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).

A Gillig CNG bus just for the heck of it

The last time I did something just for the heck of it I ended up getting banned for life from Sizzler. But when LEGO builder Isaac Wilder does something for the heck of it you get this sweet little Gillig CNG bus. Admittedly his approach to doing things for the heck of it is far more constructive than mine. Hah-constructive, get it? Anyway, I’m enjoying all the build techniques here and the photography and wet look turn a nice little build into something amazing indeed. It’s such a relatable thing because it reminds me of all the times I’ve waited for a bus in the rain. That’s all in the past now because, for reasons unrelated to the Sizzler incident, I’m also banned from city buses.

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Don’t STAP me now!

When it comes to making LEGO Star Wars builds, one of my favourite things to make is the smaller, one-man craft. Partly because it’s less parts-intensive (and therefore usually cheaper!), but also because of the challenge. Making an accurate model while retaining a modicum of structural integrity is not always easy. And on top of that, they need to fit a minifigure pilot! Or a battle droid, in this case. This is where parts like the wands from Harry Potter sets come in handy. Once I picked up a couple of those and the candle-stick pieces to form the cannons of these Single Trooper Aerial Platforms (STAPs), the rest of the build flowed quickly from there. It’s funny how one or two pieces can dictate the entirety of a build, even small ones.

Call of the West

Saddle up because it’s time to head west! Douglas Hughes’ new LEGO covered wagon just may be the best way to make it happen. He tells us this ain’t one of those big fancy swoopy-looking conestoga wagons you may have seen in the old Westerns. It’s a farmer’s wagon, which apparently was preffered by settlers as these smaller more nimble wagons get through rough and muddy terrain without bogging down. Makes sense, really. Be sure to hunker down and check out these other creations by Douglas Hughes that also makes a lot of sense to our logical minds.

A carry-on that can carry you away

Have you seen the chaos that is air travel lately? Well, Dan Ko has crafted the perfect solution for the weary traveler. This Pacman Speeder is a hoverbike that gets you where you need to go in a hurry. And, when you reach your destination, it’s small enough to fit on a bellman’s cart and store in the hotel closet. Now that’s traveling in style.

A retro car from the future

Retro-futurism is a theme I don’t see too often with LEGO, but it’s one of my favorite design styles. Take this slick car from 1saac W. as a great example of why I love this style so much. It’s got such a cool, sleek look with fantastic lines and a lot of character. Gaze upon those slopes and curved LEGO bits — rain and wind just pass right over this vehicle as it blazes down empty highway. It reminds me of the Batman: The Animated Series art style with its extra length and curves. This car looks so good, I’d love to see more retro-futurism designs. In the meantime, I’ll just keep admiring this build.

Two scoops of desert goodness

This latest LEGO creation by Tom Loftus has instant appeal for me. I mean, it looks like it’s going super-fast while sitting still. That is partly due to the genius use of the dusty roostertail behind this Desert Speedster. The position of that minifig driver makes it look like he’s really leaning into that turn. I’d be impressed enough with that but there is some brilliant parts usage with the bucket scoops as front fenders and it appears the body of the car is an upside-down boat. Incidentally, this is not the first time Tom has been using parts in clever ways. Not by a long shot! Check out our Tom Loftus archives to see what I mean.

This mighty Komatsu with 250-ton trailer can move your whole LEGO collection with ease

People who design and build massive, powerful, yet very accurate LEGO trucks are unlike any of us, ordinary minifigure collectors. Look at Beat Felber. I bet he doesn’t even bother purchasing any LEGO wheels smaller than enormous 84mm’s that his newest Komatsu HD785-5 runs on. And it’s not even truck’s best feature.

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An ambulance vehicle worth all the wait

The original LEGO 600 Ambulance set was realised back in 1971. And even though its remake by Jonathan Elliot arrived more than 50 years later, it’s exactly on time. I’m so much in love with all the tiled surfaces of the new ambulance; it just looks right with original windshield placement, and smooth white mudguards add so much to the car’s retro vibe.

Comparing the new design to the original one is also so much fun. Jonathan turned the old printed 1×4 brick with the grill and the headlights pattern into a fully detailed front section. Still, he did such a good job preserving the original character of the car: squared headlights are perfect for the case. And now I start thinking, are Castle and Classic Space the only LEGO themes good enough to be remade today, huh?

Speed and curves make for a seductive combination

If you want a LEGO creation that’s part racecar, part spaceship, and part fighter plane then look no further than Brambleshark built by Vince Toulouce. I love the color scheme, the crouching stance, the side pipes, and the centralized cockpit canopy. It looks lightning fast just sitting still. For this unique build, Vince takes inspiration from the retro-future art and design of John Frye.

This creation is stunning from all angles but the rear view with the rigging and tail fins really launches this thing into the stratosphere. Well done, Vince Toulouse. Well done!

Looking to the past for inspiration in the future

Tino Poutiainen has drawn inspiration from the world of racing motorcycles for his latest LEGO creation. He says the all-conquering Honda NSR500 was the inspiration for the bike, and there’s certainly a resemblance. That is to say, it looks awesome!

There’s some very nifty parts use within. The front wheel is held in by a technic disc itself fitted into a basketball hoop, which frankly looks made for this purpose. The minifigure pulley brake lever is cool too. Although the original motorcycle was conceived in the 1980s, Tino has updated it for a slightly more futuristic age, perfectly illustrated by the figure stood next to it. Presumably this is what stylish motorcycle leathers will look like in a few decades’ time. I hope there’s a helmet just out of shot, or in that briefcase. Even the future is no excuse not to be road-safe!

The only British cars that don’t rust are those made from LEGO

If you say ‘family saloon made in 1960s Britain’, chances are the car in question is not a very good one, even by the standards of the time. But if you say ‘LEGO car made by Chris Elliott‘, it’s almost a dead cert that it’s a bona fide classic. While they were by no means perfect, there is a certain charm about cars of this vintage, which Chris has captured wonderfully. The front grille – a custom-chromed Wolverine claw – is immediately recognisable as a hallmark of Wolseley cars, and indeed Chris says the Wolseley 1500 was the main source of inspiration. There’s a hint of Ford Cortina in there too, and maybe even something sporty like a Triumph TR4. The shaping is great, and along with the chrome parts really helps to sell this as a typical late-20th-century British classic. The only inauthentic thing is the build quality. It’s far too high for this to have come out of a Leyland or BMC factory!

Now you can go while on the go

There was a time before I was born and into my early childhood in which Show Rods were a thing. This is where automotive customizers with lots of imagination pushed the limits of what a hot rod can be. Anything from a bed, to a wine barrel, was fair game, and esteemed LEGO builder Andrea Lattanzio captured one such Show Rod nicely here. It is the “Outhouse” originally dreamed up by Bob Reisner in 1969, probably while sitting on the throne where frankly most good ideas come from. I mean, as outlandish as this seems to be, it has practical applications when you consider that you can do your business while still making good time to your destination. Just wash your hands, which I presume you’d have to do at your sink-themed Show Rod sold separately. This is Andrea’s fourth trip to the Show Rod loo; the previous being a Fire Truck, Beer Wagon, and Paddy Wagon. While you’re already sitting in the place where you do your best scrolling anyway, why not check out these hot rods from Andrea and other like-minded friends who can’t be bothered with building a boring Toyota Corolla.