Go Team Lino/ Go Team Nathan Roundup

Wow, what a roller coaster of internet firsts this challenge has been! First we split all of LUGNuts in half based on Flickr names. Everybody starting with A-M was Team Lino while everyone N-Z was Team Nathan. Then we told everyone that the teams would be judged by all the LUGNuts admins who had to sit out the challenge. Then, we said that absolutely everyone who participated on a winning team will receive discounts from a couple of our fave Bricklink stores, custom license plates courtesy of our friend Heather legogirl and gift certificates from lego.com. The result: Team Lino won, but both teams worked hard with a combined record breaking 77 MOCs from a whopping 42 individuals! This has been the most popular LUGNuts challenge yet and a doozie of a roundup. Team Nathan were great sports so lets review them first.

The Big Ralfalski takes some time of studying at college and puts Team Nathan on the map with a custom '36 Chevy pickup truck. Everything from the chrome rims, the oval back window and the checkered pattern seats are finely detailed...all signature Rafalski!



Ricecracker steps up to the plate with this neat redux of the old set # 6677. An '86 Ford Bronco pulls a motocross bike. Upon quick glance, you'd think the bike is from a standard Lego set, but it is scratch built...very difficult to do in this scale, if you ask me. The yellow and white bronco has beefy raised suspension and great styling!



Profound Whatever (yep, that's his name!) enters a pretty neat Caterham R500. Not a prolific car builder, Profound tells us this was hard stuff for sure and has a new found respect for those who pull it off regularly. He says he may not build another car for awhile, but says it was fun to build a car he'd love to own. For a non-car builder, I'd say he did a great job!



Sprogis Peteris builds this...um...black generic race-mobile space truck thingy. I don't even know what to call it as Sprogis provides no title, nor write up. Its up to us to guess what its all about. I'm guessing Chewbacca races it across the desert at top speeds right up until it blasts into parallel dimension populated by talking frogs. Makes sense to me! ;)



ZetoVince speeds across the finish line with this sweet little Kart racing scene. The kart itself is well built, but is photographed and cropped exceptionally well. A few simple props lets us imagine, even hear the exciting racing action. Vrrroooooooooommmm! Go ZetoVince!



The usually mild mannered Sir Nadroj scares us all with this sleek and spooky Devil's Motor Car. He took the styling of the 30's and 40's and exaggerates the car's features with an almost cartoony feel. The dapper Devil minifig is not to be missed but my favorite features has to be the swooping fenders...and the black kitty hood ornament. Cute!



NewRight classes up the joint with this sophisticated Renault Monaquatre. Produced in France from 1931-1936, this compact family car is the epitome of French class and style. Tres Magnifique!



From French retro sophistication to futuristic hovercars, NewRight does it all. Later in the challenge, he gives us a glimpse of the future in this Chariot G1 320. It has two wheels up front and sleek futuristic styling all around.



This classic Cabrio built by NK Design-er is an alternate model to set number 5867 Super Speedster. The model features plenty of tricky techniques, probably invented by NK himself. Rumor has it he knows a thing or two about real life Lego set design. For real!



A guy named Oldeconoline enters...what else?...an old Econoline. This cute little 3-wide pickup is a mini replica of a real Econoline pickup that he drives. Almost related, but there's a neat Dodge A-100 pickup in my neighborhood. The A-100...or the Econoline, especially in pickup form, are such rare beasts. Its good to see them rendered in Lego.



On the last day of the challenge, Team Nathan needed a boost and Raphy pulls through big time! First he rolls out this generic 30's style coupe. He tells us its driven by French wine snobs as evidenced by the wineglass headlights. See, the wineglasses are sideways. Heh, get it? Sideways. Wine. Ah, never mind.



Then he teases us with this tiny turbos cruise van inspired by the weirdo-mobile from the Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Its little, has a cute shape...yanno standard tiny turbos fare.



But Raphy's 14-wide '69 Plymouth Roadrunner is a step above the rest...most likely his best work yet. He really ups the ante with this aggressive muscle car and does Team Nathan...and heck, even more than a few members on Team Lino proud. Its great to see what the kid can do when he really puts his mind to it. Welcome to the Big Boy's Club, kiddo!



Nolnet proves that even seasoned members of the Big Boy's Club like to work small sometimes. Here is Tiny Monster, a little truck with a big attitude. I'm digging all the greebly suspension bits underneath.



