[TC21] Technic Transforming Vehicle Contest - Information Topic (Extended to 31st)

[Jim]

12 minutes ago, Seasider said:

I think too many people are getting caught up in the other functions. I’m sure what the contest is after is a great transformation and the movement of either model should be secondary 

Exactly. I appreciate that people want to go the extra mile, but sometimes less is more.

[Appie]

6 hours ago, Seasider said:

I think too many people are getting caught up in the other functions. I’m sure what the contest is after is a great transformation and the movement of either model should be secondary 

In my defense: it is secondary in my plan. 

I don't want to drag this out, Jim/Eurobricks doesn't want it in the rules and that's the end of it, but felt a need to at least mention this. 

[Jim]

47 minutes ago, Appie said:

I don't want to drag this out, Jim/Eurobricks doesn't want it in the rules and that's the end of it, but felt a need to at least mention this. 

No worries! Your question was valid. And I had to think about it 

[kodlovag]

One week after the announcement of a contest there are usually 10+ [TCxx] [WIP] tagged topics. Now I can only find a single one.

I'm thinking since a week, what sould I build, but I have no idea. I checked the internet, what exists in the real world as a transforming vehicle. Not much. Transforming into a robot-like thing (similar to the sample image), and caravan/trailer enlarging in volume, and something like the winner of TC12.

I'm afraid, this contest is a bit too hard, because requires some very original idea first...

[Jim]

Adhere to the KISS methodology. I would love to see a modern version of the example image  

[Jundis]

5 hours ago, kodlovag said:

because requires some very original idea first...

Have the same problem. I started with a physical model this time cause the transformation action really is a thing of balance if you want a walking (for my MOC more of a shambling) movement. Can't say if I participate :-/

[marcus2388]

6 hours ago, kodlovag said:

I'm thinking since a week, what sould I build, but I have no idea. I checked the internet, what exists in the real world as a transforming vehicle. Not much. Transforming into a robot-like thing (similar to the sample image), and caravan/trailer enlarging in volume, and something like the winner of TC12.

There are surprisingly few transforming vehicles in “real-“ or “movie-life”. Those few vehicles which can be built in Lego, have already been built dozens of times in Lego…
Like KITT, or the submerging James Bond Lotus Esprit… or of course the Back To The Future DeLorean.

There are mostly those vehicles left, which were only able to “perform” their transformation with camera trickery and different cars… like the flying car from Phantomas:
https://www.wheels.ca/news/citroen-ds-rocket-powered-flying-car/
they had one car with no wings for driving… one additional car which slides way too short wings from under the car to the outside… and a final car which had longer wings (with additional moving wing extensions) to finalize the “transformation” and do the “flying”-scenes.
So – there is no chance to build an accurate scaled down version of that car… because the main part of the wing (without the extension) is already longer than the wheelbase of the car… in which that main part of the wing should be stored when driving. 

Also: the most annoying thing when doing “transforming vehicles”-research is the vast amount of Hollywood Transformer-nonsense. That moronic franchise makes the google search totally useless. 
 

[ChrisO]

When I saw this contest I was immediately enthusiastic, because transforming vehicles made me think back of my 2 favorite childhood activities (Transformers and Lego). Back in those days I spend hours and hours building Transformers with my Lego and watching the series on tv. How cool would it be to build an actual transforming transformer with Lego Technic. During my research to find the perfect Transformer for this contest I came across this cool Lego transforming Rally car build by Nico71:

I quickly found out that the big problem/challenge building an actual remote controlled Transformer with Lego Technic is, that when transforming the whole body has to come off the ground from the feet up somehow. The feet need to be really heavy to counter the weight of the rest of the body going up. The balancing issue becomes an even bigger issue when you realize that you have to squeeze that bulky/heavy battery-box somewhere up higher in the body (in robot form).
I would like to keep the transformation authentic to the real Transformer, but it is practically impossible to keep a transforming vehicle (car) in balance on 2 relatively small/light feet. Nico71's way to balance it with the rear wheels is genius, But I don't want to copy his technique and it doesn't suit a bad-megablocks Transformer anyway. It would look a like bad-megablocks robot with a walker behind it to keep it from falling over...

[2GodBDGlory]

1 hour ago, ChrisO said:

When I saw this contest I was immediately enthusiastic, because transforming vehicles made me think back of my 2 favorite childhood activities (Transformers and Lego). Back in those days I spend hours and hours building Transformers with my Lego and watching the series on tv. How cool would it be to build an actual transforming transformer with Lego Technic. During my research to find the perfect Transformer for this contest I came across this cool Lego transforming Rally car build by Nico71:

I quickly found out that the big problem/challenge building an actual remote controlled Transformer with Lego Technic is, that when transforming the whole body has to come off the ground from the feet up somehow. The feet need to be really heavy to counter the weight of the rest of the body going up. The balancing issue becomes an even bigger issue when you realize that you have to squeeze that bulky/heavy battery-box somewhere up higher in the body (in robot form).
I would like to keep the transformation authentic to the real Transformer, but it is practically impossible to keep a transforming vehicle (car) in balance on 2 relatively small/light feet. Nico71's way to balance it with the rear wheels is genius, But I don't want to copy his technique and it doesn't suit a bad-megablocks Transformer anyway. It would look a like bad-megablocks robot with a walker behind it to keep it from falling over...

