Tag Archives: Vehicles

LEGO planes, trains, and automobiles! Well, maybe not trains, since they don’t like to play with the other LEGO themes, but here you’ll find all our favorite cars, buses, boats, ships, helicopters, and anything else with an engine (and some without).

One man’s mission to redeem a much-maligned LEGO theme

The early noughties were a weird time for LEGO. The now ever-present Star Wars line had only just got going, the company had started making action figures with varying degrees of success, and the cheese slope hadn’t been invented yet. The Xalax sub-theme of the Racers line was just another oddity to come out of Denmark during this period, and has been pretty universally derided ever since. Enter Djokson, who has been using his mastery of inventive parts use to redeem the theme over the last year or so. This time, he’s turned his attention to 4569 Warrior.

The use of a Duplo arch brick as a huge air intake makes it look suitably aggressive while the stickers add a futuristic flair. The colour scheme is perfectly executed, and faithful to the original set as well. Red and purple? How retro is that! (All the more impressive when you realize how few parts are available in that now-retired hue simply called “purple”.)

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Tim’s take on the Slab Wagon

LEGO car and sometimes architecture builder Tim Inman has built a 1963 Chevy II Station Wagon and suddenly I’m tickled pink. Or tan. I’m tickled tan, actually. It’s a well-known fact that they commonly call the Chevy II Station Wagon the “Slab Wagon”. By “they” I mean me and by “well-known fact” I mean I made that up just now. But it’s fast thinking like this is the reason why they pay me big bucks here at The Brothers Brick. Or so they tell me. It’s hard to keep track of your fortunes when everything is direct deposit. Anyway, I’m loving the red interior juxtaposed against the understated tan paint job. The roof rack, even the ice skater blades used as door handles are all great touches.

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If you can’t beat ’em... Re-build ’em

As much as I like LEGO’s current crop of Creator 3-in-1 sets, I have fond memories as a child of building Creator and Designer sets that sometimes had instructions for 8 or 9 different builds. I wonder if Firas Abu-Jaber has the same longing… Not content with re-shaping 10295 Creator Expert Porsche 911 into a Corvette Stingray, Lamborghini Countach and a Porsche 911 Turbo S, his latest iteration of the set has turned out a gorgeous Ford GT40 MkI.

The GT40 is famous for winning the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race four times on the bounce, and the model depicted here is the Mark I which achieved the feat in ’68 and ’69. Confusingly, those came after the MkII and MkIV victories, while the poor MkIII never got a look in as a road car! The MkI wins were closely fought with Porsche, who would go on to dominate endurance racing, so there’s a hint of irony that this Ford is repurposed from the German marque. Not that you would know it from looking at it – I did a double-take when I read the description. I mean, it’s even got a fully-fledged interior and engine!

So counting the 911 Targa, I make that a 6-in-1 set so far… Here’s hoping we get to see more re-imaginings from Firas soon!

A real Mini-ature marvel

As the owner of a classic Mini, any LEGO model of the world’s favourite small car (shush, VW Beetle fans!) is likely to pique my interest. So how do you top that? Well, as pixeljunkie demonstrates, you build the Mini’s revolutionary interior as well!

This exploded view actually reminds me of a cutaway Mini that currently resides in the London Science Museum, originally made for the Mini’s launch in 1959. Much of the promotional material for the Mini focussed on the tiny size that its innovative packaging allowed, and that pixeljunkie shows off so well here. The construction is faithful to the real car: front and rear subframes, seating with floor pan, and the bodyshell. And of course, a superbly detailed A-series engine in the front!

Much like the real thing, it’s amazing how much you can squeeze into such a small space!

All aboard the Boo Boo Bus

Were it not for the sirens and lights on the roof, I would have assumed this LEGO Ford Econoline van by Isaac Wilder was just a regular van with a cool stripe on it (you know, for speed). In fact, this is a model of a conversion from van to ambulance (Vanbulance?), dubbed the Collins Crusader or, more affectionately, the ‘Boo Boo Bus’ – which is a name I will start using more often now I’ve heard it!

Isaac is no stranger when it comes to the superb shaping of vehicles, and while one would think a van’s boxy shape would lend itself easily to a rendition in LEGO bricks, the various pieces pointing in different directions here show it can be deceptively complex. So much so that a few cut decals have been used to pull off some of the more minute details such as the red stripe and A-pillars. There’s no doubt that the effect is well worth the effort though!

