A Formula One Racer from the MINI Cooper set

Name of Model: Classic F1 (Mini Cooper Alt Build)

Created by: Rifflestein

Found at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/48587314@N04/15638757432/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/48587314@N04/15451929387/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/48587314@N04/15452331850/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/48587314@N04/15017738913/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/48587314@N04/15451263219/ (this sort of thing is why you should put your photos in sets)

Details: This gorgeous Formula One racer is actually an alternate model of the MINI Cooper set. The set itself is a great model, of the sort we would have blogged here if we were on top of things, but never mind that now. This retro Formula One racer kicks it up a notch, taking the snazzy color scheme and adding some wicked curves and angles to coax a far more difficult shape out of the same parts. The aft section is all built at an angle, but attached so well that it feels seamless. The front involves a bit of artistic license (or perhaps is a good reason for the builder to say this isn't modeled on any particular life-sized vehicle), but is a pretty stunning look nonetheless. The Speed Racer windshields in dark green looked pretty clever as wheel wells in the set, here they look even better as the rounded area around the front grille. The details are classy too, although it's a little hard to highlight them with just 5 photos. You'll have to look closely and take my word for it that they're in there and look good. There's a hood ornament, dashboard instruments, an exhaust pipe, and even an adjustable headrest. I'm pretty sure I even see gas and brake pedals in one of the photos. I'm not sure if the doors really open, and I'm not sure I mind much either way - it's hard to make an alternate build look this good.

New Set Announced: 10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van

Name of Model: 10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van

Created by the LEGO company

Found at: http://www.brothers-brick.com/2011/08/13/10220-volkswagen-t1-camper-van-rolls-out-oct-2011-news/

Details: We've had a few new sets pop up recently - one of them being the 10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van: 10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van Ages 16+. 1,322 pieces. US $119.99 CA $129.99 DE 99.99 € UK 79.99 £ DK 799 DKK This authentic camper van is a replica of the classic Volkswagen Camper Van from 1962. Every iconic feature is here! On the outside, the terrific detailing includes ‘V’ shape three-way color split at the front, rounded roof and window frames, opening ‘splittie’ safari windshield, opening doors, iconic pop-up roof with textile curtain surround, roof rack, rear side air intake vents and lots more! The detailing is equally impressive on the inside, from the authentic VW air-cooled flat four cylinder boxer engine, front cabin bench seat, gear stick, angled dashboard and iconic spherical speedometer, to custom LEGO® features like folding rear bench seat, folding dinette table, closet with mirror and even a painting! Features 11 windows, authentic plaid-print textile curtains and wing mirror! Rear door opens to reveal detailed engine! Interior also features rear bench seat that transforms into a bed, ‘Make LEGO Models, Not War’ T-shirt and rear shelf with plant! Measures 11.8″ (30cm) long and 5.5″ (14cm) high!

A Car for Micro-Figs

Name of Model: The Family Tourer

Created by: Karf Oohlu

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dragon55/5717797659/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/dragon55/5718360288/in/photostream/

Details: If you've picked up any of the LEGO Games, you may have noticed that many of them come with small characters that look only vaguely like minifigures - they're about half as wide. I'm sure that these little guys will only get more popular with time, and that we'll soon see tons of models based on them. Here, we see a small car - featuring a pair of horse saddles to make the seats. The doors attach directly to the saddles. Suddenly, four-wide seems like plenty to make a decent-looking, 'fig-ready classic automobile. For bonus points, see if you can figure out how the headlights and spare tire were attached.

A Worn 1959 Chevy Impala

Name of Model: 1959 model based on an Impala - Shown here as driven in the unfortunalley infamous danish series Olsen Banden

Created by: misterzumbi

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=402163

Details: It's no secret that misterzumbi's cars are amazing. This time, he ups the difficulty level a bit by trying to make a weathered vehicle instead of a new one. Naturally, trying to make LEGO look aged and worn is not easy - bright colors don't lend themselves to this, and a certain amount of chunkiness always comes up. Using brown and sand green bits here mixed in with the black seems to do the job here without sticking out too much - it feels like just the right amount of rusty texture. The details, as always, are great, but it looks like the car wheels might brush against that front fender. No matter - the great techniques here make up for any flaws it might have. Levers for windshield wipers and the unusual construction of the headlights are exciting enough, but the roof rack (made out of the hook hands from Pirate minifigures and some flex-system casing hoses) steals the show. If that didn't, the front fender's chrome-lightsaber-holding-chrome-knives technique would. A subdirectory shows off some variations on the model.