In the last hours of the last day of the challenge, psiaki entered something so breathtakingly cool, that it put the fear into Team Lino. The rules say even if one team has more entries, another team can win if it has a good amount of gold...and this '89 Batmobile is exactly the kind of gold that could have put Team Nathan other the top. Holy Awesomeness, Batman!



Team Nathan fought hard and built some truly stunning creations. They did some things we can all be proud of, but alas, it was multiple entries from several talented builders and lots of participation that made Team Lino an unstoppable force. We've seen an unprecedented 61 MOCs from a staggering 30 individuals. Brother's brick donated a huge chunk, plus I chipped in a bit and Ralph matched me. All told, a healthy $450 funded the pool. When split amongst 30 people on Team Lino, each participant got $15 in either lego.com gift certificates or or money sent to their paypal accounts. its not much, but its a small token of appreciation for a job well done. A lot of great entries made up Team Lino, so lets review them, shall we?

J0n4th4n D3rk53n starts us off with a '59 Cadillac Cyclone Concept car. I'm digging the cones up front and its very retro-future space age shape all done in conventional Jonathan style of unconventional automotive influences.



Speaking of unconventional automotive influences, Jonathan mixes up a little blue with his yellow to create this Ford Thames 307E Ice Cream Van. I didn't know what this vehicle was at first, but upon doing some net research, I see that this looks exactly like the real thing. There was even a hot dog vendor of the same shape. Makes me hungry for vehicle vended food.



Don't ya hate it when you run out of fuel? Well Jonathan's custom retro gas tanker will get your precious gasoline to you in no time. Low slung and sporting six wheels, this fuel tanker has a very Art Deco feel that is quickly becoming a signature Jonathan style.



Next on the Jonathan slab is a sleek barebones hot rod. Clean lines, suicide doors and duallie rear tires makes this custom rod one unforgettable ride indeed.



But if you think Jonathan is finished, you'd be wrong! He reaches for his trusty yellow pieces once again and this time brings back that 30's Art Deco style with this Austin American. The shape of the hood cowl and the fenders are awesome touches, but I really dig the roll back roof effect.



Lego Junkie lives up to his name with this hot rod paddy wagon called Black Lightning. Its got weird rear fenders, a spoiler and a white hot flaming paint job. Neat-o!



Next, Lego Junkie whips up a '55 Bel Air taxicab gasser inspired by the work of Dohoon Kim. I'm digging the heightened stance and the binoculars made into a blower.



Lastly Mr. Junkie portrays a dismal future with this cyber post apocalyptic tractor done up in drab gray. Junkie says there is no rust or chains in this post-apoc world. Only shiny metal and plenty of lights.



And speaking of Dohoon Kim, his first entry is a sleek custom 1950 Merc Coupe done up in classy black and shiny chrome. Its all about low and slow with this sweet ride!



Second, Dohoon lets loose some gas with this '55 Bel Air Gasser. The exhaust pipes are correctly placed behind the front tires and the wheelie bars 'round back are not to be missed.



Next on the Dohoon Kim slab is a slick black Rolls Royce Silver Cloud. It has an unmistakable Rolls grille and even features an opening trunk to put all your ritzy stash. Cool!



Kwycstix wanted to build something for diversity and correctly predicted that no one but him would build a flat 6 soft tail chopper based on the Honda Valkyrie. The straight pipes add lots of volume to this sleek ride.



Lego Guy cooks up a neat little Nissan S-Cargo. My first thought is it looked like a snail. Its namesake...escargot further illustrates this point and a quick search on the net proves this little MOC looks just like the real thing. I bet it tastes slimy.



Next Lego Guy builds us a little Toyota Trueno in black and white. He tells us this was build mostly from table scraps. Not bad for table scraps, eh?



Lastly, Lego Guy takes a page from Jonathan's scrapbook and whips up a sweet mini ice cream van similar to the one Jonathan built earlier. I'm digging the shape of the hood and the shiny bumper. I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!



We go from tiny cars to this giant 16 wide Renault 5 Maxi Turbo built by Charger Hornet. It's a rally hatchback from the early 80's that features opening doors and a mid-mounted 4 cylinder 1.4 liter turbo engine.



We go from bigger to bigger-er with this massive 19-wide half track built by C Jay. Its big and yellow...with black stripes, like a giant bumblebee. I'd hate to feel the sting from that big truck!



Jason Son does Team Lino proud with this awesome '74 Dodge Charger. The shape and all the sponsors are great, but I particularly like the engine suspended from a Lego built hoist. Nice touch.



