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!

Lemons or LeMans Roundup

Wanna know what happens when we ask a bunch of LUGNuts to come up with either a disastrous lemon or a sleek fast LeMans racer? I wouldn't call the challenge a total lemon...I mean, there were a few entries, and they were good...its just not the raging success some other challenges have been. But lets check out the round up and see how we all did, shall we?

J0n4th4n D3rk53n is the first to launch out of the gate with this appropriately fast MGA customized for the LeMans races. I'm digging its asymmetrical design and the whole front end is pretty stellar. It has a great style that sets the pace for the rest of the challenge.



Later, Jonathan reaches for his trusty yellow bricks again but this time evens the score with this 1990 Geo Metro...the little car that just couldn't. Couldn't sell well, couldn't compete with other cars in its class, just couldn't do anything! The color yellow is synonymous with lemons and well, this car has lemon written all over it. its well executed though...and by executed, I mean we should line it up against a wall and shoot it. Poor Metro!



Dohoon Kim picks up the pace with this racy black and white Peugeot 908 LeMans racer. It has red rear view mirrors and a pretty cool spoiler. it just makes me want to pick up the little car and go vroom, vroooom, VROOOOOOOOOOOM!



lego Junkie takes us way back in time with this 1929 Bentley Supercharged that was driven by Dr. Dudley Benjafield and Giulio Ramponi in the 1930 lemans race. The car expired after 144 laps, leaving us to wonder if this vehicle has the unique distinction of being both a lemon and a LeMans racer. Neat!



Lichtblau treats us to a pair of AC Shelby Cobra LeMans racers, one in black, the other in white. Lichtblau tells us the white car is a reproduction of "Ollie The Dragon", a famous car that could spit up flames from its hood scoop. Also included is a very nice replica engine, jack and detailed toolbox.





Sometimes it takes Ralph "Mad Physicist" Savelsberg a little while to find something he likes. Lemons just don't suit his practical sensibilities and heaven forbid he should ever build a show rod! But when he finds something he likes, it turns out great. Take, for example, this Le Mans Porsche 935. It has all the coolest sponsor stickers and lightning quick styling. Way to go, Ralph!



Lino Martins takes a leap out of his comfort zones to build this ultra-modern Green GT LeMans concept racer. It doesn't look very green but it gets its name from the fact that it is all electric. With no noise and polution, its actually great for the environment. Its Swiss designers hope to have it racing by 2011, but Lino builds its replica long before that. Not bad for a guy who actually had his heart set on building a lemon. Oh well, maybe next time.



Lego911 doesn't disappoint with his lemon entries. First on the slab is the German built NSU Saloon RO80. It was supposed to be ahead of its time in terms of styling, packaging, aerodynamics, and engine. Instead, legend has it that drivers of these unfortunate cars greeted each other as they passed...the number of fingers that they waved indicated the number of replacement engines they needed.



Next Lego911 points an accusatory finger at his own self...or rather his friends at Aussie Ford responsible for designing the "saggy-arsed" '97 AU Falcon. Called "droopy tailed" and "tippy-toed" both at the same time, this doozie of a loser was responsible for sliding AU FORD sales from number 1 to number 3 in that same year. Yikes!



Speaking of losers, the Pontiac Aztek looks as if the rear designers didn't communicate at all with the front designers. This CUV (Cross-over Utility Vehicle) was supposed to be great for camping in the big outdoors...in fact, its boxy rear was made to be converted into a tent. But instead, the vehicle just looks like a gargoyle. It wasn't 100% responsible for the company's recent demise, but it certainly help matters. R.I.P, Pontiac...we'll miss you. Sort of.



Lastly, Lego911 switches up the pace a bit in favor of a LeMans racer...or rather, part of the team support for a LeMans racer. This is the famous Scuderia Ferrari Team Tractor 2009. Its somewhat modeled after the official Lego Vehicle Transporter set 6753, except two studs wider. Nice details make this support truck a welcome addition to this challenge.



Last, but not least, Raphy turns up at the last minute just before I was going to write him off as one of those kids missing on the milk carton. Feeling under the weather, the usually rambunctious Raphy squeaks in with a solo entry, the Kazufumi Ibusuki Le Mans Hybrid. Running on a mixture of runny mud, lemur crap, rainwater and also human-made non-toxic ingredients, this car races at a staggering 278 MPH! Its also an entirely made-up fabrication. That Raphy, what will he think up next?



