The hard-core Lego dude

I finally finished my first Lego build last night - Not the first ever, just the first in about in about 35 years, and I really had a great time doing the build. This post will show the completed car, some photos I took today.

The build happened over three phase's, each of around 2 to 3 hours in length so overall I think the build took about 9 hours, maybe ten tops. I did the build over those three sessions merely because the parts-bags in the box were split up as one, two and three - That was the science behind the three phases, nothing more. Each #lego-sesh was spent at the dining table, music playing in the background and the mandatory Lego-snacks close to hand. I think my wife got a little annoyed at my leaving Lego all over the table but she had to deal with it. #legoislife

The images below show the completed car with surf board and drink-cooler mounted on the roof and also off. The right-side image also has a AA battery next to the car simply to show scale. The model is 5” (15cm) high, 11” (29cm) long and 4” (11cm) wide.

These two images show the roof rack section with the surf board and cooler off plus the roof section removed on the right - It is designed to come off like this. If you look carefully behind the rear seat you can see the rolled up beach towel.

The model has some moving parts including bonnet and engine cover that lift to reveal the luggage space, fuel tank and spare wheel up front and the engine in the rear.

The doors also open, side mirrors are adjustable and the front and rear seats fold as they would in the actual vehicle. The handbrake lever and gear lever also move plus the wheels roll also. The detail is pretty good on the model too - It actually has an instrument panel printed with speedo etc.

I had to add some stickers to the model during the build which give it a really authentic feel I think. You can see a few on the back window and also the licence plate plus there's a couple on the cooler. The set came with a few different license plate stickers but I chose the California plates for my model. You can also see inside the cooler which includes some beer bottles and a beer can also. There's even ice in there but you may not be able to make that out.

I had only one part missing from the set however I've contacted Lego and they have already shipped it. The part was a small piece designed simply for strengthening up the chassis a little, an internal part, that no one would even know was missing so I proceeded with the build regardless. I'm glad they're sending the part though as I may break the set up and hand it on to someone else and want it complete. There were also a hand full of small parts left over from the build which I'll hang onto as one never knows when they'll come in handy.

My next build is on the way with the expected date of arrival being Wednesday this week. I'll do a post about it once it arrives. I'm a bit excited about it as it's a pretty cool set, in my opinion. A few of you have had a guess on what it may be and I've offered a pretty cool prize for the person who guesses it. Feel free to have a go. (@tarazkp, you're excluded as you already know what I've got coming.)

I think I'll take my Beetle to work and put it on my desk for a while. It would certainly brighten up the place a bit and will remind me of the fun I had building it. I've been pestering Faith about getting into Lego for a few years now and just never did it - Now I have I'm really pleased I did and she's happy to see me enjoying it. I'm sure I'll end up with a house full of Lego but hey, that's what you get when you're a hard-core Lego-dude!

Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default

Discord: @galenkp#9209 🇦🇺