Honda Civic Type R (FK8)

[All_About_Lego]

Hello! I'm relatively new to Eurobricks - I have had an account for a while but have never really used it that much - over the last few weeks however, mainly whilst viewing some of the incredible entries for TC18, I have been wondering why on earth I haven't used this great website more?!

So, as I would like to begin to use Eurobricks more often, I have decided to use it to document the building process of one of my current MOCs - a Honda Civic Type R (FK8), I have actually been working on this for quite some time, and some of you may have possibly seen my 'behind the build' videos already on my YouTube channel where I have also documented most stages of the building process.

Before the photos begin, I will quickly explain my goal when I started this project: I wanted to have a go at creating a version of the Type R out of Lego which looks as close as possible to the real thing, as well as being functional and robust. Another important part of this build for me personally was that I wanted it to be the best thing I had ever built - I have seen many incredible MOCs created by others and I guess they inspired me to want to have a go myself, hence why this MOC has been in 'production' for so long so far (I wouldn't particularly describe myself as a quick builder...) 

Oh, and one quick thing - this build will be multicoloured until it is finished, I will get all of the correct-coloured pieces delivered once its ready!

So, over a year ago I started with the rear independent suspension - this has remained pretty much exactly the same ever since:

Rear suspension by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

The middle section of the chassis was then built off of that rear suspension - along with a space for the battery box in the rear of the car:

Start of Chassis by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

To finish the chassis, I then figured out where the m-motor for steering would go, along with the L-motor to power the front wheel drive. The steering system you can see in the following photo was also added - although this was changed at a later stage for various reasons as you will soon see.

Complete Chassis by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

The bodywork was my next focus - I started with the rear of the car, in particular focusing on the rear grilles, exhausts and other details - one of my favourite non-Technic pieces has to be the 3L and 4L bars - so I had to use them somewhere!

Rear Vents by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

Rear Details by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

I then rushed ahead and tackled some other areas of the bodywork as you can see in the photo below - this was a mistake however, because pretty much none of it is still on the car in its current state!

The start of some bodywork by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

The rear lights came next - I haven't touched these since, but I am aware that they need a little bit of tweaking to get them right!

Progress on the rear by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

Rear Lights by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

The rear of the car by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

As I mentioned earlier - the original steering wasn't quite up-to-scratch, so I decided to have another go - this time I wanted to make a front wheel drive steering system which was both compact and had a virtual pivot point - two things which the original version lacked! It took me a few attempts to get this system right (the hardest part was figuring out a way to actually link the steering to the motor), but I was pretty happy with the result. The steering system uses a 'floating' diff held in with my favourite pieces (bars) to keep it nice and compact:

Steering idea by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

Steering idea by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

Steering solution by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

Steering in the car by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

Then I moved on to one of the most tricky parts of this build so far - the front - I mean, just look at it, there are different angles everywhere! However, It is probably also my favourite part of this build so far.

Working on the front by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

The final front part of the car by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

My car was looking lonely without its doors - so I had a go at recreating them next, the front doors are made up of multiple different angles - I still need to work on the strength of them a bit, but I like them - I also really wanted to integrate that large panel into the door to get a bit more Technic into this build!

Testing front door fitment by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

Front door - External by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

Front door - internal by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

Front door by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

As a break from the doors, I moved onto the engine bay - sadly there isn't really room for a working engine in here, so I have decided to just build a fake one instead:

Engine Bay by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

AAAANNNDDDD back to the doors - but the rear ones this time, they are built in a similar way to the front ones - just a bit more compact, however I may need to change these a bit to ensure that they can actually open and close (I was stupid enough to completely forget about the purpose of a door when I was building these!)

Rear Door - internal by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

Rear + Front door by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

Rear + Front door by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

Rear + Front door by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

Parts of the interior came next - including these seats - the design has been slightly updated since however - I also tried to include a slight hint of Technic into these as I have done with the doors.

Front Seats by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

Front Seats by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

many MOCS feature cool 3D printed wheels to finish them off - and as I had experimented with this before I decided to design my own for the Type R - once I had given them a lick of paint they were good to go:

Wheel Design by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

3D printed wheels by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

Wheels on the car by All.About.Lego, on Flickr

And that's roughly where I'm up to now - I have made a bit more progress since, including the dashboard and wheel arches, but I will give an update on these soon.

If you have read and seen everything above, then thank you! and I hope I haven't just sent you all to sleep. Of course, If you are interested in this build then feel free to check out my 'Behind the Build' series on my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ77E25jCkPtCT1SqolFfbg?view_as=subscriber

Please let me know what you think so far - constructive criticism is welcome! I will keep you all updated when I make some more progress!

[Go-Kart]

Imho, the body of the real car is a real mess but your replication is super interesting with clever solutions for all those angles!

Is the floating differential wobbling in all directions because of the virtual steering point? How well does it match with the bevel gear when it is not perpendicular to the bevel gear?

[Jurss]

Pretty good replication already.

[1gor]

Ugly car, but your representation is great; specially front part

[nahpets]

I have been following your you tube series! 

Its great to see your videos and insights to how you design all the elements.

not a huge fan of the car but waiting to see the finished product 

[Gray Gear]

I have seen some of your Vids on youtube, the 3D printing was very inspirational. I have my own 3D printer in the works now, and I want to print wheels for my MOCs as well.

What are you using as a Printer case btw?

[All_About_Lego]

1 hour ago, Go-Kart said:

Imho, the body of the real car is a real mess but your replication is super interesting with clever solutions for all those angles!

