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You’re Going to Reap Just What You Sow

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Lego John Deere 9560R & Vaderstad RDA 800C

After a thorough ploughing you’re ready to spread some seed, and the bigger the tool you have, the better. In farming terms obviously.

This is one such tool, a Vaderstad RDA 800C, being towed (and powered) by a mighty John Deere 9560R tractor. This enormous rig is the work of Flickr’s Eric Trax, and it’s a seriously impressive bit of kit.

Lego John Deere 9560R & Vaderstad RDA 800C

Eric’s 1:18 scale John Deere 9560R includes SBrick bluetooth-controlled all-wheel-drive with diff locks, central articulated steering, and a working piston engine, whilst the Vaderstad seeder behind it features a pneumatically operable seeding mechanism that can raise and lower for road and work configurations, powered by an on-board compressor and operable remotely via a second SBrick.

Lego John Deere 9560R Tractor RC

There’s lots more of both the 9560R and Vaderstad seeder to see at Eric’s Flickr photostream via the link above, plus you watch the combination in action courtesy of the video below, where Eric demonstrates what his giant seeding tool can do.

YouTube Video

We made it through this entire post without mentioning your Mom! Apart from this bit.



Rapid Raptor

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Lego RC Ford Raptor Sariel

If you were wondering where we were before today’s posts, seeing as things had gone very quiet here at TLCB, let us explain. It’s all Sariel‘s fault.

This is his awesome remote control Ford Raptor Trophy Truck; a twin buggy Motor propelled, long-travel suspension Technic monster, with a 15km/h top speed.

A typical TLCB Elf cannot run at 15km/h. At least not for a sustained period. And thus, as has become standard practice in TLCB Towers, our Elves were duly mown down in the corridors by the delighted Elven pilot of Sariel’s machine.

Lego RC Ford Raptor Sariel

So fast, nimble and tough is Sariel’s Raptor that almost every Elf in the office at the time became a road traffic accident statistic (if we ever bothered to record the casualties), before the driver finally lost control and crashed the Ford into the water cooler and alerted staff to the carnage.

With the victims mostly patched up and all the errant Elven body parts put into the food recycling tub we’ve been able to return to blogging today, so whilst we go through our mailbox and award Smarties to successful Elves (including the one responsible for today’s smushing), you can check out Sariel’s brilliant Ford Raptor Trophy Truck by clicking here, plus you can watch it in action courtesy of the excellent video below.

YouTube Video:


‘Initial D’ AE86

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Lego Toyota AE86 Initial D

Once every so often a car comes along that, for reasons mysterious and illogical, becomes more than just another metal box, a car that captures the imagination, and that becomes more than the sum of its parts. This is one such car, the legendary 1980s Toyota Corolla Levin AE86 / Sprinter Trueno.

If you’re a Japanese drift fan though, you might want to skip this next bit…

The Toyota AE86 was not a special car.

It was in fact a humdrum hatchback designed to take people from point A to point B reliably and at a reasonable cost. Just like every other humdrum hatchback at the time.

But it’s a manual with rear wheel drive we here you cry! It was indeed, but so was pretty much everything else on sale in Europe and Japan back then. So far so ordinary.

Lego Toyota AE86 Initial D

But then something strange happened. Moderately successful motorcycle racer / moderately unsuccessful car racer Kunimitsu Takahashi had started to throw cars sideways on track in Japan a few years earlier. Rookie racer Keiichi Tsuchiya liked what he saw, and applied the technique to the illegal street races that he was participating in, becoming a legend in the process.

Keiichi went on to forge a successful professional racing career following his antics on the street, and the car from his illegal racing days, his humble Corolla Levin AE86, became a legend as big as the man that drove it.

Japan’s illegal drift scene exploded, and the arrival of the Initial D manga cartoon in the mid ’90s, featuring a hero driver at the wheel of a Toyota AE86, did nothing to lessen the legend of both the man and the car credited with creating it.

