[MOC] Vintage Rally Coupé (42098 scale)

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

TC18 is behind. But it left me with kind of a bitter taste, so I wanted to build some more. I had very few car-specific parts at the time, namely no wheel arches and only one, 4-studs wide differential.
I got 42098 very late in the contest, a bit too late to start over, so I submitted my little Hot Rod as is. And it ended up not getting the love I thought it deserved. So I took apart 42098's blue car and started a new TC18 build, just for fun.

I wanted at least the same features as my TC18 entry; steering, full suspension, fake engine, gearbox, doors, etc. this time with more realistic looks. This is what I ended up with:

I'm really happy with how all features work; the wheels never get to touch the arches, there's still a bit of ground clearance when the suspensions are all the way down, everything moves easily yet the structure is quite sturdy.
It's not designed after an actual model, but the inspiration is 70's Japanese rally cars, hence the consequent suspension travel.
Bonus; it even fits the lower deck of 42098!

Thanks for watching!

[Edit]:
Latest updates here.

Edited April 8, 2022 by 1980SomethingSpaceGuy
Updated pics

[Jurss]

Looks good, also functions are OK.

[agrof]

Looks very good, I like the oldschool design.  The only thing I would improve is the rear lights - I believe putting them on the corner edges would be more authentic and would add to the vintage spirit.

[TechnicRCRacer]

This model is very cleverly designed! You found an elegant way to implement steering and suspension! I hope you can post instructions/tear downs of the chassis someday.

[astyanax]

I love it! My favorite little detail is how you used a half pin to force the long thin panels (#5 & #6) to snugly close the gap (at the rear corners of the car).

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

4 hours ago, Jurss said:

Looks good, also functions are OK.

Thanks!

57 minutes ago, agrof said:

Looks very good, I like the oldschool design.  The only thing I would improve is the rear lights - I believe putting them on the corner edges would be more authentic and would add to the vintage spirit.

Thank you! Yes, totally agree. I guess now that I'm happy enough to post about it, I can bricklink a few parts to improve on the details.. I've been doing with what I have, which is limited. The essential comes from 42098's blue car itself..

31 minutes ago, TechnicRCRacer said:

This model is very cleverly designed! You found an elegant way to implement steering and suspension! I hope you can post instructions/tear downs of the chassis someday.

Thanks! Well, the geometry of the front axle is not perfect, but it works and is robust. I may take the time to model it since you're interested!

24 minutes ago, astyanax said:

I love it! My favorite little detail is how you used a half pin to force the long thin panels (#5 & #6) to snugly close the gap (at the rear corners of the car).

My favourite twist also! It's bad; the part is under constraint. Yet it flows so much better like that! And honestly, it's quite a light flex: the original shape should not be altered unless they remain like this for years. The triangles supporting them are strong: the panels do not pop out easily: the car can be manipulated without having to take care bout that detail, so I deemed it acceptable. Plus it shows I'm a rebel. Which is kinda part of the fun too. 

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

@agrof I updated the rear end.
I figured those  existed in trans red, but they don't. So I went for an even more retro look with round lights and moved them down. I also added a license plate in the process; I figured I had this unused sticker... Good news is I didn't have to order parts!

Was:

Now:

I think it better matches the rest of the car now.

I also added an exhaust pipe. Not only does it look good, but it strengthens the structure too!

Was:

Now:

Edited July 19, 2020 by 1980SomethingSpaceGuy

[Void_S]

"Incredible!" - that is the only word I can say 

[Teo LEGO Technic]

Looks great! Very well designed little car!

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

On 6/29/2020 at 2:29 PM, Void_S said:

"Incredible!" - that is the only word I can say 

 

On 6/29/2020 at 5:06 PM, Teo LEGO Technic said:

Looks great! Very well designed little car!

Thank you very much! I like it a lot; it's simple yet not simplistic. It's realistic, yet still a toy that I feel safe letting my 3yo play with: nothing should be too easy to break or take apart.
It may be my favourite MOC so far. It rocks!

[Mechbuilds]

I really love this solution you figured out:



That's brilliant!

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

On 7/2/2020 at 8:26 PM, Mechbuilds said:

I really love this solution you figured out

That's brilliant!

Thank you! Took me some time and a lot of tinkering to find a way to bring that steering around the engine. But I'm happy with that solution: simple, compact, easy Pythagorean triangle; it also gears the steering a bit down. Does the job nicely!
Still, the angle of the steering column is a bit too vertical. And also a bit too much off center, but so are the seats because of the gearbox, so it's fine, I guess. 

