Tag Archives: Trucks

The Mack Anthem semi truck roars to life with LEGO Technic set 42078 [Review – Part 1]

Once upon a time way back in the 1990s, in the far-away kingdom of Denmark, the LEGO Model Team theme was born — a theme so brilliant, none of the sets was ever called disappointing or failed. But one day the theme was violently discontinued with no hope that it would be brought back. For many years, both young and adult LEGO builders cherished their dreams about seeing those sets in toy stores again. And it looks like the much-needed flash of hope is finally here: LEGO Technic 42078 Mack Anthem seems to be an example of a nearly flawless toy and display model.

The set is the fifth biggest in the history of the LEGO Technic theme, counting 2,595 pieces. The Mack Anthem features no costly Power Functions or pneumatics elements, so its retail price of £139.99 / $179.99 / 149.99€ makes it the most reasonable choice for pure brick volume among LEGO Technic sets of the first half of 2018.

Click here to read the full review of 42078 Mack Anthem

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What’s in the box, er, silo?

This Technic Silo Truck by Designer-Han shows that sometimes boxy is sooo good. The design elements of the model are pretty simple, with beam-built body panels and a SYSTEM brick-built “silo” as cargo. The roof of the cab shows some thoughtful details, including a rack of lights, top air dam, and CB antenna.

Click here to see the play functions and a video of the truck in action

Keep Calm and Truck On

Builder Ingmar Spijkhoven builds a mean-looking truck, complete with its trailer and a payload with chains to secure them all. Though it’s not modelled after any given brand or manufacturer but purely from the builder’s imagination, it stands out enough with a very classic “truck look” that reminds me of the infamous transformer Optimus Prime — especially with the colour scheme Ingmar used.

The best part is that it’s actually motorised with Power Functions and remote control features. Details go beyond the surface with a detailed engine block, fully done up interior, and doors that function as expected. At about 3,250 elements and 3 months of toil, I’d say the outcome was worth it!

See more photos of this fantastic LEGO truck

Retro truck ready to roar into life

Loosely based on a 1950 custom Ford, Martin Redfern‘s latest LEGO vehicle is a retro delight. The shaping around the bonnet is sheer class, and the use of chromed parts adds visual pop, particularly around the distinctive grille. The details are great — twin high-rise exhausts, windscreen wipers, rear-view mirrors, and indicators all present and correct.

Best of all, Martin has included a beautifully-tuned engine beneath that curved bonnet. Lovely stuff.

Down and dirty swivel-frame truck

If you have played any GTA V then you may well recognise this delightful scene by Pixel Fox. It’s a Dodge Power Wagon W300 with Swivel-Frame. The base is a LEGO box filled with real dirt and rocks — an unusual touch which elevates the model out of the ordinary. My favorite little detail is the Collectible Minifigure Spy rope piece used on the telephone pole.

Delivering cargo with German precision

This stunning scale copy of Mercedes-Benz Actros 4163 by YU KEE LIU is a very smart mixture of System and Technic parts. It’s no secret, brick-built cockpits are much heavier than those built with light Technic panels. Despite the weight of the body, this truck is fully remotely controlled and even features a number of motorised mechanisms attached to the trailer.

Truck will make you (sand) green with envy

Designing a large-scale heavy truck in LEGO has never been an easy task, but hardcore builder Dirk Klijn challenged himself to build an FTF Roseboom from the late 1980s — and in relatively-rare sand green bricks no less. Normally you wouldn’t describe sand green as any kind of screaming color, but mixed with dark green and those bright red wheel rims it turns this truck into genuine eye candy.

Thanks to the model’s long wheelbase and bulky body, Dirk managed to pack the truck with a full set of motors controlled via an Sbrick. This gives the model full remote control while preserving the cockpit’s interior…

You say space truck, I say spehss truck, and a large one at that

Military vehicle master Andrew Somers has broken from his usual realistic style and built a neat futuristic space truck that wouldn’t look out of place among Last Days on Mars concept art by Christian Pearce. Along with the usual working suspension and steering, the build features working grabber crane, and lots of eye catching mechanical detailing. I love the use of the stickered space logo tile on the side of the cab as it provides a dash of color and a bit of realistic context to the build.

Hauling fish & groceries in a Japanese dekotora

We first noticed Lasse Deleuran when we highlighted his MAN cement truck and Buy-N-Large semi truck. Lasse continues a strong building streak with a Japanese dekotora, or decorated truck. These spectacularly-customized trucks ply roadways and highways from Sapporo to Kagoshima, and Lasse has reproduced the bright chrome and lights of these unique vehicles with pearl-gold LEGO tiles and plenty of trans-clear 1×1 plates.

The truck is excellent, but the school girls and truck driver are noteworthy as well, built at a unique scale that lends itself to good details and articulation despite the small size (smaller than Miniland-scale). The rear of the truck is no less decorated than the front, with a huge bank of brake lights.

1970’s era Scania LBS 141

We’ve featured numerous Scania trucks over the years, including a British Stobart lorry, 142 wrecker, LT146 dump truck, and more. As ubiquitous on European roads as Peterbilts are in North America, Scania trucks continue to be a popular subject for LEGO builders. Dennis Bosman, whose dump truck I just linked to, has posted a gorgeous LBS 141 from the 70’s, with a clean white color scheme and fantastic details on both the cab and chassis. One of our European readers or contributors will have to explain what the deal is with the terrified puppets strapped to the roof rack…

EDIT: Well-informed readers across the Atlantic from the author have pointed out that the red minifig represents the popular mascot “Tiels Flipje,” while the white minifig is the iconic Michelin Man.

Mercedes Unimog U1250.05 crane truck

Longtime readers of the blog will be aware that the Mercedes Unimog is one of my favorite vehicles. While rare here in the US, they’re ubiquitous across Europe. Polish builder Damian Z. doesn’t disappoint with his Unimog crane truck in high-visibility orange.

Two generations of Dutch DAF trucks

Apart from a few manufacturers of exotic sports cars and an assembly plant for Minis, the Netherlands don’t have much of a car-building industry. Things are different when it comes to trucks, however, with the Eindhoven-based truck builder DAF being market leader in several European countries. Dutchman Nanko Klein Paste has built several DAFs in the last few years. His latest is a classic T 2400 DO, which represents an early attempt by DAF at building a truck for the international market.

Versions of this truck were in production until 1975 and when I was a child they were still a fairly common sight on Dutch roads. The characteristic sloped front of the cab is particularly well captured. This classic model is flanked by a modern XF105, in the livery of the heavy lifting company Mammoet (Mammoth), which makes for a particularly nice comparison between the two generations.