Whatever he thinks up next, we'll just have to wait and see for this month's very special 30th build challenge. For the first time ever, we've broken up the group into two equal teams. Also for the first time ever, there will be great prizes for absolutely everyone on a winning team...no fooling! Who will win it all, will it be Team Lino or Team Nathan? Only time will tell, but I'm ever so excited about this brilliant and very special new dual challenge called Go Team Lino! and Go Team Nathan!

The Animal Kingdom Roundup

Who would of thunk it? I propose a challenge that we build vehicles with animal names and it turns out to be the formula for raging success. Jane Goodall and Carroll Shelby would be proud...um...because...one is a zoologist and the other a car designer. Get it? What do you mean not funny? Well I've had no sleep last night so the humor is only going to go downhill from here. The vehicles, on the other hand, are all top notch. Read on to see what I mean.

When a building is shaped like the items it sells, it is called a Duck. Shut up, it just is! Which means this first entry built by J0n4th4n D3rk53n is probably called a duck even though its shaped like a fish. Confused yet? I'm not. I mean, who wouldn't be proud to own the new 2011 Fishmobile? According to Jon, it boasts terrible handling and a cramped cockpit. But its a total chick magnet just like the wienermobile...which is a chick magnet for what I presume to be a different reason.

Speaking of chick magnet, for Jonathan's second entry he reaches for his trusty yellow pieces once again but this time ups the horsepower with this badass '69 Barracuda. This thing actually, literally totally is badass! The taillights are not to be missed as well as the white center stripe. Nothing says macho aggression like the '69 'Cuda!

When you trade macho aggression for sensible practicality you get the '74 Audi Fox, the third and final entry by Jon. He rounds out this trifecta of yellow vehicles nicely with this stunning entry posted exactly on his 13th birthday...which means Jon is now finally old enough to be on flickr legally. That's great. Its nice to know all of our LUGNuts members are abiding by all official rules to the letter. With this entry, Jon drives slowly, safely and sensibly into his teen years.

Never made to be driven slowly, safely, or sensibly is this entry by Steve "kwycstix" Walker. Its a Pontiac Tempest GTO convertible. What is such a car doing in an animal themed challenge? Well, the youthful market nicknamed this badass ride the Goat, even though Pontiac was hoping to market it as a GTO Tiger. The styling and paint scheme was inspired by Chip Foose so Steve calls it the Goosed Goat. Shouldn't it be a Foosed Goat then?

Lino Martins (hey, that's me!) Had a strong hankerin' to build something green, yellow...and different. For these reasons I have spawned the John Deere Model 3203 Compact Tractor, suitable for all your farming needs. I picked this particular model because it best suited the parts I had available in green and yellow and there were several very clear images online. It turns out, the reason there were so many clear images...this model was recalled due to a potentially stuck forward drive pedal. Awww nuts!

If I submit an entry this early in the challenge, its almost a sure bet that I have something else in the works. This other something came later in the form of a red '53 Buick Skylark. Its been almost a year since I built a car from my fave era, so it was nice to get back to my roots with this baby! This Buick sports a sideways opening hood, an extended rear deck with spare tire, half-stud offsets galore and plenty of tricky build techniques to keep any Lino fan coming back for another look.

Nathan Proudlove must have had the same hankerin' for green and yellow as I did when he came up with this late 60-ish custom Ford Bronco (with apologies to Tim, that Ford hatin' bastard!) Nathan tells us this was a fun and relatively quick build and the chassis is a modified version of the technic tow truck from a couple years ago. The suspension looks great and I'm just digging the lovely dark green to go with the yellow and white. Its refreshing...like a lemon/lime popsicle!

I like Nathan in the sense that he's the king of building under-appreciated, underdog cars. No exception to this long tradition is this new Volkswagen Rabbit truck just brimming with crazy 80's colors and design. Just look at that crazy purple zig-zag stripe...its like a test pattern when the cable goes out! These colors together would have freaked out my camera...purple would have turned blue, blue would have turned an uglier blue and the white background would have become a hot yellow or orange and sadly this is why I don't build many blue or purple things. Kudos to Nathan for pulling it off nicely.

