D3K

Yes, it's that time again - time for a new Swingoader I took a wholly different approach this time around.. Like I have mentioned in certain other topics, I've enjoyed playing around with pneumatics lately, and my latest Swingloader is no exception: All pictures are available in much higher resolution in this Bricksafe folder Firstly, as you can see, it is a lot smaller than the PF versions (Mks I, II and III) I made previously. The main problem with this was finding a decent placement for the pump, believe it or not! But once that was sorted, I had a pretty clear idea on how to build the rest of the MOC. Features are as follows: -Pneumatic lifting of loader arm -Pneumatic dumping of bucket -Pendular rear suspension -Steering on both axles (loader is non-articulated) via HOG on the back -Turning/swinging of the loader assy via HOG on top of the cabin -Openable doors The entire loader assy is mounted on a small turntable, which has just enough space to fit four pneumatic through it. As you can see from the two previous pictures, the bucket achieves both a nice "scraping angle" as well as a decent "transport angle." It can be lowered further to lift the front axle off the ground as well. Overall, I'm very satisfied with the kinematics of the assembly this time around. I of course forgot to take a picture of the raised transport position, but I assure you it's good The bucket raises high enough to swing over the roof, but practical rotation is limited to +/- 90 degrees due to the pneumatic hoses through the turntable. And lastly comes an underside shot, which might give you a better sense of the relatively small dimensions of this MOC I'm well in to making an LDraw model of this MOC, but I redesigned the rear/counterweight area just before I took the pics, so I'll have to update the file before posting it. As a final note, with the recent Technic Photography topic being very popular, I must say I am very satisfied with these pictures! Taken outside with a simple white cardboard backdrop, with my Canon 50D with the "nifty-fifty" Canon EF 50mm cheap lens Post processing consists of pressing "automatic adjustment" in Windows photo gallery on some of the pictures. Again, have a look in the Bricksafe folder for full resolution DSLR glory

Thanks guys, glad you seem to like it! Personally I am very satisfied with this model, perhaps more so than the truck (but that seems to be just me ) Thanks, I posted the truck more or less the same time as this, if you haven't already, you can have a closer looks at it here Thanks! That is very true, but pretty unavoidable. I decided the wheels first, and scaled everything accordingly (more or less). The loader assembly really is as small as I managed to make it, I had to use thin liftarms exclusively to not make it too wide, and due to the geometry and size of the cylinders the height had to be what it is. I concidered using small cylinders, but they were too small and weak, and would have reduced play value

Thank you all, I am really glad you like it! I am quite overwhelmed with all the positive comments, wasn't really expecting that! It's one sliding switch. I am quite happy with how the equipment tower turned out, sorry there isn't a better picture of it Thanks! I'll make a 3D model of the mechanism to give a better understanding.. it really is a very simple design. The other key factor is how the cylinder is attached, to allow it to move the bed in both directions. Thanks a lot! And of course I wouldn't mind, go right ahead. But like I said, it's not very rigid, and provides somewhat more "sag" in the model than a more solid solution

Pretty nice concidering the parts available! Regarding the scissoring mechanism used for extending the boom; is it stable and does it work under load without bending? I tried my hands at a similar solution to extend the reach of pneumatics quite some time ago, but found that while great in theory, in practice it really didn't work that well..

Really looking forward to getting my hands on these pieces! Thought I'd just mention that the really old long cylinders have a 9/15 length (retracted/extended), so the stroke is the same as the new long ones, but the pieces are actually 2 studs shorter, so it's not exactly a drop-in-replacement. I am almost certain we'll see a pneumatic excavator in 2016

You're veering far ott topic here. I suggest posting your problems in the General Technic Discussion topic, or a similar one, preferably with some pictures and a detailed description of what you are building and what you are hoping to achieve. Makes it easier for others to provide feedback/help. If it's a WIP project already, then by all means make a dedicated topic for it EDIT: From your brief description, it would seem you only need a small pump, and one hose connected between the pump and the lower inlet of the cylinder to be able to pose it.. On topic: Great video review as always, Sariel! Looking at the new gear racks, is it possible to place two of them end to end, effectively doubling its length at the expense of extra width for connecting them? Also; may I suggest for Jim to collect all the video reviews in post #1 as they are posted perhaps?

