4x4 Raid Buggy V2 with 2-speed Gearbox and BuWizz motors

[Another Brick in the World]

Hello again,

Back in March 2023 I started my YouTube channel with my Raid Buggy. Granted, it look somewhat crude and it was quite slow, but it was my first model with BuWizz motors and bricks so it has a special place my heart. Recently it was the 1 year anniversary of it, and I decided to make a remake of it to prove some how much my LEGO building skills have changed and to honor the original model and channel.

So enough with the backstory, let's get to the details:

Features

• 4 Wheel drive with a 2-speed gearbox
• steering with double steering racks
• Soft double-wishbone suspension
• Working gear stick
• Bodywork built to resemble the original model

One of the things that I wanted to show with this model was that you don't necessarily need 4+ BuWizz motors in order to make a good fast off-roader. For this, I decided to make use of a 2-speed gearbox, which has a low gear with the same gearing as the Raid Buggy V1 and the high gear which is some 67% faster (6.2 km/h). The gearbox design was heavily based off @Zerobricks's excellent Simple Off Roader but modified to fit my needs. Another benefit of this is that it has a neutral gear, which is very useful for downhills.

From then, I finished it off with the axles of my Monstermog and the chassis was done! from there, I had to build the bodywork, the part that I had been dreading the most

For me the body was a very important part, as I wanted to make it reminiscent of the original yet it would have a more sporty look and a stronger construction. Just like the first model, it uses many connectors in @Attika's characteristic style. In the end, the bodywork suffered many changes but I consider them for the better, as it now has a more imposing look and a much more sturdy connection so it can be rolled over without having to fear of breaking it.

And now a few more images:

The model ended-up being a very good off-roader, with a somewhat high speed (6.2 km/h) yet with some torque left for harder off-road. I pretty much had no issues with it, except the front open differential which sometimes got in the way when off-roading in the low gear. It's otherwise a model more focused on high-speed on uneven terrain so I'm happy with it

If you would like to build this model, you can download the .io file at rebrickable here.

And as always, here's a YouTube video containing some off-road footage, functions showcase, and some nice Punk Rock music

Feel free to post a comment about what are your thoughts about it, and see you in the next one!

[N1K0L4]

Nice build!

Great to see some more detailed information about a model. So about that freewheeling, doesn't the driveline create a lot of friction causing it to brake a lot?

[2GodBDGlory]

Ooh, very nice! So that's only one Buwizz motor in there? That's some impressive speed and performance!

I do like that skeletal bodywork quite a bit. Independent suspension does work very nicely for Lego off-roaders like that! I feel like I and others tend to build solid axles a lot, perhaps for ore realism and complexity, but independent systems just work so well!

This is making me want to try to build something fast, fun, and simpler, but we'll see if I get around to that anytime soon...

[Another Brick in the World]

22 hours ago, N1K0L4 said:

Nice build!

Great to see some more detailed information about a model. So about that freewheeling, doesn't the driveline create a lot of friction causing it to brake a lot?

Thank you! Yeah, freewheeling does create some friction, but with some lubricant it should be OK. Still, I tested it before lubricating it downhill, and at some point it would reach some speed where it would be somewhat hard to stop it.

3 hours ago, 2GodBDGlory said:

Ooh, very nice! So that's only one Buwizz motor in there? That's some impressive speed and performance!

I do like that skeletal bodywork quite a bit. Independent suspension does work very nicely for Lego off-roaders like that! I feel like I and others tend to build solid axles a lot, perhaps for ore realism and complexity, but independent systems just work so well!

This is making me want to try to build something fast, fun, and simpler, but we'll see if I get around to that anytime soon...

Thank you for your praise!

It actually uses 2 BuWizz motors inside, but it's still quite impressive :)

About solid axles, I consider that type of suspension to be great for smaller models like my Jeep or your very nice Geo Tracker. They're realistic, but they don't work as well for fast off-road models. They have a high complexity (Many links that can pop off, stress on driveshafts, torque twist...) and they have a high unsprung mass as they suspend the entire axle which leads to a worse responsibility. That's the reason why I didn't use them in this MOC.

Overall, I really encourage you to build something like this