My first commissioned model: A 6-wide Chevrolet Corvette C3 “Stingray”, based on Zeto Vince’s model.

I built this one for a colleague who wanted to have it as a gift for a her husband. They have one of these beauties in their garage, so it’s a very special model for them.

When I saw the C3 in George Pantaleon’s (AKA Zeto Vince) and Mattia Zamboni’s book “How to Build Dream Cars with Lego Bricks” I knew that one day I would build one myself. I also remembered the Corvette from one of our department’s summer parties. So why not build one for them? My colleague loved the idea and gave me a go for it.

So a couple of weeks ago I started to rebuild the C3 from the book with LDD. But I wasn’t satisfied with the typical “holes” in the corners of the City mudguards. So I started to modify the models by using Speed Champions mudguards and wheels instead.

The rear mudguards made it necessary to modify the rear end of the model replacing the inclined rear end by a more conventional SNOT design. The roof had also to be mounted in a “Studs Up” position to work with the mudguards.

The original model represents an earlier version (ca. 1967) of the C3, but I wanted to built a later (ca. 1976) model to represent the real car. So I changed some more details on the front end and the sides to get closer to that version. I also modified the roof to have detachable “T-Top” elements.

After the start with LDD I continued the work with Studio for renderings and instructions with a complete set of the used elements. These were my first instructions made with Studio and I really like the “manual” approach of Studio compared to the much more “automatic” way of LDD. The export function of Studio for instructions is great to get a PDF for a printed booklet.

With Bricklink’s upload function it was also easy to upload the parts list and order the parts. Three orders later I was able to built the real model. After taking a set of pictures I disassembled it and packed the bricks in plastic bags. One of the card boxes from the Bricklink orders had the perfect size for this custom “set”.

There are still a lot of similarities to the original model from the book, especially on the front end and the hood, so thanks to Zeto Vince for his inspirational work. If you are a fan of cars built with Lego bricks I can strongly recommend the book.

I’m really satisfied with the result. I hope you like it, too :-))

 

A pair of 6-wide ’05 Saleen Ford Mustangs – a “Speed Champion” and a “Legoformer”.

When I started working on my 6-wide Bumblebee I already had a Barricade in mind for the next model. I’m not really a fan of the Michael Bay movies, but I really like the vehicles he used in his films, especially Bumblebee, Barricade and Optimus.

Just like I had done with Bumblebee I first built a “Speed Champion” for my little son. There is no SC model with four of the new mudguards in black, yet. So I had to use parts from four sets to build two Barricades. My son already had an Audi R8 LMS, so I bought three more Audis at a local toy store. The rather new parts are still quite expensive at BL, so this was the most efficient way to get the parts.

I first built both models in LDD and then rebuilt them with plastic bricks. This is the result:

SC model (left) and Legoformer (right)

 

Some pictures of the SC model:

Side view

 

3/4 rear view

 

3/4 front view

 

And now the Legoformer:

(Add transforming sound here…)

Barricade ready for action.

“Oh, no, I think I know this one…”

 

“I hate Autobots!”

 

The rivals

 

So, this is my 6-wide “Speed Champions” ’05 Saleen Police Ford Mustang “Barricade” Legoformer. I hope you like it :-))

Bonus picture#1:

Decepticon Customs presents: The “Ford Mustang Ultra Wide Body”

Bonus picture #2:

The SCLF – Speed Champions Legoformers

Bonus picture #3:

(Add transforming sound here…)

A pair of  Camaros in “Bumblebee” design, based on the Speed Champions model. – Autobots, Roll Out…

My little son is a big fan of the “Speed Champions” cars and also of the “Bumblebee” Camaro. So I started building a yellow Camaro based on the parts from a 75870 Corvette and the design of the red Camaro from set 75874.

As I’m not a fan of stickers on my models I had to find a new design for the head- and taillights. Once started I reworked the whole design of the Camaro here and there to make it look more like the Bumblebee model from “Revenge of the Fallen”.

After building one for my son, I wanted one for myself, too. So I bought another Corvette and built a second one ;-))
This is the result:

Almost equal twins, but if you take a look closer look, …

Autobots, Roll Out! :-))

You saw that coming, didn’t you? ;-))

My top design priority for the robot was a mostly unchanged look in car mode. I especially wanted to use the SC wheelhouses and wheels, which occupy a rather big space of the model (especially compared to “Deluxe” figures of the movie Bumblebee). So there wasn’t much space left between outer shell and wheels for the folding mechanism.

I’m  really satisfied with the look of the robot, even if it looks a little like a “Hulkbuster” ;-))

The folding mechanism was first based on the smaller “Movie Legend” figures and then became a little more complex during the design process. I also tried to include a folding mechanism for the rear roof section similar to the “Deluxe” figures, but it was too fragile. So I left the roof in it’s place and used it as a “turtle shell” for the back of the robot.

So this is my transformable LEGO “Bumblebee” Camaro in “Speed Champions” scale and look.

I hope you like it :-))

Bonus picture #1:
(Add transforming sound here…)

Bonus picture #2:
June 30, 2016: My first MOC in the TOP4 of “Across MOCpages” 🙂