Saturday, December 13, 2008

All But Four Roundup

Wow! Just when I thought we’ve seen it all along comes the “All But Four” build challenge. I set out to make you a little uneasy building things you’re not used to and instead of getting scared about it, you have made this one of the most fun…and unpredictable challenges yet! Lets get to our roundup.

Seemingly minutes after the start , Duq sets the pace of the challenge at top speed with this iconic P34 Tyrrell six wheeled Formula 1 racer. Even in LCAD, he works as fast as the cars he builds!
Tyrrell

Then later in the challenge he builds the famous Tyrrell with real Lego brick. its pretty neat!
Tiny Tyrrell P34 left

No stranger to British comedies (remember the Trotter car!) Duq tops off his entries with this motorcycle and sidecar driven by none other than Wallace and Gromit! Everything is just perfect, from the ladder to Wallace's helmet to Gromit's goggles. This MOC will have you trying your best British accent with "Cheeeeeeeese, Gromit!"
Wallace and Gromit left

You’d think heavy armored tanks wouldn’t be this fast, but clocking in just a hair behind the Tyrrell racer comes Matt Armstrong (AKA Monsterbrick) and his heavily gunned creation. In a race, 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd place doesn’t matter when you have a gun turret at your disposal!


Matt also spreads some holiday cheer the Monsterbrick way. Everyone knows Jabba the Hutt is one heavy gangsta! That’s why he needs six supercharged, chromed out engines to pull his sleigh. But what’s in the gift boxes, Jabba? Lets just hope the good children of the world enjoy eating live pickled frogs.
100_9733

Proving she’s no traditional car builder, Model Gal Mariann Asanuma races across the Bonneville salt flats in this sleek and unconventional Trio 1. It must be the coolest thing ever to see that top wheel move in the opposite direction of all the others.
Trio 1

Keeping up with being a non-traditional builder, Model Gal once again chimes in with a most non-traditional ride...the Segway. Just like the real thing, I can only presume this model is kept upright by the power of The Force. I mean...how else does anyone get to the Sci-fi con?
Segway 1

One wheel, one entry…that’s all you need when you’re Dylan Denton. You’d think this monowheel was from another planet, but no…Dylan shows us the very earthly vehicle that inspired it. And I gotta say…he replicated it nicely.
Monowheel

When not tinkering with test tubes and algebraic formulas, even scientists sometimes have a wild side. Our usual polite and demure Ralph Savelsberg (AKA Mad Physicist) proves he’s Born To Be Wild with this custom trike chopper. Ralph says the rider has cajones and his lady friend…um…seems also nice. Either way, this MOC gets that one Steppenwolf song stuck in my head. You know the one…Magic Carpet Ride.
Born to be wild -part 2

And Ralph wouldn't be Ralph without showing us some firetruck or another...this time its a London Fire Brigade Aerial Ladder. Can't you just hear that British sounding siren? Meeeeener Meeeeeeener Meeeeeeeener!
ladder truck

Newcomer dfuzz78 was made for LUGNuts and shows some local flair (at least for me, anyway) with this Waste Management McNeilus Side Loader Garbage Truck. This is the exact kind of garbage truck we have here in Washington. I know…I have fond memories of one of these beauties rattling trashcans around outside my apartment at 7am. But when you think of a life without them…I’d much rather deal with the noise…and this great MOC.


William Ward delivers the goods in this Isuzu NPR Delivery Truck. He says they’re one of the most common trucks in the world today and seeing so many of these around ya gotta figure he’s right. It has a neat rear roll up door and dualies. (yes, real dualies, Nathan!) The only thing this truck can’t deliver is good jokes…and apparently, neither can I. Hah!
Isuzu NPR Delivery Truck

Then, later in the challenge he delivers us this neat little Shasta Teardrop Travel Trailer. You can be the talk of your minifig town while camping in classic retro style in this baby!
Shasta Teardrop Travel Trailer: Right/Front

Keeping up with his camping theme, William shows us a high end Fleetwood Revolution Motor Home for the discerning camper who wants to go "roughing it" in luxury and style.
Climb Aboard

Nathan Proudlove helps fellow LUGNut and Certified Lego Professional, Robin Sather with a project and we all benefit from it. He weighs in heavily with a whole slew of creations. First he blows the tire count rule out of the water with this no-tire-havin’ hovercraft. Get it? Blows out of the water. Hovercraft. Shut up, it was funnier when I first thought of it!
hovercraft5

Next he races in with what I’m sure he sees often in the Great White Canadian North…a fun little snowmobile.
snowmobile

