Here is what we are building today - A Willy's Jeep the classic world world II Jeep, made famous for me by M.A.S.H. I can just see Radar setting off to pick someone up in this.
This was a build that was both very slow and quite quick. Slow in the sense that I saw this design on Rebrickable
quite some time ago. I've been slowly getting parts for it over the last year or so, Light tan is not a colour that you get a lot of in Lego so it was a bit tough. But earlier this year I knew I had enough to get started (enough is about 95% of the parts)
But then you have get all the parts from my collection of parts - which number about 20,000 and is organised (sort of) into type in maybe 50 different containers. About once ever 3 months I decide to take things apart and put the parts away, at the same time I pick the parts for the new things I want to build (that aren't alternative builds of a single set, they are easy) For something like this, which is a 387 pieces this is probably an hour long process.
So after about 12 months of prep it looks like this...
How it all begins, sort of
Just a pile of pieces ready to be put together keen eyed will see I've started on the right. All cars seem to start with long tehnic pieces - much like a real car this is the ladder chassis, the axles for the wheels will go through the holes and the body will be built on top. From here It all happened quite quick - I knocked this build out in about a hour and half
The base that forms most cars -
Now I love non offical lego designs - they make vehicle in themes Lego never would - Miltary is off limits to official Lego so you wouldn't get this, you also get very niche concepts (I have my eye on a design for a Renault Floride which is a very obscure 1960's convertible) but the downside is that they are never designed as well as Lego do. This thing is very solid which is nice, but how they got there is a little weird. It's often a sign of the part the designer has in their collection rather than what is actually logical. But this is coming together, the curves of the bonnet are the key.
*Taking on a jeep like shape *
Of course the other side is do I have the pieces I need - often I do but not in the right colour. Ideally the windoscreen wouldn't be tinted, and the headlight currons wouldn't be dark tan, but you have to make do.
Now with a windscreen
One of my favourite parts were these little seats - great olive grey colour, the curved make this feel like that might have a little bit of cushioning in them
The seats
Putting them in was a bit tough, but once in it all starts to feel like it's coming together
*All starting to come together *
The rear is really just a slab of bricks topped with some brown tiles to give the sense of a wooden slats. The rails are the part are a nice touch as well
Just needs some wheels
Throw five wheels on this things, an aerial for communications, and a water tank and you are away.
All finished
