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).

Who says electric vehicles are slow?

Building fast cars in LEGO has always been a popular theme, and that only sped up with the launch of the Speed Champions theme. And while the creation of racecar models isn’t showing any signs of slowing down, there are some LEGO fans giving this genre a serious boost. One such builder is Malte Dorowski, whose newest model off of the assembly lines is this beautiful Porsche 99X Electric. I am a big fan of the 3-color scheme in stark black, white, and red, with my favorite part being the front fenders made from panels found in 1980s and 1990s space sets.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

It’s time to pick up the Ford Mustang set, thanks to this alt build

LEGO Creator Expert’s latest vehicle, 10265 Ford Mustang, is one of the best vehicles LEGO has made. But Nathanael Kuipers decided to use the parts from the set to build another stunning vehicle, this beautiful classic pickup. With the clean lines and split grille that marked the Ford F100 trucks of the early 70s, it’s remarkable that every element in this truck came from a single copy of the Mustang. Now that LEGO has moved away from cars with a Volkswagen Camper Van and a Technic Range Rover Defender, maybe they’ll turn an eye to gorgeous trucks like this, too.

LEGO heads into the wilderness with the Technic 42110 Land Rover Defender [Review]

For several decades, the LEGO Technic theme has incorporated licensed vehicles pulled from the ranks of the world’s best-known auto manufacturers. And almost without exception, LEGO has focused these sets on sports cars and heavy equipment. But now Technic has made a foray into the new class of automobile life that seems to be taking over all that it touches: the SUV. With 42110 Land Rover Defender, LEGO not only releases its first Technic SUV, but also lands its first license with renowned automaker Jaguar/Landrover in 50 years (LEGO produced diecast Jaguar models in the 1960s). Not simply a one-off, the licensing partnership also includes minifigure-scale vehicles for the Speed Champions line like the I-pace and Formula E racecar. The new LEGO Defender released Oct. 1, 2019, and was revealed in conjunction with the real vehicle’s debut, marking Land Rover’s return to the venerable Defender model. The set includes 2,573 pieces and retails for US $199.99 | CAN $249.99 | UK £159.99.

Click to read the full review

If this is my ride to jail then sign me up!

Sometimes I wish I was born sooner, but if I were I might be soiling adult diapers and yelling obscenities at the TV by now, so I’m fine being the age I am, all things considered. Had I been a bit older though, I would have seen this whole “Showrod” phenomenon first hand. Showrodding pioneers such as George Barris, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, and Tom Daniel (of Monogram Models fame) changed the definition of what a car could be with their flamboyant, over-the-top showstoppers. Certainly there is still car customization going on nowadays but nothing matches the heyday of the Showrod phenomenon in the 50s, 60s, and early 70s. There are very few car builders on the planet building this style of Showrod and even fewer people creating them in LEGO. One such LEGO artist, however, is Andrea Lattanzio who has replicated Tom Daniel’s “Paddy Wagon” with masterful build techniques and stunning photography.

To say I am impressed by this would be an understatement. I think the correct words I’m looking for are awestruck and quite a bit humbled. Everything from the C-Cab’s signature profile, to the gleaming custom chrome bits to the aggressive stance to its superb clean backdrop, even the font used are all the mark of an artist with a profound knack for presentation. With what looks like houses reflected in the rear hubcap, it would seem Andrea’s secret to stellar presentation involves, at least in part, natural outdoor lighting and a clear day.

Click here to learn the history of the term

Bavarian Motor Works gets the Danish Brick Works treatment

With the release of the excellent LEGO Creator Expert 10269 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy set, we appear to be experiencing a corresponding uptick in fantastic motorcycle creations. Here’s a belter of a bike from André Pinto — a brick-built version of a customised BMW R80 RT. The shaping and overall frame are spot-on, and the sticker-work is just perfect, adding little touches of detail without overwhelming the bricks. The splash of gold from the ribbed hoses adds a lovely burst of contrast against the black, as do the red forks, and the overall presentation of the model is enhanced by the wood-effect base.

This serious ballista vehicle is not messing around

When you need to defend your outpost from aerial attack, you need an anti-aircraft Ballista. Like this one built by Douglas Hughes, which features not one, but two substantially armed turrets; one sporting rocket launchers, the other, twin machine guns. The cab is very well sculpted with angled panels, and that blue striped detail is a nice touch.

The vehicle is based on the Anvil Ballista from the multiplayer sci-fi game Star Citizen. But Douglas didn’t just build an amazing vehicle, he motorized it (maybe you noticed the cleverly integrated control box on the side) and lit the cab as well.

