[MOD] Koncept Essence - free instructions

[astyanax]

Koncept Essence is a creation by R.Skittle which I reconstructed from the flickr album.

 

Next I upgraded the drivetrain (originally 2x PF L motors) to 2x buggy motors, also incorporating a 2-speed transmission inspired by @Sariel's excellent book, just for the fun of trying it out.

I gave this "Extreme Edition" a mostly black bodywork with lime highlights, just because that color is new and fashionable now. Oh and even more extreme usage of transparent Technic beams, because they're awesome!

 

And here some real photos but with red highlights, because I haven't unpacked my Sian yet for the lime parts...

 

This model is also an ode to the beauty and versatility of the wishbone part, using it abundantly (26x!) for various functions and decorations.

 

And of course there's some racing footage, thrown together with no video editing skills whatsoever:

 

 

With the support and approval of the designer, I have created and published building instructions on Rebrickable:

Koncept Essence

Koncept Essence - Extreme Edition

Koncept Essence - Quattro  (direct link to instructions for a version with 4 PF L motors and 2 BuWizz -- excellent for drifting)

 

Enjoy!

Edited September 16, 2020 by astyanax
added link to third version with 4 PF L motors

[amorti]

Very cool!

I still have Mantis on the bench waiting for the bricklink order with all the wishbones. I'm planning to finish that and enjoy it a while, maybe mess with the undercarriage some more... then rob the parts to build this one.

[astyanax]

4 minutes ago, amorti said:

Very cool!

I still have Mantis on the bench waiting for the bricklink order with all the wishbones. I'm planning to finish that and enjoy it a while, maybe mess with the undercarriage some more... then rob the parts to build this one.

Sounds like a great plan!

With your PF L shaped "+30%" motors you might do very well just sticking to the standard edition, which is a bit easier to build.

[Gray Gear]

I liked the Mantis better, but it is still a cool loking car.

I wonder if the transmission really helps... I would have probably hooked up one motor to each rear wheel and be done, I feel bad for that small bevel gear that has to hadle the power of 2 Buggy Motors 

Edited September 2, 2020 by Gray Gear

[Rudivdk]

8 minutes ago, Gray Gear said:

feel bad for that small bevel gear that has to hadle the power of 2 Buggy Motors 

@astyanax how well did that bevel gear hold up after your driving sessions (I assume the brickbuilt version has the two buggy motors)? Seems indeed like a weakpoint in the setup...

The car is again a cool and minimalistic design! The extreme version with the lime accents looks great, I love that color combo 

[astyanax]

44 minutes ago, Gray Gear said:

I wonder if the transmission really helps...

The transmission helps to make it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. Also, I just wanted to try it out, after reading about it in Sariel's book, and not having seen this idea used anywhere before. (The idea being that the transmission exploit the 2 different outputs having different speeds.)

 

27 minutes ago, Rudivdk said:

@astyanax how well did that bevel gear hold up after your driving sessions (I assume the brickbuilt version has the two buggy motors)? Seems indeed like a weakpoint in the setup...

Indeed I was concerned too. But I just tried it as the first thing, because if it works, why complexify? Turns out, it worked just fine. No gear skipping thanks to very strong bracing. Maybe it wears down with prolonged racing. But in my experience, the batteries drain faster.

Like that clip from Top Gear where they try to push the Bugatti Veyron to 400 kph, they say something like: "at this speed, the tires will be destroyed in 15 minutes, but that's okay, because fuel will run out in 12 minutes!"

Edited September 2, 2020 by astyanax
trimmed quote

[astyanax]

32 minutes ago, Gray Gear said:

I would have probably hooked up one motor to each rear wheel and be done

I agree this would be the proper way, if I'd be designing it from scratch. But I had set myself another requirement, namely to adhere to R. Skittle's original modular plan. You see, there are lots of these 5x11 frames on their side, which protrude from separately built modules, and they are hooked together by inserting 5L axles with stop from above. Also the motor block (originally 2x PF L) is a module, and what I tried was to replace just that module by buggy motors and make it fit with the other modules (mostly) unchanged. That meant that there was only space for 1 axle going to the differential, which is in another module and hence cannot be affected as per my self-imposed requirement (the rest of the space in that module is taken up by the pushrod suspension).

I think it's kinda cool that for the motor block module, there was space for not just 2 buggy motors (which are kinda bulky and awkwardly shaped), but also for Sariel's 2-speed transmission. I enjoyed the challenge of squeezing that all in there.

[amorti]

Not sure I'd build the 2* L motor variant, it's just not silly enough 

1 hour ago, astyanax said:

With your PF L shaped "+30%" motors you might do very well just sticking to the standard edition, which is a bit easier to build.

I already flicked through the instructions of the L motor version, but not yet the buggy motor version. 

Turned out you braced the rear subframe pretty similar to how I remodeled Mantis.

I really like the pushrod suspension.

Can't believe it has even fewer parts and looks so complete. There's definitely a benefit of using big panels.

[astyanax]

37 minutes ago, amorti said:

Can't believe it has even fewer parts and looks so complete. There's definitely a benefit of using big panels.

Again, I don't take credit for the design. Actually, I do take credit for increasing the wishbone count from 22 to 26... 

[astyanax]

I was about to take apart my Essence to recycle the parts... but then I had an idea:

Would a simple square of 4 PF L motors allow for a 1:3 overdrive and some crazy drifting?

The solution was surprisingly simple and robust:

Thanks to the Essence's modular design, I could just pop out the buggy motors and insert this new motor block.

The only problem is that this motor block is too bulky to accommodate any BuWizz in the same space, so I had to pile them both into the passenger seat...

 

And yes, it drifts like crazy! The 2x BuWizz have no problem doing full-on acceleration in Ludicrous mode. No gears grinding. Just, WWWWWOOOOSH

[amorti]

Ooh, I'm definitely into this option. I've been hesitating because I don't have the RC motors, but I definitely have enough L motors to make it drift.

[astyanax]

1 hour ago, amorti said:

Ooh, I'm definitely into this option. I've been hesitating because I don't have the RC motors, but I definitely have enough L motors to make it drift.

Okay I've thrown together some building instructions for this new version provisionally called "Koncept Essence Quattro". Link to PDF is at the bottom of the topic post.

I don't think I'll publish this version on Rebrickable... Since there's no "decent" place to put the 2 BuWizz without a more comprehensive redesign, it feels unfinished, but I don't want to spend more time on it...

Edited September 16, 2020 by astyanax

[amorti]

Thanks for that!

I'm not done with mantis yet, but quattro will be next.