Plus Or Minus Ten Round Up

Ever have one of them days where you wake up in a puddle of your own vomit only to realize later that the vomit wasn't your own after all? I never did but I figured it would be a hilarious and irrelevant segue into this month's round up for a challenge called...Plus or Minus Ten...where we take the year we were born, then add plus or minus ten years, then build accordingly. This challenge best portrayed a generational divide between the youngsters and their super modern rides and the oldsters who preferred to keep them the hell off their lawn. And we all overlapped somewhere in the 80's. Lets see how we did, shall we?

Born in '98, Dohoon Kim goes plus ten with this 2008 KTM X-Bow. I had to look it up but its a real car that seems to be a cross between a go-kart and a formula 1 racer. I woke up today (not in a puddle of vomit) not knowing what an X-Bow is and now I want one!



And speaking of things I want, Legogil goes minus ten with this flashy red '67 'Stang Shelby GT500. That grille, those headlights, the white rally stripes, the big engine, the aggressive stance, the roulette wheel rims, even the corrugated seats are all Mustang, baby!



Its been awhile but Lego Guy graces us again and goes minus ten with this 1982 Series 3 Land Rover. The blue light on the roof denotes that its some kind of emergency vehicle....exactly what is the emergency at hand is a little unclear. Maybe someone ran out of hot sauce at a chili cook-off. That's a major emergency, for sure!



And speaking of hot sauce emergencies, something else that raises my core temperature is this '81 Harley Davidson FLH 1340 as built by the chrome master himself, Bricksonwheels. He went plus ten with this chrome-laden marvel making Mr. 'Wheels and I the exact same age. Now why didn't we do a buddy challenge on this one? Oh right, too busy doing our own thing.



Speaking of my own thing, Lino Martins goes minus ten with this wild custom '61 Dodge Polara called Aztec Gold. Chopped, lowered, with a ruby dazzled grille and a fiery lowrider paint job, this doozie ought to stand out at any car show or brick convention.



Born in '72, Lego911 shows the young whooper-snappers and grumpy old men alike how its done with his first of many entries, this one being an '82 Porsche 944 Coupe rendered in luxurious, yet demure grey.



If demure luxury is not your thing and you'd rather let your mullet flap in the breeze while rockin' out to Led Zeppelin, Lego911 conjures up what the cool teens were driving with this '82 Chevy Camaro. Bitchin' Dude!



Just to show off his versatility with the rendered bricks, Peter shows us what the more forward thinking sportier types were driving in '82...the Ford Sierra XR4Ti.



Europeans and sensible types were driving the BMW E30 3-Series M-3 back in '82. Undoubtedly they wore skinny piano ties and listened to Human League's "Don't You Want Me" on their tape decks. CD's didn't come out until '85, kids. Just thought you'd like to know that.



And what were Europeans and sensible types doing twenty years prior? Turns out they were driving the '62 1500 BMW Saloon. This car defined the iconic BMW DNA (and incidentally their financial security) for the next 50 years. And what were they grooving to on the radio back then? Probably "Green Onions" by Booker T and the MG's.



Penguins aren't just arctic birds and Batman villains anymore. And it isn't just youngsters who make up their own cars. Peter was a youngster once and back then he made up the boxy '82 Penguin. This car may seem uneventful, but it marked the beginning of a looooong prolific career of both LEGO car design and real car design. Good to see he stuck to his roots!



And back in '62 when suave and debonair men were drinking their martinis shaken, not stirred, they were doing it in the stylish
Ferrari 400 Superamerica Coupe Aerodinamico. It was a different time back then...you could drink behind the wheel so long as you were classy about it.



In '82 Sweden introduced the Volvo 740 Estate wagon and the 760 Saloon. Even though it was more of a 70's Disco thing Sweden was still listening to Abba in '82. In fact, Abba is still a national treasure there and its against the law to badmouth them...its an enforced arrest-able offense. Go ahead, look it up, its all true!





And in '82 when cruel and ignorant men were taking over major corporations, they were doing it in style with this Ferrari 512 BBi - Boxer Berlinetta. Also they had sultry nearly naked women strewn across the hood as evidenced by all the Ferrari posters in the 80's.



