OK, we’ll come right out with it. This incredible 1:8 scale Mazda RX-7 with RE:Amemiya bodykit isn’t strictly, entirely, 100% LEGO. But that’s only because LEGO don’t make all the parts in the right colours. Builder Gray Gear has therefore used a few clone brands to complete his creation, with the white wheel-arches and white pins not part of LEGO’s range. Switch them for orange and black respectively though, and Gray’s Mazda can be built with genuine LEGO parts.

However it seems almost appropriate that Gray Gear’s model uses a few non-genuine pieces as his RX-7 also features an RE:Amemiya bodykit, which isn’t exactly a Mazda factory option…

Underneath that wild exterior Gray has created a working two-rotor engine, replicating the unusual set-up of the real RX-7, which is hooked up to a functioning 6-speed gearbox. Working steering, all-wheel independent suspension, and opening doors and hood also feature, and you can see more of all of the above at the Eurobricks discussion forum where further images and a video displaying the model’s features can be found.

Gray is also considering making instructions available should you wish to create his RX-7 RE:Amemiya for yourself. You’ll have to built it in orange if you want to use purely official LEGO pieces, but we think it’ll look rather excellent if you do! Head to Eurobricks via the link above to take a look and pester Gray for those building steps…

This brilliant little Technic Ferrari F40 was discovered by one of our Elves today, and it continues the run of excellent small-scale supercars being generated by the Eurobricks Small Car contest. Built by previous bloggee paave it features a wealth of functionality that you’d normally expect to find in a model much larger, including a working V8 engine, steering, pop-up headlights, and opening doors, front truck and clamshell engine cover. There’s more to see at the Eurobricks forum and you can make the jump there via the link above.

Eurobricks’ Small Car Contest continues to generate some wonderful creations. One of our favourites is this, thirdwigg‘s excellent LMP (Le Mans Prototype) racing car. Working steering, a miniature functioning V8 engine, removable bodywork, and a surprisingly detailed chassis all feature, and there’s more to see on Flickr via the link above.

Technic Supercars are not defined by the type of car they would be in the real world. Most would still be super cars of course, but some… some are little more mundane. Like a Fiat 125p for example. And we love them for this.

This heroically humdrum Technic Supercar is the work of Porsche96, who has created Fiat’s 1960s sedan in unbelievable accuracy. In fact Fiat’s regular 125 was too flashy for Porsche96, who decided to built the 125p version; the Polski-Fiat built under license by FSO in Poland until a scarcely believable 1991.

Porsche96’s recreation of the Polish peoples’ car includes all of the prerequisites to be classified as a Technic Supercar, plus a whole lot more besides. Working steering, a functioning four-cylinder engine and four-speed gearbox, and all-wheel suspension tick all the Supercar boxes, whilst remote control for the drive, steering, and even gearbox (thanks to a suite of Power Functions motors and servos, plus an SBrick and BuWizz battery) goes much further indeed.

There are opening and locking doors, an opening bonnet with a working interior release mechanism, adjustable seats, LED head and tail lights, and also fully removable bodywork.

It all adds up to Porcshe96’s Fiat 125p being one of the most accurately engineered (and brilliantly built) Technic Supercars that we’ve ever featured, even if the real world car is about as far from a super car as it is possible to be. Which somehow makes this model all the cooler.

There’s much more to see including a full build description on Eurobricks, the complete and extensive gallery of images can be found on Bricksafe, and building instructions are available via Rebrickable. Plus you watch this amazing Technic Supercar in action via the brilliant video below.

YouTube Video:

Ask the internet any car-related question and when the answer’s not ‘Miata’, it’s ‘Stick a V8 in it’. More specifically an LS. It seems that’s what builder Zux has done in creating his entry for the current Eurobricks Small Car Contest. Literally.

Before we get onto the engine, Zux’s Technic pick-up truck features some decent functionality, including working suspension front and rear, opening doors, hood and tailgate, and working steering.

Now that engine… It’s not a load that the pick-up is carrying in the second and third images you can see here, rather it is the pick-up’s engine, driven by the rear wheels and making the pick-up’s pick-up-ness completely pointless.

As such Zux has photographed his creation with and without its ridiculous cargo/power-plant, but you can guess which version the Elves preferred….