Then he keeps up with his cold, snowy theme with this admittedly cool snow cat that has all of us fast forwarding our copies of The Shining to the part where Scatman Crothers pulls up to the Overlook Hotel in one of these only to get an axe to the chest. Yikes!
Snowcat

Then he thaws the icy theme out a bit with this Car Hauler. He says it has 46 wheels…or 38. He’s not entirely sure on this. Neither am I for that matter. It probably has to do with the American vs. Metric system or something. Either way, this more than qualifies for our challenge.
Car Hauler

Not to be outdone by the car hauler, we have another common Canadian sight, a neat little logging truck. When not hauling logs, it conveniently hauls its own rear trailer. Its brown…just like the logs it carries.
Logging truck

Then we have his Unicef transport truck, proving you don't need to build large in order to achieve great detail. A lucky thrift store find helped formulate this MOC. Nathan notes that some of these pieces are 40 year old bricks, making this truck aged to perfection like a fine wine.
unicef4

Next we have Nathan’s school bus. Great build but let’s count the tires. One, two, three…um…hmmmm. Well if you use your imaginations and squint really hard, you can almost see the dualies. Almost. But hey, at least he came up with an awesome amount of entries this time so we can forgive him for that.
Schooled Bus

Next Nathan shows some holiday cheer with this clever Santa's Slay. With too many cool details to mention, I'm digging the sick gas tank, and how crazy and irresponsible is that to have Rudolph's skull guiding this chopper down the road?
Santa's Slay

Finally, at the request of his son, Nathan submits a cool replica of Mack, the truck from the movie Cars. I'd say his boy has good taste in vehicles and I think the world may see another little LUGNut real soon.
mack3

Speaking of crazy and irresponsible, Lino Martins waxes nostalgic with this trio of retro rides. First he delves into his own (decidedly cruel, we find out) childhood with this slick 70’s era Big Wheel. The spinouts. The jumping off of ramps. The mowing down girls on bicycles. The getting chased by angry dogs. The scars. Ahhh, the sweet memories!
Big Wheel..."All But Four" LUGNuts Challenge Entry...(1 of 3!)

Badass kids grow up to be badass adults. That's why they need this pirate themed 60's era show rod complete with an engine made from treasure chests and shiny gold! "Squawking parrot be the shifter" Lino says in pirate speak. Lets just hope that's not a real parrot!
Ghostship..."All But Four" Build Challenge Entry (2 of 3!)

Finally Lino proves that great minds think alike with some holiday cheer of his own, this time Santa rides an old-timey 30's era bobber with sidecar. Once the toys are offloaded, a sexy new Mrs. Claus has a place to sit. I think her name is Natasha and she came in the mail from Russia...or something. Hmmmm, I wonder if she can bake cookies as well as traditional Mrs. Claus?
"All But Four" LUGNuts Challenge Entry (3 of 3!)... Santa's Little Bobber

Fe2cruz proves that weirdness can exist both on land and on water with this unsinkable amphibious Hydra-Terra tour bus. They hold a US patent but the yellow ones like this one are all the rage in Dubai.
MHT money

Not to be outdone by the Hydra-Terra he also presents this dualie legal Volvo hauling a porta-potty and a camper pulling a boat. All told, these MOCs have a wheel count of 14...just like the challenge!
TF8

Then he clocks in with these three rather explosive jet powered busses. So long as they’re not hauling explosive porta-potties, I’m ok with them!
SBF8

And just when we thought he only knew squarish conventional vehicles he constructs a wild 2-seat, 3-wheeled Campagna T-Rex. Not quite a bike, not quite a car, the T-Rex combines the best of both worlds!
trex

Then, just when we thought he was done, we get the completely odd two-wheeled BMW C-1!


But wait there's more! just when the challenge was most of the way through fe2cruz floods us with five more awesome bikes. Just look at them all! Wow, you'd think people are having fun with this challenge or something.


big singlebmrpopo

supermoney


cbmoney

From two-wheeled bikes, we move onto Zach C and his six-wheeled, tough as nails, heavily armored APC.(Armored Personnel Carrier)There's a trick with scale going on here. By the looks of it, you'd think this carries like 20 guys. Nope, just one very cramped minifig. I guess a one man personnel carrier can still be considered...a personnel carrier.
APC entry for LUGNuts

Also considered one man personnel carriers are Zach's three bike entries.
Dirt Bike "Last Minute"

New to LUGNuts but not new to the Lego scene comes technic builder, Nathanael Kuipers (NK DeSign-er) with his classic and fun tricycle proving that you don’t need lots of horsepower…or an engine to have an awesome entry.
Kiddiebike