The result is that the little Toyota Corolla Levin AE86 has become one of the most iconic and sought after cars of the ’80s, and as such prices have gone stratospheric. Pretty good for a humble hatchback designed to go to the shops.

If, like us, you don’t quite have the loose change to get your hands on a real AE86, Technic builder RM8 might have just the answer. This is his beautifully engineered AE86 model, and it captures the details of the real ’80s Corolla Levin brilliantly in Technic form. It’s also as fun to drive as drifting a real AE86 up a Japanese mountain pass (probably), with a Power Functions L Motor driving the rear wheels, a Servo Motor powering the steering, and a third-party SBrick bluetooth receiver controlling the signals to both.

There’s lots more to see of RM8’s Toyota Corolla Levin AE86 / Sprinter Trueno at MOCpages and the Eurobricks discussion forum, but much like the real car RM8’s model is something more than the sum of its parts. Take a look at RM8’s enthralling video below to see why…

YouTube Video


Lykan Hypersport – Picture Special

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Lego Lykan Hypersport SBrick

This is the Lykan Hypersport, a car with a base price of $3.4million, a production run of just seven units, and diamonds embedded in the headlights. It is a spectacularly pointless machine, built for people who are only interested in having the most expensive of everything (the Abu Dhabi Police Department included, who have – unbelievably – ordered one), and yet… the world would be a duller place without it.

Lego Lykan Hypersport Remote Control

This jaw-dropping SBrick-controlled replica of the Middle East’s first (but almost certainly not last) hypercar is the work of previous bloggee dgustafsson1317, who may not have a talent for screen names but he sure does with Danish plastic. Featuring opening everything and exquisite detail, dgustafsson’s Lykan is one of the most impressive cars of the year so far, and you can see more of the build at the huge Flickr album via the link above.

Lego Lykan Hypersport Remote Control


FTF FS-20 Roseboom – Picture Special

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Lego FTF FS-20 Heavy Haulage Truck

This is probably the most beautiful Lego truck you’ll see this year. It might be the most beautiful Lego truck you’ll see ever.

It comes from Dirk Klijn of Flickr, and it’s an exact replica of an FTF FS-20 M 26 DT used by heavy haulage firm Roseboom in the Netherlands from 1989.

FTF (Floor Truck Factory) were a Dutch assembler of very heavy trucks, who sourced components such as engines from the USA and cabs from the UK to create specialist haulage vehicles.

Lego FTF FS-20 Heavy Haulage Truck

FTF now only manufacture trailers rather than tractor units, but this particular FTF truck has been totally restored to its former glory.

After finding details of the restoration Dirk has recreated Roseboom’s classic FTF in absolutely breathtaking detail, completing the build with a truly enormous Scheurle EuroCombi trailer carrying a mammoth steel beam, a load typical of the truck when it was in haulage service.

Lego FTF Truck RC

Dirk’s incredible model is more than a display piece too, as full Power Functions remote control – operated by a third-party SBrick bluetooth brick – is included, along with working suspension, a tilting cab, and mechanical steering on the Scheurle trailer.

There’s a whole lot more to see of Dirk’s amazing Roseboom-livereied classic FTF truck at his photostream – click here to heavy-haul circa-1989.

Lego FTF FS-20 Heavy Haulage Truck


Technic Expedition

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Lego Technic Jeep Wrangler 4x4 Remote Control Truck Trial

If you were surprised that yesterday’s find resulted in no Elven carnage, so were we. Fast, nimble and easily controllable from a bluetooth device, Anto’s remote control Citroen World Rally Car would have been the perfect tool to – if not drive over Elves – at least splat them against the corridor walls. But fear not readers, the Elves are back on form today.

This brutal-looking Jeep Wrangler Expedition is neither fast nor nimble, but it is a hugely capable machine. Powered by an on-board LiPo battery, two XL motors drive all four wheels whilst two L motors power the steering and a front-mounted winch. Working lights and monster suspension complete the list of functions, equipping the Jeep for the tough off-road competition for which it was built.