Nathan is also the king of Batmobiles. An animal themed challenge without a Nathan-built Batmobile just wouldn't be right. Which is why I'm glad he squeezed this Bat Tumbler in just before the deadline...actually a half day late, but who cares! I noticed it arrive just as I was writing about the VW Rabbit so his timing couldn't have been any more perfect in my book.

Dohoon Kim builds himself a Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 Super Snake. Why thats like two or three animals rolled into one, all of them super scary and aggressive! I suppose on some weird planet or a parallel universe there exists a real animal thats a Mustang Cobra Supersnake. I bet totally ripped muscular guys would fight it with a battle axe while a shapely naked woman wraps around his leg just like in a Boris Vallejo painting. Who said fantasy art was cheesy?

Ralph "Mad Physicist" Savelsberg graces us with this very cool Caterpillar transport truck (or Cat transport for short) which is almost like two animals wrapped into one. Nope, it doesn't conjure images of buff guys fighting monsters with swords while submissive naked maidens wrap around their legs so I have no reason to use the fantasy painting analogy again. Damn you Ralph and your sensible, conservative ways!

Although somewhat unintentional, Aleksander Stein is happy to finally have an entry that fits a LUGNuts challenge. Its a 1975 Ford WT9000 inspired by the "Blue Mule" from the movie "White Line Fever", a 'trucksploitation" film starring Jan-Michael Vincent. I had white line fever once. It made me want to drive a truck load of manure into a giant neon sigh of the corporation that done me wrong. That'll show 'em not to mess with me! But seriously, cool truck.

Speaking of haulin' giant loads, Bricksonwheels wanted to be part of the fun and did what he does best...building big rig trucks! This time he pulls off a sleek black and purple Peterbilt car carrier rig. What's it doing in an animal themed challenge? Well, it runs on a Caterpillar engine, a C15 700 hp one to be exact and that makes it a bit of a beast then, doesn't it? When you build as big and cool as bricksonwheels the only answer to that question is a resounding yes. Yes it does.

Dylan Denton shows off some considerable skill with this sunny yellow '67 Pontiac Firebird convertible. I firebird is a mythical animal, a phoenix really but still fits well enough in this challenge. Plus it was called a Pony Car so that works too. Wow there's a lot of convertibles in this challenge! You all must be thinking about sunny weather while you plow through two feet of snow. Incidentally its been unseasonably warm and clear here in Seattle this whole month. Great for me...sucks for the rain forest.

New guy Lego Junkie shows the animal kingdom some love with this CAT 350-L Excavator. This industrious little MOC moves pretend dirt from here and then dumps it over there...then does the whole process all over again. All day long! Vrooom, vrooom VROOOOOM! Ok, ya gotta admit, it is a pretty cool little excavator.

Oldeconoline is new to us but has old in his name. Anyway, he had an older neighbor who was into old Studebakers (didn't we all?) so that's why he graces us with his first ever LUGNuts entry...a Studebaker Lark. First we had a Skylark, then a Lark. Actually in order of appearance on the challenge it was Lark first, then immediately followed by the Skylark...so cool juxtaposition there. Anyway, we hope this will be the first of many challenge entries from Oldeconoline. Maybe someday he'll build an old Econoline.

Get yourself a cup of coffee, this is going to take awhile. Make sure you're comfortable and under the blanket. Lego911 never disappoints with his multiple entries. Someone gifted him with a whole slew of light blue bricks so in turn, he gifts all of us with this '58 Chevy Impala hardtop sports coupe. Neat!

The laymen builder would have stopped there, but 911 graces us with another light blue creation, this one a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner Super Bird. I was secretly hoping someone would build one of these and there we have it. This is a car like no other.

They go and make a huge Transformers movie and Lego911 builds the Chevrolet Camaro 2010 'Bumble Bee' to start off his usual late month marathon. While these Bumble Bees are a common sight at the theaters and the road, 911 tells us real bumble bees are becoming more and more scarce in the Northern Hemisphere due to some unknown phenomenon that appears to be killing them off. Not good news when agriculture and plant pollination relies so much on them.