J4ke has never built a truck before…but you wouldn’t know it with this very cool Mack Truck with its fiery hot flame “paintjob”. I always put quotes around paintjob because well…it Lego and not really paint. I also put quotes around paintjob when referring to that mess that supposedly passes for color on my dad’s Aries K wagon. J
Mack Truck - Title 1

Newcomer Steve “kwycstix” Walker shows us what he’s made of with this flashy little Springer Hardtail V-twin with rider. With hornless Viking helmet and grizzly beard, that’s one biker you wouldn’t wanna mess with!
V-twin springer hardtail

Then he goes from bikes to big rigs with this Volvo style conventional sleeper. If you’re gonna drive for the long haul, you’d definitely want this sleeper cabin truck. I imagine it has a flat screen TV and mini fridge inside.
Conventional Sleeper

Shifting gears back to bikes, he comes up with this yellow hardtail, this time with a friendlier looking rider and kind of a laid back high seat for ease of ride and comfort. Both bikes have among the coolest built V-twins in this scale.


Then he clocks in with this...um...ghostly bike called Bone Rattler made from droid arms. This thing looks fragile. I'd hate to sneeze near it as it would topple over, I'm sure. Come to think of it kwycstix kind of sounds like the noise you make when you sneeze.


Next comes yet another bike, this one based on the single piston Suzuki Savage, a 650 Thumper with a serious rake.


If kwycstix (gesundheit!)isn't careful he's gonna become known as a bike builder. He chimes in with this final entry, a low and stretched water cooled chopper. Phew, that's a lot of bikes!


Tim Gould…or Gambort says it had to happen. And yes, he’s right you can’t have an All But Four challenge without the iconic 3-wheeled Reliant Robin. Its prone to tipping, apparently so careful taking those sharp corners.
Reliant Robin

Just when I was thinking that someone should build a Thai Tuk Tuk, Portugal’s resident car builder Biczzz (Ricardo Prates) delivers with this highly accurate model. These details are not to be missed! Tuk Tuk is the noise the vehicle makes when scooting along. The noise I made when I first saw this was…Oh wow!
Tuk Tuk

Firas Abu-Jabar shows that you don’t need bike tires and all the specific bike parts to build an awesome Dodge Tomahawk motorcycle. Everything from the Lego built road to the chrome pipes to the hazy font is all eye candy. I get the hunch that Firas understands…presentation is everything!
Dodge Tomahawk

Soon that hunch turned into a certainty. Firas once again impresses us all...this time taking the challenge in the opposite direction with this Model Team inspired American style truck. He says whats great about this truck is its "so huge, so tough, very heavy duty,". While we do build 'em big and tough here in the US, I'm gonna shed my tough exterior and say the best part of this truck...is its builder. Awwwww.
Model Team: American Style Truck

Newcomer M_longer somehow lives up to his namesake with this HUGE mobile crane. With a chart topping 18 wheels, this crane weighs in heavy with stunning detail. Be sure to check out the crane in all modes...this is a MOC not to miss. Although new to LUGNuts, we're thinking M-longer will fit in with us just fine.


It was bound to happen. You can't have an "All But Four" build challenge without the iconic six-wheeled Nemo car from League of Extrordinary Gentlemen. That's why we're glad zanthrax-dot-nl pulled it off.



And what would a LUGNuts challenge be without the prolific lego911? Just when we thought he was taking an oath of silence on this one, he chimes in with the instantly recognizable 1976 and '77 Tyrrell P34 and P34B F1 racers...the car that is so good for this challenge that(kinda like potato chips)no one can eat just one!
Tyrrell P34 1976Tyrrell P34B 1977

Then 911 clocks in with a 1964 K360 Japanese 3-wheeled vehicle. Economically sized and environmentally sensitive, these K-cars are perfect for transporting, flowers, kids, or those adorable Hello Kitty dolls.
Mazda K360 1964

Switching from Japan to Australia, the always informative Lego911 shows us fun and recreation on the outback with this Landrover 90 Series II that pulls a very neat camper caravan.
Landrover 90 Series II plus Caravan

Finally we have a stunning 1938 Mercedes-Benz 770 G4. It turned out the Spanish Royal family had one for whenever they needed to do their...um...Spanish Royal Family stuff.
Mercedes-Benz 1938 770 G4

rabidnovaracer shows us what life would be like if only our Lego fame translated to real fame. We'd pull up to the Lego Convention in this H2 SUT Stretch Limo Hummer...complete with hot tub, fully stocked mini bar and enough seating for you and all your posse. Keeping true to DUB culture this Hummer rolls on six "grown men", plus a spare. Don't know the term? Look it up, playa!
Lego Hummer H2 SUT Stretch Limo

