[CADA] CADA General Discussion Topic

[Maaboo the Witch]

Wake the f*ck up, TLG.

[SaperPL]

On 3/6/2026 at 6:47 PM, R0Sch said:

@SaperPL I've printed your XXL turntable on my P2S FDM printer in PLA (top) and PETG (bottom) and it turned out great! Still a little high friction despite of lubing it with grease, but I hope it will wear in. This part is huge and built like a tank, even though I used  50% sparse infill, it weighs 34g. As I said, the only thing that would have made this turntable even better was having inner gear teeth as well.
One thing I notice on the injection molded production part is that they made the grey bottom part a bit higher so that the black top parts thrust face is not on the same level as the bottom surface to not cause friction. They also changed from 4 large outer clips to 6 thinner ones to make the clips more flexible and fitment easier.

I printed both of them in PLA for the prototypes I made and they did slide well, I don't really know how it'd turn out with PETG, since I feel like PETG is more flexible, I'd expect it also to have a bit more friction maybe?

And yeah, they did change some of the things for production - that was expected.

As for the teeth inside - I wanted to match the aesthetic of the current version of the turntable as well as allow putting of one inside another for example for transferring some additional inputs this way and the additional teeth on the same ring didn't feel like something that would make sense to me.

Also I've been considering a third piece that would be a gear rack sliding between those two with some hole openings to transfer additional rotation, but it I didn't figure out how to make those cut outs in a meaningful way at the time. Maybe I will follow up on this at some point as single additional input could be useful to drive gun elevation in tanks.

[SaperPL]

On 3/6/2026 at 6:47 PM, R0Sch said:

As I said, the only thing that would have made this turntable even better was having inner gear teeth as well.

Someone just commented under my video that there's a turntable like that in the Xiaomi Orion Six-Legged Titan Robot (XJXL03IQI):

This one is two studs bigger than the one I designed - the gap between mounting points here is 11 studs, while mine has 9 studs between the mounting points.

Actually, this would potentially be a good piece for my project, but I can't find it online...

[T Lego]

Here we go finally, may I introduce my rendition of the famous Audi RS6 . Appologies beforehand for only showing renders at this stage. The model is currently also on display at the Shenzhen Toy fair, built with real bricks, so hopefully the people present there can share more. Though an official release date of the set is not confirmed right now, sales are expected to start this summer.

The project started in early 2022 in agreement with CaDa and supported by Audi as an official  licencing partner. It took roughly 18 months to complete the main design, with plenty of ‘creative’ breaks in between. The design objective being finding a good balance between the chassis (functionality) and bodywork (appearance). Furthermore I increased my efforts to improve the building experience, making it a bit more accessible and less punishing. But don’t worry, you can still expect a nice challenge!

 

Features: 

- All wheel drive (Quattro) with three differentials

- V8 engine + rotating cooling fans

- Steering with HOG

- Independent suspension

- Adjustable ride height

- 8 Speed sequential gearbox, operated from the trunk

- Adjustable front seats

- Openable doors, trunk and spring loaded hood

As is usual with my builds, I refrain from ‘recycling’ of existing mechanisms and always try to be innovative wherever I can. Doesn’t mean I’m always trying to reinvent the wheel, but just trying to be creative and finding unique solutions that make the build more interesting and overall appealing. That being said, replicating the RS6 posed many interesting challenges along the way. Firstly, its mechanical platform is very different compared to typical supercars. The engine is located in the front and the interior occupies much more volume, leaving much less space around the rear axle to integrate mechanisms. Secondly, the bodywork does not have as many extreme shapes – it looks more like a ‘normal’ car. Meaning it’s even more important to follow the more subtle lines and shapes in order for the model to be recognizable, which at times can be just as challenging as replicating more exotic bodywork.

        

Gearbox:

As pointed out already, wrapping a gearbox around the rear axle requires a unique layout. I opted for a rather flat and long lay out of the gearbox, which stretches from below the rear seats all the way to the back of the car. 8 speeds are obtained in the conventional way, by combining a 4 speed and 2 speed gearbox. However the shifting scheme is very different. The 4 speed gearbox with its integrated centre differential has very large gear ratio gaps, so instead of scaling these ratios going from gear 4 to 5, the 2 speed gearbox is used to fill these ratio gaps. Consequently, the 2 speed gearbox shifts during every gearshift, whilst the 4 speed gearbox shifts every second gearshift. The shifter is located on top of the whole structure, making it very accessible and easy operate through the trunk.

