[WIP] 2008 Orion VII NG (07.503) Fairfax Connector Bus

[JLiu15]

I know I had just finished a bus model (the Orion V 05.505 model), but I figured why not get started on my next one  so here it is: a 2008 Orion VII NG (07.503) bus operated by Fairfax Connector in Fairfax County, VA. This will be my first model of a DMV (DC/Maryland/Virginia) region bus.

I took the above photo of bus 9777 in August 2022, right after BrickFair VA that year. At the time, a good portion of them were used on the RIBS (Reston Internal Bus Service) routes; their numbers continue to dwindle as newer 2024 Gillig Low Floor 29' buses enter service to replace them. A year ago, I had the opportunity to ride bus 9789:

If I can fit it into my schedule, I plan to go to the NJ Historic Bus Festival again this September. Last year I brought my New Flyer D60HF model there, and since it's an articulated bus, I separated it at the articulation joint and packed the two halves side by side in a duffel bag, which narrowly fit the size constraints of an airline carry-on. For this year's event, I plan to bring this model and the Orion V I just completed; since both are ~1:18 models of 32' buses, I should be able to pack both into a carry-on duffel bag like I did last year.

My plan is to first design the model in Stud.io, then wait until after Brickworld Chicago in June to start the building process. I will likely need parts from my New Flyer D60HF model, which I am planning on displaying at Brickworld, so I am waiting after Brickworld when I can disassemble that model to have the parts to build this one. After the bus festival, I plan to save it for display at Brickworld Chicago 2027.

The tentative list of functions are:

• Drive
• Steering with working steering wheel
• Pneumatic doors (most likely synced)
• Wheelchair ramp (?)
• Cummins ISL engine model with moving pistons
• Opening engine door (perhaps pneumatic, fed from the same pneumatic circuit that feeds the doors opening)

Since most of my bus models thus far have had pretty much the same core functions (drive, steering, opening doors), I want to add another function here that have not been incorporated into previous bus MOCs. A wheelchair ramp may still be quite challenging to add at this scale, but I could probably use the doors' pneumatic circuit to power another cylinder that can open/close the engine door. While they're typically opened manually on real buses, my recent Orion V model demonstrated that it's pretty difficult to include a functional handle at this scale that does not look out of proportion (I resorted to using an axle that you can push on from behind it to open it slightly). So I could probably add a valve that can direct the compressor to opening/closing the engine door. Another challenge I gave myself this time is to design the entire livery using LEGO pieces, i.e. no stickers. I'm pretty impressed with the results so far, but still it's not the smoothest curve (as the white stripe between the yellow front/red rear on Fairfax Connector buses is very well rounded). Still, I feel that using LEGO pieces to achieve is preferable to using stickers, like many official sets are doing these days. This will also be my first bus model to not be primarily white for the livery - it will really get me to be creative with piece usage, and the model already contains a combination of normal brick/plate stacking and SNOT building, especially where the livery is made using wedge plates/tiles. As of right now the wheels look a bit small to me, but the height seems pretty similar to my New Flyer D60HF model (which uses the same tires) so it may just be a matter of perspective as the model really only has one body panel and the doors designed as of right now.

Below I've attached some Stud.io screenshots so far. Let me know what you think!

Edited 1 hour ago by JLiu15