57 Chevrolet Bel Air

Name of Model: Chevrolet Now we are talking pure fifties - grab Yourself your Elvis CD and enjoy - This here is a 57 Chevrolet Bel Air

Created by: misterzumbi

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=179848

Details: If you've poked around a LEGO store or LEGO Shop-at-Home recently, you may have seen the 2011 calendar they currently have for sale. To a seasoned LEGO fan, most of the images on the front of the calendar look familiar - they're largely recent kits, recent promotional items, and recent collectible minifigures. There's also a spiffy-looking red car with more chrome elements than we've seen in a set in the past few years. Where did that car come from? The answer is that it's based on this earlier model by misterzumbi. Occasionally, when a builder from the AFOL (Adult Fan Of LEGO) community is hired by the LEGO company to design kits, you'll see some of their older models reflected in the projects they work on for the LEGO company. This is clearly one such case. The design appears to have been simplified for the calendar - perhaps to reduce the amount of connections that the LEGO company does not consider to be firm enough to use, or to make it easier for kids to build. Yes, I am absolutely trying to start rumors about them trying to make this a kit, because I know I'd buy (at least) one. It's difficult to get details in a car this size that make it clearly a particular make or model, and this one is an astounding success, using offsets of various fractions of a stud alongside studs-not-on-top trickery. Even the updated version looks great, even if it is a bit dialed back.

Technic Sedan with Brick-Built Details

Name of Model: RedSedanI (Brickshelf gallery lists the longer description: 4 Door, V8, four speed, parking brake, 4 Wheel Suspension, Rear Torsion bar, Tilt steering, 6 way adjustable front seats -thank you pixsrv-, front center armrest, rear flow through armrest, full size spare, adjustable sunroof, thirdwig@yahoo, up for more)

Created by: thirdwigg, also on flickr as thirdwig.

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=224200 and http://www.flickr.com/photos/thirdwig/sets/72157623097758397/with/5102762865/

Details: As a genre to attempt building in, the massive vehicle with brick-built details and working features made out of Technic elements seems like an intuitive idea to try. The reality of building such a thing is considerably more difficult - even though many of us know how to use Technic pieces to build cars that can drive around and reliable suspension systems, all those great working features can easily become nearly useless just by adding extra weight onto a vehicle. There are few things more depressing than building a great car, only to find out that the wheels won't rotate because they're now brushing against the top of that true-to-life wheel well that took an hour to get just right. Sadly, this means we get very few "best of both worlds" models, and we see an ever-growing schism between people who build models with realistic functionality and people who build models with realistic looks. The builder of this car, though, took on this challenge and excelled. This Porsche has a full body and interior, steering, suspension, and even the hallmark of a truly thought out car in this genre - adjustable seats. You haven't truly made a LEGO car that attempts to match real cars in looks and functionality unless you've included at least one feature that's only of use to the tiny passengers.

This is Wednesday's model of the day

Classic Car Promo Kit (from the Troy, Michigan LEGO Store Opening)

Name of Model: LEGO Store Opening Promos

Photos by: Reasonably Clever Chris

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/reasonablyclever/sets/72157624865263569/with/5004695355/

Details: I'm not sure who actually designed today's model - it was a promotional kit for a LEGO store opening just outside Detroit. Every time a LEGO store opens, they have a different limited edition one-day-only first-so-many-people to spend $35 set to promote the store. Usually, there's also a child's size t-shirt for the event on the day without the event kit, and LEGO generally schedules a Master Builder build event for the weekend of the store's grand opening as well. LEGO has an official page for this new store, and if there's a LEGO store opening coming up near you, make sure to check out the opening weekend so you don't miss out on these goodies! The model itself features some mildly clever techniques - note the use of steering wheels as wheels on this model, and the use of a 1x1 brick with studs on all sides with some clear cheese slopes to make the lamp. While this isn't quite minifig scale (those seats are much too small for that even though this does come in at 6-studs wide), the wheel and lamp techniques are definitely worth "borrowing" for minifig-scale creations. Since this uses mostly common parts, you can try building your own with the instructions posted on flickr by Reasonably Clever Chris - who, by the way, is still running his popular Reasonably Clever webcomic (although with an unusual cast and plotline this week).

Pink 1959 Cadillac Convertable

Name of Model:

Created by: Ralph "Mad physicist" S

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/madphysicist/tags/cadillac/

Details: I know I've covered a Cadillac before, and even another from this same year. There's something special about a pink Cadillac, though. Elvis' pink Cadillac started the craze of painting classic caddies pink, but he never actually owned a 1969 Cadillac. Once the ball was rolling, though, the image of a pink Cadillac became one of the more enduring icons of the era. Not even all that, though, completely captures just how awesome it is to render a pink '59 Caddy in LEGO. For some reason, LEGO has never really taken pink seriously as a color. They've manufactured a few different shades of pink over the years, and they've never really released all that many parts in any given shade of pink. As the builder of this car mentioned: There are only seven different pink parts in this car, 1x1, 1x2, 1x3 and 1x6 plates and 1x1, 1x2 and 2x2 tiles. So not only does this accurately convey the shape and style of this iconic classic car, but it actually manages that without using many of the special parts and techniques we know and love. It's a difficult challenge, but one that I think was succeeded at here in near-miniland scale.

