2GodBDGlory

And 2008 didn't really have anything in the price range of 2005-2007 or 2009-present

Very impressive! I love the fact that you used the Control+ electronics for it rather than the Mindstorms ones; C+ seems to have most of the programmability of Mindstorms, but its inclusion in so many sets that don't need its programmability make it cheap!

Calipers that would slot into the hubs? That'd be interesting to see!

Yeah, this thing is sweet! Massive functionality, and good looks. I do think it looked a bit more refined before you added the rotating cab, with the pneumatic outriggers, but I think this unique function is worth it. If possible, I'd like to see the outriggers appearance change a bit, though. The arm itself on them looks a little too simple, so if you could add a foot or something, I think it would look better.

For 99% of models you'll be right, but having a larger gap between rim and disc will allow for more options to make the brakes functional, which could be neat to see in MOCs. I tried once with Porsche rims in a model, but it was very challenging and didn't work great. This could at least be a side advantage of the disadvantage!

It's possible, but I think it's more likely that those black spots are just decoration on the rim itself, representing the five lug nuts on the real car.

At this point, I wouldn't expect it to end up as a limited edition. It seems like bad business sense for Lego, and would just be a break from tradition. Sometimes we hear a lot of strange things in early leaks, and I wonder if this might be one of them. It sounds like the real car is a limited edition of 599, could confusion have come from that? Who knows, though!

Looks like the roof might be made of the same part in black. Also these in lbg!

I'm back with the third installment in my drivetrain model series, in which I build interesting drivetrains, without the annoyance of putting bodies around them! For this one, I modeled the drivetrain of the Ford Raptor pickup truck, which allowed me to do a few interesting things. For one, this truck has a ten-speed transmission, which would be a challenge to replicate. Additionally, it has an unusual 4WD transfer case, allowing for RWD, AWD, and 4WD modes, with the AWD allowing some slip to the front half despite lacking a central differential, and with the 4WD locking it up completely. Finally, it has a Torsen limited-slip central differential, which I've been wanting to put in a model for a while. In the end, my model has these features: V6 piston engine, with an unusual build to allow for a 60 degree cylinder bank, and driven by a PF L-motor 12+4R sequential transmission. There's several gears more than necessary, but you can always ignore those and pretend it's a 10+R like the real truck. Strangely, it's actually easier to build it with the extra gears. Hi-Lo transfer case RWD/AWD/4WD transfer case Torsen front differential Images at: https://bricksafe.com/pages/2GodBDGlory/ford-raptor-drivetrain-model Let me know how you like the new format I'm trying here, with a bullet-point outline with more details and images in spoiler boxes. It seems neat and simple to me, so it might be what I do going forward. Overall, I was happy that everything worked nicely, and it was overall a pretty painless build that allowed me to try out some fun mechanical concepts!

3. Compact Mobile Crane Functions: Steering-wheel linked front wheel steering Two-function distribution gearbox, with inputs below the turntable and outputs above Manual synchronized outrigger extension and lowering with knob Manual superstructure slewing with knob Manual winch with knob Manual boom lift with knob, through distribution gearbox Manual boom extension (two extending stages) with knob, through distribution gearbox Dimensions: W x L x H: 13 x 48 x 16 = 9984 cubic studs

Yeah, perhaps. There is a difference between allowing commercially available, refined non-Lego alternatives and willingness to use just anything. Think Buwizz versus a hand-soldered custom battery rubber-banded to a liftarm, or 7L pliftarms versus rough 3D-printed parts. I guess the difference here isn't so much one of principle, rather just a preference for having everything look professional! And to be fair, I've got a pair of AliExpress buggy motors myself, and I've never filed that down (though I never realized it was a problem), and refrained from cutting out part of the housing to fit a large motorcycle tire inside it, though I was tempted.

Easy problem to fix with a file, I guess, once you depart from the path of purity!

The adjustable width is very interesting! What would that be used for in real life?

Very clean looking!

Yeah, the boom is really nice! It looks strong, and the half-stud sides help keep it compact.

From the AFOL's stand point, you're right, there is no point in continuing the bevel version where it isn't needed. After all, we've got heaps of the old ones we can use whenever we need the bevels, and there's enough supply that they should remain cheap indefinitely on Bricklink, no matter how little they get used in sets going forward. The only issue I see is for people building from a more limited supply of bricks. Switching to less versatile gears would be a pain for young builders working from only a few sets, and also be annoying to AFOLs building B/C models for sets.