This is not the first 1972 Econoline he’s built, either – the first one having been modified from a LEGO Avengers set. It’s always nice to see builders revisit their previous models, especially when the result is this good!

Putting a new spin on the word “limestone”

My, oh, my, isn’t it crazy how good LEGO renders are getting these days? You’d never guess that this “agile planetary tricycle” by Ivan Martynov is actually computer-generated. But while some of the parts don’t exist in those colors, it’s still a thing of beauty. I love the colorful, large “lime-stone” front wheel, but it’s equally impressive on the back end.

While you’re here, check out more builds by Ivan, as well and many other interesting vehicles.

LEGO Technic 42139 All Terrain Vehicle – A vehicle that really does have it all [Review]

The LEGO Technic theme is all about the fun of engineering, and what’s more fun and filled with mechanisms than a utility vehicle? But not another tow truck or crane or piece of construction equipment. No, we’re talking about the LEGO Technic 42139 All-Terrain Vehicle! It’s about time we’ve had a solid-sized ATV in the Technic lineup! So let’s not beat around the bush. Instead, let’s hit that throttle and get in the thick of it! Come along with us as we build and test this 764pc model’s many features. It just became available today, and retails for US $79.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £64.99.

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

Click to read our in-depth review of the rad ATV

Star racing across the universe

Cast your mind back to 2006 and you might remember the obscure anime, Oban Star Racers. Charlie Mann has recreated the Whizzing Arrow from the show, which served as the main character’s racer. The large engines have smooth rounded forms with the ability to splay out in sections for when the boost function is engaged. The orange dome on the side acts as a gunner turret to fight off aggressive opponents. I tried to build this vehicle when I was young but gave up, so it’s great to see that Charlie has succeeded in constructing a model accurate to the original design.

LEGO Creator 40517 Vespa Scooter – “Sembra una vespa!” [Review]

On April 23rd, 1946, Enrico Piaggio filed the patent for the first Vespa. Now, over 75 years later, LEGO is celebrating this iconic scooter with a pair of brick-built tributes. The Creator Expert 10298 Vespa set we reviewed yesterday features a powder-blue Vespa 125, while the LEGO Creator 40517 – Vespa Scooter showcases a smaller, more modern version in red. Like its larger cousin, this 117-piece set will be available March 1st from the LEGO Shop Online for US $9.99 | CAN $12.99 | UK TBD . Let’s take a ride together and see what this set has to offer!

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

Click to read the full hands-on review

LEGO Creator Expert 10298 Vespa 125 – On the road again [Review]

On April 23rd, 1946, Enrico Piaggio filed the patent for the first Vespa. Now, over 75 years later, LEGO is celebrating this iconic scooter with a pair of brick-built tributes. LEGO Creator 40517 – Vespa Scooter features a modern version in Red, while the LEGO Creator Expert 10298 Vespa 125 is a larger-scale model in classic pastel pale blue. The 1106 piece set will be available March 1st from the LEGO Shop Online for US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99. Hop on as we take a spin on this Italian classic and see how well it survived the transition to LEGO brick!

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

Click to read the full hands-on review

Your favourite condiments as speeders

BetaNotus has constructed these rather random speeders. Based on the sauces of barbecue and honey mustard, both vehicles have an open semicircle design at the front, with engines or exhausts protruding from the sides. Sandwiched in between the large quarter circles, tail pieces create the textured details on the inner sections of the machines. The handles are actually built around sausage pieces, which keeps the curved design consistent throughout the models. It does make you wonder what other condiments would look like as flying speeders…

I smell a dirty rat

To see a rat rod in real life is quite a unique experience not soon forgotten. People can be left confused, upset, bewildered, awestruck, and amazed in one fell swoop. It is clear that LEGO builder Sérgio Batista understands the rat rod asthetic perfectly. This sick roadster is rusty, chopped, slammed, gutted, and you’ll probably need a tetanus shot just to look at it. I’m smitten, but then again I like ’em a little dirty. Rat rods, that is. I was talking about rat rods. Anyway, check out two other rat rod articles, both penned by me. (Hmmmm, no one else here is into rat rods?) While you’re at it, have a gander at more vehicles constructed by others.