1932 Ford Model B Roadster as an 8880 Alternate Model

Name of Model: Model B

Created by: silcantar

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37797885@N05/sets/72157624327537513/

Details: I've blogged a few supercar inspired models before, but I think this is the first time I've seen someone actually build an alternate model for set 8880. As fantastic a kit as it is, it's not exactly easy to find now - trolling eBay to see if a good deal turns up is the only reasonable way to find a copy now. However, LEGO simply hasn't released another kit with as great a selection of specialized parts for cars. They've released newer parts, sure, but none that have 8 nice big springs, plenty of transmission parts, the special wheel/steering/suspension parts in this set - they have never truly matched this kit. Sure, 8448 Super Street Sensation tried, but in spite of introducing the (then new) studless style of building, it didn't introduce any new mechanisms or features. The builder of today's model, though, took that classic kit - and only parts from the kit - and made it into a 1932 Ford Model B. The likeness is surprisingly strong, and the technical features (at least the ones we're used to seeing in super car based models and should go in a Model B) are accurate as well. For a full recap of the original kit, be sure to check out the Technicopedia entry for set 8880 Super Car.

Bumblebee Transformer from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Name of Model: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Created by: Firas Abu-Jaber

Found at: http://mocpages.com/moc.php/202735

Details: The latest Transformers movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, has inspired a fresh round of builders attempting to create LEGO versions of the Transformers characters that actually transform. This one is modeled after Bumblebee, a yellow Camaro that befriends the main character in the first movie. Additional photos and video at the site above.

This is Saturday's model of the day

Buick 1955 Century Riviera 4-door Hardtop

Name of Model: Buick 1955 Century Riviera 4-door Hardtop

Created by: lego911

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29987108@N02/tags/1955/

Details: Here's yet another fantastic car - a spot on likeness of a Buick 1955 Century Riviera 4-door hardtop. This one's a bit drool-worthy just on parts (can you imagine being able to make something snazzy in dark red, chrome, and tan?), but there are also some techniques here that I don't believe we've seen before. Using the small horn element for door handles is ingenious, the working doors blend in perfectly with the mosaic pattern on the sides, the fender greebles came out right on both ends, and the use of clear cheese slopes for windshields came out much better than I'd expect. You can even spot a steering wheel inside the cabin. The working hood unveils an engine. The techniques near the front wheels aren't as obscure, but personally I really like how they capture the right look here.

AC Cobra 427 Sports Car

Name of Model: Shelby Cobra

Created by: BICZZZ

Found at: http://biczzz.blogspot.com/2010/02/moc-shelby-cobra.html

Details: LUGnuts is wrapping up another challenge. Fittingly, this "Animal Kingdom" theme has brought out some of the most organic car models we've seen yet. This 10-wide car is a model of the Shelby AC Cobra. The curvature came out strikingly realistic. Naturally, some studs-not-on-top trickery was required to get the shape just right - just in this front view we can see a section built sideways and another built upside-down. Some stickers were used to get the look just right - but it worked. There's even a model of the V8 engine under the hood! Pneumatic tubing rounds out the look of the driver's seat, and even the dashboard is properly detailed. Now if only it were motorized...

Convertible "Supercar" with Low Transmission

Name of Model: Convertible old supercar, inspired by 250GTO, miura, 2000GT. Engine and gearbox placed side by side in the front of car. It s enable to have HOG axle in the center of frame, with no by pass. RWD, V10, Gearbox, steering wheel and convertible

Created by: nico71

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=420257

Details: While there are many great "supercar" themed models out there, I thought this one was worth featuring because of a few of its fairly unique features. For one thing, this car is a convertible - you can see several shots of the linkages in motion. There's also an animated version of the action, which works flawlessly. Secondly, this car uses an interesting trick to control the transmission from underneath the specialized transmission gear components - allowing the vehicle to have the stick shift in an unusually low spot (which in turns allows the rest of the cabin to be fairly low to the ground). You can see in the undercarriage where the small liftarms connect to both the stick shift and the transmission. It's not a particularly complex technique, but I hadn't seen it before and it looks like a great idea. Oh, and did I mention that this was a snazzy looking car with realistic opening doors (no gull-wing goofiness here!), front wheel steering, four wheel independent suspension, powered rear wheels, steering geared to the steering wheel and a separate knob, a V-10 motor, headlights, and studless body work? There's a reason we call these models "supercars" (and it's not entirely due to the legacy of set 8880).