I was just taking a look at the Bricklink inventory of the old Black Cat Model Team truck (5571), and I noticed something strange. I'd always assumed that that set used the same 62.4x20mm tires that are common these days, in, for example, the 42043 Arocs. However, it turns out that while they look very similar, they are actually slightly bigger, at 68.8x24 mm, and have their own slightly different rim. These old tires only appear in this truck and the 5563 Racing Truck Model Team set, and are quite expensive (I suppose because of the desirability of the 5571 set). I was very surprised to realize that I had never heard of these tires, and so I checked out Sariel's wheel chart, and found that the old one was nowhere to be found, so I guess I'm not quite as ignorant as I thought. Are any of you folks aware of these tires? Have they ever come in handy on a MOC? Old^ New^

Nice find! The introduction of a more neutral color makes me feel better about not getting any red ones yet.

Great writeup as usual! Placing the battery that far forward is a really interesting solution that I may have to try someday! The suspension is also pretty unique. One detail I quite liked was the way you secured the yellow crankshaft part that the steering actuator connects to. The moment I saw the render, I worried that that part would pop off immediately thanks to their very low clutch power, but then I saw you had placed the 1x2 Technic brick overtop of it to prevent that. Nice solution there!

Oops, I seem to have some keyboard shortcut to submit this that I keep hitting accidentally. I'll edit this to my actual question in a minute...

So, for this contest I decided I would build a Mobile Crane of some sort, because it has similarities to the boxy cars I'm used to building, and also has a fairly convenient shape for the volume constraints. At first I thought I would be building a fairly standard crane, probably with six wheels. I planned on using Corvette wheels, but since I only have four of them, I thought I might have to do something weird, like put Model Team wheels on one of the sides. As I looked for inspiration, though, I found a compact-looking mobile crane with only four wheels, which fit my supplies better, so I decided to take inspiration from the Liebherr LTM 1040-2.1 The planned features are: Two-stage extending boom Lifting boom Winch Outrigger extension Outrigger lowering 4-wheel steering Superstructure rotation and possibly if I have room: 4WD and a micro I-6 piston engine Live axle suspension Another design goal is to have all the controls manually operated from the chassis--I would like to have all the controls for similar functions in a similar location, and I feel like having controls on the superstructure will result in the boom swaying around as the control knobs are twisted. However, I've got three functions in the superstructure, and we all know how impractical it is to get three functions through one, so I thought of an unusual idea that might help here. It would essentially be a distribution gearbox placed inside of the turntable, switching between functions in the upper half, but with the switch being controlled from the bottom. The plan is to base it off of the 24/16T differential. The 16T side will constantly be driven from the bottom, but with provision to allow the differential carrier to slide up and down a stud. The 24T side, though, will engage different gears depending on whether the carrier is in the upper or lower position, causing it to operate different functions. We'll see how that turns out... I started by developing a design for a two-stage boom based on the gear rack housing parts: I really liked the design--stuff just fit nicely, and the grooves on the insides of the panels were perfect to help locate the red part as it extended. However, as I began to look at scaling the crane, I realized that in order to build the largest possible crane that would be within the rules, I'd be using 56mm balloon tires, and that if I did that, I'd need to have a far, far bigger boom. This crane seems to have a disproportionately large boom! My planned dimensions for the crane are 13 studs wide, 16 studs tall, and 48 studs long, and my boom is currently sitting at exactly 48! Boom contracted The boom is extended by that 3L worm gear driving a set of 4L racks It is driven through these gears. I'll have to put some kind of pivot in still. It extends really tall! This is the how the middle segment is constructed And this gives a glimpse of the pulley system needed to extend the smallest segment. So far, I really like the boom, but I think the outriggers are going to have a really hard job keeping the crane upright with such a huge boom on such a small carrier! Next I'll probably work on figuring out the details of the rest of the superstructure.

I dare somebody to submit a 1x1x10,000 string of axles and axle connectors to this contest, and pass it off as, say, a really wide steamroller wheel.

Yeah, I think you're right that I'm kind of stretching the limits of what the contest was meant to be, for better and for worse! Good catch about it being 48 studs long; I knew I designed it to be as big as possible, so I do recall thinking it odd that my final volume had that much leeway. I must have just miscounted at the end, so I'll fix that in the post. Thanks!

Good job so far! It's interesting seeing your build process in action. I think this part would work pretty well here; have you considered it? One of these could be helpful under it:

Thanks for the feedback! You're right, those curved panels could have looked good. Unfortunately, I've only got two of that multi-hole type in black, and only one of the fewer-hole type in black, and I don't think I have enough in any other color either, so square it must be! You're right about it looking skinny between the cab and the superstructure, but this was done intentionally. As pointed out in the video, when the boom is lifted, because of a poor pivot point location, the rear end of it sticks fairly far down, causing it to interfere with rotation at times because it will hit the top of the outrigger mechanism. Because the boom needs this extra space, I left it empty there to allow the boom to swing through that arc while raised up, but I don't recall ever actually doing that maneuver once it was finished! Perhaps it would have been better to use that space to reinforce my sagging cab and just rule out that option, but I'm probably not going to change anything at this point. (Too much trouble to take more pictures ) Good observations, though!