We don’t know how the Jeep fared in the aforementioned event, but if  the carnage here at TLCB Towers is anything to go buy, we suspect it did quite well.

Lego Technic Jeep Wrangler 4x4 Remote Control Truck Trial

Knowing it isn’t the fastest creation, the discoverer Elf waited until nightfall to unleash the Jeep on its unsuspecting colleagues. Many of TLCB Elves sleep in their cages. A sign of their oppression they may be, but a cage-based Elf is usually a safe Elf. However, some of the Elves had taken their chances, simply falling asleep in various poses on the cage room floor. These Elves were not safe. Not safe at all.

Unable to wake and run fast enough, the Jeep made easy work of the snoozing Elves. By the time we reached the cage room at least a dozen had been flattened and one was still desperately clinging the the bumper in a bid to avoid the Jeep’s balloon tyres before Mr. Airhorn put an end to the rampage.

Delighted with its success the lucky Elf at the controls bounded off into the night, leaving us to tidy up the mess. We have Horcik Designs to thank for our troubles, and you can see further images and details of his remote control Jeep Wrangler Expedition at both the Eurobricks forum and Horcik’s Flickr album.

Click the links above to take a look, and you can watch the Jeep in action off-road via the video below.

YouTube Video:


Mark V Tank – Picture Special

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Lego Mark V Tank Sariel

This remarkable looking thing is a 1918 British Mark V tank that saw duty in the final months of the First World War. With an engine (built by Ricardo, who now make the twin-turbo V8 engine fitted to McLaren supercars) mounted in the centre of the crew’s cabin the Mark V was a miserable place to spend any time in. Ponderous, painfully slow, and unreliable, these early tanks were no fun at all, but they would change the course of warfare for ever.

Lego Mark V Tank RC

This beautiful Model Team style recreation of the 100 year old Mark V comes from Master MOCer and TLCB regular Sariel and it’s packed with brilliant engineering. With an XL motor driving each track Sariel’s Mark V can cross 22cm wide gaps, climb 9cm vertically, and ascend a 60% slope thanks to the 176 rubber feet mounted to the tracks for traction. This means that just like your Mom at a free buffet, nothing will get in its way.

Lego Remote Control Tank

Sariel’s Mark V also features a working 6-cylinder piston engine inside a realistically replicated cabin, a functional un-ditching beam, and two remote controlled side mounted guns that can rotate and elevate. Twin SBrick bluetooth bricks take care of the control signal, and mean that the Mark V can be controlled by a mobile phone and – more coolly – by a Playstation controller!

Lego Remote Control Mark V Tank

There’s lots more of Sariel’s Mark V tank to see at his Flickr album by clicking here, and you join in the discussion and watch a video of the model in action at the Eurobricks discussion forum by clicking here.


Ford GT – Picture Special

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Lego Technic Ford GT Supercar

Ford’s sold-out GT has got everyone talking. By everyone, mostly we mean America, where not having a V8 is still seen as bit of a novelty. Nevertheless, the new GT doesn’t have a V8, instead being fitted with a seriously tuned version of Ford’s 3.5 litre ‘Ecoboost’ V6 engine producing over 600bhp.

Ford designed the GT first and foremost as a racing car, maximising performance within GT-class rules, and then adapting the design for the road. This makes the GT a magnificently impractical car for road use, but at a track… that’s a different story.

Lego Technic Ford GT Remote Control

This stunning Technic recreation of Ford’s newest supercar has been built by previous bloggee Lachlan Cameron and it’s very nearly as impressive as the real car. Underneath the beautifully sculpted body work is a V6 engine, inboard pushrod suspension complete with the GT’s trick ‘track mode’ setting which drops the car to the tarmac, a raising rear spoiler, and Power Functions remote control drive and steering.

