Every so often a creation arrives here at The Lego Car Blog Towers that makes us all go ‘…woah!’. This is one of those times. This beautifully presented model is Lucio Switch’s ‘Tow Truck MkII’ and it’s ridiculously brilliant.

As you’d expect for a model of this size (c10K parts and weighing 12.5 kgs) Lucio’s tow truck is motorised and remotely controlled, but before we even start looking at the electric functions there’s a host of non-motorised features to detail. These include all-wheel suspension (independent up front and live-axle at the rear), a fully suspended and pneumatically tilting cab complete with opening and locking doors, pneumatically suspended seats, and a V8 piston engine underneath. Storage lockers open on each side of the truck and five sets of Power Functions LEDs light the head and tail lights.

Which leads us nicely to the motorised functions, all of which are driven by LEGO’s Power Functions system with three on-board batteries hooked up to four third-party SBricks, allowing programable bluetooth control.

Nineteen separate Power Functions motors are present in Lucio’s model, with four XL motors powering the 8×4 drivetrain and three Servos turning the front two steering axles. Next are eight Medium motors, the first of which drives the pneumatic compressor that operates the aforementioned tilting cab and suspended seats.

The remaining seven Medium motors power the rotation and extension of the two enormous front outriggers, the extension of the two rear outriggers, the towing arm, and the rotation of the crane boom, whilst four Large motors power the crane lift, boom extension, and the two independent winches.

The four SBricks allow all of that functionality to be programmed neatly onto a smartphone from which the truck can be controlled remotely via bluetooth (take a look at the video below to see this in action), as otherwise you’d need a very large joystick controller indeed!

It’s one of the most outstandingly impressive Technic creations of 2019 and furthermore Lucio has presented his model beautifully, with superb high quality images and an excellent video demonstrating the truck’s functions. You can watch that video below, and you can see all the images at Lucio’s ‘Tow Truck MkII’ Flickr album here, join the discussion at the Eurobricks forum here, and read full details at Lucio’s own website by clicking here.

YouTube Video

Today’s blog-worthy creation comes in two colours (earning the Elf responsible two Smarties as we’re feeling generous), each built by well-regarded Technic builder Madoca 1977 and filled with functional goodness.

Madoca’s ‘Dacoma 4×4’ pick-up truck looks most excellent in either colour, with a wealth of clever Technic engineering concealed inside. This includes remote control 4×4 drive via two L Motors, Servo steering, a high/low gearbox powered by a Medium Motor, LED headlights, working differential locks and suspension, plus opening doors, hood and tailgate.

There’s more to see on Eurobricks, including a video of the truck’s features and a link to building instructions. Click the link above to make the jump.

Hah! Penis jokes… Anyway, enough of that, on to the model.

This is a Technic MAN TGA truck by ArsMan064 of Eurobricks, and it’s a rather clever fully remote controlled replica of the real thing. Built from Technic parts ArsMan’s truck is a good match for its life-size counterpart and is packed with Power Functions features, including remote control drive, steering, fifth wheel and a high/low range gearbox, plus LED lights, all controlled by a third-party Bluetooth SBrick.

ArsMan’s MAN also includes a host of mechanical functions, including pendular suspension, opening doors, and a huge semi-trailer with a manually operated tipper. There’s more to see of both truck and trailer at the Eurobricks discussion forum via the link above, and you can watch the rig in action courtesy of the video below.

YouTube Video

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. The world no doubt thought following NASA’s incredible achievement in 1969 that lunar exploration would become routine. As it turned out man last visited the moon just 3 years later, leaving a vast 47 year wait (and still counting) for a return.

Space it seems, is now pretty boring (we suppose it is mostly empty anyway), only utilised in 2019 to enable aubergine emojis to be sent around the world and to allow drivers to completely ignore road signs.

Hollywood however hasn’t forgotten the romanticism of a proper space adventure, and in 2015 ‘The Martian‘ showed us via incredible attention to detail how a manned mission to Mars might look. It even had it’s own star car, the funky and yet very probable-looking Mars Rover.

This is that vehicle, albeit in Technic form, as built by Samolot of Eurobricks. Underneath the movie-realistic exterior Samolot had included an array of clever remote control functionality, all of it powered by LEGO’s own Power Functions motors and controlled via the third-party SBrick bluetooth brick and mobile app.