If paramat has any influence on the future we'd all be riding around in these wispy Transparent Personal Diwheels. The hatch and floor opens up to easily accommodate a driver. Can't you just hear the music of minimalist composer Philip Glass as this thing quietly rolls along? Don't know Philip Glass? Look him up, playa!


onetruescotty Scotty Whitesell has some fun stepping outside of his comfort zone and shows us some far eastern culture with this Japanese Tanker Truck. I'm digging that cab!
Japanese Trucking

Forget one bike. Forget two or even three! onosendai2600 Andrew Lee races in with a whole fleet of fun, Akira inspired bikes. Just look at the variety! This is one biker gang I'd love to join!
Let's Ride!

Big Rafalski packs a wallop with this 30 year old custom farm pickup called Blue Lighting. He even gave it a backdrop and a good story at no extra charge. I've said it twice, I'll say it again...I love the little red gas can!



Having tried it unsuccessfully a few times myself, I've come to the conclusion that bike fenders are the hardest thing to build in Lego. But newcomer Hobo4Evar shows me up with this awesome Noddy inspired chopper called The Cougar. From the front fork to the engine, this little bike is chock full of advanced build techniques. Hobo4Evar..Hah! I laugh every time I see that name!
Cougar

Crimson Wolf beams in with an idea from out of this world... a trio of levitating bikes propelled by magnetism. Like my insoles, the riders travel along in style and comfort on a cushion of air. now if only they came up with a motorcycle powered by coolness, Crimson Wolf would be ridin' high!




Then he throws in a regular bike just for good measure.
Motorcycle


When the end of the world comes Improbcat will be good and ready for it with this no wheel havin' Snowpocalypse Truck. Check out that hodgepodge apocalyptic styling!
DSCF0007

From the end of the world we come to happy childhood memories with this brilliant wheelbarrow built by Nolnet.He and his sister used to love to be pushed around in a wheelbarrow and just like real life, this one dumps out its contents exactly where you don't want it.
wheelbarrow1

In case you ever wondered what a RIOT Wheel is, Azaghal Gabilzaramul clears our cluttered minds with this...you guessed it...RIOT Wheel. Its actually pretty neat and it turns out that, just like everybody who has ever been arrested on that show Cops, you have to drive it while shirtless and in a top hat.
RIOT Wheel in Action!

Speaking of funny hats, we go from RIOT Wheels to the exotic land of China with cbla_member's rickshaw. A simple build, ten minutes from concept to post, he shows us you can build and photo a timeless classic with very few pieces. I wouldn't careen through China's busy, congested streets in anything else!
Rickshaw

A few weeks ago, no one knew who bricksonwheels was...but that all changed real quick once he posted this amazing 18 wheeled Peterbuilt 379. He seems a fan of highly customized rigs, his inspiration and other Lego MOCs are not to be missed! I demand everyone check out the rest of his photos! Go ahead, I'll wait......... Pretty freakin' sweet, huh?!
peterbilt_379_reefer_small_-_18

Newbie lardydooty (say that ten times fast!) shows us a couple of entries. They're not real cars per se but a couple of...um...generic three wheelers. He couldn't decide which was better...that's up for us to figure out. Here they are.
IMG_2236


We should make it international law that Ed "Lego Monster" Dement and Ralph "Mad Physicist" Savelsberg should team up every time they build something. Whenever they do, the Lego world benefits big time! This time they concocted a juggernaut with some Australian flair...the massive Road Train with a staggering 86 wheels! Don't miss the...um...Foster's filled cabin for driver Marco and his little 'roo friend. G'day mate!


He fought us, shuffled his feet, complained for a month, and wished the challenge would be over with already. Then
Raphael G.
squeaks in on a technicality with these two tiny turbos. Note they have spare tires so they qualify as five wheeled cars. Then just minutes before the new year, Raphael submitted a bunch of stuff that didn't make any sense. (Cough)...um...yeah. Anyway. Let us bow our heads. Good luck out there, Raphael.


Last but certainly not least Apple Pie shows us that what glitters definitely is gold with this Racing Truck. The first LUGNuts entry ever to have sparkly effects, this amazing truck never fails to impress even without the sparkleys. Do not miss the other pics of this...it looks like it can just tear up the road!
Race Truck

Wow! Just wow! This challenge proved we can cut up and have a great time even while building outside of our comfort levels. A staggering number of these entries made it onto flickr Explore and brothers-brick so my sincerest congrats go out to all of you. Now lets see how we do when we get all...secret agent-y in our 15th challenge called "Who Is Agent Janus?" I can't wait to see what you all come up with for this one!