There’s a whole lot more to see of Lachlan’s incredible Ford GT Technic Supercar on Flickr and at the Eurobricks discussion forum. Click the links above for the full gallery, build details, and a video of the GT in action.

Lego Technic Ford GT Remote Control



Thermidor

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Lego Scania R580 PWT

This absolutely stunning Scania R580 in PWT Thermo livery is the latest model to come from truck building legend and TLCB Master MOCer Dennis Glaasker aka Bricksonwheels. Constructed from over 4,200 pieces Dennis’ incredible creation features full bluetooth remote control (courtesy of a third-party SBrick device), a long-lasting RC battery pack, and twin XL motors.

Dennis’ Scania R580 will be available to view in person at the upcoming Legoworld exhibition 2017 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, but for those not local to Utrecht you can check out the image in high quality at Dennis’ photostream – click the link above to make the trip.


Toyota Land Cruiser 80 | Picture Special

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Lego Toyota Land Cruiser 80 RC

The Toyota Land Cruiser. In production since the early 1950s it’s Toyota’s longest running nameplate and it shows no signs of stopping. The best selling body-on-frame 4×4 in most of the world, the Land Cruiser has a reputation for being simply unbreakable, favoured by Australian farmers, the UN, middle eastern families and, er… ISIS.

Lego Technic Toyota Land Cruiser 80 Series

However, undeniably good though the latest iteration of the Land Cruiser is, it’s so capable off road thanks to a wealth of electronic wizardry that it doesn’t really need any driver skill at all (in fact we’re guessing the next generation of Land Cruiser will actually be able to drive itself off-road automatously).

We prefer this one then, the iconic 80-Series built from 1990 to 1997. Formidable off-road, but only if you have the skill to match it, the Land Cruiser 80-Series is still found in the world’s harshest environments, unbreakingly reliable some 30 years after it was first produced.

Lego Technic Toyota Land Cruiser 80 Series Remote Control

These absolutely superb Technic replicas of the 80-Series come from previous bloggee Madoca 1977 and they feature everything that the real Land Cruiser does that makes it so epic off-road. A four-wheel-drive system is powered by an XL motor, whilst a Servo takes care of the steering. A Medium motor allows the models to switch between high and low range, and it can also lock the centre and rear differentials for serious off-roading, and if that’s not enough there’s a powered winch to get you out of trouble. There are also LED lights front and rear, accurate suspension with mega wheel articulation, and there’s a third-party SBrick installed to allow for remote control via bluetooth devices.

Lego Toyota Land Cruiser 80 Series Remote Control

There’s lots more to see of Madoca’s stunning fully-loaded black Land Cruiser 80-Series and his simplified grey version at the Eurobricks discussion forum, including videos of the models in action and detailed chassis build images – Click the link above to head off-road.

Multiple Loads

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Lego Scania T143H Bulk Carrier

Nope, not your Dad’s browsing history but this, Dennis Bosman’s incredible Scania T143H bulk hauler, with not one but two enormous tilting hauler bodies behind the cab. Based on a 1994 Scania T143H used in Nieuwveen, the Netherlands, a truck which racked up over 2,300,000kms in seventeen years of service, Dennis’ model replicates every aspect of the real truck, including an wonderfully accurate recreation of the original livery.

Lego Scania T143H Bulk Carrier

Both tilting bodies are operational, powered by an XL Motor hidden within the truck unit (with a power-take-off for the trailer) and a linear actuator mounted underneath each tipper. The truck itself is also remote controlled, with both drive and steering operable via a bluetooth device thanks to a third-party SBrick bluetooth receiver.

There’s a lot more to see of Dennis’ stunning Scania T143H on Flickr, where you can also see images of the real truck on which his model is based. Head over to the Scania’s album by clicking here, and you can read our interview with the builder as part of our Master MOCers series by clicking here too.

