Minifig Cars dimensions... my black dog...

[kevin8]

Hello to everyone...

After some modular buildings i decided to concentrate on some cars to put inside my town.

But now, after a few attempts, I'm almost stuck.

I hate 4 studs-wide Lego cars, they are mono seater, and it make no sense to me as well as being out of scale with the buildings. However, even making them 6 studs wide then the trucks should be from 8 or 6. But if you want to put 2 minifigs inside the car you have to make it 6 studs wide.

It's a big problem. So I tried to make a Mini 6 studs wide, obviously, but in the end what I got is not satisfactory because it is higher than a standing minifig and quite disproportionate to the measures of the minifigs. Even if I'm very fond of lego minifigs, I must say that often their proportions complicate all the job. :/

What did do when making cars, what's your decision?

[ER0L]

After 3 years of car building and lots of trial and error this is my solution for that problem:

Of course, this can't be called an exact scale. But you get a working progression of the sizes of your Town vehicles.

Usual trucks and buses aren't 8w (which is too large for City layouts in my opinion) but 7w, like the full size cars. Then there are smaller 6w cars which partially even fit 2 figs side by side. Within this range a small car like a Mini or 2 CV would be 5 studs wide (plus mudguards), not 6.

Anyhow there is no law that says that Lego vehicles have to be 4, 6, or 8 studs wide. It's obvious that such a pattern doesn't work when aiming at a more realistic City layout.

[TWO2SEVEN]

After 3 years of car building and lots of trial and error this is my solution for that problem:

Of course, this can't be called an exact scale. But you get a working progression of the sizes of your Town vehicles.

Usual trucks and buses aren't 8w (which is too large for City layouts in my opinion) but 7w, like the full size cars. Then there are smaller 6w cars which partially even fit 2 figs side by side. Within this range a small car like a Mini or 2 CV would be 5 studs wide (plus mudguards), not 6.

Anyhow there is no law that says that Lego vehicles have to be 4, 6, or 8 studs wide. It's obvious that such a pattern doesn't work when aiming at a more realistic City layout.

Those all look really good.

To the OP, I have had this issue with building various Lego models in the past and trying to make them work together. I just had to settle myself that the scale would not always match up perfectly and that was ok. :)

[ritzcrackerman]

To the OP, I have had this issue with building various Lego models in the past and trying to make them work together. I just had to settle myself that the scale would not always match up perfectly and that was ok. :)

x2 here.

I just kind of "gave up" on the scale disconnects. It's doubly hard considering the minifigures also have bizarre proportions.

You may look in the Train forum for Tony Sava's "ultimate scale guide" - I think he settled on 8-wide for trains, 7-wide for buses, 5-wide for cars, etc. If you work with primarily MOCs (and have lots of bricks!) then it's probably the best "scale" guide I've ever seen. But for most people who incorporate System sets + MOCs, it may not work too well.

However, I will say that I, without prejudice, discard all and any 4-wide passenger cars and stick with 5-wide or 6-wide. I think they are proportioned horribly, and the ghastly fenders and oversized wheels don't make them any easier on the eyes. I'm OK with 6-wide passenger cars, 6-7 wide buses, and 6, 7, and 8 wide trains.

[kevin8]

It seems very enteresting. Can you provide a link? I tried to find this topic, but I cannot.

Edited September 6, 2014 by kevin8

[Sven F]

I almost opened a new topic, then found this one.

I find it very hard to find good looking cars or vehicles in general that fit well with the modular buildings.

I keep removing all my older 4-stud wide cars from the street, but my girlfriend puts them back (started to think i am the only one who has a problem with them.)

LEGO makes some nice trucks, i quite like the movie monster muncher in the dump truck form and the ghostbusters Cadillac might work (slightly too big), but all the city themed cars look toyish for my taste. The cinema limousine is horrendous in design, but otherwise works well in terms of size. (wonder if anyone modified that one to look nicer)

@ER0L; I keep checking out your flickr, those are some of the best looking lego cars i've seen.

Edited April 18, 2016 by Sven F

[lightningtiger]

It also depends on the era you are working in......4 wides work perfectly for classic town and 6 six cars/small-medium size trucks/vans is perfect for modern city layouts.

Eight wide is better for very heavy vehicles......cranes, road trains, construction machinery.

[JSCan]

Like the OP I am trying to build a 2 minifig Mini Cooper. Two2seven suggests that it would be 5 studs wide. However, is it possible to even build a 5 stud car that can fit 2 MFs? If anyone has successfully built a 5 or 6 wide Mini that can fit 2 MFs, I would love to take a look. Thanks.

After 3 years of car building and lots of trial and error this is my solution for that problem:

Of course, this can't be called an exact scale. But you get a working progression of the sizes of your Town vehicles.

