Category Archives: Vehicle

Battalion Aid Station, Normandy, June 1944

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After I built my US Army Dodge WC54 ambulance, it deserved a proper historical context — a Battalion Aid Station in a ruined farmhouse courtyard.

Battalion Aid Station (1)

In the US Army, Battalion Aid Stations are the first line of medical treatment after battlefield first aid by medics or fellow soldiers. Wars of the 20th-century saw many conscientious objectors serving as non-combatants in the American armed forces, often as medics. Army medics served heroically, charging into battle alongside their armed comrades. Eleven received the Congressional Medal of Honor as a result of their actions in World War II.

My Battalion Aid Station is based on historical photographs from the Western Front in 1944 and 1945, after the Normandy Invasion on D-Day. Naturally, I had to convert a couple of the more immersive shots into black and white:

Battalion Aid Station (2) Battalion Aid Station (3)

Though the muddy lane with the M3 half-track and hedgerow was an afterthought — one that nearly emptied my bin of plant pieces — I’m quite pleased with the result:

M3 Half-track and Bocage

Because the subject matter fascinates me so much, I built a great deal of detail into this that you can’t see in a single photo. Check out the photoset on Flickr for more.

(I’ll be discussing some of the build process for my improved ambulance separately, because I think the role of constructive criticism in improving one’s models is something that deserves its own post.)

My M3 Half-track APC, M4 Sherman tank, & Dodge WC54 ambulance

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I’ve shared in the past my ambivalence toward violent LEGO, but there’s something unique about World War II that has fascinated me ever since I was little. My grandfather and great uncle served in the US Army during the war, and I grew up in one of the countries that both inflicted a great deal of suffering and suffered deeply themselves before losing the war to the Allies.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve really started enjoying the unique challenges presented by building a LEGO model based on something “real.” LEGO has interesting scale challenges, and I think too many LEGO vehicles are too tall or too wide.

My M3A2 Half-track has a three/five/seven-wide hood, with an eight-wide cab and crew compartment. It’s my favorite so far (even though the tracks should have four road wheels, not three).

M3A2 Half-Track (1)

I’m less happy with my M4A3 (76)W Sherman tank, which has to be far too tall to capture the right details in the suspension, and I missed the shape of the rear section behind the turret. Because it was my first tank, I spent a lot of time looking at tanks built by other builders — especially BrickMania’s M4A2, Phima’s M4A3E8, and Milan CMadge’s M4A3E8.

M4A3 (76)W Sherman Tank (1)

Because I come from a family of pacifist non-combatants and conscientious objectors, my convoy of military hardware wouldn’t be complete without a US Army Medical Corps Dodge WC54 ambulance. Like the half-track, the ambulance’s hood is three/five/seven-wide, with a six-wide cab. The recessed spare tire seems impossible at this scale, unfortunately, and getting the shape right means it does not fit a fig.

Dodge WC54 Ambulance (1)

Now to build some sort of massive World War II diorama to put these in…

Junk on the High Seas

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Never has junk looked so good. Sorry. This Chinese Junk by ArzLan is a thing of beauty and its chock full of cool techniques. I’m loving that flag.

Lego Ship Chinese Junk

Edit: This will be displayed at Brick Adventure 2011 in Hong Kong.

Truckin’ in style

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This Peterbilt rig by Bricksonwheels is to die for. While the shiney chrome goodness leaps out at you, the build is phenomonal. Remoted controlled via Power Functions and featuring all sort of fun features, this truck truly rocks.

Lego Peterbilt Semi Truck Trailer Chrome