And when you want to leave the 80's behind you would be Gillies Villeneuve and you would do it in your '82 Ferrari 126 C2. Peter tells us '82 was a dark year for the entire Scuderia Ferrari team as not only did they lose their popular Villeneuve but another driver was involved in a career ending accident. Yowza!



Now this is just the kind of buddy challenge you want to see. Nathan and Ralph were both born in '75 so the Jack of All Trades and the Maestro of the Studs collaborated to come up with this neat pair of brown Caddies, Nathan with the '85 and Ralph taking on the 20 year older '65. Both are using Ralph's Devil May Care Lettin' All The Studs Show style. Ya gotta love it!





It was a different time when I was born, way back in '71. Smoking a lot and putting out a cigarette on your kid's arm was considered good parenting. But being born in '93, thankfully Aaron F1 knows nothing about that world as evidenced by this sweet little '83 Lamborghini Countach LP500 QV.



I bet that cruel little segue surprised ya, didn't it? What can I say, I was bored and wanted to see if you were paying attention. What didn't surprise any of us though is the fact that Jmaokoen has built yet another F1 racer. This one is a 1985 Brabham BT54.



Krika99 tells us the Bat-Pod ejected from the bat Tumbler in 2008. Its true, too. I've got the Dark Knight DVD right here to prove it. It seems like just yesterday I was watching that and thinking Sweet Baby Jeebus, how cool is that!? And in the whole scheme of things it seems like just yesterday that Krika99 was born. In '98 I graduated from college.



Rolic breaks all the rules with this '99 SAAB 9-5 wagon first manufactured 10 years before the birth of...his baby daughter. He tells us the rule breaking would offer some irony for the round up but I think the irony started right in the opening paragraph and just got way more twisted from there. Here's to a bright future for his little girl...and the SAAB is pretty sweet too.



And speaking of a young man with a bright future, Raphy chimes in with this 1987 Chevrolet Camaro in Gumball livery. I wonder if that's the same as gum ball livery? 'Cuz gum balls can be pretty colorful, right? No? Anyway, sweet Camaro. It just needs a high school dropout with a mullet and a black led Zeppelin T-shirt...and maybe a thin mustache. Chicks dig the 'stash!



Chicks might also dig this '67 Chevy truck as built by Tim Inman and best known for the fuel heist scene at the beginning of Fast and Furious 4. Then he goes on to tell us he was born, in '81, not '77 but the '67 shares a body style with the '71. Now I'm all sorts of confused but that must be all the chrome. You see, I'm like a goldfish, as soon as I see something shiny I forget all that I know.



Ok, what was I doing here? Oh right! Wrapping up this round up and talking about the next challenge. This one is called Cars, Too and is sort of a Cars 2 tie in with any other car with a face. The skull and cross bones blazoned across the hood of the Death Proof Nova would totally work for this challenge or anything from children's illustration book would work as well. How will we...um...Face off in this challenge? You'll just have to stay tuned next time to see! Get it? Face off. Hah! I can't believe how funny I am! Can I get a hell yeah all up in here?! C'mon, who's with me?! Ahh forget it then! See ya next time.

Autos Aus Deutschland Roundup

So...we've gone all German on you and made a build challenge strictly based on German cars. It was bound to happen really, what with the German auto industry being so strong...and contrary to Henry Ford would like to think, Germany is the birthplace of the automobile. In spite of our love for the German automakers, the entries were a little sparse at first. I was going to crack some joke about this roundup being as quick and efficient as the German people themselves, but a lot of entries poured in at the last minute, rounding out this challenge to be a pretty good one. So, how do we fare when the challenge is based on a place where they make great cars, the beer is good and plentiful and David Hasselhoff is king? Lets get to it!

Jmaokoen is the first off the starting line with appropriately might be the fastest car of the whole lot...this Mercedes GP W02 F1 racer. He proves to stay well within his comfort zones on this one by building yet another F1 racer. Some people are like that. Eh, at least its German.



You might say he veered just a little outside his comfort zones with this rather neat little Porsche 908/3 LeMans racer. Its chock full of that slick rounded Porsche goodness. Jmaokoen tells us it took all kinds of victories in its dozen year history. Alright!