There’s more to see of Zux’s build on both Flickr and in the Eurobricks forum; ‘stick a V8 in it’ via the links!

This is the most interesting Lego creation that you’ll see this year. By a mile.

Built by newcomer Alfred Boyer, this huge Technic steam locomotive really works, and is built from 100% standard LEGO pieces. Of course fire and plastic bricks don’t mix that well, so instead of superheating water to generate steam, Alfred’s astonishing creation uses air pressure to drive pistons, which is essentially exactly the same operation as a real steam engine, only without setting fire to coal to generate the energy.

Four LEGO pneumatic cylinders turn the eight drive wheels, with two speed ‘gearbox’ – if you can call it that – controllable from the cabin. Also controllable from the cabin are working brakes, with shows that press against each wheel through pneumatic pressure, and -amazingly – a working whistle, which diverts air pressure through some hollow bricks to create the sound. It’s a good thing the Elves haven’t figure this out otherwise it’s all we’d hear all day.

It’s a phenomenal piece of engineering and one that probably takes LEGO’s pneumatic system further than any model before it. The only way to really appreciate Alfred’s creation is to take a much closer look – head to Eurobricks by clicking here for the complete build details (where you can also find a link to it on LEGO Ideas), and definitely watch the video below!

YouTube Video

It’s time for one of TLCB’s infamous rants! We know you’ve been missing these…

Mission Winnow. “What?” we hear you ask. Exactly. We all asked that when the world’s most famous (read ‘expensive’) Formula 1 team revealed a car emblazoned with a brand that no-one had ever heard of at the start of the 2019 season.

But Ferrari being Ferrari – i.e. having the morals of a Mexican drug cartel – we knew it was worth digging into. If only to find out what the hell a ‘winnow’ is. What it is, according to the press release, is this;

“‘Winnow’ originally referred to the removal of chaff from grain, but it came to be used more broadly to describe the separating out of the unnecessary, the extraction of the good and distinguishing what is true from what is inaccurate or misleading.” Which is so gloriously ironic that we suspect Ferrari might be taking the piss. Because Mission Winnow is a front for selling cigarettes.

Of course Ferrari have long had an association with tobacco, being title-sponsored by Marlboro since the mid-’80s. However when Formula 1 banned tobacco advertising in 2006 after learning that cigarettes may in fact be bad for you, Marlboro’s owners had to find other methods of promoting their cancer-sticks on Ferrari’s racing cars. Cue the ugly barcode thing that appeared on the rear wing or the big white chevron that featured on the engine cover for a number of years, described by doctors as simply ‘subliminal advertising’ for Marlboro.

A public enquiry and probably a quiet word from Bernie Ecclestone saw the barcode dropped after a time, but that hasn’t stopped Marlboro’s owners Philip Morris International and Ferrari continuing to pursue their partnership marketing tobacco to children.

And thus we arrive at the 2019 Scuderia Ferrari SF90, carrying Philip Morris International’s latest “We’re not trying to sell cigarettes, honest” brand message. In fact the Mission Winnow mission statement is so vague and rambling it could have been tweeted by Donald Trump;

“Mission Winnow has a simple goal: drive change by constantly searching for better ways of doing things. And by committing to learning and knowing more, it’s easier to make choices that improve the future for everyone. To make this happen, we’ll get inside the minds of outstanding innovators and change-makers, to see why and how they achieve excellence.” By ‘achieving excellence’, we can only assume they mean Selling More Cigarettes.

Oh yeah, we’re a Lego blog… this superb Technic recreation of Marlboro’s mobile advertising board is the work of Mane of Eurobricks, making their TLCB debut (sorry about the rant Mane!). Looking wonderfully accurate, Mane’s Scuderia Ferrari SF90 includes front and rear suspension, a working V6 engine, steering, and DRS on the rear wing, a removable engine cover and front wing, and brilliantly accurate ‘Mission Winnow’ (amongst other sponsors) decals.

There’s more to see of Mane’s wonderful creation on Eurobricks (where building instructions are also available), plus there’s an extensive image gallery at Bricksafe. Click the links to take a closer look, and then go on Scuderia Ferrari’s social media accounts and tell them to shove Mission Winnow up their arse.