Yeah, a car-to-bipedal-robot transformation is very hard. You could try modeling a different sort of Transformer, though. I believe I recall seeing some 4-legged Transformers toys at one point.

[Appie]

4 hours ago, ChrisO said:

The balancing issue becomes an even bigger issue when you realize that you have to squeeze that bulky/heavy battery-box somewhere up higher in the body (in robot form).

I was thinking of perhaps using 2 city hubs and put them in the legs. Would solve the weight problem for the most of it when transforming. 

That transformer from Nico71 is quite a benchmark I must say. Amazing work. 

[SaperPL]

@Jim - I know I'm a bit late to the party with this note, but I'd consider allowing the transformation to be spring loaded (shock absorbers, rubber bands and pull-back motors), instead of requiring a powered motor as long as the whole transformation happens by single action (button press, removing a locking axle etc). Motor requirement may be reducing the number of contestants. With that said, I'm going with RC myself, so it's not like advocating for my own entry to be clear.

Edited November 27, 2021 by SaperPL

[howitzer]

4 minutes ago, SaperPL said:

@Jim - I know I'm a bit late to the party with this note, but I'd consider allowing the transformation to be spring loaded (shock absorbers, rubber bands and pull-back motors), instead of requiring a powered motor as long as the whole transformation happens by single action (button press, removing a locking axle etc). Motor requirement may be reducing the number of contestants. With that said, I'm going with RC myself, so it's not like advocating for my own entry to be clear.

How about transformation that is spring-loaded, but a motor must be used to wind up the spring?

[SaperPL]

1 minute ago, howitzer said:

How about transformation that is spring-loaded, but a motor must be used to wind up the spring?

My whole point is that if someone can manage to make the transformation based on shock absorbers and rubber bands, then he could be able to enter without motors.

Sometime ago someone told me that as a kid he was building exploding cars that had been made in a way that once the axle coming out of the front bumper was pressed in, the car fell apart, and this is kind of approach I was thinking about - if you can make a model that completes the transformation on its own if you remove the lock from it, we could have more entries from people who don't have RC pieces.

[Jundis]

Jim mentioned, that "It needs to be able to transform back and forth" on site 2. Would that still be possible?

[Jim]

19 minutes ago, SaperPL said:

@Jim - I know I'm a bit late to the party with this note, but I'd consider allowing the transformation to be spring loaded (shock absorbers, rubber bands and pull-back motors), instead of requiring a powered motor as long as the whole transformation happens by single action (button press, removing a locking axle etc). Motor requirement may be reducing the number of contestants. With that said, I'm going with RC myself, so it's not like advocating for my own entry to be clear.

Transformation back and forth and no manual intervention.

[SaperPL]

Just now, Jim said:

Transformation back and forth and no manual intervention.

Good point, I haven't thought about that - with spring loaded mechanism, it would be easy to make things that don't work 100% correctly all the time and manual assembly allows for some leeway.

[Jim]

1 minute ago, SaperPL said:

Good point, I haven't thought about that - with spring loaded mechanism, it would be easy to make things that don't work 100% correctly all the time and manual assembly allows for some leeway.

This contest is all about creating a transforming vehicle which can be remotely operated.

[weavil]

6 hours ago, Jim said:

. . . remotely operated.

It seems that we are all have trouble with this part. I'm working an something, but making the parts function AND fit in a vehicle is a little overwhelming at the moment.

[Jim]

11 hours ago, weavil said:

It seems that we are all have trouble with this part. I'm working an something, but making the parts function AND fit in a vehicle is a little overwhelming at the moment.

This is a hard contest, I admit. But I’m confident you will figure it out.

[m00se]

Can you have one motor/servo that selects a function, and then another one that provides the drive of that function? In other words not a single transformation movement, but multiple consecutive steps.

[Jim]

9 minutes ago, m00se said:

Can you have one motor/servo that selects a function, and then another one that provides the drive of that function? In other words not a single transformation movement, but multiple consecutive steps.

Yeah sure. As long as it is entirely motorized and not using more than three motors.

[2GodBDGlory]

@Jim

Question: Are we allowed to use lubricant? I don't remember seeing this listed in the rules anywhere.

Edited December 5, 2021 by 2GodBDGlory

[Jim]

On 12/1/2021 at 11:39 PM, 2GodBDGlory said:

@Jim

Question: Are we allowed to use lubricant? I don't remember seeing this listed in the rules anywhere.

Sorry for my late reply; maybe on pneumatic cylinders (which are not allowed in this contest), but using lubricant on other parts indicates that the design of your model is questionable. Why would you want to use a lubricant? Care to elaborate before I give my final verdict?

 

[2GodBDGlory]

4 hours ago, Jim said:

Sorry for my late reply; maybe on pneumatic cylinders (which are not allowed in this contest), but using lubricant on other parts indicates that the design of your model is questionable. Why would you want to use a lubricant? Care to elaborate before I give my final verdict?

 

Yeah, it's perfectly reasonable to not want lubricant; after all, Lego would never do it! The area I was hoping to use it is in the top of the spoiler on my car. In it, the top section has to slide on transverse axles as the car contracts, but because it is so much higher up than the actuators, it usually binds up. I'm not quite sure how else to build it, but I expect I can think of something, though it may involve compromises.

[Jim]

Using a lubricant is also a compromise 

I prefer to use LEGO as intended, so no lubricants.