Is the floating differential wobbling in all directions because of the virtual steering point? How well does it match with the bevel gear when it is not perpendicular to the bevel gear?

I suppose it isn't exactly the most beautiful of cars, but thank you!

The floating diff is actually pretty solid - that's because the whole diff, along with the bevel gear is still inside the usual 5x7 Technic frame - this can be seen in one of the steering photos if you look really closely - basically, the whole frame moves with the gear and differential inside rather than just the diff itself, if that makes sense?

1 hour ago, Jurss said:

Pretty good replication already.

thank you!

57 minutes ago, I_Igor said:

Ugly car, but your representation is great; specially front part

Yeah, I guess it's not the best looking of vehicles - but thanks!

[TechnicRCRacer]

I have been watching your progress on YouTube! You are a very talented builder.

[All_About_Lego]

39 minutes ago, nahpets said:

I have been following your you tube series! 

Its great to see your videos and insights to how you design all the elements.

not a huge fan of the car but waiting to see the finished product 

That's good to hear! Thank you

23 minutes ago, Gray Gear said:

I have seen some of your Vids on youtube, the 3D printing was very inspirational. I have my own 3D printer in the works now, and I want to print wheels for my MOCs as well.

What are you using as a Printer case btw?

Great to hear that! 3D printing wheels is definitely a great addition to any MOC.

I actually made the case myself fairly recently- using a shelf in my IKEA wardrobe (this makes up the back and sides of the case), I then made a small filament spool holder out of some metal brackets, and 3D printed some 'tracks' which I could slide some perspex sheets into. I also added a hinged front door made out of perspex and sealed it all with some silicone sealant.

3 minutes ago, TechnicRCRacer said:

I have been watching your progress on YouTube! You are a very talented builder.

I'm glad to hear it - and thank you very much

[Go-Kart]

33 minutes ago, All_About_Lego said:

I suppose it isn't exactly the most beautiful of cars, but thank you!

The floating diff is actually pretty solid - that's because the whole diff, along with the bevel gear is still inside the usual 5x7 Technic frame - this can be seen in one of the steering photos if you look really closely - basically, the whole frame moves with the gear and differential inside rather than just the diff itself, if that makes sense?

I do like and appreciate the previous Civic for its unusual  but clean lines. The current one is just to much (many members seem to agree) but certainly a challenge to replicate in Lego!

Yeah now I see the two joint going from the motor to the 5x7 frame. Ingenious!

[All_About_Lego]

50 minutes ago, Go-Kart said:

I do like and appreciate the previous Civic for its unusual  but clean lines. The current one is just to much (many members seem to agree) but certainly a challenge to replicate in Lego!

Yeah now I see the two joint going from the motor to the 5x7 frame. Ingenious!

I think I agree to be honest - but as you say, it is quite a challenge which is the main reason I chose it!

And thank you!

[2GodBDGlory]

I, for one, quite like the Type R, and having built a 1:8 scale one, I know just how hard they are to build! I appreciate all the detail you are giving us on the build process; it is very interesting. You are doing a great job with the aesthetic, too!

[All_About_Lego]

7 hours ago, 2GodBDGlory said:

I, for one, quite like the Type R, and having built a 1:8 scale one, I know just how hard they are to build! I appreciate all the detail you are giving us on the build process; it is very interesting. You are doing a great job with the aesthetic, too!

I quite like it myself, but I do also understand why others may find it ugly. And thank you very much - have you got any photos of your 1:8 scale one anywhere?

[MinusAndy]

I’ve been following this on Flickr. Really nice build. 
The type R looks like it was designed using Lego anyway so yours looks bang on!

[Gray Gear]

1 hour ago, All_About_Lego said:

I quite like it myself, but I do also understand why others may find it ugly.

I dont think it looks bad, but I many people, including me, dislike the type R for its massive fake vents. Some people call it "riced from factory". I too think it would be better if the fake vents weren't there. It looks cheap and produces additional drag.

The design of the rear is just not for everbody.

Edited May 14, 2020 by Gray Gear

[All_About_Lego]

10 hours ago, Gray Gear said:

I dont think it looks bad, but I many people, including me, dislike the type R for its massive fake vents. Some people call it "riced from factory". I too think it would be better if the fake vents weren't there. It looks cheap and produces additional drag.

The design of the rear is just not for everbody.

I can understand that, and yeah, to be honest I would say myself that the rear is the worst part of the car

[2GodBDGlory]

I have posted my Type R on MocPages, but that site hasn't worked in a long time, so I can't give you a link to it.

Perhaps soon I will post my old MOCs on here, since the site seems to be more used. 

Does anyone have some advice for how I should post MOCs here? Mainly I would like to know if it is an acceptable format to simply copy and paste my old posts onto here, with lots of pictures and text.

Thanks!

[ArsMan064]

Have seen your "behind the build" videos. Very interesting project with increible progress. I will say again: you are one of the best lego builders I know. Keep it up!

[All_About_Lego]

12 hours ago, ArsMan064 said:

Have seen your "behind the build" videos. Very interesting project with increible progress. I will say again: you are one of the best lego builders I know. Keep it up!

I'm glad you've seen my videos! - And it means a lot to hear that - I appreciate it!

On 5/14/2020 at 9:31 AM, MinusAndy said:

I’ve been following this on Flickr. Really nice build. 
The type R looks like it was designed using Lego anyway so yours looks bang on!

Thank you very much! Haha - I guess that's why It's the perfect car to build!

[JoshsTechnicWorkshop]

Do you have the file of the rims? I'm interested.