Dohoon Kim shows us all how the 1980 Audi Quattro is done. Turns out its done by trying to build the Audi R8, failing miserably, then cranking out this instead. Good to know whenever I'm trying to build the 1980 Audi Quattro...start it as an R8, throw it against the wall, then build Quattro. Thanks for the tip!



Next he shows us an entire Mercedes-Benz racing team...or rather a group of vehicles that would be a team had they all been the same color scheme. The black truck is the Actros Tractor Trailer, the blue is a '54 Renntransporter "Blue Wonder" towing a Silver Arrow racer. The F1 racer in a slightly different scale is a Mercedes-McLaren MP4-24. Its a whole mismatched team!



In my opinion an all German challenge would be nothing without an old or new VW Beetle. Luckily Dohoon pulls through on his final entry with this little red 2005 convertible Cabrio. Just look at that pudgy, round little form! We can all die happy now. But before we do...



You know who likes the BMW 635 CSI? Jason Son, that's who! I think I've got two of these parked under my carport...both owned by my landlord and both in rough shape collecting dust. Dust so thick there are words and phrases smudged into the grime. Words like "wash me", "I love daddy" and "vagina". Its true. Thankfully this one is pristine, well constructed and dust free.



And speaking of pristine and well constructed, Jason son,s second entry is the iconic Bugatti Veyron. This shows you what I know. Bugatti sounds like a fine wine you'd drink with a nice Italian fettucini alfredo but its a French car brand, an Italian creator, hence its name, and is parented by the Volkswagen Group, making it indeed a German car. Thats a truly international fine wine!



Also fine is Jason Son's final entry...the Mercedes-Benz SLS Roadster complete with flip up doors and a red on white color scheme. Its multiple entries like this that turn what would have been an otherwise sparse challenge into something pretty special. Thanks all those who have submitted multiple entries.



Chiming in with only one entry but no less important is new guy Nboston with his 1990 BMW E30 M3 complete with engine on a hoist. The blue lighting effect makes it look like its nighttime in a florescent lit cardboard garage. Yep, that's what I'm going with...florescent lit cardboard garage.



If you need a stubby truck to hall all your...um...stubby things, look no further than this 1975 Mercedes Unimog 406 built by hgaphoto. Funny word, Unimog. If only LEGO would team up with Mercedes to come out with a future Technic set of an Unimog preferrably in orange with new never before seen tires and a working winch. Sigh...If only. A boy can always dream. ;)



Also with Unimogs on the brain is dockfisher98 with this fire Unimog. It almost sounds like Oh my God, its a Unimog! Yeah, thats all I got for a joke on this one. Yeah, I know...probably the most deserving of some good jokes is this entry and I've got nothing. Oh well.



Ralph Savelsberg knows that sometimes even the most practical and efficient of German people get a little rowdy on occasion...usually during Oktoberfest. This is when they recruit the help of this Polizei BMW wagon. Ralph tells us this is a German car found only in Germany. He also tells us "Ich habe es geschafft", which according to google translator means "I did it!"



Lino Martins had low expectations for this Mercedes SLR Stirling Moss Edition. Its gray, sort of plain looking, not my usual thing. But it quickly got within the top ten of your faved images of all time...and that was before making it onto Brothers Brick. This ended my 9 month losing streak on BB, 11 months if you consider only cars. Thanks for all the faves and the confidence, guys!



There's a phenomenon online where you yell (or rather type) FIRST! when you're the first to comment on something. Vmln8r did this but he wasn't first to enter our challenge, but rather 12th. In this case he's referring to something much more profound...the first gas powered automobile, the 1886 Patent Motorwagen as invented by Karl Friedrich Benz. I'm sure Mr. Benz yelled FIRST! once he got this baby rolling!



Lego911's childhood must have been full of fine german automobiles as he presents a selection of renders from his childhood. First is the Porshe 928-S4. Kinda like Return of the Jedi, this is the mid-eighties update to the 1977 original. Also like the original Star Wars series (not the prequels) this car design withstood the test of time remarkably well.