I'm pretty sure I've seen some with five bars in real life Seriously

Absolutely amazing review! The time you put into it really shows/reads! The photos are beyond superb! The set seems to be pretty much as expected, will definitely buy a copy, mostly for the parts! Then to wait for the pneumatic parts to be available in the online Lego store! Great work Jim!

Seeing as Lego is a Danish company, and Denmark is in the time zone it is, I can only imagine that when they say "July 1st" they mean three and a half hours from now:-) Also, isn't the word "deadline" the opposite of what you mean?

Colouring the text blue and bolding and underlining it doesn't make it a link!

Well, to be fair, pretty much every decent Technic MOC wheel loader I've seen has pendular rear suspension. Some also have all engine/transmission parts in the rear (for example my Swinloader II). There are several wheel loaders out there that are not articulated, though most modern ones are Due to (mainly, I'd say) size/weight limitations combined with the strength of ABS plastic and available parts, a lot of times compromises must be made when trying to replicate real life vehicles. 'Perhaps' you could 'clarify' what the 'point' is then, or what your 'vision' of this 'topic' is? If you want a list of examples, then Saberwing40k's got you covered

In NXT45's example it wouldn't make any difference, as the axles are effectively locked in place when the diff is inserted

Very smooth panelling indeed!

UPDATE: Rebrickable truck chassis Rebrickable dump bed attachment Truck chassis instructions Dump bed attachment instructions Hi! I want to present my latest MOC, a 6x6 Offroad type European style truck with PF. I have been working on this longer than any previous MOC, slowly improving and perfecting things here and there, and can finally say I am finished with the base model! Oh, and also, the instructions took quite a while to perfect! Firstly I want to say thank you to Alasdair Ryan, Efferman and Blakbird for reviewing my instructions and providing valuable feedback! Special thanks to Alasdair for helping me with some LPub issues I couldn't figure out on my own! So, a little introduction: The idea behind this MOC is to make a sturdy and powerful PF chassis with advanced drivetrain and suspension on all axles. Further I wanted it to be highly adaptable when it comes to equipment to be placed on the back of it, thereby providing people with a good chassis onto which they can mount their own MOCs, and allowing myself the time to develop and publish different implementations to the model in the future. The features of the model are: -6x6 drivetrain powered by two XL motors -Steering via a worm gear, powered by one M motor -Lockable central differential (manual) -Live axle suspension on all three axles -PF "Expansion Bay" to easily integrate up to two more remote controlled PF motors -Working V8 engine Non technical features: -Rack to mount a 9V/AAA/LiPo batterybox in the cabin (for lights, etc) -Openable doors -Lower steps for the crew pivot up if hitting an obstacle -Tiltable cabin -Semi-detailed interior (including gear stick, coffee cups and some instruments) -Manual winch in the front For a lot of WIP photos, renders and high res pictures of the finished model, please visit the appropriate BrickSafe folder Firstly I'll show you a couple of pictures of the internals: The final gear ration result in a fairly low speed, but tons of torque (maybe a little too much, as some U-joints have experienced). Due to the high torque, I saw myself forced to modify the central differential, as I wanted the truck to have some actual offroad capabilities. Let it be known though, that for driving on the floor (both wooden and carpet) this is not necessary at all. Then some more actual pictures of the physical model In the above picture you can see the small 9V batterybox I placed in the cabin to provide power for the blinking roof lights. Also some of the way too long wiring I had to use, as I don't have short ones. There are certain differences to my model compared to the one in the instructions, most notably the rear lights and the roof of the cabin. This is due to me lacking the proper pieces, so it looks a little bit off in the pictures. The obligatory underside shot. Here you can see most of the mechanical side of the drivetrain It's a bit difficult to get good pictures of the suspension working.. The PF Expansion Bay. As you can see the two channels are free, and there is room for a lot of wiring. You can also see the dual white clutch gears used for the steering. It makes it powerful and fast, while still preventing the M-motor from stalling. On the other side is the space taken by the lever to engage the diff lock. I originally had an RC function for this, but it turned out a little unreliable due to the M-motor driving itself back a little after stalling. Also, it took up unnecessary space. Shot of the driver's side interior of the cabin. The cabin tilts forward to allow access to the batterybox... Which can then easily be