Each of the rover’s four enormous wheels is powered independently by a separate L Motor which – due to their size – are ingeniously housed inside the wheels themselves. All four wheels steer too, courtesy of a Medium Motor, whilst independent suspension allows the model to traverse the rocky martian landscape.

Finally two more Medium motors power the rover’s winch and rear crane (switchable via a gearbox) and an on-board compressor that feeds air to the crane’s pneumatic cylinders and those that open the cockpit doors.

Samolot’s creation is superbly accurate to the ‘real’ vehicle that starred in the movie and there’s loads more to see at the Eurobricks discussion forum via the link above, including a video of the model in action. Click the link above to make the trip, and remember that help is only 140 million miles away…

This might just be the most impressive thing you’ll see today. Yes, even more so than whichever bottle cap challenge video has gone viral. This is the Marion 5760 mining shovel known as ‘The Mountaineer’, the first giant stripping shovel ever built and still the eighth largest to be constructed.

Completed by the Marion Power Shovel Company in 1956 The Mountaineer had an operating wight of 2,750 tons, working until 1979 before its scrapping a decade later. This spectacular fully functional 1:28.5 scale Lego replica of the 5760 is the work of Beat Felber of Flickr, powered by nearly twenty electric motors, with twenty-two pairs of LED lights, and controlled by several SBrick bluetooth bricks.

Weighing an estimated 35kgs (over 5kgs of which is steel ballast), Beat’s incredible machine can move and work just like the real thing. Each of the four crawling bogies is powered by a separate Medium Motor, with eight tracks being driven in total. These are steered by four linear actuators driven by another pair of motors, whilst another seven power the huge digging arm’s ‘crowd motion’, ‘swing gear’ and bucket. The drum hoist requires a further four XL Motors on it’s own, whilst a final micro motor powers a little passenger elevator that moves between The Mountaineer’s three floors.

Beat hasn’t just stopped with working functionality though, giving his creation a wonderfully detailed appearance afforded by its immense size, with hundreds of tiles and plates covering every surface to smooth the aesthetics, accurate railings, stairways, machine rooms, control rooms and cabins, plus authentically recreated decals to replicate the shovel’s original livery.

The’s much more to see of Beat Felber’s astonishing Lego recreation of the Marion 5760 on Flickr, where almost twenty superb images are available to view, each of which contains an in-depth description of the build. Head to Beat’s Marion 5760 ‘The Mountaineer’ album by clicking this link to Flickr, and see just how brilliant a LEGO creation can be!

This is a Tatra T813 8×8 PROFA trial truck and it’s epic. Yes, we just dropped the most over-used word on the internet, but we’re sticking with it.

These amazing machines can traverse just about anything, with this one being run by Team Jansa in European Truck Trial events. Well not this one, because this is a fully functional remote control recreation of the real deal, powered by a total of nine motors, two SBricks and with some of the coolest suspension we’ve ever seen.

It comes from Technic-building legend Madoca 1977 whose work has appeared here numerous times over the years. His latest truck evolves a previous design with more power, more weight, and more off-road capability. Six L Motors drive all eight wheels, whilst two Medium Motors pivot the front four. A third Medium Motor operates a high/low range gearbox, with all of that controllable via bluetooth thanks to a pair of SBricks.

Finally there’s a V12 piston engine mounted under the cab, which is accessible through opening doors and front hatch. It’s an incredibly well engineered creation and there’s more to see of Madoca’s Tatra T813 8×8 (including a video of it in action) at the Eurobricks forum and on ReBrickable, where a parts list and yes – instructions – are available!

Last month we had the tremendously sad job of reporting the news that previous bloggee and legendary truck builder Ingmar Spijkhoven had lost his fight with motor neurone disease. This debilitating disease has no cure, with most sufferers living no more than 5 years from diagnosis. For Ingmar and the thousands of other sufferers there is – at the moment – only one outcome.

Ingmar was unable to visit Lego events towards the end, so his fellow Dutch builders decided to build tribute models to him for the Legoworld 2019 show, an idea he apparently loved.

One such tribute was built by fellow truck builder Bricksonwheels, who took one of Imgmar’s superb trailer designs and added a wonderful Peterbilt 389 truck, chroming each model beautifully and equipping the truck with Power Functions motors and SBrick bluetooth remote control.