If the bumblebee is rare, even rarer is the mythical thunderbird seen only by Native American shamans during their hallucinogenic vision quests. This Thunderbird is a dark red Ford from the year 1957 and is seen in my dreams.

Next on the Lego911 slab is a Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider. An animal based challenge would be incomplete without one of the Ferrari Spiders. Like nearly all Ferraris, this one is shiny red.

In the animal world, there is several species of spiders, all of them vastly different from one another. The same holds true with the automotive world. 911 proves this point with this Alfa Romeo 1962 Giulia Spider Series 101. Neat!

Lego911 was hoping that Pininfarina would reveal their latest showcar, the Alfa Romeo Spider, at this week's Geneva Motorshow. Unfortunately this hasn't materialized so instead he presents us with the slightly older 916 Series Spider as a replacement.

Then finally, he presents us with what no animal themed challenge should be without, the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. This car is as sleek and graceful as its namesake. The chrome sidepipes are just simply put...awesome.

Tim "Rabidnovaracer" Inman must have been lurking outside my window this month. All month long, I collected images of the AMC Marlin. I enjoyed its fastback look, I pondered how it would be done in Lego, even started adding parts to my Bricklink wishlist. Seeing I'd have no time to complete the Marlin, I figured I could save it for next month as anything by the ill fated AMC line can be considered a lemon. Then Tim goes and builds this stock car, thereby taking the wind out of my sails. At least he did a great job of it. Tim tells us the decals were stolen from his mom's Creative Memories stuff. Hah!

This challenge has been a great month for big rig trucks. probably because many are powered by huge CAT engines. No exception is this wonderful green Peterbilt 359 logging rig built by Maciej D. This color scheme makes us all green with envy. Green like The Incredible Hulk. Hulk smash little man! Thats all I got for jokes on this one. Told ya it was going downhill in the humor department. Lets move on.

With no shortage of jokes comes Tim "Gambort" Gould and his rather neat three wheeled Scammell Scarab mechanical horse. I never even heard of the vehicle until now but it looks great. Don't miss a whole slew of Scarabs over at Tim's photostream.

Ricardo "Biczzz" Prates doesn't often join us in the challenges, but when he does you can't help but feel that something spectacular had just happened. Take, for instance, this Shelby Cobra. Stunning from any angle, Ricardo captures the Shelby feel with skills reserved for only the most top notch of builders. I've never had a warm and fuzzy feeling from a cobra before. Usually they just scare the bejesus out of me.

For most of the challenge I almost wrote Raphy off as one of them missing kids on the milk cartons. But in the last dog days of the challenge, he shows up with a vengeance and submits first a version of the Batmobile like no one has ever seen.

Then, roaring, growling and burning rubber comes Raphy's mini '07 Mustang. Without the roof it looks a little low, but you know, with the right tools you can turn any rental car into a convertible.

Next on the Raphy slab comes the '69 AAR "Cuda. (As in barracuda) The hood seems a little long and the roof a bit flat like the Mustang but Raphy informs all would be ignoramuses that AAR stands for At A Racetrack. And now you know, you dumbasses. Sigh...crass aggression at such a tender young age.

But wait, there's more! Next he graces is with a '99 Firebird. I don't know, maybe it needs to be 5-wide to match the tires. I like the silver blower thingy. Lets see, what can I do for a joke...green like the Hulk? No. Boris Vallejo painting? No. Refreshing like a lemon/lime popsicle? No. Ok, I got nothin', lets move on.

Now here's something I can sink my animal claws into...a Bowler Wildcat. Here it is demonstrating its extreme off-roading abilities by climbing a rock. You gotta admit the photography is pretty good on this one. Cool!

And finally, Gold 2 finishes us off with this MMV Ursa Clam Bunk Skidder. MMV means...uh...I don't know, Ursa means bear and clam is also an animal so take your pick. it was built on Mars and here we see it hauling away tree stumps as everyone knows logging is big business on Mars. Yep, its true.

Well that was fun! Our next challenge is called Lemons Or LeMans...the only challenge that dares you to build either a crappy lemon or a super fast LeMans racer. Will you go for fine tuned performance or ill functioning tail lights? Will it be fame and prestige or burning oil and humiliation? Only time will tell. Either way, stick around as I'm sure its going to be a wild ride!