[All_About_Lego]

You've done a great job with this build! It looks great and there are so many amazing functions that you have crammed into it too!

[agrof]

?, now it does have the vibe! 

Love it, so many clever details. 

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

On 7/4/2020 at 6:56 PM, All_About_Lego said:

You've done a great job with this build! It looks great and there are so many amazing functions that you have crammed into it too!

Thanks! I like small builds; with few parts and space one has to be creative! I would have loved to also add HOG steering; but I haven't figured out a good enough solution.

On 7/4/2020 at 10:47 PM, agrof said:

?, now it does have the vibe! 

Love it, so many clever details. 

It has, hasn't it? 

Thank you! Means a lot, especially from you. Finding smart solutions is what I love when building. And the satisfaction is even greater when I'm not alone to think some detail is elegant.. Cheers! 

Edited July 7, 2020 by 1980SomethingSpaceGuy

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

I reinforced the transmission; it had a tendency to bend. It worked fine, but used to put the axle under constraint. Using one of those  fixed the issue. Of course the teeth are unused and the transmission is kinda bulkier now, but in some sense also more realistic. All in all, I think it's an improvement.

Was:

Now:

[Rudivdk]

This car gets better and better... do you plan on creating instructions for it? I'd love to build it some time.

Or maybe I'll just start reverse engineering from the photo's, that'll be double the fun

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

On 7/20/2020 at 9:21 PM, Rudivdk said:

This car gets better and better... do you plan on creating instructions for it? I'd love to build it some time.

Thank you so much! Yes, in fact I'm in the process of modeling it right now. It feels a lot like reverse engineering indeed, even with the actual model at hand. 

And it's only the first step; I'll have to think a lot about how to create building instructions that make sense; some axle with stop for example are both structural and used by the steering: they go all the way through the chassis from the outside and hold small parts inside frames... Not particularly user friendly to build.. 

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

On 6/24/2020 at 9:31 PM, TechnicRCRacer said:

I hope you can post instructions/tear downs of the chassis someday.

I've started modeling it! First thing I tackled is front axle, so I can already show you this:

[TechnicRCRacer]

@1980SomethingSpaceGuyI’m thrilled! Keep up the good work, I’m definitely building that!

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

@TechnicRCRacer @Rudivdk

Modeling is finished! Stud.io file is here: Vintage Rally Coupe.io

I now have to look into creating proper instructions. But I guess the model file as it is already allows to build it; anyone here should be able to figure out 

Grand total: 843 parts. You'll find most of them in 42098, but a few other sources are required; the trickiest may be the L-shaped 2 x 4 liftarms in dark azure; black should be a good enough alternative.

There are 2 cases of collisions in the 3D model. One is due to a bug around the driving ring connector (axles driven all the way inside as they should be cause a collision detection); the other due to a very slight constraint on the A-pillars (which is barely noticeable when actually building them).

Of course shocks are extended and the panels are not snugged inside, but you get the idea, right? 

Enjoy! Cheers!

Edited July 25, 2020 by 1980SomethingSpaceGuy

[Rudivdk]

Cool, thanx for the heads up. I'll have to find me a .io to .ldr convertor, as I only use LDraw based software. But that's not an issue, I'll manage.

Btw, I almost finished the instructions for my own TC18 entry 'Dart', will share them soon too.

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

7 minutes ago, Rudivdk said:

Cool, thanx for the heads up. I'll have to find me a .io to .ldr convertor, as I only use LDraw based software. But that's not an issue, I'll manage.

Btw, I almost finished the instructions for my own TC18 entry 'Dart', will share them soon too.

Here you go: Vintage Rally Coupe.ldr

Which software do you use? I was not convinced by TLG's Digital Designer, but haven't tried any other than Stud.io. Which is really good, IMO.

[Rudivdk]

Thanx man! Gonna be a long night tonight...

I use LDCad, together with LPud3D for generating instruction PDF's (with LDView as internal renderer). LDCad is not the easiest program to master, but I think it is the most versatile and powerful LDraw CAD tool. It's (again) a matter of personal taste I think. Plus: the creator of LDCad Roland Melkert is an active member here on EB ('roland') and still expanding the software, also on user request.

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

Thanks for the insight! I'll give LDCad a try.