Also from his childhood is this 1976 BMW E24 6-Series Coupe. It must have been good being Lego911 as a kid in the 70's My childhood was mostly spent in the backseat of a 1970 Pinto moving from one Navy base to another. And with the reputation for the Pinto to explode and its legacy of being one of the world's all-time crap cars its a wonder I turned out even remotely OK.



I sometimes wear aluminum foil wrapped around my head to keep the aliens from stealing my brainwaves. And I like to sleep with my head in a catcher's mitt. So much for me turning out even remotely OK then. But what turned out more than OK is this third entry by Peter, the Audi R8. It shares some design cues from the Italian Lambo, that's because VW owns Lamborghini. Who knew?! But one thing they don't own is my brainwaves thanks to this foil hat. They'll never get me!



If its cool, refreshing and yellow, it might be a tall glass of lemonade...or this classic 1972 BMW 3.0CSL built by Legogil. There is no mistaking that iconic BMW grille or its tart, lemony goodness. I'm talking about the car and a glass of lemonade, not one thing...ah never mind! Just enjoy the bright yellow car pic.



Also with bright yellow cars on the brain (and if he knows what's good for him, an aluminum foil hat) is Raphy with his Audi Quattro. Whatever happened to the LEGO line for babies called Quatro? They were like 8 times the size in volume of Duplo bricks but I'm sure some dumb kid found a way to get hurt with them anyway. This is why we can no longer have Easy-Bake Ovens or Snoopy Sno-cone Machines.



And for his next stunt, Raphy goes with this mostly badly built unspecified year (his words, not mine) Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9. Badly built or not, he's going a little avant-garde with the photography...placing the car small and to the lower right like a lonely orphan on a field of gray. And I've gone a little avant-garde with that writing description!



Next Raphy went with the also unspecified year NSU Ro80. He tells us he "chose something a little more less known for this one, he didn't want to make only mainstream cars, even though it's not totally obscure - they made about 80,000 of 'em." He also tells us this was the only German car powered by a rotary. Is that like those oldschool rotary phones?



Last on the Raphy slab is this BMW 2002 Turbo...also built in an unspecified year. Nope, 2002 is not the year, but rather its class. The years in production of this model was 1968-1976. The production for this particular model was probably an hour or so sometime in the last week of April. See what I did there?



Ace tells us the unspecified year Porsche 935 is the fastest 911 in history and also the ugliest. I don't know, the real Porsche 935 isn't without its charms. This one...not a very faithful replica but considering its small scale its not bad either. Its just alright. It leaves me no jokes about lemonade or foil hats so...lets just segue into the final paragraph.



There has been a lot of unspecified year entries late in this challenge but for next month, all entries must be year specifc. Let me explain...we're calling it Plus Or Minus Ten. You take the year you were born, then build any car, truck, or bike from either ten years before or ten years after your birth year. We can all choose from two vastly different eras exactly twenty years apart. Already we're seeing a generational divide between many LUGNuts members. Youngins will probably build something either super modern or...also modern while the oldsters may likely go retro with ten years before their birth. Everyone seems to agree that they'll skip the 80's. As of writing this passage we have very little entries, but the month is still young so stay tuned to see how we pull this one off. Until next time, I'll keep my foil hat on so no one knows what I'll be entering. I suggest you all do the same.

Snowed In Round Up

In this month's Snowed In challenge, I wanted to see rough and tumble vehicles made to handle the snow and ice. We're talking snowplows, ice racers, snowmobiles, arctic explorers...the whole icy works! Well, it seems I got what I wanted in abundance! Early on, we've found out that some LUGNutters have been buried in three feet of the frigid stuff nearly every day since November while others have never seen even a solitary snowflake. Still, everyone stepped up to the plate with their frosty creations. So lets sit back with some hot chocolate (spiked, if you are so inclined) and see how we did, shall we?

At the first sign of frost, Dohoon Kim is the first on the icy scene with a trifecta of rugged vehicles made to tackle the snow. The first is a neat little snowmobile for those who don't mind playing in the freezing cold. The little minifig guy looks determined to wake us all up at 5 am with his revving engine.