This Mustang is ready to run with the horses

Not much screams “American” like a big-engined, gas-guzzling, machismo-granting muscle car. The throaty roar of the tailpipes, the peeling tires, racing down a secluded stretch of road away from the cops…ahh, for the halcyon days of my youth, playing with my Hotwheels cars. A while back, LEGO Ideas hosted a contest to build a poster for the Ford Mustang to celebrate the release of the large Creator Expert Mustang set, and aido k submitted a digital entry, but wanted to make a ‘Stang in real bricks, too. The challenges were real, since making an 8-stud wide car with a battery box inside for the working lights is not easy. But the finished product looks great, clad in the classic white with blue stripes.

I love the angled windscreen to get a steeper look than the piece provides. A subtle variation in how far down the tiles on the side are pressed creates a delightful little scoop in the side door, and the roller skate makes a brilliant door handle. The fastback slope is smoothly done, too, integrating nicely with the rest of the car. The lights make this machine one of the coolest cars I have seen, with their warm glow enhancing the photos and the presentation. Now who wants to go burn some rubber and show those Camaros and Challengers who is boss?

The new Chevrolet Corvette C8 is really a very pretty car, even in LEGO

I have got to admit something quite shallow. I’m ashamed to say, but when it comes to cars, I judge the book by its cover. I only care what it looks like on the outside; I can’t figure out how many pistons or spark plugs it requires to blast off from 0 to 100km/h. Nor do I care! What I do know, however, is how difficult it is to capture the essence of beautiful curves and do justice to the real Chevrolet Corvette C8 using only hard-edged plastic bricks! The top trophy goes to Lasse Deleuran for even attempting this feat. And what I like about car builds like this one is how the windscreens are built using regular non-trans clear pieces. And though it’s not exactly new, I always love the Round 1×1 Quarter tiles used in many builds to smooth out the rough edges.

Click to see more of the Corvette C8

A little wasteland Peterbuilt

It’s clear that Will Galbraith has been watching some Mad Max recently, because even though he doesn’t say it explicitly, it’s clear this LEGO Peterbuilt 359 is straight out of Fury Road. The model is deceptively small for featuring so many details, being solidly minifigure scale. With a heavily modified and angled frame, this truck has probably been cobbled together from the bones of a few other vehicles, like most in the wasteland. The anti-tailgating flamethrower in back is just the icing on the cake.

The future of Harley-Davidson is bright. Also sea-foam green.

When you think of Harley-Davidson, you probably think of growling fat hogs that guzzle gas and leak oil. But Tong Xin Jun has seen the future of Harleys and it is bright and clean. What you are looking at is a color-modded render utilizing some parts you wouldn’t readily think to use. You may recognize a Mindstorms EV3 Ultrasonic Sensor just over the front tire and Technic actuators act as shock absorbers. Unless there is a stash of odd-colored parts that I don’t know about, this sea-foam green, orange, white, pearl gold, light gray and dark gray combination can’t quite work in real brick with this model. Still, it is an inspired choice by the builder and lends to a sleek, futuristic feel to the bike.

Here is an alternate view better showcasing those transparent piston cylinders. It would be neat if motorcycle tires came in anything but black, but for now, computer rendering, photo manipulation, or some good old paint are the only ways to get that done.

A few bricks down by the farm

This tranquil LEGO scene from Damian Z. is a great way to highlight the real star, the tractor. The Polish Ursus C330 is a wonderful piece of work with lots of detail despite its small minifigure-scale size. A handful of common clips and other bits stand in for the engine details, while Technic pulley wheels work as the hubs to make tractor-like tires out of larger-scale racing tires.

Roadster Racers get the LEGO look

Ready for some Disney racing action? You’d better be, because here come Mickey and the Roadster Racers, depicted in LEGO bricks by Ian Ying. This super-cute trio of racing vehicles are nicely matched to their counterparts in the cartoon series — Mickey’s Hot Doggin’ Hot Rod is particularly good, with its twin-ear spoiler at the rear. The purist builders out there might have palpitations about it, but I think removing the arms from the minifigures was a smart choice. It allows the hot rods to have tighter proportions than if they’d have to accommodate the limbs, and it gives the characters’ heads an oversized chibi appearance which enhances the cartoon-style appeal. Seeing these, I demand Disney introduce an instant rebranding of the rather tired Magic Kingdom “classic,” Tomorrowland Speedway — I’d queue for hours to race one of these babies!