BRONX, N.Y.—There’s time for work, and there’s time for play. Bruce Brownfeld has found a way to combine the two, merging his passion for U-Haul with his love of LEGOs and model cars.
Brownfeld, a repair dispatch manager for a U-Haul repair shop in the Bronx, loves to go to car shows. When he does, he always checks out the vendors who display model cars, trucks, construction equipment and other vehicles.
As a former U-Haul area field manager (AFM) for many years before moving into the shop, Brownfeld always hoped maybe he’d find someone displaying a model of an AFM rig. You may have seen these rigs on the road, they’re the trucks or vans modified with ramps on the top to haul trailers. They’re also outfitted with toolboxes to hold everything an AFM needs to service and train U-Haul Dealers … basically a rolling office for AFMs who spend most of their time on the road.
No luck
But Brownfeld never found an AFM rig model. So, he took matters into his own hands, or more specifically, into someone else’s skilled hands.
“I asked my friend, Michael Bader, who is a master LEGO builder, if he could build me an AFM ramp truck,” Brownfeld explained.
Bader was up to the challenge and got to work crafting an AFM rig out of LEGO bricks.
“After many months, this labor of love was produced,” Brownfeld proclaimed. “He used 1,500 LEGO pieces to create it.”
It’s 22-inches long, 7-inches wide and 8-inches tall, at a scale of approximately 1:12. However, no scale could measure the pride Brownfeld takes in his new treasure.
“I believe it’s the only one in the world!” he exclaimed.
Knowing how many longtime AFMs there are, and how attached they get to their rigs, it wouldn’t be surprising to see more of these in the future!
What’s the most interesting LEGO creation you’ve ever seen? Tell us about it in the comments section below.