Ingmar sadly died a week before the model was completed, but it will be shown at Legoworld alongside the other tributes to him in a dedicated area.

You can see more of Bricksonwheels’ stunning tanker truck tribute to one of the Lego Community’s greatest builders by clicking here, and you can help to change the inevitable outcome of motor neurone disease diagnosis by donating to the research that is underway to find cure.

ALS Association | MND Association

The electric transportation revolution is well underway, and is something we’re all for here at TLCB. Not that electric transport is new; it’s been around for as long as the car has and we were actually far better at it in the past (trolleybuses and trams are mostly gone now, but were commonplace in the 1920s to 1970s). This Polaris GEM EM-1400 is therefore not a revolutionary vehicle, like at all, but at least it’s another company realising that electric power is a decent option. This neat Technic version of the electric utility vehicle comes from previous bloggee damianple aka (damjan97PL) and features bluetooth remote control drive and steering via an SBrick and front and rear suspension. See more at both Brickshelf and Eurobricks via the links.

The TLCB Elves are excited today. Not only is this find bright orange, it’s also remote control and large enough for a several to ride in it at once whilst being too slow to run them over.

It comes from designer-han who has a doctorate in advanced mechanical engineering. OK, we don’t know that for sure, but we assume he does because his latest creation is so complicated it makes our brains hurt.

An SBrick provides bluetooth control to the drive and four-wheel-steering, plus a motorised tilting cabin (under which sits a V8 piston engine), twin cable winches, a tilting container platform, and front and rear power-take-offs onto which a snowplow and salt-spreader can be attached.

There’s more to see of designer-han’s orange masterpiece at Eurobricks via the link above where a link to the full image gallery, building instructions and a video can be found.

Another day, another Elf returns to TLCB Towers with a find in the hope of getting fed. It has been too, as this Technic KAMAZ 43118 truck is thoroughly excellent. The Elven happiness has extended beyond the discoverer of this creation too, as there are currently several Elves riding around in the back of it.

Built by ArsMan064 (is there a theme with today’s builder names?) this KAMAZ 43118 flatbed includes a remote control drivetrain courtesy of LEGO’s Power Functions motors and a third-party SBrick bluetooth control. An XL motor provides the drive whilst two Medium motors power the steering and the front winch.

ArsMan has also given his model some brilliant suspension, with all six wheels able to articulate over rough ground or any Elf that gets in the way today, as well as opening cab doors and drop-sides for the truck’s flatbed.

There’s loads more to see of ArsMan’s KAMAZ at the Eurobricks forum via the link above, where a complete gallery of images, video of the model in action and a link to building instructions can all be found.

After this week’s earlier incident we’re a bit light on Elves at the moment, and thus when another ridiculously capable remote controlled creation was found by one of our smelly little workers we feared another violent event.

Fortunately the creation in question was much too slow to meet out any vengeance (much to the Elf at the controls’ annoyance), but it is no less excellent for that, which has cheered TLCB office immensely.

Built by Attika of Eurobricks it’s entitled ‘Ultimate Pick-Up’, which is a bold claim, but a potentially accurate one.

A raft of Power Functions motors provide all-wheel-drive through planetary hubs, whilst a high/low range gearbox allows Attika’s truck to climb gradients in excess of 50 degrees.

A full compliment of LEDs light the head and tail lamps whilst a third-party SBrick enables all of that to be controlled via Bluetooth, plus there are opening and locking doors, hood and tailgate and adjustable seats.

There’s a whole lot more to see of Attika’s ‘Ultimate Pick-Up’ at the Eurobricks forum, where you can also find photos showing the chassis and driveline construction and a video of the truck in action. Click the link above to take a look.

‘Twas a night nowhere near Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring…

Until a remote controlled bulldozer powered through the Elves’ cages. Elven screaming, fleeing and smushing followed, until the jubilant Elf at the controls was apprehended and removed from TLCB Towers. Annoyingly we’ll have to give it a meal for its mischief too.

Until then, let’s take a look at the cause of the ruckus; this superb fully remote controlled Technic bulldozer built by damjan97PL / damianple. With twin XL motors, one powering each track, and a motorised front blade and rear ripper courtesy of two Medium motors, damjan’s ‘dozer is a simple yet very effective machine.

