Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'c6'.
Found 1 result
-
[MOC] Lego mini crane: 1:14 Hoeflon C6 Spider Crane
896gerard posted a topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
Building Lego Technic creations and posting videos is a common bussiness for every MOC designer. Coming up with small and large inventions and sharing them is a continuing activity that never bores. However, there is one common dream, one ultimate goal that every Lego enthousiast silently dreams about: to design a professional Lego model. Several builders do what is called 'commissioned work'. Building a Lego Technic model and selling whatever it became to a company or private party. In general, Lego Technic custom models are loved by non-Lego enthousiasts because 'it works'. Several years ago, I got the unique chance to do commissioned work because a company CEO's brother accidentially saw my scale model. I first refused to sell my beloved Luctor, but two years later the one metre model was ready I got positive reviews about the looks, but the most comments were: "wow, it really works". Somehow this model must have been leaked inside 'CEO-land', as one year ago I was asked by the Hoeflon company (based in the Netherlands) to build a give-away Lego Technic model, to be used as a business gift. How cool is it to not receive the 32st boring USB drive, but a complete custom Lego Technic model.. The company builds mini cranes that go inside buildings to do heavy lifting. My task was to build a scale model of a machine that is already very compact in real life. As a result, I present a 1:14 scale model of the Hoeflon C6 crane. (please note I'm NOT paid by Hoeflon in any way, the whole story is just about how things happened and to explain the link with reality). The crane is my smallest MOC for a long time. It was really a challenge to fit all the functions inside the cramped body. The functions are: Track widening Boom rising/lowering Boom extension Fly Jib Rotating superstructure Friction winch Self-locking outtriggers Variable angle outtriggers with over 90 degree range These functions happen in a Lego Technic model of a smaller volume than the 9391 Technic crane set. Over the years I had lost some creativity to build small models so this one was a real challenge. I'm happy with the current setup but who knows.. The model is delivered with black or LBG tracks. LBG track links are slightly more expensive and this quickly adds up when 100+ cranes need to be made. To be fair, I find the looks of the 9391 stunning for the low part count. However, as I show in the video, it does not really work as a crane. The above photo shows the comparable sizes of both models. The front view. Please note the relative widht of the tracks: They are each 3L while the vehicle width is 7L. The resulting chassis is one stud in width! To widen the tracks, the crane has a shifting axle system with half bushes as stoppers. The final result is not the strongest system, but the crane at least has the function! The top view shows why this crane is called the 'Spider Crane': the outtriggers can be seen as the legs. The great thing about building such small models is that every part can be seen and every part has its function. There are very few 'unused studs'. This crane has a 3-section boom. In transport shape, this crane is 12 cm high so all of it should be folded. Therefore it looks like a proper mess when folded in. It is a common known fact that Hoeflon cranes will lift their own weight, because one crane should be able to lift another crane into a cellar. Hopes were low for the scale model as it is fully made from plastic Lego pieces. Under these loads, they will simply bend. Using the correct crane position and the winch, I got one crane to lift the other - just. On this small scale, I could not use the same strong structure from the real C6, so it was a nice result that my building resulted in something with the same strenght. The crane in full extended mode. The shape changes dramatically when the boom is unfolded. It reaches a maximum height of 42 cm. This model is meant as a business gift. This box was developed by a third party and it looks great. It is just big enough to contain the 425 parts and the A5-sized building instructions. I spent really hours drawing a 3D model and creating building instructions with lPub. By doing it yourselves, it becomes clear how much time goes into it.. The agreement with Hoeflon was: me delivering the PDF, Hoeflon doing the printing. I'm really pleased with the end result. To conclude, this MOC shows that you don't need a lot of parts to build a fun Technic model. I have many parts now compared to five years ago, but all of it is useless when someone knocks on the door to ask for a small scale model. This model also shows the problem of modern Technic sets from the store shelves. They are built large, very large. The 8265 Wheel loader is an example. It is enormous, while having less functions than this small crane that will fit into its bucket. Now the size may speak to the inner desire of the (hu)man to posess big things, but personally I like finesse and elegance over size. It is my big hope that TLG sees this in time, otherwise the awesomeness of new Lego Technic sets will fade away. The video