[TC18] Dune Buggy 2020 - Instructions available

[Jurss]

I think, You need to do something with A-pillars, so thet thet are also at the anglo, not that top part stands out so much.

Maybe that HOG gear can be replaced with something, that mimics some air intake or similar?

[Didumos69]

20 hours ago, agrof said:

Yepp, but I am sure, You can squeeze in a steering wheel too! 

I will certainly try.

15 hours ago, BusterHaus said:

I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but 41678 is sitting below the red beam in this picture, right?

Yes. Here's a top view.

10 hours ago, Jurss said:

I think, You need to do something with A-pillars, so thet thet are also at the anglo, not that top part stands out so much.

Thanks for you comment. I have a few options for the A-pillar. I like the one with the connectors with half pin holes the most (the second option). Any preference?

Having an intake as HoG is a nice idea. I haven't found a solution though. A spare wheel as HoG is not an option, here's an impression of a spare wheel in the back.

Edited April 17, 2020 by Didumos69

[Ctan]

2nd option with half-pin look best. 

Spare wheel made this model too bulky imho. 

Overall it look really cool! 

[Zerobricks]

57 minutes ago, Ctan said:

2nd option with half-pin look best. 

Spare wheel made this model too bulky imho. 

Overall it look really cool! 

Agreed in all points. Well done, now hope to see it IRL!

[agrof]

+1 to the above.

I am wondering if the HOG gear could be replaced by a simple lever (half liftarm 2L or 3L)... might be worthy to try in real build.

[HorcikDesigns]

This is so cool! Good job! 

I love the single roof-mounted light. 

Edited April 18, 2020 by HorcikDesigns

[Jurss]

I like that spare wheel on the back.

[Didumos69]

18 hours ago, Ctan said:

2nd option with half-pin look best. 

Spare wheel made this model too bulky imho. 

Overall it look really cool! 

 

17 hours ago, Zerobricks said:

Agreed in all points. Well done, now hope to see it IRL!

 

16 hours ago, HorcikDesigns said:

This is so cool! Good job! 

I love the single roof-mounted light. 

Thanks for the feedback guys! Option 2 it will be.

17 hours ago, agrof said:

+1 to the above.

I am wondering if the HOG gear could be replaced by a simple lever (half liftarm 2L or 3L)... might be worthy to try in real build.

I tried that but I really don't like it. So still no other option than the HoG gear.

I did add a steering wheel:

6 hours ago, Jurss said:

I like that spare wheel on the back.

I'll leave it as an option pack then 

This is the complete design now:

Edited April 18, 2020 by Didumos69

[Didumos69]

[amorti]

11 minutes ago, Didumos69 said:

Want!

:)

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

Hell! They breed, too? Run for your life! 

Jokes apart, awesome build, once again! 

[SilenWin]

All these angles and and bodywork solutions really blow my mind! Great work so far!
Love this comparison photo, it would be fun to render a few more little Greyhounds near the big one - like the real wolf pack

[Didumos69]

Finally had some time to build irl.

 

[Dylan M]

Nice ? 

you got my vote ?

[Didumos69]

13 minutes ago, Dylan M said:

Nice ? 

you got my vote ?

Thanks!

 

[amorti]

Awesome, the suspension flows just like the big brother!

[Didumos69]

Thanks! I'll share my building experience soon.

[AFOLegofan66]

Wow what a cool looking machine! I like the clean look without the spare. Thanks for considering sharing this with all of us!!

[Didumos69]

14 hours ago, AFOLegofan66 said:

Wow what a cool looking machine! I like the clean look without the spare. Thanks for considering sharing this with all of us!!

Thanks!

Especially for @nerdsforprez, here is an image with half of the bodywork removed. Btw, the chassis is actually only 9 studs wide. The bodywork 11 studs, only the side bars makes the body 13 studs wide.

[agrof]

Yummi, what a lovely suspension, it is so smooth and sexy, You should put age 18 sign in the video! 

[Tomik]

WOW, your buggy is awesome. I like its suspension and complex geartrain with fake engine. The only strange feature is HOG on hood - it looks pretty uncomfortable in your second video.

[nerdsforprez]

21 hours ago, Didumos69 said:

Thanks!