A third-party SBrick allows the model to be operated via Bluetooth and it also includes opening cabin doors and a suspended driver’s seat. There’s much more to see of the RC bulldozer at both the Eurobricks forum (where a video can also be found) and via Brickshelf – click the links to make the jump.

No, not that awful movie with the Rock in it, but this rather splendid looking Claas Scorprion 756 telehandler by previous bloggee and tractor-building legend Eric Trax.

Underneath that Claas lime green paint job (and some excellent Model Team detailing) is a model packed with motorised functionality, all of it remotely operable via bluetooth thanks to two third-party SBrick control bricks.

A Large Power Functions Motor drives all four wheels whilst a Servo steers all four too. A further three Medium motors operate the boom, giving it the ability to raise, extend, and tilt the variety of dangerous looking implements that can be attached to the end of it.

Fortunately for our Elves Eric’s model is a bit too slow for the Scoprion’s motorised weaponry to have been deployed on them, so they’re riding around on it instead, which they seem pretty happy about.

There are loads more images to see of this superbly engineered and photographed creation at Eric’s Claas Scorprion 756 album on Flickr and at the Eurobricks forum where you can also find a video showing all of the model’s features. Take a look via the links!

Every so often one of our Elves finds a creation that makes us all go ‘whoa’. This is one of those times. This spectacular Scania S730 comes from mpj of Eurobricks at it’s beautiful. One of the finest looking Technic trucks we’ve seen, helped by some brilliant custom decals, mpj‘s Scania also features remote control drive and steering, SBrick bluetooth control, pneumatic rear suspension and a highly detailed cab interior. There’s more to see of this superb build at the Eurobricks discussion forum – click the link above to make the jump.

This site was terribly sad to report the death of truck building legend Ingmar Spijkhoven earlier this year, after losing his fight with motor neurone disease, an illness that currently has with no cure. Several of his fellow builders have been paying tribute to Ingmar in the most appropriate way; by building incredible trucks inspired by his designs. Dirk Klijn is one of them, and has developed this superb snow plough from Ingmar’s ‘T12’ truck.

Based on Ingmar’s original design, Dirk’s truck includes remote control drive and steering (operable via bluetooth thanks to a third-party SBrick), a pneumatic compressor to position the plough blade, a working salt spreader, and all-wheel-suspension. Dirk’s model will be on show at the Lego World Utrecht show alongside several Ingmar tributes and you can see more of the build on Flickr via the link above, plus you can see all of Ingmar’s incredible trucks to feature here over the years via the search bar on this site.

This is a MAZ-535; massive, a little aesthetically challenging, and able to get really dirty. Just like your Mom. It comes from Lego-building legend Sariel (whose Build a LEGO Mustang book we reviewed here last week) and it’s a triumph of Technic engineering.

Underneath the wonderfully accurate Model Team exterior, complete with opening doors, engine hatches and LED head and tail lights, is a fully working replica of the MAZ’s incredible 8×8 drivetrain.

Four Power functions XL motors drive all eight wheels, the front four of which turn on separate radiuses. All eight wheels feature planetary hubs and are suspended via pendular axles, allowing Sariel’s model to go anywhere it is possible for a Lego creation to go, or to pull a chair across a wooden floor according to the accompanying video.

A working V12 piston engine is mounted inside, along with a pneumatically operated high/low gearbox providing the model with two speeds (slow, and really slow), and the motorised drive, steering, lighting and gearbox can all be controlled remotely thanks to a third-party SBrick bluetooth control.

There’s much more to see of this amazing creation at Sariel’s MAZ-535 Flickr album, on the Eurobricks forum, or via the video below. Click the links to take a look, plus you can read Sariel’s interview here at The Lego Car Blog by clicking here.

YouTube Video

This might sound like a Terminator robot, but it is in fact a Kenworth truck, in this case recreated brilliantly in Technic form by anatolich aka Artur Volu. Artur’s Technic T600 not only looks the part, it’s absolutely packed with spectacular functionality, all of which can be controlled via bluetooth thanks to two SBricks. Remote control drive, steering, and a lockable fifth wheel all feature, as do suspended seats, a working V8 engine, and pendular suspension. That’s not all either, as Artur has constructed an enormous Michigan eight-axle trailer to accompany the T600 which also features a host of remotely controlled functions. Head to Artur’s Flickr photostream or the Eurobricks discussion forum to see images of the complete rig.

