LEGO 10220 - Volkswagen T1 Camper Van - Part 2

If your read Part 1 of this post and the post about my experiment with the transporter, you already know I got myself a Lego Volkswagen T1 Camper Van the other day. Well it took me three days to find enough time in the evenings to put it together but it is finally done.

I think it looks great. The amount of detail is just awesome. There were a couple of kinks along the way as I ended up modifying the section of roof over the cab to make it more sturdy as it seems there wasn't much support to keep it together when opening the Safari windows.

 Roof rack, pop-up top and Safari windows. It is all there.

LEGO 10220 - Volkswagen T1 Transporter/Flatbed

Yesterday I posted about the new Lego T1 Camper. Last night I made some progress by getting the floorpan and engine put together. Tonight I took a slight detour to put together a prototype for a Transporter (flatbed) variation to see what it could look like.

I just think it is cool! What do you think?

Update 10/15/11: The final version of the model is now available on a separate post...

LEGO 10220 - Volkswagen T1 Camper Van - Part 1

Back in August I saw a story on the VWVortex about a new Lego model of the VW T1 Camper Van. I was blown away by the incredible amount of detail. Yesterday they came out with another posting about a this dude that had done a very cool time lapse video of the assembly process (see at the end of the post).

Update 10/15/11: The completed model is available on a separate post...

Now, some of you know from a previous post that I have a Lego model or two. They are just a great outlet for busy hands. This afternoon I walked past a Lego store and there it was front and center. I mean if you are a VW fan, you got to have one of these. I just could not resist. So...

One followed me Home...

From My Attic - A Lego Drilling Rig Based on the Technic 8854

The Mobile Crane (8854) is well known in the Lego world as one of the coolest Technic sets of the late 1980's. I think the main reason is so well regarded is that it includes so many interesting working features in such a small package. Mine arrived as a gift more that fifteen years ago. I assembled it right away and it sat in my desk for a long while gathering dust. I always thought it would make a good starting point for a drilling rig. I can't remember when but one day many years ago I got bored and decided to give it a try. I built a tower and added a stepping motor from the Mindstorms set to rotate the drill bit. The pneumatic cylinders, valve and pump were re-purposed to control the angle of the tower. I then added a few gears to be able to move the tower for and aft on the chassis. The result is quite a bit smaller than the original crane but it includes all the components to make it work. Check out the videos at the bottom of the post and you will see what I mean. I am sure my friends in the environmental remediation business would agree. It has been catching dust for many years. It was definitively time to bring it out. ;-p