With over 4,000 pieces, bluetooth remote control, and seven electric motors, LEGO’s enormous (and enormously expensive) Technic 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator set is the largest yet produced by the company. If you’re going to make a ‘B-Model’, using just the parts from one official LEGO set, it may as well be from the biggest!

Previous bloggee and Technic genius Grohl has done just that, with his amazing 42100 snow groomer B-Model. With seven motorised functions including remote control drive and skid-steering, an elevating front blade, lowering groomy-thigumy on the back, plus a crane and winch, Grohl’s 42100 alternate is as functions-packed as the set from which it’s been built.

Grohl promises instructions are on the way if you fancy turning your own Liebherr excavator into a snow groomer yourself, and until then you can check out the build on Flickr via the link above.

We’re also looking for you to build your own B-Models from existing LEGO sets (whether that be from the enormous 42100 Liebherr R 9800 or the smallest City set) in TLCB’s Lock-Down B-Model Competition. You could even win yourself some brilliant bluetooth remote control prizes to bring your Lego creations to life! Check out the competition details by clicking here and get B-Modelling!

After revealing the brand new LEGO 42115 Technic Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 (what?) set yesterday, and wishing it was a Lamborghini we’d actually heard of – like a Miura – Flickr’s James Tillson has risen to the challenge with extraordinary timing by uploading his entry into TLCB’s Lock-Down B-Model Competition which is… a Lamborghini Miura. And it’s orange!

Thanks to the 42056 Porcshe 911 GT3 RS brick source, James’ Lamborghini B-Model is as searingly orange as one of the Miura’s actual paint options, and it manages to replicate the real car’s swoopy bodywork rather well too. The model also includes working suspension, functioning steering, opening doors, engine cover and front clamshell, and there’s more to see of James’ excellent alternate on Flickr. Click here to head to James’ photostream, here to read how to enter your own B-Model into the competition, and here to see the prizes on offer!

We’re nearly half way through TLCB Lock-Down B-Model Competition, where we’re looking for your awesome set alternates the could win you an incredible SBrick Pro Pack!

This is Tomik’s of Eurobricks entry, using the Technic 42075 First Responder set to create an alternate which unusually switches wheels for rotors, and includes one of the most ingenious hand-operated mechanisms we’ve seen yet!

Tomik’s ‘Pull-Back Helicopter’ uses the shock-absorber from 42075’s suspension to store energy from winding a gear, releasing it to simultaneously turn both the main and tail rotor. It’s a mighty clever use for the humble shock-absorber and it makes us think LEGO’s own Pull-Back efforts, derided upon their release here every year, are even weaker.

An opening cockpit is also included and there’s more to see of Tomik’s B-Model competition entry at the Eurobricks forum – click here link to see more – including a video of the ‘pull-back’ mechanism in action – and here to find out how to enter your own B-Model into the contest!

This is a Tatra T87, and it was one of the fastest and yet most fuel efficient cars of the era. Built from the mid-’30s to early-’50s the T87 was powered by rear-mounted air-cooled 2.9 litre V8 engine which was about half the size of its competitors, yet – thanks to its streamlined shape – it could reach almost 100mph whilst using nearly half the fuel.

The occupying Nazis loved it, calling it ‘the autobahn car’, but so many German officers were killed trying to reach 100mph that the T87 was dubbed ‘the Czech secret weapon’, and they were subsequently banned from driving it.

This brilliant Technic recreation of the Tatra T87 comes from Horcik Designs who has replicated the car’s streamlined shape beautifully from Technic panels. Underneath the aerodynamic body is functioning swing-arm suspension, working steering, and a detailed engine under an opening cover, and there’s more to see of all of that at the Eurobricks discussion forum and at Horcik’s Bricksafe folder.

Click the links above to ty to reach 100mph on the autobahn c1940. Unless you’re a German Army officer.

The officially-licensed 10265 Ford Mustang set is one of the coolest products to come from LEGO’s burgeoning partnership with real-world auto makers. We think there’s room from a Ford Technic set too (Raptor or GT anyone?!), but until then it’s up to the Lego Community to fill the void.

