D3K

That is spectacular, what the 9394 should have looked like! You really managed to capture some of the defining features and aesthetics of this absolutely magnificent piece of aeronautical engineering!

Made this the other day. Not a MOC, but rather just the 8258 built in black and DBG.. thought I'd show it here in case someone else was wondering what it might look like,,,

Agreed, either the one the other guys suggested, or the top one (the one with the orange lights as well)

If you are making something from scratch, and your main goal is speed, I think it's important to leave fancy-schmancy stuff out of the build, to make it as light as possible! For example there is probably no need for advanced suspension on either axle.. I built Jurgens yellow small car, and it was brilliant, great fun! I am planning on building a small fast MOC myself, and personally, I will use two xl motors on a single axle. This generates a lot of power when I've made simple test vehicles with that setup:-)

When I was fixing my sailing boat earlier this year, there was this odd looking, really old loader standing up where my boat is parked. The unusual thing was the entire loading apparatus seemed to sit on a turntable! Anyways, this was before I rekindled my interest for LEGO, but the image stuck with me, and as I got more confident with the new studless building techniques, as well as my collection grew (I also discovered Bricklink), I decided to try and make one. Been working on this for a month or so, it has been rebuilt two times, and I am many experiences richer. I especially wanna thank Alasdair Ryan and JorgeOpesi for valuable feedback and help! The features are: -Adjustable side mirrors -Openable "doors" -PF seatbelts for the driver -Front and rear PF lights -AWD powered by one PF XL Motor -Steering by two mini LA's, powered by one PF M Motor -Lifting of digger by two large LA's, by one PF L Motor -Tipping of bucket by one LA, powered by one PF L motor -Turning of the digging apparatus by one PF-M motor -Fed by a standard PF Battery box -Pendular suspension on rear axle The creation is not based on a particular real life vehicle (I don't even know if there is something remotely similar-looking), the main goal was to make something presentable, with the desired functions. Pictures: So there we go! I was going to make a video today, but I was suddenly out of batteries for the PF elements! Will try to have one up during the course of the weekend! I'm fairly pleased with the result, seeing as this is my first big MOC with many functions apart from driving and steering

Those are new to me at least, looking promising. I don't speak French, but it seems the Grand Prix Racer is offered as an F1 car? Still; looks very good, if I will buy any of the sets, that'll be the one!

Thank you very much for the positive words, very glad if I am of inspiration to other builders out there! As for the picture, I used my MLLD, aka Magic LEGO-Levitation Device (made out of 100% LEGO) to make it float in the air! Thank you so much for your kind words! Make sure you don't drool to much on your keyboard Short video, as promised : Sorry it's not more, but I didn't have the time to tape and edited any more than that!

Made a video, currently uploading to YouTube via my ridiculously slow connection. However, something completely different to help me get a way way way better video this time: Fits my phone nice and snuggly, the 4L axle with stop is just above the shutter button, and has a QD interface for the tripod, built using misc. 1/2 thick beams and stuff! Worked great, as you will see in the video shortly! EDIT: And here is the video of the swingloader:

First of all; thank you all very much for the praise! I will try to make a nice vid in the weekend, showing off all the functions! And oh yes; one has to be safety concious! Thank you! And yes, once I got it all working, I was surprised at how high it elevated! Making the Z-linkage was a real pain though, but is very close to "perfect" now! I agree, this is a definate advantage in many cases, especially where room to manouver is limited! I imagine the main reasons for it not being so common, are 1: can't be built as large and powerful as a standard front end loader mounted directly to the frame, and 2: More complicated mechanism and geometry. I know the technology's been around for a really long time, as the one I mentioned I saw has got to be at least 30 years old! Yeah, I remember seeing those Ahlmann ones when I googled "Swinging front end loader" or something, when I was beginning the project! Come to think of it, that is where I got the word "Swingloader" from!

Getting there.. the Z-link is almost working like I want it to, will make one last effort to improve it in the next couple of days. Some aesthetic stuff to do, and then I will make a video of all the functions Need to finish this soon, as it is taking up too much space!

So I'm still working on my Swingloader, and this is what it looks like today (sorry for bad quality pic) I've pretty much redesigned the whole thing; -Replaced to M-motors with L-motors (for manipulating the digger) -Placed all 5 motors in the rear -Relocated and redesigned the pivot on the steering two studs forward, to accomodate -Steering, which is now via two small LA's (thanks to Jorgeopesi for tips on the geometry ) -Made the entire thing two studs wider -Rebuilt the entire front to make it "cleaner" and stronger (now one stud longer) -Lowered the front turntable by one stud -Added pendular suspension to the rear axle -Finally got the right tyres to go with my big rims! Still have to: -Make a better digger, with better geometry (megablocking Z-link) -Maybe make a custom bucket, as the project is turning out bigger than anticipated. -Build a new driver's cabin -Make the whole thing more presentable -Make better looking wheels (yellow stuff on the way) But all the mechanical features are present and working, and for me that is the most important thing!

