What kind of bull has 8 wheels, and can travel over 220 mph? The Eurosprinter Taurus, modeled in LEGO by Ties van Asseldonk (the designer of BDP Series 2’s Logging Railway)! I love LEGO locomotives and I gotta say, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that looked this smooth before. With the sloping and curves around the cabins and the fine details by the logo, you – like me – may be wondering how on Earth Ties pulled this off. Luckily for all of us, Ties has graciously posted the instructions and digital model on the Open L-Gauge website; a great little space for sharing LEGO train designs. Ties has put on a masterclass, here, and given away his secrets for free. And that’s no bull!
Tag Archives: Vehicles
A streetcar named...
Renfe got a lot of things right with the 446, but they got one incredibly important thing wrong and people gave it a nickname. So folks, allow me to present – made in LEGO by the expert Julián – the Renfe 446, nicknamed the dodotis, or “nappy”, for its lack of toilet facilities. Put that aside, though, and there’s plenty of great parts and techniques in this build. The ridge along the top of the train is covered in hinged train gates. With its magic wand windshield wipers, this motor car can survive any storm, but the conductor should still be careful; that meat cleaver mirror sure looks like a safety hazard!
The Harley-Davidson Road King proves to be King of the Road
LEGO vehicle phenom Isaac Wilder says it’s been a while since he had last built a bike but you wouldn’t know it by the display of talent here. Relearning an old skill like building a bike is like- um -riding a bike; you never forget how to do it, even after a hiatus. He tells us the front fender is a wand sprue that he had bent a little, while the white tires are stretched Scala wheels. The result is -I mean- just look at that stance! I don’t know about y’all, but one thing I notice here, but also with any good build, is Isaac’s choice of colored paper; in other words, everything in the composition that’s not LEGO. The burnt orange is a great Autumn choice and contrasts nicely against all that black-and-white badassery. I can just smell the motor oil, gasoline, and maybe even a quick whiff of fallen leaves.
Many motors make this massive LEGO MAZ mobile!
Earlier this year, Nathan Hake debuted this huge LEGO model at a convention, and we have finally been graced with pictures! This behemoth is a MAZ-537, a former Soviet vehicle used for carrying… Well, pretty much whatever you want, from armaments to heavy machinery. It’s typical of vehicles of its ilk and era, with great big tyres and utilitarian styling. In LEGO form, Nathan has combined Technic and System pieces to pull off the MAZ in terrific detail. And of course, there are plenty of play functions: it’s got working suspension alongside motorised steering and propulsion!
But how do you level up such a huge undertaking? With an equally huge diorama, of course! This makes for a very nice display piece, with the colours of the river, grass and appropriately autumnal birch trees providing some pleasing contrast to the grey hulk of the truck.
I recommend heading over to Nathan’s Flickr to check out some of the videos of this creation in action – even in the real wilderness!
This build’s a barn burner!
If you’re ever in need of a emergency rescue, look no further than LEGO City’s finest as built here by Jordan Parmegiani! This firetruck is extremely well outfitted, with hatches containing a wide array of firefighting and rescue tools. Those hatches themselves are interesting. The large hatches were released in 1994 (making them just older than me) and were still in production in 2023, while the smaller hatches are originally from train sets released in 1991. Jordan has also made excellent use of official LEGO stickers in this build! The fire badge on the roof of the truck is lifted from a firetruck from 2013, and the large number 4 designation is from one from 2019. Even though this truck is called #4, I think it’s number 1 in our hearts!
Mega Star Wars MTT makes me marvel!
Originally introduced in the Phantom Menace, the Multi-Troop Transport (MTT) has seen several LEGO iterations in official Star Wars sets. But none of them have shown the vehicle in the blue-and-grey CIS livery seen in the Clone Wars animated series. The Minikit Guy has also previously built an MTT in Trade Federation brown – but they have updated it to its Separatist colours! And what a model it is, made up of either 10,000 or 11,000 pieces. Hang on – 10 or 11 thousand? Why the difference?
