavy lifting and transport of oversized and heavy objects. So, by their standards, this truck is actually quite small. Their vehicles have an attractive and distinctive color scheme. It uses a lot of red, but the vehicles’ cabs are usually black. The trailer, built by the Dutch company Nooteboom, has a yellow edge for increased visibility. When I started building the truck, I wasn’t sure what load I’d put on the trailer, except that I wanted it to be predominantly yellow. Ultimately I picked a Liebherr wheel-loader with nicely chunky wheels. As a display base for some future LEGO event, I also built part of a road, which I decorated with some flowers and two road signs, both of which (would you believe it?) I already had as a six-year-old.
When you think of a small-town hardware store during Christmas, this has to be what you think of. At least, this is the exact image that comes to my mind. Excellent at architecture and storytelling, the Midwest Builders have struck again with a modular worthy of LEGO store shelves. The line of detailed buildings is in dire need of a hardware store, and this fits the bill perfectly. If we were looking at images of the newest release, it’d be at the top of my Christmas wish list.
I like it when a LEGO creation has me searching retro ads for title inspiration. This retro red slice of pickup truck heaven is brought to you by Dallen Powell. All the shapes and curves of the 1950 GMC are represented nicely with this model. I particularly like the hood and the door handles. That gascan in light gray can only be found in one DUPLO set, the 18808 Little Plane.
The open hood reveals the inline six in blue. The doors and tailgate open and this model seems to have steering capabilities as well. The 1950 GMC pickup is perfect for all your fruit, vegetable, and fishing needs. That last bit was not a line stolen from retro advertising but rather thought up on my own. Brilliant, right? I’ll be expecting mail from GMC soon. Whether it be a check or a cease and desist order at least I’ll be happy to know they’re thinking of me.
In other news today this LEGO render by Tauriel1 is totally something I’d be into. So much for unbiased reporting, then! With copious chrome, bitchin’ exhaust pipes, a flashy color, retro curves and mean honking’ tires, this cab-over truck checks all the boxes that makes my heart go pitter-patter. The builder, who apparently hails from Australia, tells us they were just having fun with this and keeping their mind occupied. If this is how they spend their time, then I will totally tune in to their frequency again sometime to see what they’re up to. Now that you all know what tickles my fancy, Christmas shopping for me has been made that much easier. You’re welcome, readers. You’re welcome.
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!
LEGO supplies builders with the parts to bring a wide variety of interests to life, and many builders take their inspiration from real-world objects and vehicles. Vladimir Drozd has a talent for building large Technic scaled vehicles jam-packed with details and moving parts, and his latest creation, the Scania LK 141 is no exception.
This workhorse features a full steering assembly and a motor to move both rear axles simultaneously.
Last week we had a first look at the June-December German consumer catalogue images of the upcoming Summer 2020 LEGO Technic sets. Today we get to have a look at the actual box art as revealed by the retailer Meinspielzeug. While we still do not have the regional pricing, part counts are now available for all three sets. These will be available August 1st 2020. We will update the US, UK and Canadian retail prices as we get more information.
Click to see the box art of the new Summer LEGO Technic 2020 releases
We would have been totally impressed with just a LEGO Ford pickup. Really, we would have. But colognebrick went the extra mile and added a stunning fifth-wheel camper and now we’re in awe. This is what the world could be like if we had a wide-open road and unlimited time and gas money. The possibilities are endless! It makes your heart go pitter-patter, doesn’t it? I should get on the horn with Brothers Brick brass to see if we have it in our budget to get a real truck and camper like this one. We could use it as a mobile headquarters for…you know…article writing and stuff. I really like the gray and blue stripe along the side. The trailer’s color scheme and the “Wildlife Caravans” stickers comes from this set. But if that wasn’t impressive enough, the sides expand out, and the camper has a fully detailed interior.
Here’s some of the inside.
Guys, come on. Seriously, do we have the budget for this? It’ll be like the Batmobile except for less crime-fighting and more sightseeing. Andrew? Chris? Brothers Brick road trip? Anyone?
If you loved the official 42110 Land Rover Defender set but are wondering what the heck you can do with it now, then you may be thrilled to learn that its designer Milan Reindl has some opinions on the matter. He has used the same parts and constructed a Super Stadium Truck or Short Course Truck based on an RC model he has. It features all-wheel drive with 3 differentials, a 3-speed sequential gearbox with neutral and a V8 engine. The front axle has independent suspension and is mounted with positive caster angle to absorb the impacts from uneven surfaces. The rear axle features a 4-link suspension. The truck has front axle steering and an opening hood. The interior features a driver’s seat, 5-gallon jug, gear shifter lever and rearview mirror. The spare wheel is mounted on the reinforcing frame in the rear.
But don’t just take it from me. Check out this video that explains it all better than I could. And if you happen to have all the parts and about two hours set aside, then you can build your own Stadium Truck following Milan’s instructions.