MOC Mclaren Senna 1:8 (2nd version finished!)

[langko]

EDIT: Second rendition is now finished. The presentation is on page 4. ORIGINAL COMMENT AFTER THE PHOTO.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey everyone, been reading for a while but never made an account. Mainly because I didn't feel like I had anything worthwhile to contribute...

Some of you might of seen this already on youtube or reddit but given lego's announcement of the GTR I figured I'd share my 1:8 version here.

Inspired by some of the awesome builders on this forum I decided to use the heavy lockdowns this year to attempt my own MOC. I hope this inspires some of you to try the same, you don't know what you can do until you try it. This was very challenging to make, but a lot of fun. 

 

I know this forum isn't made for lots of photos so I'll only post a few. Please check out the rest of the photos on my Flickr album: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmSghJoP

INFO:

Exterior presented in dark azure with white accents. Model could be built in all black, white and yellow as well. Red, orange and lime are missing pieces.

Interior presented in dark blue, black and metallic silver.

3200g weight

60cm/27cm/15cm = L/W/H

3500ish pieces, maybe more.

Working suspension.

Working steering with removable HOG. Right hand drive because I'm from Australia

Manually openable butterfly doors (with transparent sections in the sides and roof)

N+7 speed gearbox controlled by a single switch on the dash. Stoppers to prevent shifting from N-8 or 8-N

Fake V8 engine

Parking feature

Openable "hood"

Manually adjustable rear wing

Foldable dash

Youtube video with all functions: 

The model underwent some revisions since the video upload...

Interior redone in metallic silver, as well as adding the foldable dash

Blacked out rims (only non-lego part in the model) with dark blue brake calipers

Blacked out diffuser tips at rear

Redone some of the bodywork, mainly improving the areas around the front wheels and lights, as well as slightly adjusting the mounting of the rear wing

Thanks for reading! Enjoy the model.

PS: to answer some common questions I've been asked...

This is NOT a B-model to the Chiron, it relies heavily on the Chiron as a part donor but there are still lots of extra parts needed.

There will not be instructions

 

Edited September 29, 2021 by langko

[astyanax]

As someone who's never built a 1:8 car from scratch before, I'm very impressed but also a little intimidated...

In your flickr album I also noticed some nice edits to the headlights of your Porsche and Lamborghini -- I presume the latter glow in the dark?

[Jeroen Ottens]

Wow, a very impressive model! It looks stunning, but it also feels sturdy/stiff at the same time. How long did you work on this?

[Bartybum]

For a first model this is amazing. Looks just like the real thing. Given that it's already blue, I'd be interested to see you turn this into the GTR version

Edited November 20, 2020 by Bartybum

[LvdH]

I saw it on youtube a while ago. Amazing model! 

[Zerobricks]

Well done. What stands out to me the most are the scissor doors, the way you managed to make them work without using the ball joints. I would exchange the stacked beams in front with a 3x11 or 5x11 flat panels though.

Edited November 20, 2020 by Zerobricks

[Gray Gear]

Very nice model, and definatelly a very good shot for your first MOC!

While I do think the Senna is very ugly, I can still appreachiate the model.

I like the working gearbox that is fully visible from below, that is always cool to watch. But I would have liked some paddleshifters better than that weird turning beam on the dashboard.

The bodywork has a nice flow, exept or the front wheel arches right above the wheel. The scissor doors are very nice.

4 minutes ago, Zerobricks said:

I would exchange the stacked beams in front with a 3x11 or 5x11 flat panels in front though.

Normally I would agree, but I think in this case the rounded edges of the stacked liftarms do look better than the open pinholes of a panel.

[JintaiZ]

Wow... such a beautiful model! You've captured all the details perfectly!

[sm1995]

Stunning!! I think you captured the lines of the car really well!

When they released the senna, I thought it was the perfect car to be recreated in technic because of its bodywork. I started my own project to build one but it went nowhere thanks to work, I’m glad that someone realized the dream I had years ago! 

Edited November 20, 2020 by sm1995

[MinusAndy]

Fantastic moc. I really like the front intakes/light area.

This has less than one page of replies.....

lego official mclaren senna model with hardly any functions and barely recognisable as the real car. 6 pages! 
 

[langko]

10 hours ago, astyanax said:

As someone who's never built a 1:8 car from scratch before, I'm very impressed but also a little intimidated...

 

10 hours ago, Bartybum said:

For a first model this is amazing. Looks just like the real thing. Given that it's already blue, I'd be interested to see you turn this into the GTR version

 

10 hours ago, LvdH said:

I saw it on youtube a while ago. Amazing model! 

 

6 hours ago, JintaiZ said:

Wow... such a beautiful model! You've captured all the details perfectly!

Thanks guys, appreciate the comments! GTR version probably not, I struggled enough with this haha

10 hours ago, Jeroen Ottens said:

Wow, a very impressive model! It looks stunning, but it also feels sturdy/stiff at the same time. How long did you work on this?