You’ll have to click through the link to find out!
LEGO Technic 42176 Porsche GT4 e-Performance Race Car – New elements under the hood! [Review]
We’re two thirds of the way through the year and thus far LEGO has given us an outstanding collection of Technic models. The latest wave includes the lunar rover, after all! But for those looking for something a little faster paced, you might meet your match with LEGO Technic 42176 Porsche GT4 e-Performance Race Car. This new vehicle flies under the Control+ banner, and comes with an all-new, fully loaded, RC hub. Come with us a we look under the hood of this 834-piece kit, which is currently available and retails for US $169.99 | CAN $219.99 | UK £149.99.
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
LEGO Technic 42173 Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut Grey Hypercar [Review]
LEGO loves fast cars! The Speed Champions and Technic lines are both pounding them out at record speeds. And with the summer wave of Technic sets, we add a few more to the growing list. Join us as we take a closer look at the latest in the series, LEGO Technic 42173 Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut Grey Hypercar. This 801-piece model will be available August 1st and retail for US $49.99 | CAN $64.99 | UK £46.99.
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick a copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
LEGO Technic 42182 NASA Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle – LRV – A top notch replica? [Review]
The LEGO Group’s partnership with NASA has been a fruitful one, giving us loads of epic space sets. Misses don’t really come to mind as far as delivering accurate replica models. So the anticipation after hearing about a possible lunar rover has been intense, and we couldn’t wait to see it in person. Now that we have it in our hands, it’s time to give this 1913-piece kit a thorough inspection. Come with us as we do some data collection on the LEGO Technic 42182 NASA Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle -LRV, which will be available August 1st and retail for US $219.99 | CAN $289.99 | UK £189.99.
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick a copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
Continue to our in-depth review
Is this car a Good Omen?
If you need to travel the streets in style, look no further than this LEGO Bentley by Daniel Church! This particular Bentley was the preferred ride of the Demon Crowley from the novel and TV series Good Omens by Pratchett and Gaiman. Everything about this model is as pitch-perfect as the Queen CDs the car keeps creating. Everything from the grates on the side to the headlights and bumpers to the shape of the doors is a perfect match to the original car. To match the organic curves of the original vehicle, Daniel has made use of the 10x2x2 wedge behind the forward wheel well and at the back of the cabin roof. That smooth window at the back of the cabin is due to the interlocking shapes of the 4x1x2 2/3 curved slope and the 1x4x3 arch. And speaking of interlocking, look at the 1x2x3 upright and inverted slopes used to make the shapes of the door. You know what they say; the devils in the details!
Taking Bionicle to the red planet
The Bio-Cup is underway, a contest utilizing the sometimes-awkward parts of the Bionicle theme! And it’s kicking off in a big way – the theme for the first round of this annual LEGO contest is “Space”. With such a broad topic, some builders have gone to some really far-flung galaxies, but Mohamed Marei has elected to hop over to our neighbouring planet in his Mars rover. I’m seeing a lot of call-backs to previous LEGO themes here. Of course, that includes some of the older Bionicle pieces used here, or the Technic figure and helmet. But that space-suit reminds me of some of the minifigure space-suits from the 1990s, and the rover is decked out in a similar livery to the Mars Mission sets from the mid-2000s. To be fair, orange is very on-brand for Mars!
Anyone hip for a road trip?
The classic 2011 model of the beloved T1 VW van is back in this LEGO model by Isaac Wilder! Isaac has done an excellent job miniaturizing the old model using a triangular sign to capture the swoosh of white on the front of the van, chrome silver 2×2 dishes (discontinued in 2004!) for the hub caps, and even reusing the curtains from the original. Isaac hasn’t skipped on the scenery either. The pine tree and the olive green bush below it look like they are partially held together by interlocking the fronds of different leaf parts. So grab your rainbow shirts and tie-dye folks. We’re off to the Woodstock and the era of peace and love, baby!