Immediately after the Charger, Jason Son whips up a sweet little VW Golf 6. The hood and doors all open and the details and shape are unmistakably Volkswagen. He even has a pic of the model car posed on the hood of the real thing.



Not to rest on his laurels, Jason produces a third entry, this time a low slung '58 Chevy custom pickup in primer gray. The entire front lifts open, fenders and all to reveal the engine and the doors open to show off the interior.



Its great to see different versions of things that have been built before. Years ago I built The Death Proof Nova and now Jason Son has done the creepy car justice with his own version. As Stuntman Mike says, this car is 100% Death proof...but ya gotta be on the driver's side to feel the effects. Any would be passengers...not so lucky!



Jason Son must build like mad! Just when we think he's done more than enough, he builds a fifth entry...this time a very low custom Chevy Pickup in brown and white. The highly detailed engine is not to be missed and his Mrs. thought up the idea to fill the bed with foliage. I'd say she had the right idea!



Bricksonwheels is known for building big trucks. Which is why it was so awesome that he instead built us a Bentley Corniche Hemi V8. This sweet ride features a bitchin' sound system and NOS in the trunk and plenty of signature bricksonwheels style chrome to keep us all wanting more!



But, as it turns out, Bricksonwheels couldn't go a whole challenge without building one of his signature trucks. This time he calls it The Big Swede II, a Scania R620 V8. I know this is not so exotic to many of you, but its nice to see some distinct European designs here.



New guy Creme-de-la-creme shows us he's no slouch when it comes to building cars...at least in LCAD anyway. Its a 1967 Ford Mustang fastback. Mr. Creme tells us he has never really built a car before and if this CAD rendering is any indication of his talents with the real brick, he should get on to building with for real right away.



LDM conjures up a Stanley Steamer from the past...or at least from the lobby of the Stanley Hotel. Its done in lovely green and yellow and the tires...are like nothing else I've ever seen. Made with minifig hands!



Later in the challenge, LDM squeezes out one more creation...this time a cute little Mario Kart. Its amazing how the standard, un-customized Lego minifig looks just like Mario.



When my countryman Biczzz enters a challenge you get the sneaking suspicion that something has just gone very, very...right. I forget that I was born an American and I suddenly identify more with my Portuguese heritage. You would too, if you shared some lineage with Biczzz. Here is a hot rod called Ruby. It has us all saying muito bem!



Biczzz comes back for a second round but this time takes on the challenge in the form of a low slung chopper. Anyone who has done this sort of thing knows, that motorcycles generally take less parts to build, but are a lot harder to do than their automotive counterparts. They're fragile as hell and always falling over...but I'd say Biczzz pulled this one off nicely.



Dandyman500 enters a neat little Toyota FJ Cruiser with the stipulation that we please yell at him if he's doing anything wrong. Its a strange request, considering he has done nothing wrong. I mean its an automotive vehicle...fairly well built, well photographed. He seems to know precisely what LUGNuts is all about. I'd say there is no need to yell at all.



Later in the challenge, Dandyman takes a page from Bricksonwheel's book of learning and constructs this big rig truck. Its got mud guards and nice coloring and stripes. Again, no need to yell...except maybe for joy. Yay!!



Lichtblau proves you don't have to build 18-wide monsters to show that you're talented. In fact, sometimes a minimal collection forces you to think of some clever alternatives. This pair of sweet little Chevy pickups came at a time when he was away from his collection and packed only a bare minimum of Lego parts. He makes it look so easy. Extra points for using the new little piggies. Oink Oink!



LegoEater takes a break from eating Lego to build with Lego instead. Here we have a Zamboni. Its...um...yanno, zamboni-ish. It has a classic Corvette swoosh on the side for some reason and an RC chassis. And it fits two minifigs one for the driver, the other to pick up any would be hitchhikers while smoothing out the ice rink.



Next LegoEater proves to be the only person ever to build a Lego car. Nope, its true. No one else has ever built a Lego car before. Go ahead, look it up, I'll wait. See, no one else has ever done it. Now that its already been done, the rest of us don't have to bother doing it...which is good. See, LegoEater built a Lego car. What have you done lately? Nothing! ;)



We go from LegoEater to Lego Monster. Lego Monster also built a Lego car but this one is a 1935 Duesenberg Phaeton, and boy do I like it! Every detail from the swooping fenders to the rubber tires pulled over wagon wheels are not to be missed. Its MOCs like this that make me proud to have my name on the team...even though I had to sit out this challenge. Just stunning!



