phmzt

42141 McLaren Formula 1™ - Mods and Improvements

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I know it’s a bit early:laugh_hard: But while we wait for the set to be released…

 

I don’t like the cylinder parts much anymore, so I intend to modify the engine.
Judging from the photos we’ve seen, the engine is connected through the two connector blocks and apparently nowhere else.

42141-engine.jpg


I’ve tried to make a new engine of the same size but of the kind I prefer, and with an attempt at a fake split turbo. Assuming there is a bit of space above where one connector block would be, the spinning ‘compressor wheel’ would be visible from the slot in the bodywork.
Depending on the clearance beneath the engine, there’s a geared solution that would make the ‘compressor’ spin faster, and a rubber band solution that takes up less space.

How bad it it?
Suggestions?

V6_TurboK_(gear).png

V6_TurboK_(belt).png

 

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Looks like a nice block.

I definitely agree on the preference for 'micro' engines. The standard cylinder molds may have a more realistic reciprocating motion, but these are more flexible in layout, and you can hear them even when the cover is closed.

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Next mod needs to be be a colour change using medium blue parts! The real car has launched. 

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@Pato Sentado @pleegwat :classic: Cool, thanks

Yep, what you lose in reciprocating motion I think you gain in sound, complexity, and stroke order. Speaking of which, I'm not sure what the best Lego approximation of the crankshaft in a Formula 1 90° V6 engine would be.

 

Has there been any model with pull-rod front suspension to draw inspiration from, for a modification of this McLaren?

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I normally don't do MODs of existing sets, but being a Formula 1 fan, having a cat called Norris (yes for that reason) and looking at the crude version of the LEGO version I couldn't help it to give it a try myself.

This is what I've accomplished so far:

51880246174_f82934a525_b.jpg

Ambition is to get a bit more of the aerodynamic and technical features right and a smoother bodywork.

8D+N+R gearbox: Yes, designed a special version of @Anto's compact gearbox where the two wave selectors are behind each other instead of next to each other. This way the cokebottle shape can be as slim as possible.

Flappy pedals: Yes (but still to be tested as everything is virtual until now)
Flappy pedals rotating with the steering wheel: No. I tried to fit @Charbel's unique design, but the steering column got just to big to fit in that tight space

V6 fake engine: Yes. It fits very snuggly between the two big panels. The big airintake tube is right above it.

Pushrod suspension in the rear: Yes. I now simply used the suspension setup I designed for the Valkyrie as a placeholder. This will need modifications for sure, but it sort of shows the proof of concept.

Venturi tunnels in the floor: Yes, the somewhat strange stacked panel setup is used to create two low channels that run from the front to back. They also have the curved inlet and outlet expansion areas. For me this is really a must for a proper 2022 F1 car. The groundeffect floor is one of the key regulation changes this year, so I feel that should be in. Plus it is very cool physics at play.

Smooth bodywork: Yes. Another must have I would say. Today's F1 cars are modelled like molten wax statues, there is no hard edge in sight. Sticking to the regular grid doesn't do the cars justice. I will be taken some artistic liberties though. I'd rather have a smooth looking curvy shape that doesn't match the original exactly, than have a cluttered mm-perfect replica. Plus it is really hard to deduce the real shape from the few pictures we have so far :laugh:

And with that, a smooth halo: yes. I don't know what design constraints LEGO had imposed on them(selves), but just compare this design to the official one... And with just 4 parts...

Correct livery: No. I would love to say yes here, but the real car has so many wavy patterns that is just impossible to recreate without stickers. I may go for medium blue as an accent colour instead of the regular blue as I love that combination with orange.

Ambitionlist:

Pullrod suspension in the front: This may be on of the biggest differences with respect to the other teams (or maybe Aston Martin is the odd one out with their pushrod design). Either way, McLaren have chosen pullrod, so that is the way (oh, wait, that's someone else's line).

Removeable front nose and rearwing: This is the standard for years already in F1, so how hard can it be?:grin:

Functional DRS mechanism: As I don't consider moving a few parts by hand advanced technology.*huh*. Still have to think how to operate this, it will for sure not be a small-LA as that is way too slow. And ideally I get some lever in the cockpit, but space is already getting very tight under the bodywork. And the cockpit itself is pretty cramped as it is.

Removable headrest-siderest-thingy: The foam thing the drivers have to take out before they can leave the car.

Frontwheel winglets that steer with the wheel: Haven't looked at this one yet, but given the bulkiness of LEGO parts this one could be tricky

Proper wheel sizes: Don't know. Here I am a bit on the fence. I don't really like the solution LEGO has chosen with tumbler tires with round plates, but using Porsche, Lambo or Sian wheels in the back also doesn't feel right. I always try to avoid using too old parts, so using the Silverchampion wheels in the back is not an attractive option for me (even though I might even still have some lying around). The Defender wheels could maybe work, but I actually like the curved edge of the Tumbler tires better than the straight edge of the Defender tires (especially the ridges along the edge are very non-F1). So maybe the Tumbler tires are the best compromise after all...

What do you guys/girls think? 

Edited by Jeroen Ottens

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Wow, sounds cool! I do think the tumbler tires look cool, though they may not be the most realistic. It seems like you're going to be closer to a MOC than a mod in the end!

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11 hours ago, Jeroen Ottens said:

What do you guys/girls think?

[bows] …I think the King has just turned up to show how it's done.