Lego Scania T143H Bulk Carrier

Toyota Hilux – Picture Special

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Lego Toyota Hilux 4x4

Toyota’s legendary Hilux is now in its eighth generation, and it’s more impressive than ever. But we’d rather have this one, a glorious mid-’80s fourth gen. Still seen all around the world in the most inhospitable climates, the ’80s Hilux has become something of a cult car, helped no doubt by BBC Top Gear’s unsuccessful attempts to destroy one.

Lego Technic Toyota Hilux 4x4

Which makes it a little strange that we don’t see more Hiluxes recreated in LEGO form. However today, after three years of engineering, we do have a LEGO Hilux to share, courtesy of Technic wizard Egor Karshiev (aka rm8).

Egor’s N40 series Toyota Hilux looks absolutely spot-on, even including the famous ‘TOYOTA’ script on the tailgate. Underneath the accurate Technic bodywork Egor has installed a wealth of superb off-roading goodies, allowing his model Hilux to do everything the real one can. Only in miniature obviously…

Lego Technic Toyota Hilux 4x4 RC

An XL motor provides power to all four wheels via differentials on each axle, both of which are solid and fitted with three or four link suspension. Remotely controlled steering is provided by a Servo motor, LEDs illuminate the headlights, and a third-party SBrick bluetooth receiver allows the model to be controlled via a mobile phone.

Finally the entire pick-up bed is removable, and the doors, hood and tailgate all open, revealing an engine bay and a detailed five-seat interior.

Lego Technic Toyota Hilux 4x4 RC

Egor has built both stock and ‘adventure’ versions of his remote control Hilux and has photographed them brilliantly both in-studio and in some awesome outdoor shots. There are lots more images available of both the stock and adventure versions on Flickr via the links above, you can read full build details at Egor’s MOCpage, and you can join in the discussion at the Eurobricks forum by clicking here.

Finally of course, no Technic model can be considered a proper remote control off-roader without a suitably cool video. Take at look at the Hilux in action below…

YouTube Video:

Centenarian

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Lego Technic RC Lamborghini Centenario

This is a Lamborghini Centenario, Lamborghini’s birthday present to, er… itself. Whatever, the world is better place for mental Lamborginis, and the Centenario is surely one of their most mental efforts to date.

Just forty Centenarios were produced from 2016-17 to celebrate the would-be 100th birthday of the company’s founder Ferruccio Lamborghini, with each car costing a ridiculous $2.2million. Powered by a version of the Lamborghini’s familiar 6.5 litre V12 producing 770bhp, the all-carbon Centenario is no faster than the Aventador upon which it’s based, but it is vastly more expensive, and it seems in world of limited-production supercars that a high price is almost as celebrated as a high top speed.

Not here at The Lego Car Blog though, so we’ll move on quickly from Lamborghini’s extravagant gift to itself in favour of this, Lachlan Cameron’s spectacular remote control Technic version. Controlled by two SBrick bluetooth receivers, with remote control steering and drive, electrically opening doors, a V12 piston engine, functioning gearbox, LED head and tail lights, and some trick in-board independent suspension, Lachlan’s model is a work engineering mastery.

There’s lots more to see of Lachlan’s Technic Lamborghini Centenario at his photostream plus you can read further details and join the discussion via the Eurobricks forum. Click the links to join the birthday party.

Lego Technic RC Lamborghini Centenario

Thermidor Part II

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Lego Scania 142 PWT Thermo

Dennis Glaasker (aka BricksonWheels) is a firm favourite here at The Lego Car Blog with his beautifully detailed Model Team trucks. This is his latest, an awesome Scania 142 in PWT Thermo livery.

Built to partner a previous PWT Thermo truck featured here last year, Dennis’ Scania 142 is constructed from over 4,300 bricks and includes Power Functions drive and steering, SBrick bluetooth control, and an in-built RC battery pack.

It’s a top quality build and you can see more at Dennis’ photostream via the link above, plus you can read our interview with the builder to discover how he creates models such as this one by visiting TLCB’s Master MOCers series by clicking here.