Whiiiir! Crunch. Whiiiir! Crunch. Elven Screaming. Whiiiir! Crunch.

Sigh. These are sounds we’ve heard too often here at The Lego Car Blog Towers before, and they usually mean we’re going to have to get the carpets cleaned again.

A weary trudge to the corridor outside the office revealed the cause, and to our surprise there wan’t just one, but three. Three Elves were each controlling three separate (and rather impressive) Technic Monster Trucks, bashing them into one another and occasionally adding variety to the proceedings by driving them at and over the Elves who had come to watch the spectacle.

It admittedly looked like great fun, so Mr. Airhorn was deployed to break up the ruckus, the injured were patched up with Pritt-Stick and plasters, and we’ve taken control of the trio of Technic trucks for ourselves.

Each truck comes from Technic building legend Madoca77 and wears a gloriously retro livery, including the famous Ford ‘Big Foot’ colours and Toyota’s wonderful ’80s ‘pick-up’ stripe, and the three models are all remotely operable via bluetooth thanks to two SBricks.

These control the four XL motors (one per wheel), the two Servo motors that steer both the front and rear axles, the Medium motor that switches between crab steering and normal steering modes (just like LEGO’s excellent 40254 Claas Xerion 5000 set), and the Medium motor that operates the clamshell bodywork lift.

Madoca’s builds also include LED headlights, opening doors and dropping tailgates, plus – most importantly – a mega suspension setup which includes portal axles. They easily make it into our favourite creations list of 2019, and if you like them as much as we do then head to the Eurobricks discussion forum via the link above to read more about the builds and to watch a video of Madoca’s vintage monster truck design in action!

Nothing says adventure like lung cancer and breathing difficulties! At least that what was thought back when cigarette brand Camel sponsored the amazing Land Rover rally named after them from 1980 to 2000. Still, with Red Bull and Monster energy drinks sponsoring pretty much every extreme sport these days perhaps we’ve not moved on as much as we’d like to think…

This phenomenal Land Rover Defender 110 in stunning Camel Trophy spec is the work of Manuel Nascimento of Flickr, and it is very probably the finest 4×4 that The Lego Car Blog has featured this year. The iconic off-roader’s exterior has been recreated to perfection, including all the adventuring paraphernalia that accompanied these vehicles through jungles, mountain and deserts, and with accurate branding – including the infamous cigarette advertising – courtesy of superb custom decals.

Underneath the incredible exterior the engineering excellent continues, with working lights operated via a third-party SBrick, Power Functions remotely controlled steering, winch, and four-wheel-drive, working suspension, and a four-speed gearbox. Opening doors, a beautifully detailed interior and a roof-mounted tent also feature, plus Manuel has constructed a lovely desert base to accompany his model.

There’s loads more of this spectacularly built and presented creation to see at Manuel’s Land Rover Defender 110 Flickr album, where you can also find a link to a video demonstrating the model’s features. Light up a cigarette via the link above (no, don’t – but do click the link!).

This is a Volvo FMX with Palfinger PK78002 SH crane, which is a very long nome. But then it is a very impressive model. Taking builder Dirk Klijn four years to complete, this FMX takes Lego model making to the extreme, with a level of detail and functional realism that is second to none.

Controlled by three third-party SBricks, Dirk’s creation includes Power Functions motors, pneumatics, custom LED lighting and some off-the-charts engineering brilliance.

Firstly the truck is of course remote controlled, with steering on the front axles and drive at the rear. All are suspended, as is the cab, which also tilts to reveal a highly detailed engine underneath.

Stowed compactly between the cab and the flatbed is the Palfinger crane. A trio of Technic pneumatic cylinder unfurl it beautifully, with air pressure provided by an on-board motorised compressor. Further Power Functions motors allow it to rotate, extend and winch, to pluck the assortment of buildery equipment from the truck and lower it to the ground.

Four motorised outriggers keep the truck stable when the crane is in operation, whirring outwards in unison via remote control. It’s a seriously impressive build, and one that certainly goes to the top of the creations featured here in 2019.

There’s much more to see of Dirk’s amazing remote controlled Volvo FMX with Palfinger PK78002 at his Flickr album by clicking here, where you can also find a link to watch a video showing this magnificent model in action.