removed. Here you can also see the V8 and the "fake gearbox" with shift lever and cup holder A shot of the rear of the vehicle, meant to show the available space for additions. Okay, that about sums it up. A couple of notes: I initally wanted to have independent front suspension, but this, together with a lockable central diff took up way too much space. Designing the front axle was a real pain, as it had to be very low to not interfere with the engine. This meant the steering motor had to be placed on the chassis. I first tried to use the servo motor, but it took up too much room. The solution I ended up with is as good as it gets given the parameters I had to work with, although it does have a little slack But it works great! Like I said This is supposed to be a modular build, and I am in the process of developing said modules now. Firstly is a picture of three different LA systems that are all more or less "drop in" additions to the model (you need to remove some of the transverse 7L axles seen in the above picture). The one to the left is used for a side tipping bed, which you can see in the next picture. The other two are to be used with for example standard tipping beds or other modules This is a WIP side tipping bed, using the two small LA setup shown above. It is a bit short maybe, but that is to give room for a rear attachment, like a Palfinger style crane, or a material handler claw, like in the picture below: As you can probably see, this is just a modified version of the Unimog 8110 crane, but with a claw (a la 42006) and an extendable boom. It is manual. EDIT: Also; yay or nay regarding the stickers (from 42025) on the cabin in the above picture? I am also going to make a compressor unit that can fit underneath the bed at the cost of the tipping function. Lastly, here is a taste of the instructions, which you can download here It is currently pending approval at Rebrickable (posted last night, so should hopefully not be too long). In the mean time, here is the parts list And here is the LDD model for those interested (a couple of pieces couldn't be properly attached) So thanks for taking the time to read all this, I hope you like the model, and that some of you will be building it yourselves. If you do, please come back here and post your impressions, along with a picture or two of your build! As always, comments, criticism etc etc are very welcome EDIT 2: The truck is built in white in the instructions, so most white parts can be substituted for any other colour. Also, as I note in the introduction of the instructions, most LBG and DBG thin and normal liftarms are used in the chassis, and can be substituted for other colours. The colours are used to make the instructions as clear as possible

It's like with everything else; people who do a lot of photography, tend to be better at it than those who don't. Add to that the (expensive) equipment and post-processing skills needed to make the best photos possible, it's fairly obvious that it's not easily achievable by everyone. But you are right, most people can probably do it after investing a lot of time and money into it.

Good idea, but most people don't have an abundance of wind tunnels

Thanks, I'm glad you appreciate the work! I can't (as usual) guarantee instructions, but I can guarantee an accurate LDraw model! There aren't stupid questions, only stupid people! Just kidding of course. I haven't made the instructions for the side tipping bed unfortunately , but it really is a very simple design, and I'm pretty sure you'll be able to replicate it from the pictures of it. The crane is pretty much an exact copy of the one from 8110 Unimog, with an added pneumatic circuit for the boom extending, and slightly modified outriggers to compensate for the height difference between the two models. There is also the operators cabin, but that doesn't provide any functionality. Thanks, I am glad you like it! Haha, there are definitely some similarities between this and your truck. but obviously at different scales The extra size of this one allows for some more features and detailing, but at the same time depends heavily on the structural build, as it is turning out to be very heavy! All the functions in the chassis are working as intended, it is built physically and tested up till this point. I built the front two axles first, along with the first four function gearbox and the functions it controls. Then I built the rear two axles with their functions and a second four function gearbox. Then I started to fine tune the two, making some small and some heavy modifications. Especially the mid outriggers were unnecessarily complicated before I saw that I had an (so far) unused output from the front gearbox, that alligned perfectly with where I needed it to go For the superstructure, It needs to sit fairly low and at the same time be compact. I suspect that in order to have it low enough I will have to put two gearboxes inside of it, and only have a single vertical axle going through the turntable.. This will be the next challenge!