Thank you. You loose track of time when you are in the creative zone, but easily 100 hours... Structual integrity was a huge problem, and in many places the models is over engineered to help with this. The middle segment between the seats is only 3 studs wide by 4 high, that combined with very little roof and most of the sides of the car being part of the door, caused lots of issues. The sides between the seats and the doors are 2 studs thick which is what helps make the car so rigid. Lots of bigger panels in the chassis helps too.

9 hours ago, Zerobricks said:

Well done. What stands out to me the most are the scissor doors, the way you managed to make them work without using the ball joints. I would exchange the stacked beams in front with a 3x11 or 5x11 flat panels though.

Thankyou, There is actually a ball joint on the hinge near the mirrors. Parts 32174/32474, but they are pretty well hidden. The big panels didn’t work... like Gary mentioned the beams create a rounder look on the front, otherwise I would’ve had to do something with system bricks. Plus by using a big panel I couldn’t attach it to the car like I have here.

9 hours ago, Gray Gear said:

Very nice model, and definatelly a very good shot for your first MOC!

While I do think the Senna is very ugly, I can still appreachiate the model.

I like the working gearbox that is fully visible from below, that is always cool to watch. But I would have liked some paddleshifters better than that weird turning beam on the dashboard.

The bodywork has a nice flow, exept or the front wheel arches right above the wheel. The scissor doors are very nice.

Thank you! Haha I actually quite like the look (wouldn’t have tried to make a lego one otherwise haha) I actually saw one in person late last year and was blown away, that was a big influence in me deciding to make this model. 

I was waiting for someone to mention the paddle shifters. And the honest answer was I simply wasn’t clever enough to think of something compact enough to fit. There is very little room in the model... mainly because the interior is already quite squashed in the senna, the car was built quite thick to make it strong enough, and because of the doors. I struggled with keeping the door in the open position, gravity just wants to slam it shut. The solution was to have a support fold out of the side of the car when the door is opened. If you look at the interior photo on Flickr you will see this in action (9l black beam and grey beam with socket) This worked really well, the trade off was when the door is closed those beams fold back inside the car taking up a lot of space. They only just miss the steering column on the drivers side. In the end I chose for a cleaner, de cluttered interior and a simpler more playable method of changing the gears. Now with the experience of making this I will try and include more bells and whistles in my next MOC. 

As for the arches this was easily one of the most painful parts. Trying to capture the correct look from above and the side, whilst giving enough room for the doors to open and the wheels to turn was a huge challenge. In the video version this is agreeably the worst part of the model. However since I revised it for the photo version I’m quite happy with it, I honestly don’t think I could’ve done much better with the part availability in dark azure. If you have any suggestions I would be happy to hear them. If only I had the powers of LEGO and could create new wheel arch pieces whenever I wanted 

3 hours ago, sm1995 said:

Stunning!! I think you captured the lines of the car really well!

When they released the senna, I thought it was the perfect car to be recreated in technic because of its bodywork. I started my own project to build one but it went nowhere thanks to work, I’m glad that someone realized the dream I had years ago! 

Thankyou! Couldn’t agree more! The crazy angles made it challenging but lots of fun. I did see your project, I wish you got to finish it, but I understand that life gets in the way of things sometimes.

2 hours ago, MinusAndy said:

Fantastic moc. I really like the front intakes/light area.

This has less than one page of replies.....

lego official mclaren senna model with hardly any functions and barely recognisable as the real car. 6 pages! 
 

Thankyou, I worked quite hard on that area. 

Im not too fussed about that, if my model can inspire 1 person I’m happy. 

It does make sense though, no one else can make this, Lego’s model is something anyone will be able to buy of the shelf, so of course a lot of people are going to be interested in it

[Jerry LEGO Creations]

I’ve said it before, but awesome work! One of the best 1:8 scale cars I’ve seen!

Edited November 20, 2020 by Jerry LEGO Creations

[2GodBDGlory]

Great job on the aesthetic!

[chlego]

Wonderful build! WELL DONE

I am building the same right now, though in orange. I've just finished the chassis, and I included an adjustable suspension, as on the real car.

Maybe you could try to add one too?

Edited November 21, 2020 by chlego

[brunojj1]

Really nice job you have done here ! Especially if this is supposed to be you first MOC (which I strongly doubt). You have reached many of your self imposed goals regarding the functionality. Not least the great body shapes you have managed to replicate which makes the car instantly recognizeable. One thing which bothers me are the front wheelhouses - the use of sloped bricks seem to be not the perfect choice.

The first time I got familiar with the McLaren Senna, there was an article with few pictures somewhere. In the first sentence the author was saying something like "It looks like a Lego car". I didn´t like the shape so much compared to the P1, but I couldn´t agree more on that sentence.

Edited November 21, 2020 by brunojj1

[langko]

23 hours ago, Jerry LEGO Creations said:

I’ve said it before, but awesome work! One of the best 1:8 scale cars I’ve seen!

 

23 hours ago, 2GodBDGlory said:

Great job on the aesthetic!

Thanks guys!

