In the whole of human history, the 80s represent probably the most insane explosion of pop culture and absurdity, a glorious time of poofy hair, acid-wash jeans, keytars, and shopping malls. Almost everything popular today had some sort of roots in those glorious 80s… from all the movie reboots to the TV show reboots to the books and music and style fads.
As a decade, it gave us Ghostbusters and Back to the Future, and those gave us two LEGO sets. The Ecto-1 is one of the best sets LEGO has ever put out (inspired by a LEGO fan, no less), and the DeLorean is a terrible car that is so iconic you can’t avoid it. But more than all of that, the most popular thing about the 80s has got to be reminiscing about the 80s. Sure, Scooby-Doo was more 60s and 70s, but it was Saturday Morning cartoon reruns that got us all hooked on it while eating our just awful sugary cereals based on Nintendo characters.
The 90s may have killed off the 80s in a wave of hypercolor shirts and snap bracelets, but it also gave rise to “I Love the 80s,” the only time that VH-1 was relevant to anyone other than the same target market for Lifetime movies. It let us see our child stars grown up, but more importantly, it let us see all of the cars that dominated television and movies in the 80s. The DeLorean in Back to the Future was so popular that it made a car that was worse quality than the worst Best-Lock set a collector’s item. Have you ever priced one of those Ambulances that went into the Ecto-1? I’d suggest you save all of your money now to get one that’s working. There was KITT, Magnum’s Ferrari, the A-Team Van, and so many other things that you couldn’t throw a rock in that decade without hitting something iconic.
That’s where this contest comes in. It’s time that we MOC the 80s!
The Challenge: Build an iconic vehicle from an 80s Movie or TV show.  Pick out a car (or truck or van or bike… ground vehicles only here kids) and MOC that up, LEGO style.
Basics
- Your build has to be a car, bike, truck, van, or RV, or something reasonably similar… that means no boats, ships, subs, air or space craft (the Eagle 5 totally qualifies though)
- You cannot pick the DeLorean, Ecto-1, or Mystery Machine since they’re already sets
- “Iconic” means it has to stand out in some way or for some reason. People should be able to name the movie just by seeing the car. When in doubt ask the staff, or pop in to chat with a pic of it and see how recognizable it really is
- It must be minifig scale and have room for at least the driver
- Minifig(s) are optional but strongly recommended
- Stickers are allowed on/in the vehicle and figure(s)
- Your submission cannot be an existing Lego Ideas project
- You cannot submit it to Lego Ideas until after the contest is over
You’re allowed up to five photos in your submission post and you can link to a gallery with more. Submitting your model to Lego Ideas after the contest is over is completely optional. However, if the winner chooses to post theirs, we’ll break our tacit embargo on promoting in-progress Ideas projects and create a banner to help advertise it on our site, and we’ll keep everyone updated if it makes progress with followup posts as warranted.
Standard Contest Restrictions:
- No more than one entry per person.
- Custom stickers are allowed this time, but no unofficial or modified parts allowed.
- No pre-existing or virtual models.
- No changes allowed after the deadline.
How to Enter:
Simply post your submission photos in a reply to this thread before the deadline, which is 11:59PM PST September 30th. The first image posted will be used in the polls. You must use Flickr to host your entry pictures because we rely on the built in image resizing feature. If you do not have an account you can sign up for free. Once uploaded you will need to embed your photos in the forum.
Here’s a quick visual guide on how to copy the correct code for the forum.
Follow that then paste it into your reply, and do not add any more forum tags to the Flickr code. It works as is. Preview your post to verify that it worked before submitting it. If it didn’t work, PM Solo.
Please do not post any non-entry photos to the contest thread, and remove any embedded images if you quote a submission to avoid cluttering the thread. You must have a forum account to enter. Entries by proxy will be not be allowed.
Photography note: be sure to submit the best pictures possible. Color and contrast correction is recommended if necessary. The only other image enhancement allowed is replacing the background with either a solid color or simple gradient. Your photos cannot be altered in any other way. For example; no composite views, special effects, text, graphics, or scenery will be permitted. Remember, the contest is about the models – not your image manipulation prowess. If you wind up submitting your model to Lego Ideas after the poll has ended, you’re obviously welcome to further enhance your photos however you wish.
Winners will be determined in a single week long poll following the deadline.
Prizes:
First place wins a 21108 Ecto-1 and a 21109 Exo Suit, and advertising on FBTB if they decide to submit their build to Ideas. Also, as sort of a stretch goal if we receive more than 60 entries we’ll also throw in a 21110 Research Institute to sweeten the pot.
Runner up will receive a 75902 Mystery Machine, in keeping with the theme.