Cue Bartonius of Eurobricks and his excellent Technic recreation of the first generation Mustang that LEGO chose for their Creator set; arguably the most iconic and famous iteration of Ford’s evergreen pony car.

Bartonius’ Technic version captures the mid-’60s Mustang superbly, and adds in a working (and beautifully detailed) engine, functional steering, and opening doors, hood and trunk.

There’s more to see of Bartonius’ ’64 Ford Mustang at the Eurobricks forum – click the link to see all of the images and tell Bartonius to iron his sheets…

There’s clearly one vehicle that’s the most famous from the ‘Back to the Future’ movie franchise, even though it was actually a fairly poor car and one mired in one of the greatest auto industry scandals of all time.

Far less famous, but a far better car, was Marty McFly’s Toyota Pick-Up (that’s all they called it) SR5 in ‘Back to the Future – Part III’, which Eurobricks’ RM8 has recreated brilliantly in Technic form using his previously blogged Toyota Hilux as a base.

An XL motor powers all four wheels whilst a Servo controls the steering, with a third-party SBrick allowing the model to be controlled remotely via bluetooth. Solid axle suspension features front and rear, as do opening doors, hood and tailgate, working LED headlights, plus the model features a removable body and cargo bed.

There’s more to see of RM8’s superb SR5 at the Eurobricks forum by clicking here, and the obligator title reface can be found by clicking these words!

Lock-down is easing here in TLCB’s home nation, but for many of you it’s still very much in force. Plus it’s not like Coronavirus has gone away, so we fully expect it to return, with the world watching on in horror, like a second Trump presidency.

However you guys have been busy during your time indoors, utilising your existing LEGO sets to create new models and maybe bag yourselves an awesome SBrick Plus Pro Pack! We’ve got three blog-worthy competition entries for you today, starting with  David Bersia’s brilliant Formula E racing car, built only from the parts found within the 42093 Technic Chevrolet Corvette.

Being electric the Corvette’s V8 engine naturally makes no appearance here, but Davide’s model does include working steering and a properly good execution of Formula E’s Gen 2 bodywork. Click here to head to Flickr to see more of Davide’s creation, where building instructions and two other Lock-Down B-Model contest entries can also be found.

You don’t need a Technic set to enter TLCB’s Lock-Down B-Model competition though, as our next two entrants demonstrate. On the left newcomer 14sandee has redeployed the pieces from the excellent 75895 Speed Champions Porsche 911 Turbo set to create his neat single-seat racer, whilst on the right previous entrant Tomik has used the 40171 Friends Hedgehog to construct, er… a hedgecopter? Points for originality with that one!

There’s more to see of 14sandee’s Porsche 911 Turbo B-Model via the link above, and Tomik’s hedgecopter on Flickr and Eurobricks, where he has published some other ingenious B-Model contest entries too…

LEGO’s seemingly endless supply of yellow Technic cranes continues with the new 42108 set released this year. Whilst the yellow eight-wheeled crane formula has been done to death, the 42108 set does include instructions for a more interesting B-Model, that being a heavy duty forklift that’s far more original than the main model it shares its pieces with.

However you guys are using TLCB’s Lock-Down B-Model Competition to do even better, first with the brilliant 42108 roll-off container truck published here last month, and now with this; newcomer oficinadelegodoandre‘s excellent rotator tow-truck, also built only from the parts found within the 42108 set.

A fully working rotating crane complete with a linear-actuator operated boom lift and working winch is the centrepiece of Andre’s alternate, whilst functioning stabilisers plus front and rear axle steering feature too.

There’s more to see at Andre’s ‘42108 B-Model’ album on Flickr via the link above, and you can read the competition rules and find out more about the prizes by clicking here!

There are three weeks to go in TLCB’s Lock-Down B-Model Competition and there have been so many brilliant entries so far! Eurobricks’ Tomik has entered several builds in the hope of bagging an awesome SBrick Plus Pro Pack, with his latest B-Models both coming from the parts found within the 42061 Technic Telehandler set.

An off-road buggy with working steering and a mid-mounted piston engine, and a light helicopter with simultaneously turning main and tail rotors are the products of Tomik’s ingenuity, and there’s more to see of both creations by clicking here, where you can also find a link to building instructions if you’d like to rebuild your own 42061 Telehandler set too!