12 hours ago, chlego said:

Wonderful build! WELL DONE

I am building the same right now, though in orange. I've just finished the chassis, and I included an adjustable suspension, as on the real car.

Maybe you could try to add one too?

Thankyou, I did think of that but felt that was a bit extreme for my first try, I’m happy I just got the suspension to work well as it is  I’ll try it for my next MOC 

Good luck with yours! I feel like orange could be slightly harder because no 5/6 panel? This model uses 6 of each and I don’t think I could have done without them... that said there are lots of other parts available in orange that aren’t in dark azure, so it working with what you’ve got I guess.

10 hours ago, brunojj1 said:

Really nice job you have done here ! Especially if this is supposed to be you first MOC (which I strongly doubt). You have reached many of your self imposed goals regarding the functionality. Not least the great body shapes you have managed to replicate which makes the car instantly recognizeable. One thing which bothers me are the front wheelhouses - the use of sloped bricks seem to be not the perfect choice.

The first time I got familiar with the McLaren Senna, there was an article with few pictures somewhere. In the first sentence the author was saying something like "It looks like a Lego car". I didn´t like the shape so much compared to the P1, but I couldn´t agree more on that sentence.

Wow, really appreciate that coming from you. Your models were a huge inspiration. It is my first MOC. I’ve been making origami for nearly 20 years, built lots of LEGO sets as a child, and I’ve worked as a mechanical fitter/assembler, working on gearboxes and vehicles... so while this is my first time making a LEGO MOC, I’ve been building stuff my whole life. 

Yes, if you read my above reply the front wheelhouses were a nightmare. I was really starting to suffer from the lack of part availability and I almost didn’t complete the car due to that area. It’s agreeably not perfect but was the best I could come up. I tried flex axles but the shortest in dark azure is 16 and that was too long. I’d love to hear any suggestions you might have? Interestingly enough the car can be replicated as it is using yellow, given the extra parts that come in that colour in regards to connectors and shorter flex axles, I’m sure I could come up with something more “perfect” using that colour scheme. However acquiring all the parts needed in yellow would be a stupidly expensive task.

I 100% agree with your closing comment. The P1 is better looking but there’s something about the Sennas angles and lines that suit LEGO really well. As I’m sure you’re well aware though, putting the pieces on those angles is much easier said than done  

Edited November 21, 2020 by langko

[Bartybum]

Is the structure designed in a way that you can take the bodywork off to get a look at the chassis underneath?

[langko]

42 minutes ago, Bartybum said:

Is the structure designed in a way that you can take the bodywork off to get a look at the chassis underneath?

Nope, it’s solid as a rock. In most places the bodywork and chassis are completely intertwined. Even the parts of the bodywork that were built in individual modules are attached in such a way that they aren’t coming off without severe dismantling. The doors are easy to remove but that’s about it. This is definitely no where near the level of T-Lego, Brunojj1 and Charbel, where the car can come apart in a dozen or so perfect individual modules

Edited November 21, 2020 by langko

[suffocation]

Easily one of the best-looking supercars I've ever seen here

[syphoon]

For a first-time MOC, this is a pretty insane model, it's really amazing! Well done.

[Rudivdk]

Great first MOC! Although I personally can't keep all the 1:8 scale MOCs of similar looking supercars apart anymore, one part on this MOC really stands out for me: those trans-red long shooter 'missiles' as rear lights are genius!! I haven't seen it used like this before, might have to 'borrow' that idea somewhere in the future

[langko]

On 11/22/2020 at 8:27 AM, suffocation said:

Easily one of the best-looking supercars I've ever seen here

 

On 11/23/2020 at 9:47 AM, syphoon said:

For a first-time MOC, this is a pretty insane model, it's really amazing! Well done.

Thankyou, glad you both like it!

18 hours ago, Rudivdk said:

Great first MOC! Although I personally can't keep all the 1:8 scale MOCs of similar looking supercars apart anymore, one part on this MOC really stands out for me: those trans-red long shooter 'missiles' as rear lights are genius!! I haven't seen it used like this before, might have to 'borrow' that idea somewhere in the future

Thanks! Yes, agreeable this is really nothing different. It looks different but apart from the parking feature it’s pretty much all your usual stuff with a different shell over it all. Glad you noticed the rear lights! They were the perfect part for this model. That and the trans black flags in the doors are my favourite part usage in the model, both of which I haven’t seen done before. 

[Ethan0080]

Talking about this car. I found a similar one in rebrickable one night in 1:8 scale. But it was removed in like 5 mins. Lucky i was able to download the Lxf file.

[langko]

7 hours ago, Ethan0080 said:

Talking about this car. I found a similar one in rebrickable one night in 1:8 scale. But it was removed in like 5 mins. Lucky i was able to download the Lxf file.

In dark azure? I saw an orange one on rebrickabke a few weeks ago that got deleted. The photos are still on Flickr... https://www.flickr.com/photos/187608035@N06/?

 

[Gray Gear]

I dont want ro be rude to the other designer, but imo this one looks a lot cleaner than the orange one. Well done