Sometimes when there's just too much snow for even the little snowmobile guy you have to call none other than these other minifig guys and their snowplow truck...complete with plow and caterpillar traction. Sweet!



No school snow days are merely a fond fading memory when you have this rough and tumble school bus on hand to take those crying kiddies off to school. Now you can't blame failing grades on the weather. Now failing grades are because you just suck at algebra. Ah, the memories!



Then much later, Dohoon comes back with another trifecta of icy treats. Made to tackle the snow...and to belittle nerds in the school parking lot, is this Hummer H2 in bright yellow. Now the bullies who drive them are going to have to find another way to vent their 'roid rage as the entire Hummer brand came to an end in 2010.



A snowplow tractor might be just what you need to shovel away that huge mountain of snow left by the other plows at the head of your driveway. How does he make that trans-yellow flamey light thingy float like that?



Finishing off the Dohoon Kim slab is this huge GMC Topkick 4500 pickup truck in sleek black...complete with dual stack exhaust pipes. Now thats cool!



CJay reheats some old leftovers with this Izuzu Dump Truck with Snow Plow built way back in October. There's no rule saying you can't rehash old MOCs for our challenges. Oh wait, there is! We just didn't write it down anywhere. But yeah, we prefer new stuff. Its still cool though, ya gotta admit, and like most of what CJay does a marvel of techic engineering.



Sangi13 reaches for his usual red...no, wait...WHITE pieces to whip up this '89 International Plow Truck complete with all the bells and whistles including 3-way tilt play and state-of-the-art sander and salter. And a little lime green, chrome and black thrown in...with nary a red brick in sight.



Except for his second entry...predictably all red. It's an Izuzu NPR 3500. Isn't NPR a radio program for uptight intellectuals to listen to stories about patchwork quilting or wheat fields or something? I don't know...NPR seems void of good old Rock and Roll.



Dylan Denton turns off the heat and...um...cranks up the cold (is that even possible?) with this dark green and white Suzuki Samurai amped up with tank treads and working plow. Here we see it negotiating the punishing terrain of real live snow. Lets see you top that, Australia!



No stranger to real live snow is Nathan Proudlove, who lives in the Great White North called Canada. He is, however, a stranger to his own house as he's been housesitting for a few months...which is why he's been pilfering through some kid's Lego stash to build his entries. The tundra buggy is designed to observe lots of Lotso bears in their natural habitat.



New to LUGNuts but not new to Lego is Builder42 with his bright yellow, tough as nails Arctic Exploration Vehicle. According to the link to the real thing Its actually a highly customized Humvee...which makes it totally badass. I'm glad Yoder...uh, I mean Builder42 can join in our reindeer games. Finally!



The most prolific Lego automotive builder alive has a short run this time...just one car. Peter Blackert presents a 2011 Ford Fiesta WRC in as many bright colors as a kindergartner's crayon box. At first glance it just seems like some really cool rally car...which it is, but its real counterpart made its debut in the snow and ice packed Rally of Sweden this past February. Go Team Ford!



Forget snow plows, forget tank treads, forget rally racers in bright colors. Sometimes all you need to handle the snow and ice is a good reliable SUV. Speaking of good and reliable, Peteris Sprogis conjures up some LCAD wizardry and renders a very realistic looking Toyota FJ Cruiser. There is one of these parked just two apartments down from my place and this render is a spitting image of the real thing. same color and everything.



Dan has lost his poor little dog but thankfully this story and diorama built as Peteris' second entry has a happy ending. He climbs into his yellow off roader and finds his four-legged friend in the frozen forest. (You like my use of alliteration there?) The dirt trail running diagonally through the snow covered terrain makes for an interesting composition. I'm glad it all turned out well.



Oldeconoline has a little fun and takes the challenge name very literally with this Snowed In little blue car and parka wearing would be driver. For those who have never seen snow, get a good look because this is very much a reality. Snow is heavy and shoveling your vehicle out of it is an arduous chore...but this smiling little minifig takes it all in stride!



Legogil probably doesn't see much snow all the way down in Brazil...but his research has accurately portrayed the rough and tumble Pisten Bully Rescue Vehicle. The talk of the town over in Gilville had to do with all the great little details including wench, wipers and the stretcher for rescuing lost or injured people. There's lots of nice things happening here.