As regular readers of this muddy puddle in the corner of the internet’s parking lot will know, we’re not fans of pointless, gargantuan, ‘assertively’ styled SUVs. With some kind of arms race underway, they just keep getting bigger and uglier. This one nearly made us throw up.

However, in a move that is either deeply hypocritical or some kind of counter-cultural protest, we do like proper off-roaders. Land Rover Defenders (not this one though), Mercedes-Benz G-Wagons (not this one though), Toyota Hiluxes and so forth are marvellous machines unencumbered by status and a radiator grille the size of Disneyland Paris.

Which is probably why we rather like this ‘EXP.SUV’ by TLCB favourite Horcik Designs. Planetary hubs, long travel suspension, and a winch make this the real deal, whilst a LEGO Buggy Motor hooked up to a BuWizz bluetooth battery make it surprisingly quick. It certainly caught a few inattentive Elves unawares when it came rampaging through their cage room. Best of all though, it’s not got a luxury badge on its hood and Tarquin and Olivia in the back being transported between the gates at the school to the electric ones at their house, less than 1/2 a mile away.

There’s more to see of Horcik’s ‘EXP.SUV’ on Flickr and at the Eurobricks discussion forum, plus you can also watch a video of it in action where it belongs – off-road – below. Click on the links above to take a look whilst we take the BMW X7 to pick up Tarquin and Olivia from school…

YouTube Video

BMW’s stunning i8 is soon to be retired. A three-cylinder Mini Cooper engine and electric motors delivered kinda super car performance with kinda supermini economy. Except it didn’t really do either of those things. But it did look great.

Also looking great is James Tillson’s Technic version, built from the parts found within the 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the 42093 Chevrolet Corvette sets. James’ model features working steering and suspension, a three-cylinder engine, gearbox, and the option to add an electric motor to drive the front axle.

Whilst not qualifying for TLCB Lock-Down B-Model Competition as it’s made from two LEGO sets, James has already entered the contest with another build (also derived from 42056), and you can build a qualifying competition entry from two official LEGO sets, provided each set’s RRP was under $25 at launch.

There’s more to see of James’ excellent B-Model at the Eurobricks forum and on Flickr, the former of which where you can also find a video demonstrating the model’s features and a link to building instructions if you’d like to turn your own Porsche 911 GT3 RS and Chevrolet Corvette sets into a BMW i8 too.

*Today’s title song. We’re nothing if not diverse…

The 2019 Formula 1 season belonged to Mercedes-Benz. As did 2018. And 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014. This year of course, who knows, seeing as we should be approaching the mid-season break and the Championship is yet to start, thanks to the virusy dick that is COVID-19. It’s hard to see it being anything other than another Mercedes whitewash when it does start though.

Still, whilst they may seem like an all-powerful dominant force now, it’s worth remembering that the Mercedes-AMG F1 team came out of the defunct Honda F1 team that first became Brawn, who rose from the ashes to win the World Championship in their debut year (whoops, Honda), in part thanks to Mercedes giving them an engine to enable them to run.

This excellent Technic recreation of the title-winning 2019 Mercedes-AMG W10 comes from Mane of Eurobricks, who’s made instructions available too so you can have your own Championship-winning Formula 1 car at home! Mane’s 1:8 model features a working V6 engine, functioning steering and suspension, a removable front wing, engine cover and HANS device, plus an operational DRS on the rear wing.

There’s more of Mane’s Technic Mercedes-AMG W10 to see via the link above, including full build details, further images, and that all-important link to building instructions.

We’re in the final two weeks of TLCB’s Lock-Down B-Model Competition, where you could win an incredible SBrick Bluetooth Control Pack! Hoping to do just that is Davide Bersia, with his superb Technic city bus, built only from the parts found within the 42098 Car Transporter set.

Featuring working steering, suspension (cleverly re-using the donor set’s rubber pieces), a working rear-mounted V6 engine, and mechanically operated opening doors, Davide’s 42098 alternate is both unusual and brilliant. Davide has also made building instructions available too, so you convert your own 42098 set into this bus at home. Click here to head to Flickr to find out more!

YouTube Video