Well you must be very well educated then! Yes of course! I am building a redesign of my older tow truck, completely redesigned to be mechanical rather than pneumatic, but maintaining the same features (albeit, some have been slightly altered due to mechanical complexity and pros vs. cons for pneumatics vs. mechanics I'll put it together to take a picture before I go to bed EDIT: I have taken a couple of photos, but I can't seem to get them in the proper size to show in the forum, so I refer you to the dedicated Bricksafe folder The working functions in the chassis so far are: -V8 driven from the third axle -Proportional steering with Ackerman geometry on axles 1, 2 and 3 4 Powered functions: -Front stabilizers/outriggers -Mid stabilizers/outriggers -Rear stabilizers/outriggers -Winch in the front -Lifting cabin -Lifting wheel lift (not sure the terminology is correct? The thing in the back..) -Extending wheel lift -Deploying fork For the rest of the functions, I will try to make a crane superstructure, similar to the one in the pneumatic model, that will feature: -Full 360 degree rotation -Lifting boom -Extending boom -Working winch So the goal is a total of 12 elecrtic functions I haven't made a MOC like this before (one motor, multiple gearboxes/functions), but it's coming on fast. I started this MOC three days ago

I wholeheartedly agree that there are way too many useless topics popping up, but many are created as a first topic by new members, with very specific questions, that they probably don't know have been answered many times before. Also, they are probably not aware of the index topic. They have probably come across Eurobricks googling for the very solution they are looking for! But putting a "site:eurobricks.com" behind your search for for example "8041 vs 42041" will probably give you the answers you are looking for. But yes, I have been vocal about my annoyances regarding uselesss topics before, and I still feel the same way in general Regarding Contest specific WIP topics, I see how people can get a whole lot of ideas, and quickly want to "patent" their idea (model type, and perhaps especially in the case of TC7: name of the MOC. There is only a finite number of badass enough words you know ). But if people absolutely have to throw their idea out there asap, then I'd really like to see at the very least some useful info, perhaps a sketch, or an early draft of the MOC.

Going away for a couple of weeks, but I wanted to show you a small teaser of what I've been working on for the last couple of days: Had to take a break from pneumatics Sorry about the grainy render, it is clickable for larger, much clearer resolution. And there is some order to it all, as demonstrated in this render: Again, clickable and much clearer in higher resolution.. not quite sure why the low res ones are so grainy.. Anyway, the model, as it stands today (yes, it is built physically to the same extent as the digital model), has eigth motorized functions from one L-motor, through various standard gearboxes. Before it's done, there will be at least four more!

I made a fairly small and reliable transmission for guiding two axles through a turntable when they are vertically close together

In your case it probably comes more natural to build a base military vehicle (light bluish grey) that transforms into a civilian vehicle

This sounds like a great contest! It seems easy at first, but I can guarantee there will be a huge gap between the best and worst entries here! To make something that looks good, is original, and works well is going to take a lot of time! Glad for the 8 week duration, as I am busy for the next two weeks at the very least! Great concept Jim, looking very much forward to taking part in this, as well as seeing the community's entries as they take form!

Same here, the .lxf seems to work just fine

No, not yet I'm afraid. I'm hoping to make one demonstrating the functions over the weekend