Getting SNOT to be robust and look nice on EMU train front

[Tube Map Central]

Once you start building in 8-wide it is hard to go back!

I've decided to take the plunge and convert my 60197 blue/grey/orange city trains from 6-wide to 8-wide. This means discarding the nose cones, baseplates and roofs but alternatives are not too pricy.

These will become flat-fronted MU trains, and you can see my test build here.

The 4-wide corridor connector takes up a lot of space at the front, leaving not much room for cab windows. I could use trans-clear bricks, but I'm not sure I want wrap-around windows.

Taking the SNOT route, and wanting a robust stable build with no risk of pieces falling off, I end up with a 1x4 tile protruding slightly on either side. I can't think of a way to get it flush in the available space. 

Any suggestions?

www.tubemapcentral.com/legodesign/eurobricks/test_front.jpg

[zephyr1934]

If you go from 6 wide to 8 wide, do not worry about preserving the look of most of the train sets, just look at it as an opportunity to take the same bricks and make a better build (which it sounds like you are doing). For your flat end, either go studs up and use a modern 1x2x2 window frame

Or if you go studs sideways remember the 5:2 ratio (plates to studs), which is also a 2.5:1 (where most brackets and the headlight brick give you 0.5 plates). So at 5:2 the easiest thing to do is a tile + brick + plate to fill a 2 wide gap like you have on the side. If you want to do a 3 wide gap you could do that with a bracket, unfortunately most options are two wide and so they would consume a bit of your interior, but there is this relatively new piece in limited colors,

That would then give you 7 plates to work with = 1x2x2 panel + 1x2 tile.

[Tube Map Central]

Thanks, I see. I can live with losing a bit of the interior behind the corridor connection. Unfortunately, I lose a lot of strength as well. If you imagine pulling off the light grey roof you will find four studs pointing upwards from 2x 32952, 1x1-2/3 bricks. Ideally I would have the inverse of that new bracket, which would help a little bit.

So, I have to choose between strength and elegance. Ugh!

Of course, the real challenge is trying to re-use the parts. The objective is a train that looks as though it was designed 8-wide, not a train that looks as though it was designed 6-wide and stretched. So many parts are the wrong width: too many big-part solutions. The roof panels will get binned. The underframe boxes: I can bodge them wider with a row of inverted slopes but then I need to buy expensive plates to make them less obviously a bodge. The train baseplates: I would like to keep them, but they are a pain to build with. Widening them with plates on top will make them look blocky, but there is no easy way to smooth that with inverted slopes.

Then a light bulb goes on in my head: I don't care about Lego sets any more, they won't be right for me, they will cost more money to fix than to buy, and too many of the parts are too specialist for them to be used as parts packs. Next year's train sets: probably won't be any use to me, will I even look?

I can see the next step coming soon. Lego train baseplate is dark grey, I will need some dark grey inverted 2x2 slopes to smooth out the blockiness at the cab/outside ends. That is a rare part. Do I buy them for 50 pence each on Bricklink, or 5 pence each on Bluebrixx. That is not a tough decision.

Lego is basically a set design company that inflates the price of its raw materials (bricks) to pay for its set design, but I'm not so interested in Lego design now, so should I continue to pay its brick prices?

So that's the full transition, from builder of Lego sets to generic brick moc-er. That will probably lead to an eventual departure from Eurobricks, voluntary I hope.

Edited May 15, 2021 by Tube Map Central
Lego nihilism added

[zephyr1934]

22 hours ago, Tube Map Central said:

So, I have to choose between strength and elegance. Ugh!

Not really, typically the sides can hold the roof on just fine. Also, the roof does not need to be held on too tight since you have gravity working in your favor.

 

22 hours ago, Tube Map Central said:

Then a light bulb goes on in my head: I don't care about Lego sets any more, they won't be right for me, they will cost more money to fix than to buy, and too many of the parts are too specialist for them to be used as parts packs. Next year's train sets: probably won't be any use to me, will I even look? 

Historically they've been good as a parts pack... though with the new train wheels maybe not even

 

22 hours ago, Tube Map Central said:

I can see the next step coming soon. Lego train baseplate is dark grey, I will need some dark grey inverted 2x2 slopes to smooth out the blockiness at the cab/outside ends. That is a rare part. Do I buy them for 50 pence each on Bricklink, or 5 pence each on Bluebrixx. That is not a tough decision.

That's why I almost always start a build digitally and keep the bricklink prices handy. There is usually an alternative build.

 

22 hours ago, Tube Map Central said:

So that's the full transition, from builder of Lego sets to generic brick moc-er. That will probably lead to an eventual departure from Eurobricks, voluntary I hope. 

If you look closely at some of the posted MOCs, there are people who paint, people who cut or glue, and there are even people who openly use clone bricks. As long as you are not boasting of some off brand I don't think most people will care. As long as you are respectful of others I think this is a pretty accepting forum.