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NickLafreniere

[MOC] LEGO City Subway Train Car

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Hello Eurobricks community, I would like to share my newest design that I've been working on for many months and now it is finally complete. Please take a moment to read the description and see all the photos for all the details of the set!

https://ideas.lego.com/projects/100353

1871622-o_19ighee4l7hj5jcjk2ngkuj18-full.jpg

As train enthusiasts, I would love to hear your opinions and criticisms of my design. If you have any questions, I will be glad to provide more information.

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I hope that the your reason for joining EB is more than to get votes for your Idea Sets. I hope your mentality is 'I want people on EB to see my MOC and comment on it. If they like it, perhaps they'll support it on LEGO Ideas', rather than: 'I want Ideas support! If I post it on EB, perhaps more people will vote! See our Site Guidelines.

The Subway car is very well done. I would like to see how PF would be able to fit in the MOC.

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I have read the all the guidelines before joining here, I really would just like to receive constructive criticism from the members. I have a picture on the Ideas page showing how all the Power Functions components are fitted inside the car:

1871643-o_19ighkoei66h30712k61o3lt2am-full.jpg

Please ask me questions if you are curious as to how certain parts are built or what this set is capable of providing!

Edited by NickLafreniere

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Dunno typically how symmetric subway cars are end-to-end, but if it was me, I'd lengthen the right-hand wheelset to match the PF motor wheelset's length and give it a set of yellow stairs (I assume those are stairs, or footholds?) as well. Then you can get rid of the small thin bit on the end of the shorter wheelset!

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When desigining the 3 configurations of the cars, I decided to make the cars asymmetrical. Also, the set has 2 different types of bogies. The larger one has the little yellow footholds, and the smaller one is just a basic wheelset. On the front car(1) and the rear car(3), there are little yellow footholds only at the ends of the train. All the other bogies are the smaller type. To make the exteriors of the cars visually differing from each other, I decided to make most of the differences in the bogies as well as the undercarriage of the train car. Compare the bottom part of cars 2 & 3:

1871650-o_19igho1dt1uav41p16v819m8rar10-full.jpg

1871656-o_19ighrjm81s3cp8i16mr1kubp81a-full.jpg

However, if people and/or LEGO prefer the design with yellow footholds on both sides, that can easily be changed.

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It is a very compact, good design, I really like. I'm not sure this idea needs those new parts you described on Ideas page, I think this thing will look like very nice using just two of trans clear panel 1×2×2 next to each other as a window. As a LEGO set (if it ever will be) it will be sold basically to kids, so you don't need that rounded edges of windows, as you need it in H0 or TT model railway.

Other thing I noticed: you used almost only gray, black, and yellow parts. Most of current LEGO sets - trains or not - have much more colours inside - hidden or almost invisible from outside parts may have different colour - just to make sorting and handling parts for kids easier.

It would be nice to see this train cars also with metroliner colouring or just simply replacing the yellow line with a lime one or orange one (don't you make a try with it?)

You can also keep price low with leaving the light brick - I think it is a good feature for train AFOLs, but not really important one for kids, which will be the target audience of this MOC, if being a LEGO-set.

Things written above includes my thought, how can it be a LEGO-set. This set - as a MOC - is a really compact, playable and realistic train, which should be the first step of every wannabe train-TFOL/AFOL. Nice details with simple parts and easily accessible, current parts except the doors (if I'm not wrong, last train doors were in 2006-2009 RC freight locomotive).

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Ohh, thanks for correction, truly said I'm not paying full attention to sets since I discovered building MOCs is much better :)

Then there is no problem producing the door in new LBG colour for the subway MOC!

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First of all, thanks for that in-depth review. I appreciate it.

The printing on the windows is absolutely essential to finish the look of the train. Without having a rounded grey border around the windows, the transparent panel directly on top of the yellow stripe looks unfinished and primitive. It also shows the yellow studs because of the transparent piece and looks even more out of place. In addition to the grey border around the windows, the rounded corners match the rounded train door windows.

As for the color variation in parts, I have put thought into it. There are some other colors such as white and brown included in the set, but you are correct that there is an excess of grey. Because the set is built using a minimalistic classic/creator style, not many types of pieces were used. Most bricks have at least 2 or 3 purposes and the variety of pieces in the set have been optimized.

As for the yellow stripe, that color can easily be changed if desired. All you need is a few plates:8 of 1x1 plates and 10 of 1x4 plates. For example, if you had a big city display you could multiple train lines like the green line or the blue line.

I really do like the light brick, or any thing that lights up really! Just one light brick is needed to light the cabin and it is a great effect, especially in a dark tunnel. The light brick would only add a few dollars extra to the price of the set, but I think it is well worth it and an attractive feature to entice new train fans.

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I think you would get better appeal to the non-train fans by including minifigures instead of the light brick if cost is an issue with your design. Toss in Spiderman and Doc Ock and you'd get the comic fan votes.

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My main reason for not including minifigures is to avoid redundancy when buying multiple subway train car sets. If I had to, I would include the train driver/conductor, or him plus two other figures. But then you would end up having many duplicates of the same figures. I even thought of including 3 minifig bodies plus additional heads and hair pieces to customize, but that too would increase the price. Many fans have their own minifigs to put in the train, so I thought that including some wasn't a priority.

The light brick is an important featue to the set. It brings an inovative and unique feel to the set, and looks really great in person. Without even having to have Power Functions, the user can still have a lit up model using just one light brick. The brick stays on with simple lever so you don't need to press it down with your hand. There is little to no pressure at all on the bricks when the switch is being pressed the lever because the surrounding piece is flexible. I will explain this in detail with pictures when I update the project later. No other LEGO train set has ever had a battery operated lighted interior either. The car even looks realistic when it glows in a dark room going around the track.

The price point of the set was one of the primary goals I had in mind when designing. I wanted to create the most affordable train set currently available and most approachable to parents and children as well. The removal of minifgures helps tremendously to cut the price, but if the fans really desire to have to a figure I believe the driver/conductor is the best fit for the set. Adding a light brick would cost LEGO a dollar or so to include in the set and the amount of value this adds is a great seller to non-train fans and targets regular City/Creator fans. This train is modular in size and would compliment large town layouts or still appeal as a stand-alone play set to the casual audience.

Edited by NickLafreniere

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My main reason for not including minifigures is to avoid redundancy when buying multiple subway train car sets. If I had to, I would include the train driver/conductor, or him plus two other figures. But then you would end up having many duplicates of the same figures. I even thought of including 3 minifig bodies plus additional heads and hair pieces to customize, but that too would increase the price.

Fans LIKE Minifigs! You can NEVER get enough of them, so that should not be a concern!

Anyway, include them now, and if you get support, the process with LEGO will get you through that process/requirements there.. Make it COOL now, and think a bit less of cost right now...

Edited by marook

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