Looking forward to seeing more of your version

 

For the V6, did you use the cylinders or a different setup?

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12 hours ago, Jeroen Ottens said:

I normally don't do MODs of existing sets,

This doesn't look like MOD, more like inspired MOC

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13 hours ago, Jeroen Ottens said:

What do you guys/girls think? 

Sounds like a challenging project but i'm interested in this for sure, an F1 car with a bunch of features.

Might I suggest using the new upcoming gear sizes when they come out? this should shrink the size of the 8 speed gearbox because fewer gears are needed in different combinations to get 8 unique ratios.

I also wonder if this part could work as a orange rotary catch but where it engages 1,2,3 or 4 clutch rings in the same direction, instead of opposite like the orange clutch ring. Also this has 4 prongs where as the orange rotary catch has 2.

Edited by SNIPE

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Hmm, you might be right about this not being a MOD anymore :blush:. @Milan, @Jim, Feel free to move this to a separate topic if you feel the same way.

6 hours ago, SNIPE said:

Sounds like a challenging project but i'm interested in this for sure, an F1 car with a bunch of features.

Might I suggest using the new upcoming gear sizes when they come out? this should shrink the size of the 8 speed gearbox because fewer gears are needed in different combinations to get 8 unique ratios.

I also wonder if this part could work as a orange rotary catch but where it engages 1,2,3 or 4 clutch rings in the same direction, instead of opposite like the orange clutch ring. Also this has 4 prongs where as the orange rotary catch has 2.

Hmm, I hadn't thought about the new gearsizes. But I am not sure that it will enable a smaller gearbox though. It is pretty compact as it is with the two waveform selectors. Other clutchgearsizes might help more (although I haven't really thought that through).

The disadvantage of that flower stem piece is that all clutch selector rings get engaged at the same time. In this model the current selector is probably optimal as it forces a split gearbox that can be placed behind each other.

A gearbox where all four selector rings are grouped around one selector axle with some hypothetical waveform selector that can select one gear at the time is volumewise maybe the most compact (although you'd probably need multiple clutchgearsizes as well), but the form factor would be very unwieldy in cars. The current flat and wide (or in this case flat and long) form factors fit better.

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@Jeroen Ottens it looks like one of your great builds. Perhaps you should start own topic. IMHO your build deserves its own topic.

You have cat named Norris; was there a cat named Chuck before? 

Btw, did you know that (Chuck) Norris scored goal through legs of goalkeeper in water polo :wink:

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2 minutes ago, 1gor said:

@Jeroen Ottens it looks like one of your great builds. Perhaps you should start own topic. IMHO your build deserves its own topic.

You have cat named Norris; was there a cat named Chuck before? 

Btw, did you know that (Chuck) Norris scored goal through legs of goalkeeper in water polo :wink:

Alas, this our first cat. I do love Chuck Norris memes though and this one I hadn't heard before :laugh_hard::laugh_hard::laugh_hard:

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18 hours ago, Jeroen Ottens said:

Alas, this our first cat. I do love Chuck Norris memes though and this one I hadn't heard before :laugh_hard::laugh_hard::laugh_hard:

I think I'm going to design an F1 car for Chuck Norris, it's a pair of cowboy boots with winglets!

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Thanks to @Ngoc Nguyen's digital build (thank you!), I realised that my previous design of the V6 mini-engine would hit the top of the sidepods in one point.

So, here is a better one. It's sturdier than the other one and the action of the crankshaft is much smoother. It will be mounted lower, so the crankshaft is connected to the wheels through a gear reduction which also spins the split turbo. Given the space, I've added a fake air intake as well. The V-angle is now 68°. I know it should be 90° but this is the best I've been able to come up with so that the pistons can move within the slots in the bodywork the 42141 design provides.

800x800.png

800x800.png

42141_V6Turbo68.png

 

Thoughts?

 

 

##########

EDIT: 120° crankshaft

V6Turbo68_120.png

Edited by phmzt
Implemented @2GodBDGlory's suggestion.

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42 minutes ago, 1gor said:

@phmzt what if you use Technic cam part

instead of 1 x 2 beam 

 

I tried that too, but I can only connect the cam through the hole in its middle and the phase between the pistons becomes the same as with the normal cylinders. So I chose the 1x2 beams because they give me what to me looks like a reasonably better approximation of a tripolar V6 crankshaft.

 

@Pato Sentado Thanks

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3 minutes ago, phmzt said:

 

I tried that too, but I can only connect the cam through the hole in its middle and the phase between the pistons becomes the same as with the normal cylinders. So I chose the 1x2 beams because they give me what to me looks like a reasonably better approximation of a tripolar V6 crankshaft.

 

@Pato Sentado Thanks

You know, thanks to the half-stud gaps between cylinders, you could probably get a realistic 120 degree offset on the crankshaft by putting the wedge belt wheels in the spaces between the pistons, and then having 1-2L beams attached to its pinholes. It might not run as smoothly though...

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1 hour ago, 2GodBDGlory said:

You know, thanks to the half-stud gaps between cylinders, you could probably get a realistic 120 degree offset on the crankshaft by putting the wedge belt wheels in the spaces between the pistons, and then having 1-2L beams attached to its pinholes. It might not run as smoothly though...

Brilliant!!  Thanks, it's perfect. It does run just as smoothly 👍

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1 hour ago, phmzt said:

Brilliant!!  Thanks, it's perfect. It does run just as smoothly 👍

Glad to hear it!

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