LennyRhys Posted June 26, 2015 Hi everybody! :) I'm new to the forum and wanted to share my latest MOC, and in doing so I hope to start a discussion on the set that I've designed and I'm sure that there will be some really interesting dialogue as a result of this. To get something out of the way (and quickly), this set is my very first Lego Idea and as of today it is live - please support it if you think it has merit as a potential Lego set! Monster Miner / Wheel Loader And now, some reflection on the process that led to this model and some thoughts about Lego in general! I'm almost 33 years old and have been mad about Lego for as long as I remember. I love to create things with Lego, and for about 25 years now it's always been Technic-style diggers and cranes, sometimes other construction vehicles, all with functioning gear trains and realistic movements. I'd say that this set I'm sharing here today is the culmination of between 25 and 30 years of Lego experimentation and prototyping. and I just feel that every aspect of this set has "clicked" (pardon the pun) and I'm so happy finally to be able to include a little bit of everything in one big, imposing set. My thinking on Lego today is that there are many sets which don't look very Lego-like (certainly in the MOC realm), and I'm confused by that. Why conceal the medium that makes Lego what it is? With this model I decided to embrace Lego as an educational childs toy (which is what it is, first and foremost), so instead of concealing all the studs and making this more of a replica and less of a toy, I have tried to retain the inherent Lego-ness and sturdy playability of the exterior whilst presenting an equally impressive and more grown-up sort of "model" that would appeal to teenagers and even adults. Basically, it's Lego city, Lego Technic, Lego Model Team etc. rolled into one. Whether that works or not... is up to everybody else! So what do you folks think? Must Lego sets be "niche" products if they are to succeed as merchandise, or is it possible to stretch things a little and cater for more than one market with just one set? To put it another way, I reckon this is the set that I wanted to find in the pages of the 1990s Lego catalogues, especially at the back, in the Model Team section. That's why I built it. Is it just me, or is there intrinsic appeal in this sort of set that straddles the fence delineating different Lego lines? Here are some more pics which may or may not influence your input! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LEGO Guy Bri Posted June 27, 2015 Awesome front-end loader Lenny. I love the detail of the build. Nice use of MF legs for cylinder heads. This would go very nicely with the mining truck from a couple years ago Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LennyRhys Posted June 27, 2015 Thanks LEGO Guy Bri! :) I have created a quick mock-up in Photoshop of what a white version might look like... I think I actually prefer it to the yellow, possibly because mining machines are often white in real life. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Balbo Posted June 27, 2015 Very nice work! I like how you made the Monster Miner, he really looks impressive Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peedeejay Posted June 27, 2015 That's one massive truck. Looks very cool, and the best part for me is, that is in minifig scale. :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Werlu Ulcur Posted June 28, 2015 VERY nice! I specially liked how you made the engine . Honestly, one of the best wheel loaders in System scale I've seen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gabor Posted June 28, 2015 Wow! The overall shape is fantastic and it contains some very interesting building techniques! I especially like the engine with the minifig legs! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LennyRhys Posted June 29, 2015 Thanks everyone - I'm glad you all like the building techniques. I'll post some new photos soon, and I'm also working on an inventory for the set so that I can find out how many parts there are. I'm hoping not more than 1,000... preferably a lot less! Here's a photo of the Monster Miner compared with the Lego Technic Pneumatic Front-End Loader (#8459) which was the very first set to feature the large 18x10 bucket. :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_spock Posted June 29, 2015 Good work. Nice use of parts like the MF legs and rubber pieces from hoover craft. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KeteR_u_S Posted July 3, 2015 MF legs looking so strange as an engine parts! But I like it) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LennyRhys Posted July 4, 2015 Thanks for the continued support and the feedback - keep it coming! The white version is getting a lot of approval and I'm having some thoughts about ordering the parts I'd need to make the loader in white. In fact, I already have a few of the more specialized parts I'd need (e.g. the 4x4 round plates). I wonder how a machine like this would look in Octan livery? I smell a plan... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LennyRhys Posted July 6, 2015 A small update - I've started the laborious process of building the Monster Miner in MLcad and I'm about 1/4 of the way there. At this stage I'm doing some very simple refining and simplifying of the build, trying to reduce the number of elements where possible, and I've done a quick render in POVray to see how it will look when finished. If I have the time (and the determination) I might go all-out and put the model into Maya and make a small animation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LennyRhys Posted July 6, 2015 And I'll leave it here for now - updated LDraw and POVray and the difference is astonishing. Can't wait to see the completed model in this light, and it'll be so easy to change part colours! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LegoWarBoys Posted July 7, 2015 This model is so nice. Inspiring Ldraw work there as well! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LennyRhys Posted July 7, 2015 Thanks LegoWarBoys. :) I'm not sure how many hours this has taken, but it's been a lot of hard work for sure! I'm almost finished now... just need to build the engine, patch up the side, and then model the chain for the back. I thought about putting in the flex hose at the articulation points but I want to be able to re-position the model for renders so I'm leaving it out for now. This render was done with different lighting settings from before - instead of using area lighting, I used the radiosity macro. With some tweaking this could look extremely realistic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stefito Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) its horrendous that had to cut little lego minifigs to use them as engines... you sadistic murderer! ps: your machine is awesome Edited July 8, 2015 by stefito Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LennyRhys Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) Hahaha Thanks for the compliment! I've almost finished building the model in MLCad - just a few pieces to add here and there, and of course the engine too. I spent some time today experimenting with lighting in POVray and this is what I managed to accomplish: four lights total, each at a different intensity and position. I have one light for each wheel to show off that nice texture! Some settings: 2560x1600 (16:10 custom resolution) Antialias_Threshold=0.3 Radiosity_2Bounce max_trace_level 15 area lights generally 500, 500, 10, 10 This took a while to render, maybe 20 minutes, and that's with 12 CPU cores @ 4GHz. Edited July 8, 2015 by LennyRhys2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