When thinking ice and snow, low and sleek Formula One racers don't really come to mind, but Jmaokoen seems to pride himself in never leaving his comfort zones. He finds a way to build yet another Formula One racer, but this time specially rigged with snow skis for the Grand Prix of Norway. Its innovative, I'll give him that.



When thinking ice and snow, custom motorcycles don't come to mind either, but luckily Lino Martins was the only one crazy enough this challenge to whip up an ice racer bike complete with nasty spiked teeth to bite firmly into the ice. Its odd color scheme and overall idea was loosely based on the one-of-a-kind TGS Seppster 2.



Tim Inman tears up the snow in sleek style and luxury with this Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV. Tim tells us this sweet ride started life as a German military vehicle in the late 70's/early 80's when it was known as the Geländewagen or "cross country vehicle." Everything sounds so much cooler and efficient in German. Das Geländewagen!



If you think Tim's Mercedes would be the only big black SUV this challenge you'd be dead wrong! Rolling in just behind Tim's ride is Firas Abu-Jaber's Chevy Tahoe complete with both wheeled and snow tread conversions. This brute SUV has enough bling and safety features to keep any soccer mom riding in style and as it turns out...this was a commissioned piece to be sent all the was to the US from Jordan. May it have a safe journey.



We're not done with snow treaded black Chevys yet. Jason Son chimes in with a 1979 Chevy Monte Carlo specially equipped for homies to ride low and slow across the arctic tundra. Its all about oldschool American muscle meets frigid temeratures in this wild and crazy ride. Its like something they would have done on Monster Garage.



What did old-timey dudes do when Mother Nature dumped tons of snow all up in this piece? They probably relied on this 1929 Oshkosh Dumper and Plow built by Christophbrill. It has a rugged grey color but the bright yellow plow means serious business when it comes to clearing that pesky snow outta the way!



And what did old-timey dudes do when Mother Nature dumped tons of snow all up in this piece...and they wanted to have fun? Improbcat shows us with the right tools and a lot of know-how you can turn any Model T into a snowmobile. He tells us there were at least a half dozen companies like Snow Flyer who would do conversions like this. I wonder if they'd turn a snowmobile into a Model T.



Sometimes we play in the snow, sometimes we shovel it, sometimes we make snow forts with it. But sometimes we just want it the heck out of our lives once and for all. Thats when we call upon the big guns...the really big guns...like this JBC Backhoe Loader built by Ralph Savelsberg. I'm digging the brick built digger. See what I did there?



The Big Rafalski endured one parking ticket and a land speed record in order to make it back from Buffalo, NY to photo shoot this Plow King Snowplow. Built with only parts from two sets, the creator Fire Rescue (6752) and the creator Dune Hopper (5763), this pickup was a challenge, given its limited piece selection. I'd say he stepped up to the challenge nicely.



But young Raphy stepped up to the challenge like no other. Let me explain. The plow truck itself is Raphy's usual four wide fare, but the photography is well staged. Excessive snow really brightens the night sky and the whole scene looks so real you can hardly tell those are Lego trees back there. The lens is slightly blurred, the snow is...flour and the headlight effect was done with the help of Sangi13. Nice job, boys!



And finally to clean up this snowy mess once and for all is new guy ks51455 with his Technic Big Rig Snowplow. Here we see the bright yellow truck negotiating the punishing terrain of real live snow, proving once and for all that even in late March there is still snow somewhere. Apparently they didn't get the memo wherever ks lives that in March we should be marching into spring. Maybe next month then. Next month for sure.



Speaking of next month, its here already and we've gone to the place where beer is plentiful, David Hasselhoff is king...and they make some fine automobiles. Stick around to see how we do in the challenge aptly named Autos Aus Deutschland...all about German cars. Its like the only three German words I could get together without messing it up...actually I needed to consult someone so there goes any notion that I might be good at something. So will yours be a BMW, an Audi, a Volkswagen or a cute little Smart Car? I guess we'll have to wait and see. Until then, I bid you the only other German word I know... Gesundheit!