Mercedes G4

WWII was a terrible time in our history, but a lot of pretty cool designs came out of it. Like the stunning B-17, the venerable Willys Jeep and the Spitfire, there’s nothing like a bunch of humans wanting to kill each other to spur some design eh? While the nazis were pretty much the worst thing ever, they managed to bring some pretty amazing vehicles to the battlefield, like the Mercedes G4, wonderfully depicted here by builder red 2. And if it troubles you to see nazis in brick form, try to imagine Indiana Jones just out of frame, ready to punch them in the face.

Kettenkrad

War makes humans do strange things (I mean, besides kill each other for resources or for having the wrong deity). Some time in the late 1930's some Germans were sitting in a room and one of them said something akin to "what if we combined a motorcycle and a tank?" The whole idea might have died right there, but war was eminent, so the world ended up with the Kleines Kettenkraftrad HK 101. Flash forward about 80 years and builder redfern1950s2 said something akin to "what if I combined bricks to build a combination of a motorcycle and a tank?" And I for one am happy that he did.

SdKfz 2 : KettenKrad
SdKfz 2 : KettenKrad

Afrika Korps

I'm not sure what inspired builder Red2 to build this WWII German Prime Mover, but I'm glad he did. Not that I'm a fan of nazis (they were a bunch of mass-murdering buttheads) but they certainly could invade a country in style huh? This is basically a half-track parade vehicle, for when you want to make a big entrance, but might have to do it over sand.

Afrika Korps - Sd Kfz 7.
Afrika Korps - Sd Kfz 7.

P-38

Ah the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, one of my favorite planes to crash...I should probably explain that. When I was a kid I liked to build dioramas, and I built no less than four featuring this aircraft. Something about the double fuselage just made it so much fun to wreck. This version by builder John Lamarck looks ready to take to the air. Hopefully with better landings than mine had so many years ago.

Virginia Marie Margaret
Virginia Marie Margaret

Churchill AVLB

Ground troops need to get where they're going quickly, and pausing to construct a bridge is a good way to not go anywhere quickly. This is the genius of armored vehicle-launched bridges. Just drive up to that creek or ditch, back this baby up and drop a bridge right on it. This LEGO version by Tommy Styrvoky not only looks the part in stunning detail and construction, it's fully functional with remote control. Check out the video to see it in action.

Lego Churchill bridge layer
Lego Churchill bridge layer

Battle Of Nuenen

There's a level of realism and subtle detail in this MOC by ekjohnson1 that it looks a lot like a film miniature, and that's probably why it resonates so strongly with me. There's no garish colors, no overdone dramatic elements, no awkwardly staged battle, just a realistic layout and convincing details. Subtle things like the slight angles to the trees, power lines and the breakup of large areas with just the right amount of detail contribute to a stellar diorama.

Battle of Nuenen 1944 BFVA 2016

Me 109

The messershmidt Bf-109 is as iconic a WWII aircraft as you can get. I don't want to glorify war, but that was a golden age of aviation, and both the axis and the allies both stepped up with some major innovation. This version, and updated model by Daniel Siskind, can actually be yours in the near future from Brickmania.

Messerschmitt Bf-109
Messerschmitt Bf-109

Corsair

The Corsair is one of my favorite WWII fighters. Which, now that I write that, seems an odd thing to say. I'm sure being a fan of Baa Baa Black Sheep when I was a kid factors in, but declaring "this is one of my favorite machines of war" does seem like a strange utterance. I am a bit of an aviation buff though, and gull wing design has always appealed to my aesthetic sensibilities. This smartly crafted MOC by Sydag hits all the right notes of proportion, contour and color, it's lovely.

F4U-5 Corsair - Suez Crisis
F4U-5 Corsair - Wings Folded

WWII Fighter Jet!

Here we've got two of my favorite things: fighters, and conspiracy theories.  First you've got the interesting curves of the fuselage in stark contrast to the sharp edges of the wings and tail.  But then Neomar throws in a reference to the Illuminati's secret military force complete with stolen Nazi scientists and the advanced technological innovations for which they were so famous.  This guy should write a book!

WWII Fighter Jet

P-51 Mustang

This appeals to me on so many levels. The Mustang is one of my favorite WWII fighters, and this supremely accurate 1/10 scale model by crash_cramer is just jaw-dropping. It's detailed inside and out, with special attention to structural accuracy. The chroming is a combination of parts ordered on Bricklink and clever use of chrome skinning vinyl. The canopy is custom, and while that may put off some purists out there, I'm personally totally ok with it. It all adds up to a stunning model of one of the greatest airplanes ever to soar through the skies.

P-51 D Mustang
Lego P-51 D 11
Lego P-51 D 13

Half-Track

So what do you do when you discover your battlefield trucks are sinking in mud and getting stuck? Simple, you add tank tracks to the back. This MOC by BeLgIuM ww2 bUiLdeR is an Opal truck with Maultier (mule) conversion. When I was a kid, we loved playing with little green army men. I can remember many protracted arguments over who got the half-track. There was just something so cool about a truck combined with a tank.

Wildcat

I spent a great deal of my adolescence building balsa and tissue models of WWII warplanes. You know, the ones you spend endless days irretrievably gluing your fingers to the cardboard surface and pins you're trying to use. Not to mention the full day you spent high as a kite from the dope covering. Anyway, I had a few favorites as a kid, and this plane was one of them, the Grumman F4F Wildcat. This version by Mad physicist is faithful right down the the folding wings for storage on the aircraft carrier, brilliant.

FM-2 Wildcat (5)