Mack Daddy

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Lego Mack LMSW 6x4 Wrecker

This utterly wonderful vehicle is a 1940s Mack LMSW 6×4 wrecker, as used by both civilian towing companies and the British and Canadian military during the Second World War. The LMSW was powered by a 10-litre 6-cylinder petrol engine driving the two rear axles, with a Garwood single and later double crane (as shown here) mounted above them, each of which was capable of lifting 8 tons. The fiendishly complicated-looking booms and stabilisers are actually very simple, using steel wires to winch into position without the need for hydraulics and other complications.

Lego Mack LMSW 6x4 Wrecker SBrick

This stunning Model Team creation comes from Flickr’s Dirk Klijn and he’s recreated the classic Mack absolutely beautifully. Underneath the unbelievably realistic and superbly detailed exterior is a fully remote controlled drive train, with a combination of XL and Servo motors plus a third-party SBrick bluetooth controller allowing the model to be driven via the SBrick app on a mobile phone.

Dirk’s model is one of the finest Lego trucks you’ll find anywhere and there’s more to see of his Mack LMSW on Flickr. Head over to the Mack’s Flickr album via the link in the text above for all of the superb images.

Lego Mack LMSW RC SBrick


SBrick | Bluetooth Control | Review

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SBrick

It’s time for another Review here at The Lego Car Blog. However we’re not reviewing an official LEGO set, or even an official LEGO product. After several days of fun… er, we mean ‘arduous testing’, we can bring you a full review of one the most important products to enter the Lego Community in years. This is TLCB’s in-depth review of the SBrick bluetooth control.

Regular readers of this website will know that remote control vehicles appear here frequently. This is thanks to LEGO’s excellent Power Functions system, which upon its release in 2008 allowed builders to easily motorise and remotely control their creations via infrared receivers. It was an instant success, and – judging by the amount of Power Functions equipped vehicles that still appear on these pages – it’s a product that shows no signs of waning.

There is a weak(ish) link with the Power Functions system though, as those infrared receivers struggle in direct sunlight, have a limited range, and they also restrict power to the two outputs they can handle simultaneously. But technology has moved on a lot in a decade, and it was only a matter of time before someone attempted to address these issues. And add in a whole lot more besides…

SBrick Review

Launched a few years ago the SBrick by Vengit removed the need for infrared control by bringing bluetooth to LEGO’s Power Functions system. This means that models can work in bright sunlight, there’s a huge 50m range, and – of course – that Lego creations can be controlled via any bluetooth enabled device, including your phone, tablet or gamepad control.

The SBrick itself is a wonderfully neat bit of design. Measuring sixteen studs square it’s no bigger than LEGO’s own infrared receiver, however with no, er… infrared receiver to worry about, it can fit twice the number of outputs – effectively doubling what your model can do. Plus as bluetooth uses UHF radio waves the SBrick can be completely hidden from view deep within a model – unlike LEGO’s infrared receiver which must have a line-of-sight to its controller in order to collect the signal.

Our SBricks arrived in grey, being a good colour match to LEGO’s usual Technic hue, and both looking and feeling high quality. In fact the only way the SBrick differs visually from an official LEGO piece is with square studs instead of round. The SBrick can connect to LEGO pieces in the same way that the official infrared receiver does, via studs on top, tubes on the bottom, or via Technic pins/axles on the sides. The SBrick must be connected to a power supply – in our case LEGO’s own Power Functions Battery Box – via a LEGO extension wire, at which point a green light appears to tell you power is being received.

You are then able to connect your motors, lights or sensors up to the SBrick’s four different outputs in exactly the same way as you would with LEGO’s own infrared receiver and your model is now ready to be controlled via bluetooth! Well, almost…

SBrick Review

Of course to control an SBrick-equppied creation you will need a bluetooth device. There’s no need for LEGO’s infrared controller, which can be replaced with any number of bluetooth enabled products. We selected an iPhone, downloaded the SBrick app, and got to work!