Tyler is a Legohaulic. Its only been a few days since he's been clean and we suspect he's going to fall off the Lego wagon again soon and hit the bricks real hard. But when you build things as cool as a Herbie The Love Bug complete with power functions, Tyler's raging...um...Legohaulicism is actually a good thing. Tyler, we're here to support you but we don't want you to stop being a Legohaulic. Its what we love about you!



Ok, do yourself a giant favor! Go to youtube and watch the Window Licker video by Aphex Twin. Go ahead, I'll wait. The longer ten minute version has lots of swearing in the intro so don't watch it around sensitive ears. The shorter five some odd minute version bypasses the swearing but loses the overall effect. Ok, did you watch it? Now watch the short vid by Mahjqa featuring his black convertible and Linosine. See, isn't it freakin' cool! And it has my name on the side! Squeeeeeee!!!!





LegOscar builds things Technic tough...at least he did with his UNIMOG trial truck, anyway. He calls it a trial truck because it was his first attempt at something so large with power functions. And it apparently races around the trial track with ease.



Next LegOscar reaches for the same balloony tires and this time builds himself a blue Wacky Racer Formula car. It has lots of studs. And its blue...with big tires. Did I mention its blue? With big tires? Oh, I said that already? Ok...um what else? Oh wait, looks like I've taken up my requisite three to five lines talking about this MOC. Perfect, lets move on!



Oh wait, back to LegOscar. Ok, so this one is a white hot rod. It has a slightly different driver, same balloony tires from before. It has pistons that I assume pop up and down as it rolls across the floor. This is a good time to grab a snack. Mmmmm, pepperoni stick!



Ok, I'm back. And Cole Blaq saw a gap in the sci-fi and concept vehicles department and figured he'd fill said gap with this Kraxler MB5000. Its an agricultural machine for extreme terrain that freakin' transforms into a four legged walker. Yeah, I bet your Kraxler doesn't do that. No, you had to go and get the cheaper Kraxler MB4000. I bet you feel like a putz now! ;)



Cole Blaq wouldn't be Cole Blaq without his far out concept machines. This one utilizes those rare orange rings for tires. They were like...life rings, I think in those Coast Guard sets. Or maybe toilet seat rings. What were they anyway? Whatever they were, this is a pretty cool little concept ride.



But wait, there's more! Cole then builds this cool John Deere harvester...but like no John Deere I've ever seen. Must be another one of his futuristic concept rides. Its so industrious looking, moving those big logs to and fro. Say Cole, this is totally off the cuff, but did the John Deere toy marketing execs contact you yet? They're watching. Just sayin'...just sayin' is all.



Azaghal Gabilzaramul has the hardest name to type. But more importantly, he built a very cool VW Bus pickup conversion. I've got one of these in my neighborhood in red and white and in pristine condition. I love going on walks, just to get a look at it. Apparently the exercise is also good for my waistline. But not those pepperoni sticks I keep eating.



New guy Ewok in Disguise has mad skills for...an Ewok in Disguise. Here he has cooked up a Ford Crown Vic Police Cruiser to keep the rest of us LUGNuts in line. Ewok tells us this will probably stay together for a long while as police cruisers have lots of uses in dioramas. If he decides to build a diorama of me speeding through Wyoming in my girlfriend's Pontiac, then I think he'll be right about his assumptions.



Dylan Denton builds us a Lamborghini...but not the cramped little sports cars that only short Italians and possibly yours truly can fit into. Oh no, he had to go and build the top of the line Lamborghini LM002 Sport Utility Truck. Dubbed the Rambo Lambo, this is the largest, toughest truck on the road and is undoubtedly popular amongst big body builders with lots of money stuffed into their big baggy Zupaz pants. Feel the burn!



Gambort set out to be unique...and I'm pretty sure he achieved it with this Trishaw. Small, cute, simple...and so much like the real thing. There's a few of these in downtown Seattle and I presume they only ride along parallel streets on the waterfront. I can't imagine how anyone could peddle these with passengers up steep hills.



M Longer constructs a...wait for it...a Sandvik LH 517L underground mining loader. Its well detailed and fully functional and has a nice flat, asymmetrical design for all your underground mining needs. Oh and if you have any doubts this thing is for real, check out M Longer's stream...there's a photo of him standing next to the real thing with his model. The tires alone are taller than he is!