Usual trucks and buses aren't 8w (which is too large for City layouts in my opinion) but 7w, like the full size cars. Then there are smaller 6w cars which partially even fit 2 figs side by side. Within this range a small car like a Mini or 2 CV would be 5 studs wide (plus mudguards), not 6.

Anyhow there is no law that says that Lego vehicles have to be 4, 6, or 8 studs wide. It's obvious that such a pattern doesn't work when aiming at a more realistic City layout.

[marv]

For me 6w cars and 8w trucks work perfectly...

But I have to agree...the minifigs look short compared to them.

Regards

marv

Edited April 18, 2016 by marv

[Ron Dayes]

Hello to everyone...

After some modular buildings i decided to concentrate on some cars to put inside my town.

But now, after a few attempts, I'm almost stuck.

I hate 4 studs-wide Lego cars, they are mono seater, and it make no sense to me as well as being out of scale with the buildings. However, even making them 6 studs wide then the trucks should be from 8 or 6. But if you want to put 2 minifigs inside the car you have to make it 6 studs wide.

It's a big problem. So I tried to make a Mini 6 studs wide, obviously, but in the end what I got is not satisfactory because it is higher than a standing minifig and quite disproportionate to the measures of the minifigs. Even if I'm very fond of lego minifigs, I must say that often their proportions complicate all the job. :/

What did do when making cars, what's your decision?

The answer to minifig issues for vehicles is actually pretty simple in my opinion:

use mathmetical scales and stick to them as much as you possibly can!

You can find blueprints and vehicle scale data on wikis etc.

Since your concern is that your minifig is shorter than the cars height, you have to turn the issue around:

Your car is then too high for the minifig!

It means, you have a height problem...

And now very important: According to wikipedia, worldwide mens height is around 1,75 cm - equal that height to the fig (5 studs / 4 bricks) and now calculate everything else by that.

Now the scale is 1/42 ( digits rounded up)

Amazingly the modulars, lego bicycle and old motorbike moulds fit exactly into that 1/42 scale if you mathematically check doorframes, windowframes and even the bicycles wheel frame!

Eventually, with 1/42 scale, trains become 8-9 wide, trucks 7-8 wide, Cars 6-5 wide.

BUT thats not end of story here: You also want 2 figs side by side? - Now thats a width problem!

biggest issue of all^^ - Furthermore figs height sitting down is only 1 stud (vertical) lower than it standing

Means: The hip joint is too low, so having them sitting straight and up is NO OPTION if you want a car lower in height than the fig.

A human sitting down is smaller than half his height nearly (depending on leg length....top models will now^^)

Now thats what is actually in your way of being satisfied by your builds

My Solution:

Everything you ask for is possible, but you have to lean the fig soooo far back, its almost lying in the car to literally save car height plate by plate.

To even get 2 passengers side by side, you further have to use jumper plates and do the "doors" with SNOT technique. (Check out my pics).

This way, you can even fit 4 figs into 6 wide

i also added a little extra width to the cars to ease the fitting (about 2/3 stud). Its minor incorrectnes, and since figs look wide, it looks fitting

I once (even still) had the problem myself and found this solution to be the best. I also wanted to get a better proported car for minifigs and their Modulars.

Im now at a point i dont bother fitting figs into my vehicles (at least normal cars and supercars), because their weird proportions are not made for that kind of "scaling perfectionism".

Thus allowing me nice window details instead.

Since i build for display only and not for play, why put a fig in nobody will see anyway?

Enough talk, here is what i came up with for modulars and city related stuff:

You can also see more of that scaling issue stuff and other vehicles on my flickr account

Lambo Aventador compare City set by Ron Dayes, auf Flickr

the side view by Ron Dayes, auf Flickr

Mercedes by Ron Dayes, auf Flickr

Motorcycle vs Aventador by Ron Dayes, auf Flickr

Ferrari Testarossa by Ron Dayes, auf Flickr

Modular Cars by Ron Dayes, auf Flickr

Side note: 1/36 - 1/38 scale like most builders use is way friendlier for fitting figs But then you have to take a little height increase into account.

Hope this helps...

cheers, ron.

[JSCan]

@Ron,

Thanks so much for a detailed description. I guess I should have better explained my problem to get the desired response. My goal isn't to make a car that necessarily fits into Lego City. I want to build a 2 seater Mini Cooper that still looks like a Mini because it is a gift for my wife and if I can put a MF to represent both her and I the gift is more meaningful. Therefore, I am less worried about how it looks compared to other vehicles or buildings, but more concerned that it retains it's own identity while transporting 2 MFs.

[ER0L]

@Sven: Sorry for the late reply (1,5 years later ... ), I must have missed this somehow. Glad you like them. Of course you may use any design or detail for your purposes.

