Lego Carbon Racers: Orange Offroader

Here's the Orange Offroader, a Lego Carbon Racer that . . . sort of defies categorization, in my opinion. Is it a monster truck? A dune buggy? A weird muscle car with chunky wheels? You tell me.

From this angle, I sort of wish I could've worked the word "cobra" into this model's name. It's giving me those vibes.

This entire model was born from an odd fender idea I had. If you haven't spotted it already, rest assured I'll be pointing it out shortly.

Whether or not this car fits into a convenient category, it does look nice in rotation.

If I had to say the Orange Offroader was at least subconsciously based on a preexisting Lego Tiny Turbo, it'd be this one: Lego set 8642, the Monster Crusher. My brother had one of these, although I forget how he got it; it might've been through a Lego Club magazine subscription. Ahh, Lego sets in the mail with your subscriptions. Those were Lego's glory days, man.

This isn't a standard Tiny Turbos chassis, but it's nothing that flashy either.

Looking at this step, I'm already thinking of a way to rebuild the Orange Offroader with side-mounted exhausts. Hmm.

OK, here's where things start getting interesting. Anything with that special grille piece is automatically interesting.

If you're just looking at this blueprint, you're likely distracted by the front fender. If you're actually building this, you might be raising an eyebrow at the addition of that black bar-piece.

The funky fender design is taking shape . . .

. . . and the whole thing fits in perfectly! That black bar-piece was the best way (that I could think of) to fill in what would've otherwise been a hole clean through the car.

You know, the Monster Crusher also had an arched piece like the orange one here in Step 12. That's another reason why I say it was likely a subconscious inspiration.

Do you think the hood would look better as one 2x4 flat plate instead of four 1x2 grille plates? Let me know what you think.

I'm pretty sure a whole wide range of wheel types would fit this model. If you're feeling experimental, I encourage you to give them a shot.

Even though I'm still not 100% sure what kind of car it is, I'm still quite pleased with the Orange Offroader final product! What do I have for you all next time . . . ah yes, something that's definitely a monster truck! It's also definitely pink. See you then!