Gold 2 also likes big trucks and machines. This one is a Kyrgun LV-426 "Superbee" Mobile Crane. What's with these incredible names? Lets just say copy/paste is a godsend when it comes to writing about these big machines. Gold tells us this took a month to build and was a nightmare to photograph...especially in fully extended mode. I'd say the effort was well worth it.



Curtydc takes us to the year 2032 with this Indian Scout Concept Bike. Chock full of slick detail and innovative design, this concept sports a central electronic power-plant pushing power into two independent motors housed inside the hubless wheel frames. Thats just technical speak for freakin' cool!



Next curty takes us to a much more familiar world...familiar if you've bought the Toy Story sets, anyway. Thanks to my big mouth, this fine MOC was almost nixed as it looked (to me anyway) way too much like the set. But further review proves that this RC car is not like the set at all but has been redesigned and reconfigured with real power functions. The end result: I'm proud to have it on Team Lino!



Ed Bricks needed a spark...a flame, if you will, to finally get his creative fires burning on the very last day of the challenge. That's why (in using my fire analogy) its no surprise that he came up with a Mercedes Fire Truck. I don't even know how the ladder was constructed, but I like it. I like it a lot. I'd even go as far as to say...that's HOT!



Speaking of hot, Intrond wasn't even on my radar before this month. But an extremely well built concept scooter called the Mouffette ZXT, coupled with a sexy illustrated French mademoiselle has instantly become a formula for success. Intrond is now a loud, compelling bing on my radar and I eagerly await more. Ooh la la, Monsieur Intrond!



And what would any build challenge be without lego911? His signature has become a whole slew of entries on the last day. These tidbits are no exception. Check out this Alfa Romeo 156 Sport Wagon for example. I wanted a wagon and by golly I got one!



As I was racing through Wyoming, 911 tells us a more stylish way to have been pulled over would have been this Alfa Romeo 156 Saloon. I think it would have been a slightly more surreal experience. Especially since Ilsa the Wicked Wyoming State Trooper had jack boots up to her knees and a thick 40's era German accent. "Ze license und ze registration, please!"



911 also tells us that while in Italy, a good way to get out of a ticket is to showcase a fine cleavage and/or a fine car. Apparently I lost out on both accounts in my girlfriend's Pontiac. And a great rack on me would have probably freaked out Ilsa the Wicked Wyoming State Trooper even more. And I didn't want to do anything to piss her off more. than she already was. Good thing I wasn't in this Ferrari Pininfarina Rosso prototype.



Or this Porsche 911 for that matter. its done up in nice orange and black checkered racing colors to help outrun any Wyoming State Trooper. I mean seriously, has anyone been through Wyoming? The whole place is totally flat...no trees, nothing to zip by at high speeds. The only thing on the radio in Wyoming is country music and religious talk radio. I mean, I wanted to put as many miles behind me and get out of that state as fast as possible. You'd be doing 120 MPH too, believe me!



Not everybody can afford exotic cars. This is why 911 built us a Ford Focus Mk II Rs 3-door. The car looks frumpy but 911 tells us the little car can top out in excess of 250 km/h. After having to translate that in mp/h, I've come to the sound conclusion that...that's pretty damned good!



Lego911 knows how to butter up the judges. That's why he rendered this classic Chevy Nova in the same paint scheme as our esteemed Rabidnovaracer Tim Inman's own prize winning ride. This is living proof that a diehard Ford man and a diehard Chevy man can settle their differences...at least long enough to butter up the judge on the opposing team to secure a win for Team Lino. Gosh, I love politics!



With just minutes left in the challenge, Lego911 had plenty of time to squeeze out one final entry. This time its a 990 BMW E34 5-Series M5 sedan done up in red. I used an example that too many red sedans would kill a team's diversity and as everyone took that to heart, there were none entered...except this one, which doesn't kill the diversity at all, but somehow makes it better. Funny how that works.



Ok, Pheeeeew! We got through it! I typed up 2-5 lines for every single entry in this record breaking challenge and if you've read all the way up to this point...you probably need to find more to do with your life. Get back to work or school or something, quit goofing off! Build something for cripe sakes! We've got an all new build challenge going on called Kickin' It Oldschool! In it, we honor all the great cars that came before...long before. Before 1950, in fact. There is plenty of great inspiration and history for you to reference from. There's already been some great oldshcool entries and I suspect a lot more to come over this next month. Stick around to see that round up. And remember, you could never have had that 2011 Bugatti Veyron if the Model T was never invented. Until next roundup, happy building, everyone!