You are now free to walk about the cockpit in this massive 1:20 scale model of the classic Batwing. Designed by Eivind Loekken, the Batwing looks sleek and fast thanks to extensive use of angled plates, tiles, and slopes of varying degrees; you won’t find a single stud in sight. Equally impressive is the custom Batman Technic figure seated in the cockpit.
See more of Batman’s favorite flying vehicle.
The modern circus can trace its roots back to the late 18th Century in Philip Astley’s Amphitheatre. By the 1800s, the development of a vast railroad network allowed the circus to hit the tracks, traveling from town to town. In a world before radios and television, the circus was often one of the most highly anticipated entertainment events. Celebrating the spirit of the traveling circus, Ben Spector has built a colorful and fun-looking circus train.
See this charming circus train in greater detail.
Fans of the short-lived television series Firefly will instantly recognize this LEGO version of Serenity built by Richard Van As. His model does a fantastic job of capturing the look of the sturdy, cobbled together freighter that was as much a cast member as her human crew. The model features an opening cargo bay door, rotating thrusters, landing gear, and docking for two short-range shuttles. The ship has several off-colored parts to represent the many repairs and replacements installed over her years of service. If you squint, you can almost see Wash’s collection of plastic dinosaurs through the cockpit viewport.
For more Serenity, you can build your own, or check out this shiny large scale model.
This is likely not the kind of thing you want to see as you’re finally taxiing down the airport tarmac, but it is cool nonetheless. Steven Asbury has built this two-person crew LEGO Airport Fire Department Fast Response Squad. Custom stickers and chrome bits along with its lime green livery makes this rescue truck truly a sight to behold. The plane in the background and the bit of runway offers just enough detail to convey a busy airport. Seeing one of these bad boys most often means someone in First Class doesn’t agree with pre-flight safety directions (its always First Class!) or someone tampered with the smoke alarm in the bathroom. They mean serious business when they say not to mess with it. Once one of these arrives at the scene it is probably best to calmly get into the brace for crash position and remain that way all the way to Denver.
It is quite clear that Steven loves fire and rescue trucks. Here we previously featured a scene that likely has to do with rescuing a cat from a tree.
Earlier this month we had featured a remembrance for Ingmar Spijkhoven, a LEGO truck builder who recently succumbed to ALS. The LEGO world, and particularly a small group of close-knit Dutch scale modelers, lost a good friend and a passionate builder. Dennis Glaasker built a fitting tribute to Ingmar in a way he would have loved. He took Igmar’s own “TR11” chemical tank trailer design and decked it out in shiny custom chrome bricks and then fitted it with a Peterbilt 389 tractor. The tractor is equipped with two Power functions XL engines for drive, and one servo for steering. It is controlled by an SBrick and powered by a 9.6 Volt battery pack which is located in the sleeper unit. The truck (and trailer) have custom stickers, and a fully modeled engine bay and interior.
This wasn’t so much an achievement for Dennis alone, but rather a culmination of the group of friends who wanted to pay tribute to Ingmar. Ingmar saw some work in progress photos and was honored and delighted by the idea but had unfortunately passed a week before completion of this model. A rear shot features the photographer reflected in the gleaming chrome tank trailer but also a clear view of the special custom license plate that adorns both the front and rear of the model. I think Ingmar would approve.
Real Le Mans racecars are carefully built and strategized to maximize efficiency and performance over the grueling 24-hour race. So it’s fitting that LEGO builder Milan has chosen to build this sweet Le Mans racer with a key restriction. He’s used only the elements from the LEGO set 42093 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. That’s especially impressive because the Corvette is about the same size, yet features a radically different shape.
Milan has lots of experience with building custom creations using only the parts from one set, though (AKA alternates). In addition to being an expert Technic builder, alternates are his signature style. He also frequently provides instructions, meaning if you own the Corvette set, you can follow Milan’s guide to build a Le Mans racer of your own.
If you are looking for great LEGO models of cars in a 1:1 scale to the LEGO Minifig, look no further than these two classic automobiles by Mateusz Waldowski. At first glance, it would be easy to mistake these dual versions of the 1970s Ford Granada MK1 for die-cast Hotwheels. From the smoothly curved hoods to the white stripes made from official sticker material, there’s not a visible stud to be seen. One of my favorite details is the little tab sticking out for each door handle. (See if you can figure out how they did it.) And that luggage rack is ready for the Griswolds to load up for their family vacation.
When there’s something strange in the LEGOhood, who you gonna call? Darren Thew, that’s who! The Ecto 1 has been modeled in LEGO bricks many times before, but Darren takes things to a new level with a massive version of the beloved vehicle from Ghostbusters. He has taken great care in striving for authenticity, from every minute detail on the roof to the use of System and Technic parts to form the curvaceous shape of the retrofitted 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor.
See more of this ghostbusting ride.
Visions of the future have been promising hovering cars since the 1960s and we are still waiting. But with LEGO creations like this hovercar by GolPlaysWithLego we can imagine ourselves whooshing down the floating freeways of tomorrow in style. Rather than build a flashy, bright-colored hovercar inspired by the video game franchise Wipeout, this one is made using monochrome shades of spaceship gray, and it looks great. The way the windshield part fits so smoothly into that arch, it’s like it was made just for that purpose.
The answer is this awesome LEGO Classic Space-inspired vehicle by Alec Hole. Boasting an incredible 32 wheels across 8 axles, this monster moon buggy is one of the greebliest vehicles I’ve seen recently. (If you don’t know what greebles are, be sure to check out our glossary.) Alec says he was inspired by a similar-looking vehicle by Piotr Turecki, which was built using a 1980s palette of LEGO elements. All I can say is, I would have killed to have this thing as a kid.
Having seen Mad Max: Fury Road several times, I can state that the stars of the show are not so much the actors, the scenery, nor the plot but rather the cars. Vehicles seen in the movie were actual working pieces of over-the-top post-apocalyptic automotive mayhem. One such example is the Gigahorse built by Kale Frost. Driven by inefficient water wasting baddy Immortan Joe, Gigahorse was constructed by stacking two 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Villes, along with two beefy V16 engines and a menacing plow up front. Massive tires complete the look and the end result is a thing of automotive nightmares.
The vehicles of Mad Max: Fury Road have captured the imaginations of many a builder. Here is a previously featured Gigahorse as well as the Plymouth Rock and the Doof Wagon. Safety and practicality mean nothing in the Mad Max world!
As a parent, there are some things I don’t want my kids to see. Most of them are things like violence, sex, or drugs on TV, or scary and frightening scenes. Yet there are other things, too, but for different reasons; in this latter category I count this amazing collection of custom-made fire trucks by Steven Asbury. I can already hear the clamoring and whining, “Daddy, I want ALL of those fire trucks! Build them!” But I can’t. For one, I don’t have enough red pieces to build all those trucks, and for another, I don’t posses Steven’s vehicle-building skills. The scaling between trucks and alongside minifigures looks amazing, with details surpassing the LEGO Group’s official fire trucks. This particular grouping of trucks makes up Fire Task Force 3, modeled after Los Angeles’ Task Force concept. From ladder and search & rescue trucks to ambulances, there is pretty much everything you would need to respond to just about any emergency in your city.
Click to see more details of Fire Task Force 3