The app is a quick and easy download and install, and allows you to log in as a guest, or to set up your own SBrick account where you can create and save your own model profiles. We created a model profile for our previously reviewed LEGO 42030 Volvo 350F set and started looking through the various pre-programmed templates. The ‘Joysticks and Sliders’ seemed like a good fit and within minutes we had successfully set our Volvo up to drive, steer, raise, lower and tip its bucket all via a mobile phone! There’s a direction reverser should forwards turn out to be backwards and an ingenious ‘test’ button which gives the motor selected one second of power so that you know which one you’re setting up.

Even at this basic level the SBrick is light-years ahead of the Power Functions control, and it can do a lot more besides. Next we downloaded SBrick’s pre-programmed 42030 controller, which is one of several available for various LEGO sets (e.g. 42009 is shown in the image above). This effectively did the same as the profile that we created using the ‘Joysticks and Sliders’ template as a base, but it added graduated control (so not just ‘on’ or ‘off’) and it labelled all the controls too, creating a very pro-looking control screen. But what if you want to create your own bespoke profile for your own bespoke creation? Well it can do that too…

SBrick ForkliftThe SBrick Designer website allows you to create your own customised profiles, within which you can drag and drop joysticks, sliders and buttons onto a blank control screen. This allows you not only to set up how your model will function, but also what the controller will look like too. Speed, maximum rotations, steering axles etc can all be easily programmed into the profile – it’s like LEGO Mindstorms you can control on your phone. Only it’s even easier to set up. You can keep these profiles private if you wish, share them on the SBrick’s publicly available listing (as Mahjqa has done – whose forklift is pictured above), or share them with other users specifically. You can set up multiple profiles per model too, allowing you to work on one programme whilst still using another.

The SBrick profile designer is a superb coding interface and it’s this function which can make the SBrick itself such a powerful tool. If you want to simply control an official LEGO set or your own creation with more power and more precision – buy an SBrick and enjoy the app – even if you do no coding yourself there is still so much to fun to be had simply from the controller on your phone!

However if you’d like to try to programme your own creations, or if you want to teach programming to your children, with instantaneous visual progress – buy an SBrick, set up an account, and start creating. We think it’s as much fun as the building of a creation itself.

Either way, the SBrick takes Power Functions to an entirely new plain. Your models will look better, do more and go further. The SBrick is brilliant.

★★★★★

Deutschland Duel

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Lego Technic Großer Mercedes 770

Iiiin the red corner, representing West Germany, driven by Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, Hermann Göring and Pope Pius XI, and powered through the 1930s by eight cylinders and a supercharger, it’s the Großer Mercedes 770!

Aaaand in the beige corner, representing East Germany, driven by peasants, and powered through the 1950s… and 60s… and 70s… and 80s… and 90s… by two cylinders and hope, it’s the Trabant Combi!

Two very different yet very German cars today, represented by two very different but very excellent Lego creations.

Above we have the Großer Mercedes 770, built by Aleh of Eurobricks in Technic form and absolutely packed with amazing technology. Aleh’s recreation of one of Mercedes-Benz’s most opulent vehicles includes Power Functions drive and steering, an inline-8 engine hooked up to a three-speed+R gearbox, working all-wheel mechanical brakes powered by a Medium motor, all-wheel suspension, LED lights, and SBrick bluetooth control.

At the other end of the automotive scale we have this wonderfully replicated Model Team style Trabant Combi, resplendent in an authentic hearing-aid beige and built by fellow TLCB debutant Dan Falussy. With opening doors, hood and hatchback plus folding seats, Dan’s homage to the world’s finest cotton car (yes really) is about as well equipped as the real thing, and very probably better built.

There’s more to see of each model on Eurobricks (as well as Flickr in the Trabant’s case) via the links above. Take a look and choose your winner!

