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.
Winter is coming, and this time it has nothing to do with Game of Thrones but rather a regular winter in the northern hemisphere. Thankfully, Alexandre Rossier is up for the task with this massive LEGO ’67 Unimog 406. He tells us that the fully-detailed model is remote-controlled with a 4×4 with central differential, portal axles, and a 6-cylinder engine that you can admire by removing the cabin. I’m particularly smitten by its stance, color, beefy tires, snowplow…pretty much everything that makes it a Unimog.
If you’ve followed builder Tim Henderson for any length of time, you’ve probably guessed he’s a car guy. Tim’s latest build pays homage to Dean Moon, founder of the Moon Equipment brand of racing equipment and accessories. This bright yellow dragster was built by Moon in 1961 and has remained a sort of mascot of the company ever since. Tim’s done an amazing job of recreating the vehicle in minifigure scale, making excellent use of a Legends of Chima hammerhead as the engine. And replicating the “Mooneyes” logo on the side of his Ford Econoline van to haul it is the perfect finishing touch.
It’s no secret that I love teal. Most people do as well, for its wonderful blend of blue and green and The LEGO colour’s interesting history – which you’d rather not have me ramble about it here. Maybe some other time. But another colour that does it for me is vibrant coral. Introduced in 2019 with The LEGO Movie 2 sets, it was an odd but pretty colour. Many LEGO builders struggled to put it to good use, especially with other colours so that they don’t clash. Seasoned Technic builder Peer Kreuger (mahjqa) uses both colours as a racing highlight on a dark blue American-style semi-truck. And the colour combo of all three is just *chef’s kiss*.
The smooth and colourful exterior of the truck hides the Control+ motor system allowing it to be driven from a smartphone. Peer has decades of experience with motorised and remote-controlled Technic builds, and each time he builds a new one I’m still impressed. This time, the real icing on the cake is the vibrant coral coloured seahorse adorning the hood of the truck. I never thought I’d see an accessory from LEGO Friends on a Technic build…
As you eagerly anticipate the arrival of your Bionicle Krana masks, this might not be the delivery person you expect! Tino Poutiainen has constructed this inventive looking build where a dog on a hoverbike zips through the air with a rabbit in tow. The rabbit desperately clings onto the parcel shelf which is represented by an old card holder piece. The dog has an adorable expression with its puffed-out cheeks and lolling tongue. There are also quite a few interesting printed studs and stickers used on the bike, such as an Exo-Force sticker at the front of the vehicle.
I honestly have no idea why Vladimir Drozd decides to decorate his latest Mack truck with a Greek warrior’s helmet, but I find it hilarious. For me, this little touch gives the vehicle some great character and helps to draw attention from the truck’s suspiciously clean look. The thing is, I just don’t believe Australian trucks this neat exist. Weathering is never easy when building with LEGO, but a couple of patches of dust and sand here and there could really elevate the model’s look.
Apart from the look that is a bit too plain, the truck is fantastic on the scale. The shaping of the front makes the Mack instantly recognizable, and the fuel tank is a perfect choice of an add-on.
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and sometimes one LEGO creation inspires another, like this neat fleet of cargo transports inspired by the Baserunner by Alvaro Gunawan. While the original was a simple flatbed, this new version by BetaNotus adds a new paint job, a covered cargo area with removable cargo, and a folding radio antenna. The additional section flows very nicely with three front sections. I just hope that container isn’t too dangerous. The pilot doesn’t look too concerned.
For comparison, here is the original inspiration, with a very smooth-looking transmission to help navigate rough terrain to deliver your cargo on time.
In 1952 the gregarious larger-than-life Norm Grabowski took a ’31 Ford Model A V8 roadster and, with some unconventional customizations, made hot rodding history with his equally gregarious and larger-than-life Kookie T-Bucket. With its flashy red and blue color scheme and cartoonish proportions it was a pivotal car for sure. Norm’s T-bucket helped push hot rodding to the forefront of American pop culture. In fact, anyone building T-Buckets today borrows some DNA from this Kooky-T. Fast forward nearly 70 years later and LEGO car builder 1saac W. has paid homage to Norm and his Kookie-T and scratched this one off his T-bucket to-do list. Be sure to check out the other times we went totally kookie for 1saac’s stuff.
As a little kid, I was so confused with how people could tell all the sports cars apart: they are all red, look sleek and drive super fast! How do you know which one is which without looking at the logo? As it turned out, all the iconic cars are actually so different, you need no more than 8 LEGO studs in width to capture a unique character. And this is exactly what Jerry Builds Bricks did with the lovely Lancia Stratos.
A 5-year-old me would not believe it if I told myself I could instantly recognize Lancia just in a straight row of curved slopes and the iconic headlights. And as an adult LEGO builder, I appreciate how the bulky Speed Champions canopy is fitted here. If only this small model had working suspension…
I was given one of the large-scale Batman LED torch figures a few months ago and it planted a dreadful seed in my mind. I don’t know about other LEGO builders, but once I have an interesting idea for a model it haunts me, making me unable to concentrate on building anything else until it is exorcised by an attempt to put it together. After months of experimenting and tweaking (and multiple Bricklink orders), I finally ended up with a Big Ol’ Batmobile — over 10 inches long and 4 inches wide. The trickiest part of the process was embedding the domed canopies neatly within the bodywork, but the worst part was undoubtedly when I discovered late in the build that a key piece was unavailable in the colour I required. Do not be too outraged, dear reader, when I tell you I resorted to spray paint.
I’m not a scale-modeller, I don’t have the patience or toolkit of building techniques for it. So the key for me was capturing the spirit of the original Batmobile — its styling and key elements — without attempting to recreate it perfectly. Identifying those signature elements was the first step — bubble cockpits, red striping, a “bat face” in the front grille, the three rocket pipes, and, of course, prominent fins to the rear (as seen in the image below). I’m pleased with how this model eventually turned out, although in future I won’t underestimate how long it takes to build something to a larger scale than you’re used to.
I tend to shy away from integrating DUPLO into my LEGO collection as I perceive it as being cute, clunky, usually covered in toddler puke, and just not for the likes of serious builders like me. But then again in the hands of a talented builder such as Dwalin Forkbeard he can turn something cute and clunky into a masterful work of art. Take this currier vehicle, for instance. It uses a couple of clunky DUPLO parts and mixes “regular Legos” into it for a cohesive feel. The end result is like something out of The Fifth Element or Blade Runner. Check out the other times we’ve been totally smitten by this builder’s work. And if you’re inclined to build with DUPLO yourselves, then you’re in good company.
Sometimes you just need to hit the streets in a Japanese sports car. GSM Studio built a medium-sized Technic model of the 2006 Honda Integra, the type of sports car that you would see in street-racing scenes of the earlier Fast & Furious films. Grouped in the same category as the Honda Civic, the Integra is more of a high-performance model spanning four generations of limited release. It is regarded as one of the best front-wheel-drive cars, which GSM Studio faithfully replicated in his build, amongst other functions.
It’s not a Technic build without lots of functions. The opening doors, trunk and hood do not cut it close. The steering wheel in the cabin powers the steering, and a knob between the seats works the four-speed transmission, which is linked to the front wheels as well as the I4 inline engine under the hood. However, not all four wheels have working suspensions. There is only suspension in the rear, as the front axle has the drivetrain as well as steering.
Still, it is quite a feat packing so many functions into a compact build of a compact car. It is more than LEGO does in their official sets, such as Dom’s Dodge Charger from Fast & Furious, which this build would look amazing next to.