Thank you very much Jorge, that is exactly what I needed! I used your geometry, but with a somewhat different setup:

For sheer pneumatic mayhem, you really can't go wrong with the 8455. Check out Lost_In_Noise's pictorial review. If you can find one for a reasonable price, I would definately get it! The 8868 is brilliant, and has some unique features, but it's old! A decent secondhand 8868 will probably set you back as much as a brand spanking new 8110 Unimog, so I'd rather go for the 8110 due to the number of parts and variation of the set compared to the Air Tech Claw Rig

Well, then at least something good came out of this! I for one will definately buy them, as the likelyhood of the Cusoo project being dumbed down by TLG if (when) it gets 10 000 votes! Great news Sheepo!

I agree. They look similar because they are both very good renditions of the same actual vehicle, and they both happen to be in the same colour! At first glance, I too thought this was some plagiarism of Sheepo's MOC, but they seem to be built using two widely different techniques! I don't think I can see a single identical section on the two! That being said, I like the look of Sheepo's the best, except for the headlights, which are better IMO on the other one

Thank you both for the input. I am currently making somewhat of a cross between the two in LDD, but won't know if the geometry will work before I try it IRL in a couple of days! If I have to do too much redesigning, I will probaby go with just one. Making the steering with LA's instead of the wormdrive directly on the turntable, actually frees up a lot of space up front! Thank you very much!

Looks fantastic! Do you have a link for higher resolution pictures? I am doing some redesigning of my swingloader (mainly trying to implement steering via mini LA's), and am looking for some inspiration!

Could you please be a little more vague? I can assure you, the problem is not simply a half stud offset..;-) However, I think I Found a solution that wont need a megablocking z-link at all! Yay!:-D

To make one or the other is not really a problem, but both, and at the same time keeping it level for the entire travel of the main LAs, that's something different. I had the same problem when I made a small pneumatic loader earlier this year Finally I gave up, but it worked OK I guess, just not perfect.

Luckily, most of the sides will be covered by the huge wheels, once I get them! Anyways; the state of things: Swing mechanism works great, can even to a full 360, which I wasn't actually planning! Of course, only when elevated.. The loading arm and turntable needs some reinforcing, and relocation of the main LAs to get some more moment for the initial lift. Will also do some aestethic upgrades to the entire thing (the fugly grille is still there The Z-link is a reeeal pain to get right... anyone got any smart tips in that area?

Still no turntable (yet, Norwegian Postal Service is ridiculously slow), but have gotten some more work done: Replaced the big batterybox with a smaller AAA box, found a place to put the motor for turning the equipment, made a ladder and a railing, and also made a makeshift driver's cabin. Notice how the wiring for the lights up top doubles as a seatbelt for the driver! It might look a bit tall, but the digging apparatus will be a lot bigger than usual loaders, so the driver needs to be a bit high A picture of the drivetrain. As you can see, it's pretty much identical to the LDD model I made!

Thanks for the feedback! I agree, the grille looks hideous! Will probably replace it when I get more to the styling of the vehicle. The rest of the rear I am happy with though, there will be some more panels, but I had to remove them due to the temporary ballon tires, which are wider than the final ones, By the way, when you say the length, do you feel it's to long or too short? Also, keep in mind; I have absolutely no ambition of making as realistic looking a vehicle as for example the ones you and JorgeOpesi make, as I simply have close to zero system bricks! So there will definately be some black spots here and there What I truly enjoy are the technical/mechanical bits! I have done a lot more work to the front this afternoon, and it is now absolutely packed with gears and stuff! Hopefully the turntable will arrive tomorrow, and I will have some pictures for you!

The build has begun! Had to do some minor mods compared to the LDD model, mainly shortening of the rear, the turning mechanism (I planned to use mini LAs, but couldn't find the room), and using the two lower axles for the future bucket/arm mechanisms. But the drive and the steering work really well already! As I haven't received the Unimog tyres yet, I went with these as a temporary solution, providing a whopping 1/2 stud of ground clearance!! What remain is obviously the loading apparatus, but I'm short one turntable, which should arrive tomorrow. Also, I will have to design a driver's cabin of sorts. Since this loader is not based on any particular real life loader, I can pretty much decide the scale as I progress! Lastly I need to implement one more motor and an IR receiver in the front, for swinging the shovel. Here is a rear shot (I'm quite satisfied with the look, being my first and everything

I know, and I don't... I have the black ones, so will try to use it with some yellow half-bushes or something... We'll see what looks ok until I get a hold of the yellow sprockets. Also, I only have the black rims, so it might get a little.. well...black! Well, then inverted portal axles are definately the way to go! As for the rest of the build, the challenge will be to make a fairly big shovel assembly (including three big LAs) fit nicely and balanced on top of the turntable, while still making it look presentable. I will move it further up front, and at least two studs down.. But seeing the limitations of LDD, the actual front loader assy willhave to be made in real time I think! Still, I find LDD to be a brilliant tool once one gets the hang of it!!

I could finally dismantle the previous project, to start the next one! This is the first time I have/will design a whole model in LDD before building it! It is a loader, with (quite literally) a twist! Still a work in progress. Made some more progress since the last screencaps: Will hopefully start the real life build later today! EDIT: And I know those wheels don't come in yellow