Lego Trabant

The Other Challenger

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Lego Challenger MT-865 Tractor

The Dodge Challenger has appeared here numerous times over the years. This isn’t that Challenger. Nope, this one is made by Caterpillar, and it comes from a series of tractors that were the first to be specifically designed to run on tracks.

This brilliant Model Team recreation of the latest Challenger MT865C comes from the appropriately-named Eric Trax, who has done a simply astonishing job replicating the Caterpillar in Lego form. And Eric’s creation is far from a static model…

Lego Challenger MT-865 Tractor

Inside the beautifully constructed exterior are a wealth of electronic and pneumatic components, allowing Eric’s Challenger to drive, skid-steer, and power both an on-board compressor and power-take-off.

Hooked up to the back of the MT865 is a Kinze 1050 grain trailer, complete with its own Medium motor and pneumatics to control the unloading auger.

Lego Challenger MT-865 RC

All of these functions can be controlled remotely via bluetooth, thanks to the third-party SBrick concealed within the build. This enables the models to be controlled by a phone or, as Eric has done, by a Playstation 4 controller!

There’s much more to see of this amazing Caterpillar Challenger MT865C tractor and Kinze 1050 grain trailer at both Brickshelf and the Eurobricks forum – click the link to see all of the images and to read complete build details.

That Stance Tho

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Lego Technic Remote Control Stanced Car

Let’s be clear about this. ‘Stancing’ cars ruins them. It ruins the way they ride, the way they corner, tyre wear, fuel consumption…

The Elves however, having tiny brains similar to that of your average bro, love stanced cars, and thus there’d have been a mass Elven sulk if we didn’t feature this one. Fortunately we can, as whilst the subject matter is questionable the build itself is most excellent, and the builder is something of a legend too.

Lego Technic RC Car Stanced

Powered by LEGO’s Power Functions system and controlled via bluetooth via the 5-star-rated SBrick, Mahjqa’s ‘SUP BRO’ stanced tuner runs a 22.5 degree camber on its remote control chassis. Despite this obvious handicap it still looks proper fun to pilot around an empty car park – take a look via the video below!

 YouTube Video

There’s more to see of Mahjqa’s latest build via both Flickr and the Eurobricks discussion forum, plus we’re delighted to reveal that Mahjqa has become the latest builder to be awarded Master MOCer status here at The Lego Car Blog!

Joining fourteen other of the world’s very best Lego builders, Mahjqa tells us his inspiration, reveals what sort of LEGO brick he would be, and explains how he creates his amazing models. Read his Master MOCers interview below!

Master MOCers Season 2, Episode 4

Mahjqa

Superfront

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Lego Marion 204-M Superfront Mining Shovel SBrick

This is Marion 204-M Superfront cable-operated mining shovel, and it’s massive. First built in 1974 by the Marion Power Shovel Company (who also built NASA’s enormous crawler transporters), the 204-M Superfront used electrically driven cables to drive its huge bucket arm and had a working weight in excess of 700 tons. Built for around twelve years the 204-M worked in open mines all over the world, with the last still operating in Asia decades later.

Lego Marion 204-M Superfront Mining Shovel SBrick

This incredible fully functioning Lego replica of the Marion 204-M Superfront was discovered by one of our Elves on Flickr and it comes from Beat Felber who has recreated the machine in astonishing detail. Powered by eight Power Functions motors and controlled via bluetooth thanks to three third-party SBricks, Beat’s 204-M Superfront uses an XL Motor to drive each track whilst two L Motors can slew the entire superstructure independently. A pair of XL Motors power each of the cable drums and the bucket angle and bucket door are electorally powered by another two motors, giving Beat’s model as much articulation as the real Marion 204-M.

Lego Marion 204-M Superfront Mining Shovel SBrick

There’s a whole lot more to see of this spectacular model at Beat Felber’s Marion 204-M Superfront Flickr album, plus you can read our 5 star review of the SBrick bluetooth controller that makes creations like this possible by clicking here.

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