Especially for @nerdsforprez, here is an image with half of the bodywork removed. Btw, the chassis is actually only 9 studs wide. The bodywork 11 studs, only the side bars makes the body 13 studs wide.

Yes!  I've started a movement! Lol....

Jokes aside, love this model.  I can see that suspension as REAL playability.  Not sure why an official Lego model or two can't be like this.  Not huge, certainly marketable, perhaps a challenge but a do-able build, etc.

Funny, a while back there was a little back-and-forth between myself and several other well-known EB members on the quality of build between MOCers and real official Lego models.  They were trying to argue that official models were just as good as the best MOCers.   Lol.... I don't think I even need to say anything more.... 

[Didumos69]

2 hours ago, nerdsforprez said:

Yes!  I've started a movement! Lol....

Jokes aside, love this model.  I can see that suspension as REAL playability.  Not sure why an official Lego model or two can't be like this.  Not huge, certainly marketable, perhaps a challenge but a do-able build, etc.

Funny, a while back there was a little back-and-forth between myself and several other well-known EB members on the quality of build between MOCers and real official Lego models.  They were trying to argue that official models were just as good as the best MOCers.   Lol.... I don't think I even need to say anything more.... 

Thank you very much @nerdsforprez!

I promised I would tell a little about the building experience. The build was actually quite straight forward, had to tweak a few small things to make the build process more easy, but the real challenge was to get the suspension right.

I really wanted to get the max out of this when it comes to ground clearance, suspension travel and suspension fluidness. To allow the front suspension (double wishbone) to travel at least two studs, the expanded angle of the wishbones and steering rods had to be about 20 degrees. This meant that the steering rods needed a lot of space to move. For example, the 8L axles with end-stop holding the lower suspension arms, had to be 'naked' near the steering rods. Btw, I used @Limga's solution for tying the HoG to the steering rods, thanks again for your suggestion. Eventually I managed to get a simple setup for the front axles, which is form-locked width-wise and allows for the desired 2 studs travel. Also the ground clearance in the front is 2+ studs.

For the rear suspension (trailing arm) I first of all dropped the shock absorbers, because - as @Erik Leppen already suspected - when fully compressed, the shocks made an almost 180 degree angle and got locked, i.e. did not expand again. I did manage to get firm trailing arms though, which are mounted at three points. These reinforced trailing arm assemblies allow for smooth movement and keep the rear wheels nicely straight up. Also here I managed to get the desired 2 studs travel and 2+ studs ground clearance.

But the main challenge was to get the right fluidness into the suspension. The model needed to sink into the suspension a little, but the suspension also needed to be able to return easily. Getting that balance right, gives this behavior as if all wheels are glued to the ground. Where one wheel compresses, another should expand. I first tried with rubber connectors, but they give too much resistance with the least of expansion. Eventually I found salvation in silicon bands. With silicon bands I managed to tune the tension so precisely, that I could get the exact desired behavior. One thing that was very important in that tuning process, was symmetry. That is, the silicon bands should not pull the suspension arm - wishbone in the front or trailing arm in the back - sideways. That would have immediate effect on the ease of movement. Another thing I wanted to avoid, was to have the silicon bands run underneath the chassis, for I didn't want them to be the closest to ground. So after a full day of fine tuning this was the end result:

Eventually I managed to get 2+ studs ground clearance overall and 2 studs suspension travel all around. And of course, it's rock solid too .

Edited April 28, 2020 by Didumos69

[amorti]

3 hours ago, nerdsforprez said:

trying to argue that official models were just as good as the best MOCers.   Lol.... I don't think I even need to say anything more.... 

+1

The last two things I built were Didumos's greyhound, and the Porsche 42096. There's just no comparison.

My 42099 is built as Rocky - it won't be going back to the original model any time soon.

Edited April 28, 2020 by amorti

[Didumos69]

Thanks guys!

Btw, I'm on the fence for adding openable doors, but it does make the flanks more cluttered. For myself it wouldn't add much. Who wants openable doors when you have interesting things like steering, suspension, drivetrain and engine. But maybe for the contest I should...?

Edited April 28, 2020 by Didumos69