SeaKing61

MOC: Lego Mk1 Track Inspection Coach

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Hi everyone,

My first post here in a long time. I spent quite a while developing this Mk1 Track Inspection Coach DB999508 belonging to Network Rail in the UK. It is 8 wide and I developed a new technique to try to get the gentle curve of the mk1 coach side using the back of minifig chairs as the coach exterior. 

49670652763_36b8d4a9f8_c.jpgLego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr

49671480852_f6fd7dd42c_c.jpgLego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr

49670652533_0a6cf84fca_c.jpgLego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr

49671194336_90f115c831_c.jpgLego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr

49671481002_43951e7103_c.jpgLego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr

49671194196_0945153754_c.jpgLego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr

49670669158_8a1d42e508_z.jpgLego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr

49670652833_ea9c9deafe_z.jpgLego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr

49671481272_b27f7f935a_z.jpgLego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr

Here's the prototype 

Network Rail Mark 1 Track Inspection Coach (TIC) 999508

 

Thanks for looking, let me know what you think.

Cheers,

Laurie

Edited by SeaKing61

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Oh, that's clever. Those seats work really well for those subtle curves. Brilliant.

Apart from that the rest is also very nicely detailed.

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That is a very complicated build, great work with lots of clever tricks. Thanks for sharing all of the behind the scenes trickery to get the complicated details.

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Great work on the inspection car. It's not something you normally see and this one has some definite challenges that you overcame.

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Thanks all. This was definitely the most complex build I've undertaken. What you don't see in the pictures is about two years of prototypes and experimenting with different techniques. 

Thanks,

Laurie

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The use of the chairs is an interesting technique, though I am not one hundred percent convinced that the result is any superior to the typical slopes (whatever is gained visually by the slightly more gentle angle is - IMO - lost in the non-prototypical flat 'band' created at the base of the seat pieces). It also looks like it sacrificed any chance of creating a substantial interior.

I think the car itself is really cool, though. I'm very impressed with the double indentations on the left side.

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Yeah, it is a bit of a compromise as is necessary in any design like this. The recess is on both sides. I have put a small amount of detail in each end of the coach as shown in the last picture. The demonstration pic I showed earlier was more to show that that spacing of the chairs brings it to 8-wide. The coach did require a fair bit of internal bracing to keep everything lined up, however the recesses are a major weak point in the coach side. I'm looking at making a more standard mk1 coach to test how much interior would be possible with more continuous sides.

49676114411_7d6ebeea47_z.jpgLego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr

49675577778_448a34a7c5_z.jpgLego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr

49675577813_9b226bea4c_z.jpgLego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr

49676111006_05cbcd2675_z.jpgLego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr

Thanks,

Laurie

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Having built Mk1's myself recently (see my Hogwarts Express threads in this forum) I think this is pretty much spot-on. Great job. Almost too bad you called out the use of minifig chairs - it looked great when I saw the pictures, but now that you've told me about the chairs I cannot help but seeing them all the time. Still, love the overall build and shaping.

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Thanks, Phil. I know what you mean about the chairs. When I first tried it after having the idea I couldn't see anything but a row of chairs, especially the slight curve to the corners. However, now sat on my shelf it looks fairly smooth. The only problem with the technique is it denies any sort of detail to the bottom half of the coach so liveries such as Intercity, Network south east or the old royal mail coaches are impossible.

Thanks,

Laurie

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On 3/18/2020 at 7:58 PM, SeaKing61 said:

What you don't see in the pictures is about two years of prototypes and experimenting with different techniques. 

Oh no, I see that clearly a lot of time and experimentation went in, there are too many novel tricks there

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Thanks guys. I should get out some of my standard lego trains for a comparison. It really dwarfs them. I'm quite happy with the bogies; they're fairly accurate. I'd only end up reproducing a lot of the details on the lego wheelsets like the springs either side of the axlebox. I also have an abundance of those lego wheelsets and barely any for the technical axles.

 

Thanks

Laurie

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