@JSCan: In my experience it's impossible to place 2 figs side by side in a 5w vehicle - the car must at least be 6 studs wide. By using the old thin doors or tiles (together with brackets) there's enough room for the little guys if you place their arms properly.

There are in fact 6-wide Mini Coopers, e. g. those built by Miro Dudas, see Maybe you can use them as an inspiration. In any case you'll have to modify the sides to get enough room for the figs.

[agadoijo]

@JSCan: I have built a 6 wide Mini that can have 2 minifigs inside.

Don't know if you will like it, I think that they look better in person than in the photos actually. It was based on a version in the Marvel Super Heroes game.

Please check some more photos here

[Ron Dayes]

@Ron,

Thanks so much for a detailed description. I guess I should have better explained my problem to get the desired response. My goal isn't to make a car that necessarily fits into Lego City. I want to build a 2 seater Mini Cooper that still looks like a Mini because it is a gift for my wife and if I can put a MF to represent both her and I the gift is more meaningful. Therefore, I am less worried about how it looks compared to other vehicles or buildings, but more concerned that it retains it's own identity while transporting 2 MFs.

Youre welcome ;)

Okay - If you want the old classic mini, you have officially picked the hardest car to ever make in a true minifig scale . As Er0L stated, a 5 wide vehicle is impossible for 2 figs next to each other. But it definately needed to be 5 wide

The narrowest you can get is 5,6 (tiles in snot covering their "butts"^^) , but thats so close to 6 wide you wont really notice.

Only option would be to seat one minifig one stud behind next to the other, so their arms dont interfere with each others bodys. = the space used is 4 wide in width, add panels and you get 4,6 wide.

You could explain that as a male driver you are taller (?) and therefore your seat is "adjusted" further back (for example).

Fellow builder Angelo Samson ("silent builder" on flickr) did one car like that i think. Too bad mocpages aint working atm otherwise id show you link. If the website is back up, search for his name. He did a black sportscar in 6 wide having two figs sitting "diagonal" to each other.

I think Er0ls and Agadoijos examples are really great and definately show a cool classic mini in a still working Minifig scale!

If you want the new (BMW) Minicooper however, 6 wide is certainly the way go since its as big as a normal car, like a new VW golf etc.

I recently stumbled across Nemo57's collection, he made this new version . you have to scroll down a little

in most cases, you might just want to change the sides into panels, tiles or doors so you can get 2 figs to fit.

Id really be interested in your result, so if you finish your mini, feel free to share here

cheers

Ps: i attach a file of a BMW fitting 4 minifigs in 6 wide being lower than the minifig height - maybe you could also shorten this one and add the minicooper details from the posts above

NS BMW 4 minifigs opened.lxf

[Nemo57]

Thanks

Ron Dayes

for mentioning about my model Mini Cooper. I have read this topic before, but hesitate to offer his model as an example. They are made very simply, in the style of Lego City and placed there only one minifigures. But you can make two mini one - the usual, another convertible - for his girlfriend, and go everywhere on foot together in two cars.

I even for a long time even made my first and last in the life of the photo instructions for assembly Mini Cooper https://plus.google....964089828297233 (a very difficult thing, a lot of pictures and I always forget the sequence in which to install Circuits). Here is a link, suddenly someone come in handy. Cars, of course, only from a distance like mini.

Edited April 19, 2016 by Nemo57

[Ron Dayes]

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=130330

@kevin, i tried one for you, maybe you can use some of that file attached

Cheers

[ER0L]

@agadoijo: They look cute! Large and a bit "chibi", but instantly recognizable and fitting 2 figs side by side. Maybe this is what JSCan is looking for.

@Nemo57: Nice design, especially the rear end.

[JSCan]

Erol, Ron, Nemo and agadoijo,

Thanks for the responses and great inspirations with yours and other's builds. Lot's of good ideas to work off of. I love how Nemo's has the curved part going from the sides/doors into the glass, but you definitely lose a stud by doing that I was thinking about using part 11477 curved, slope 2x1 no studs and mount it vertically to give a hint of curve, but save a little bit of space. One cheat I considered is using 99780 1x2 Inverted Bracket for the hip joint to better represent the size and scale of a seated MF. Aside from possibly offending purests, the disadvantage of that is a lack of lean which can also help fit the figure in.

Hopefully, I'll have a finished product to show you all.

Thanks again

[SearchFunction]

Like the OP I am trying to build a 2 minifig Mini Cooper. Two2seven suggests that it would be 5 studs wide. However, is it possible to even build a 5 stud car that can fit 2 MFs? If anyone has successfully built a 5 or 6 wide Mini that can fit 2 MFs, I would love to take a look. Thanks.

I don't remember who built this or where I got the picture, but its possible, IF you provide room for the arms to rest on the doors: