Vehicle Width Preference

[-zenn]

I was wondering what vehicle width you guys prefere when building, but most importantly why?

I mainly build just 4 studs wide, sometimes 6 if I want of more retro kinda look cause of the fenders.

But right now I can't decide between 6 wide or 8 wide; 6 because I'm used to it and feels right. 8 because it looks right, but don't feel right.

So I added a multipable choice poll to this thread, to shed some light on this topic.

But even so, do eleborate your choice.

[Rotundus]

6 or 7 wide works out to about 1stud = 1 foot... A scale that is rapidly becoming a favorite of mine for many MOC projects.

[Criga88]

I stick with 4-5 studs wide for cars and SUV's, 5 wide for small trucks, and 6 wide for other trucks and buses. At this scaling each vehicle takes up just the right amount of space on a roughly 7 wide road, which is what I use in my city.

[ER0L]

Interesting question. My range of widths is the following:

• 5w+: small cars like Minis etc. (in fact not yet existing)
  
• 6w: small sports cars or convertibles
  
• 6w+: sports cars, supercars, vintage cars
  
• 6.8w: muscle cars
  
• 7w: full-size cars
  
• 7w+: trucks, semis etc.
  
• 8w+: large trucks like ARFF
  
• 9w+: large locos
  

Smaller cars are about 1/35 (to be able to fit in some figs), larger vehicles are up to 1/43 (otherwise they would interfere with the scale of buildings). However, there's a more or less realistic graduation between the different types of vehicles, that's why an Ecto-1 can't be larger than a truck. This is how the different widths interact with each other:

[Imanol BB]

I am agree with ER0L, i mostly build trucks like Unimogs and Tatras that are pretty big in real life, and i have built them in 7 and 8 studs wide, trains are 8 studs wide and above, because 6 and sometimes 7 studs wide isn't enough for some trains, and the few times i have built cars they were 5 and 6 studs wide, but everything depends of the minifigs, because they are too wide (Fat), and have almost no movement to fit correctly in a vehicle, and so all vehicles tend to be oversized.

[SalvoBrick]

I build:

4 wide for cars

4+ wide for SUVs, pick-ups and such

6 wide for vintage cars, 50's american cars

6 or 6+ wide for trucks, buses and trains :)

[GallardoLU]

cars are mostly 6w+ ( for those that don't know the + is the fender width with six studs between) for me, though i am flirting with 7 wide for some of the wider exotic cars, and racing cars. i also did do an 8 wide car a while back but it just doesn't fit with the rest of the cars I've built.

so as a breakdown:

6w+ = most road cars

7w/7w+ = trucks of all sizes, and very wide super cars/race cars.

8w = likely to be semi truck size though none yet exist.

[Miro78]

I don't build a whole lot of cars, but I am not a fan of the oversized cars Lego produces, but I understand the size constraints of the minifig (too wide and short) which is a challenge when trying to build minifigure scaled car.

4wide is very limiting, and I reserve that scale to tiny cars like Mini or the Smart car (Benny's car from The Lego Movie)

4wide Mini Cooper

5w to 6w for regular city scale cars

USPS Grumman Delivery Car

Other times, I break the rule and build Minis bigger in order to get the detailing I want.

Italian Job Mini Coopers

and other times I build them much smaller

Tread Lightly

Since I don't do city layouts, it hasn't been a problem for me, but I like EROL's scaling and examples. His vehicles are exceptionally nice.

Miro

[Murdoch17]

I use 6 wide for cars for almost all my trucks, cars, vans, and etc. (with the exception of 4 wide for smaller cars made from the Disney CARS sets and a 7 wide London bus as seen below)

Railroads are 6+ wide for steam engines (pistons stick out a bit) and 6 wide for rolling stock in standard 16 / 24 / 28 stud lengths. This keep it like an official sets for maximum compatibility right from the box.

EDIT: added picture!

Edited August 27, 2016 by Murdoch17

[dr_spock]

At home, I build to 4 wide for that warm fuzzy toy and nostalgia feel.

Outside the house, I build to whatever agreed to size for the LUG's collaboration project. It can vary from project to project.

[Vectormatic]

6-wide, i absolutely love the modern 6-wide city cars, and the Speed Champions line.

That said, i might be able to get used to 8-wide if lego does a bunch of em, but most 8-wide MOCs just look weird, despite them being more true to real cars then 6-wides

[BrickJagger]

4 is too small, the 4-wide vehicles I do have in my city look out of place next to the modulars. 6 is much better, although that's largely because that's Lego's new standard.

[Nemo57]

It turns out struggle preferences in the construction of cars among fans of '90s and 2000s. The correct model scale user Erol. But a series of Lego City 2005 allowed his fans to build a floating scale the same in the destination of vehicles, such as trucks, our wide by 6 and 8. Therefore, it is easier with a choice, how to build bequeathed favorite company Lego. Everything is strictly in the form of Lego City.

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=112391&st=25#entry2285217

That train we build not only on 6 and 7, because only one stud gives a lot of opportunities to drill. Or, we just do not know how to build a well-defined in the framework for the construction of trains 6. If the real length, for example, passenger cars, like zooming and a width of 10 will lead to the impossibility of turning trains on curve radius proposed by Lego.

Here, the car in the correct proportions. Width 10, length 100. But what possible detail! (The work of pavlo)

[Ron Dayes]

I personally scale from height measures of a 170cm human = 5 studs high minifig when it comes to "my town scale". So the vehicles vary in width like real (170 cm to 200 cm = 5 wide to 6 wide). Trucks 7 wide and trains 8 to 9 wide.

It all depends on real life data - i just recalculate that by a scale of 1/41 into legos and - bang - its being build Works fine for everything...

The funny side is that most cars irl are 180 cm, so the "exotic" scale of 5 wide tends to be the best for almost all cars by my measures :-D

I think a poll about "how high do you build your cars?" will be even more interesting, since i believe thats where we all go into different directions

[sebitsena]

I prefer 6 wide cars, even for trucks. I think it fits well the modular world (because i collect them!). But it is not the right scale: when building a city based on the modulars line, buildings and cars have a "compressed" design (2 rooms appartment, single seat car...) which we get in the train theme too.

If you prefer minifig scale world, your building will be higher and larger. A good example between "compressed" design and minifig scale is these Milenium Falcon sets:

http://brickset.com/sets/75105-1/Millennium-Falcon > this one is a compressed design

http://brickset.com/sets/10179-1/Ultimate-Collector-s-Millennium-Falcon > this one is a minifig scale design

[-zenn]

However, there's a more or less realistic graduation between the different types of vehicles

I'm liking your scaling method, at least it makes sense to me.

because they are too wide (Fat), and have almost no movement to fit correctly in a vehicle, and so all vehicles tend to be oversized.

Minifigs are indeed an awkward bunch of disproportioned tiny little fat people...

I think a poll about "how high do you build your cars?" will be even more interesting, since i believe thats where we all go into different directions.

Ow wow, come to think of it, yeah we probably do. I mostly tend to go for easthetics height wise though.

"compressed" design and minifig scale examples

Interesting, never known that before. Looking back at some vehicle sets on BL, does make some of them look 'weird' now...

[Rotundus]

Minifigs are indeed an awkward bunch of disproportioned tiny little fat people...

Who says TLG isn't mindful of it's target market... According to the American Medical Association Minifigs are a perfectly proportioned representation of modern day Americans. !

(I am 5'6" and 220lbs, so I am knowledgeable on the subject and qualified to comment )

[Ron Dayes]

Minifigs are indeed an awkward bunch of disproportioned tiny little fat people...

...its actually rather tiny or "fat" - So either normal height and "fat" <-> or tiny and normal width ;-)

I also read somewhere from someone, that figs were designed to represent baby dolls (tiny and normal) by their maker....but who knows, ey? Lego is old enough to have quite a few myths regarding it^^

[Japanbuilder]

I prefer the 6 stud wide builds. I became quite taken by them when I built the jeep included in the Swamp Police Station set and with the crook's car Spirit in the Chase Mccain set.

But my actual LEGO city has everything from 4 wide (plus fenders) to 8 (snow plow with plow attached and garbage truck).

Living in Japan it actually looks painfully normal. Since around here we have K cars (super small cars) regular sized sedans and of course trucks. All of these vehicles manage to share the same narrow roads. Where I can I even move the steering wheel position to the right inside the car so they look even more Japanese =)

[BrickCurve]

I personally prefer 4 wide for really small cars, and 5- 6 wide for more standard size vehicles.

[-zenn]

Living in Japan it actually looks painfully normal. Since around here we have K cars (super small cars) regular sized sedans and of course trucks. All of these vehicles manage to share the same narrow roads. Where I can I even move the steering wheel position to the right inside the car so they look even more Japanese =)

LOL, when I was there they had these super small narrow vans which really reminded me of 4 wide Lego cars.

Some of them where from Suzuki, Daihatsu, Toyota and some brands I didn't now. Every now and then you spot them in Europe.

Really wanna go back again; cities are like being in the future, hectic yet structured. Though outside the cities it's calm and sereen.

Edited August 31, 2016 by -zenn

[Littleworlds]

Whilst I really like the two Ecto-1 cars, they are clearly oversized for Lego, if you compare them with the Minifigs and other vehicles. Though it is just very convenient to be able to fit in 4 persons in them, like in a real car. In that light the 4-6-8 formula from tiny compact cars to trucks looks to be the most convincing way, but it is also a decision that should be done case-by-case: The size of the vehicle has to fit its purpose.

[pyro690]

4-wide for the kid in me!! Mostly build 6-wide though, can put in more details. 7 and 8 are too wide for a car IMO, more of a truck size.

[Japanbuilder]

LOL, when I was there they had these super small narrow vans which really reminded me of 4 wide Lego cars.

Some of them where from Suzuki, Daihatsu, Toyota and some brands I didn't now. Every now and then you spot them in Europe.

Really wanna go back again; cities are like being in the future, hectic yet structured. Though outside the cities it's calm and sereen.

Hah hah, yes it is very true. It is much calmer outside the cities.

I don't know when you were last here but recently the k class cars have been getting really sleek in their design. While most retain the boxy look (similar to a 4 stud wide) there are some that are becoming more sporty like the Suzuki Hustler. Would clearly covert to 4 wide but feel off-road as well. I want LEGO to design like that going forward. Not to mention the Matsuda (Mazda) line of compacts (smart cars?) those look really sporty too. Would love specialized parts from LEGO to make something similar in 4 stud wide.

[Gabiman]

On 8/27/2016 at 11:25 AM, Criga88 said:

I stick with 4-5 studs wide for cars and SUV's, 5 wide for small trucks, and 6 wide for other trucks and buses. At this scaling each vehicle takes up just the right amount of space on a roughly 7 wide road, which is what I use in my city.

said it perfectly, i dont want my cars to be wider then bus