As Always, I am looking forward to reading your feedback and to further discussions about the model. Thanks, and have great day!

Edited April 9 by T Lego

[gyenesvi]

Great to see a large scale car that is not a supercar! The shape flows very nicely overall, and the mechanical / interior space challenges seem to be interesting as well.

[LvdH]

What a masterpiece! It is nice to see a car I regularly see on the road built in ’brick’ form. Congratulations on this design.

[2GodBDGlory]

That indeed looks very well done! I can imagine that body shape would be quite challenging to model recognizably, but you've done a really good job. It's too bad there had to be that bulge in the trunk, but it's obviously necessary to include the gearbox and other mechanisms, so it's worth it!

[tomek9210]

Beautiful shaping of both exterior and interior.

Too bad that the gearbox takes the whole trunk and the suspension is boring double wishbone one instead of the proper multilink suspension Audi is famous of.

[2GodBDGlory]

6 hours ago, tomek9210 said:

Beautiful shaping of both exterior and interior.

Too bad that the gearbox takes the whole trunk and the suspension is boring double wishbone one instead of the proper multilink suspension Audi is famous of.

Yeah, it is a shame that the gearbox takes up the trunk, but given the choice between having a trunk or a gearbox in my Technic model, I'd definitely choose the trunk!

Also, while I do love to see more complex suspension setups (and put them in my MOCs), more realistic alternatives would probably be less sturdy and harder to assemble, which does become a larger consideration for a mass-production set like this model

[ying]

Can it be made using LEGO?

[R0Sch]

A true masterpiece and finally a car model every commoner can relate to and actually see irl. This set will sell like hot cakes in Europe and this color scheme will brighten up every adult boys heart. Love the rims and the new Conti tires. They make up 1/3 of the cars esthetics. This is how it's done properly.

@T Lego Are there any other new elements that were designed specifically for this model?

The only nitpick I have is the use of trans clear plates for the rear view mirror instead of a 1x3 inverted tile and using blue pins with cross axle that are visible in some spots. Luckily we can swap them out with black ones from CaDA. I bought 50x for the 1:10 black RUF. Probably won't be enough for this set too.

[kbalage]

First of all, this is a fantastic looking design with interesting features, well done @T Lego!

That said, I can’t shake the feeling that it still looks like a LEGO Technic MOC with a few custom parts added here and there. CaDA has made huge improvements over the years in both quality and design, but this feels like the point where they need to take the next step.

To really stand out, they need to develop their own distinct part families and technical solutions that go beyond what already exists in the LEGO system, and not just the ones they are forced to make to avoid legal issues. That fence piece for example, has been around since the late ‘60s, there really should be more refined ways by now to recreate those grille details.

Of course, this kind of design process requires more effort, investment and closer collaboration with designers, but that’s exactly what could define CaDA as a truly innovative and independent manufacturer, rather than a company making boxed version of LEGO MOCs.

[Aleh]

The design is great, what to say more. The highest detalization and attention to details, VERY recognizable design. Even the interior is from AUDI :)

Custom wheels but still too wide tyres.. I wish they have more realistic width.

 

 

[M_longer]

55 minutes ago, kbalage said:

That said, I can’t shake the feeling that it still looks like a LEGO Technic MOC with a few custom parts added here and there. CaDA has made huge improvements over the years in both quality and design, but this feels like the point where they need to take the next step.

To really stand out, they need to develop their own distinct part families and technical solutions that go beyond what already exists in the LEGO system, and not just the ones they are forced to make to avoid legal issues. That fence piece for example, has been around since the late ‘60s, there really should be more refined ways by now to recreate those grille details.

Mark this day in callendar kids, I'm thinking exactly the same as Balazs ;)

[Berthil]

1 hour ago, kbalage said:

Of course, this kind of design process requires more effort, investment and closer collaboration with designers ...

I'm a designer for CaDa, busy on my second project and the first will be published soon (not car related). In my situation, the development of custom parts by CaDa depends a lot on the input of the designer. If a designer has ideas about a new parts and it really contributes to the design, CaDa will make it. So CaDa seems to rely on the designer to come up with new parts, apart from finding solutions for patented parts. So in the case of the Audi, if @T Lego would have come up with novel ideas about a reusable grill piece, I'm pretty sure CaDa would have made it. But since a set designer is not a parts designer, and does not get compensated for bringing new parts to the table, chances are small CaDa will come with novel parts.