Delorean Time Machine from Back to the Future

Name of Model: Delorean Time Machine 5-wide

Created by: Legohaulic

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/legohaulic/4251685490/

Details: This is a very small (just 5 studs wide) version of the Delorean from the Back to the Future movies. It's a little out of scale for the minifigure in the photo (I'm afraid there's only the one image for this one - but you can make it bigger!), but still an excellent rendition. Notable techniques include string for wheel wells, elastics for the trim near the ground, levers and nozzle/gun elements for window edges, and a ridiculous amount of studs-not-on-top stunts. At this scale, it's even possible to use sideways "cheese grater" 1x2 slopes as seats!

1966 Ford Galaxie Cop Car and Round-Up

Name of Model: Ford Galaxie 1966 Police Interceptor for the Lugnuts 1966 Ford Galaxie competition

Created by: lego911 as a member of Lugnuts

Found at: lego911's Police Interceptor: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29987108@N02/tags/police/ LUGNUTS roundup: http://lugnuts-cars.blogspot.com/2010/01/galaxie-of-possibilities-round-up.html

Details: Today's "model of the day" is the Police car seen to the left here, built by lego911. It was built for a contest on flickr hosted by the Lugnuts group, which is for builders of detailed LEGO cars in a variety of scales. This being one of our larger "Sunday edition" posts, I'm actually featuring the whole Lugnuts 1966 Ford Galaxie competition roundup. Personally, I feel that this particular car is the most handsome design in the bunch, and the cop car approach works well for giving the vehicle personality even though this contest requires that everyone participating builds the exact same make, model, and year of automobile. Some of the other interesting designs included detailing made with Bionicle elements, a yellow convertible, a black beauty with an angled front, and even a decent looking 5-wide tiny turbo.

Complex Unimog

Name of Model: Feuerwehr Unimog

Created by: nolnet

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nolnet/tags/1300/

Details: At first glance, this looks like your standard armored truck. More specifically, it is a unimog and is built 6 studs wide with a 5-stud wide cab. Perhaps some of the details caught your eye as well. What you probably didn't catch, though, was just how precise the details were - check out this partially-built image for a variety of interesting techniques, including using tools with pins for exhaust, building the wheelbase upside-down to improve ground clearance, and using clips with 1x1 tiles to make custom mudguards. The texture on the sides of the truck are achieved in a surprisingly complicated way (sideways) as well.

This is Tuesday's model of the day

Sariel's Scania Dump Truck

Name of Model: Scania Dump Truck

Created by: Sariel

Found at: http://sariel.pl/2009/11/scania-dump-truck/

Details: Every once in a while, I find out about someone in the AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) online community that I should have been aware of sooner but somehow have managed to overlook. Today's featured builder, Sariel is one such person. Not only have several fantastic vehicles by Sariel (Paul Ian Kmiec) been shown to me before, but Sariel actually has been brought on as a guest blogger for the official LEGO Technic blog. It's no wonder why - his website is a treasure trove of spectacular vehicles and clever building ideas. Many of the models on there (such as the one pictured here) feature both functional Technic-style innards and a classy brick-built exterior. The mix of realistic looks and realistic mechanisms is refreshing and masterful.

This is Monday's model of the day

Cadillac 1959 Series 62 Convertible

Name of Model: Cadillac 1959 Series 62 Convertible

Created by: lego911

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29987108@N02/tags/cadillac/

Details: Coming in just a little bit below miniland scale, this Cadillac (apparently a 1959 Series 62 Convertible Cadillac) looks nearly perfect (I will nitpick the different side window color compared to the windshield, but that's about it). The windshield makes excellent use of a large amount of cheese slopes to get just the right angle. Curved slopes add realism to the body of the vehicle. Other nice details include the taps as mirrors, Technic gears as hubcaps, minifig levers as windshield wipers, working doors, and perfect brick-built accents. It's really all you can ask for at this scale - in spite of all the details, this car is just 14 studs wide!

Monstosaurus Rex Rampage

Name of Model: Monstosaurus Rex Rampage

Created by: SlyOwl

Found at: Flickr

Details: While no one will never beat the amazing work of Mike Psiaki, this is a fun detail packed creation deserving of praise in its own right. I'm really surprised how much has been fit inside such a compact space. Between the posing of the figures, the vehicle, and the dinosaur, this creation is superb the whole way through.

Cupola Caboose

Name of Model: Cupola Caboose

Created by: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?m=TomCook

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=7320

Details:

"TomCoop" brings us a lovely caboose displaying the use of simple building techniques to achive a "complex looking" effect. 

In an age dominated by SNOT construction we could all strive for simplicity.