I created this replica of a 2015 Ford Explorer as a custom gift for somebody. It was one of my first times building a car, and the first time I’ve ever tried to replicate a real-life vehicle!
In this design, I stuck to fairly conventional, stable techniques of construction, so that the Explorer could be easily assembled by its recipient with an accompanying instruction manual. My goal for the finished model was durability; I wanted a car that handled well and wouldn’t break easily. I also sought to make the car somewhat playable, which is why I included a removable roof and upholstered interior.
My friend and former LEGO Masters partner, Christian Cowgill, is much more expert than I am at building minifigure-scale cars. I picked his brain a bit about building vehicles while working on this project, and he was a generous resource. Due to the durability goal, though, I’ve had to build in broader strokes than Christian typically uses on his brilliant, intricate Jeep models. Nevertheless, I did my best to make this car feel accurate to its source material.
The toughest part about building a typical car in bricks is nailing the slight compound curves common among modern automobiles… using only the rectilinear shapes offered by LEGO! I did my best to capture the rounded shape of the Ford Explorer, the gentle tapers of its lines, and the subtle facets of its body, and I think I did about as well as a person reasonably could at the scale desired. Still, I’ll admit that the finished car, with its inevitably boxy front, looks as much like a Range Rover or GMC as a Ford!
Nevertheless, I’m proud of the problem-solving on display here. The entire model (below the level of the windows, that is) is constructed on a 7-stud-wide frame. Building a vehicle with an odd-width chassis posed its own set of challenges; most LEGO elements are designed along even numbers. But, for accuracy’s sake, it was the only option… Given the 6” (16cm) length I was going for, 6 studs looked too narrow, and 8 studs too wide. 7 studs was simply the most proportional width for me to choose.
A benefit of starting from an odd number of studs was that it gave me the opportunity to narrow inward as I moved up, and create a subtler shape for the car. At roughly the level of the windows, I cut inward by a 1/2 stud on each side, turning 7-wide into 6-wide. While building, I knew I’d have to resolve back to an even number by the point of the windshield, as LEGO doesn’t produce any odd-width windshields.
The front of the car, especially, was tricky to solve. I really wanted to take advantage of the tiny holes produced by sideways 1x2 grille tiles, but also needed to make them taper both in a trapezoidal shape and slightly back towards the windshield. I think the protruding headlights, unfortunately, lessen the impact of the slight convex I was able to accomplish.
The rear of the car posed its own set of difficulties. Like the front, it’s come out slightly boxier than I would have liked, but I think the level of detail I managed to squeeze in there makes up for this. I’m proud of the teensy little “Ford logo” I managed to pop in there in dark blue, of the shaping on the taillights, and of the exhaust pipes down below the bumper.
One of my favorite details of the model is the tiny sliver of silver just below the bottom edge of where the doors would open. I used the lip of this rail plate to reduce a 1-plate-high strip into something even narrower. I’ve also given the car a slight forward lean by raising the back wheels up a plate higher than the front ones, giving the vehicle a bit of an angled stance that emulates the real Explorer.
All told, even if this doesn’t look as accurate to its source material as I would have liked, I’ve still put together what I think is a pretty solid first car. I prefer to think of it, now, as a generic SUV that pulls from a few different sources of inspiration— and in that regard, I think it accomplishes the job pretty well!
Thanks for reading! If you have any other questions or thoughts about this model, feel free to leave them in the comments below. Or, if you’re interested in getting a model like this, reach out to me about commissioning one of your own!