[LvdH]

It could very well be (purely speculation) that when the design started 4 years ago certain custom parts were not really an option then. But even so, I do spot some parts that don’t exist in the LEGO catalog. Also some panels which were originally made to circumvent patents, are used in ways that are not possible with LEGO. In the end all these brands are interlocking building bricks, it really should not be a surprise that these sets look like LEGO. 

Here are some real build photos (not mine): https://imgur.com/a/irM9Vaf

[kbalage]

1 hour ago, Berthil said:

So CaDa seems to rely on the designer to come up with new parts, apart from finding solutions for patented parts.

That is an interesting insight, thanks for sharing! I think this is the fundamental difference between having dedicated set and element designer staff and working with freelancers. I hope to see CaDA hire full-time employees for these roles in the future, as that would certainly make the designs more consistent and bring a system-level perspective to the table.

1 hour ago, LvdH said:

In the end all these brands are interlocking building bricks, it really should not be a surprise that these sets look like LEGO. 

If we were talking about sets built strictly from basic System bricks, I would agree with you. However, these designs take advantage of the large Technic part family that LEGO has developed over decades. I know that legally, they can be reproduced or substituted with similar pieces and there's no problem with that, but in my view, real innovation and creativity begin when companies like CaDA strategically expand this part family with pieces that are useful for the community and can be used in ways similar to Technic elements. 

[efferman]

4 hours ago, kbalage said:

To really stand out, they need to develop their own distinct part families and technical solutions that go beyond what already exists in the LEGO system,

Wait till next year when my sets will come around. 

[T Lego]

 

On 4/9/2026 at 2:31 PM, 2GodBDGlory said:

That indeed looks very well done! I can imagine that body shape would be quite challenging to model recognizably, but you've done a really good job. It's too bad there had to be that bulge in the trunk, but it's obviously necessary to include the gearbox and other mechanisms, so it's worth it!

Yes, a more spacious trunk would have been nice indeed. That is exactly my reasoning at the time as well when dealing with this part of the design, and your conclusions match the ones I had at the time. Those who don’t care about a gearbox can always easily remove it. The conversion the other way around is much harder. 

 

11 hours ago, R0Sch said:

Are there any other new elements that were designed specifically for this model?

There are no parts specifically designed for this car. In fact the first prototype of the car also had to undergo a conversion, switching to CaDa’s adjusted panel system. The final car uses some parts exclusive to CaDa but a conversion back to Lego is always possible with a bit of puzzling and creativity.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts @kbalage! I agree with your perspective, and this is also exactly the direction in which we are trying to go. CaDa has been moving forward in this regard, but this model has been finished for about 2.5 years now. That is also why the model is not equipped with the most recent parts in the catalogue. The mindset was different back then, and even more at the start of the project more than 4 years ago. Meanwhile, especially @efferman and @brunojj1 have contributed greatly to designing new parts: a new concave panel system, shock absorbers that can be adjusted in stiffness, custom gears, and a bunch of more versatile connector pieces. CaDa's R&D team themselves also try to expand their custom pieces inventory,  if you take a closer look at their most recent releases. Ultimately, we don’t want to create too many single purpose parts either, and the overall system formula is successful as it is. The next releases should unveil more of these parts. 

[efferman]

Yes, single use pieces are not the goal, and we try to avoid them. Most of the parts i have designed are multi Use. One of the panels would fit good to the doors of the RS6, but it came to late for it. 

With the new Gears the future Gearboxes should be more compact. 

[Berthil]

I only have worked a year for CaDa as a designer, so my remarks relate to that. I have also worked with Mould King as a designer for about 5 years, and CaDa is much more professional and honest in their approach. With the remarks from the other CaDa designers, it seems CaDa is finding a good balance between novel parts and compatibility with the LEGO Technic universe with respect for patents.

[kbalage]

17 hours ago, efferman said:

Wait till next year when my sets will come around. 

I respect all the design work you have done in the 3D printing space and look forward to seeing what comes next here! 

[R0Sch]

It's officially out:

https://decadastore.com/products/cada-1-8-scale-alpine-a525-formula-1-car-building-kit-2173pcs-c64012w

+ the 1:24 scale little brother and also the Toyota GT.

[Lipko]

On 4/10/2026 at 12:47 PM, M_longer said:

Mark this day in callendar kids, I'm thinking exactly the same as Balazs ;)

Me too.

[Sokolov Edward]

This April, after several years, CADA resumed publishing instructions for large models. The large number of unique parts makes copying them unprofitable, and they are no longer considered new.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uZmyUcLM1pY8Gk2jv7WF5c1NYir4YAu_