Car project

[Lipko]

Hi all!

I have a new simple car project, a bit of a warm up project before going to more complex models.

Features (so far):

*full, independent suspension on all wheels

*fake V12 front mounted engine

*3+R manual gearbox

*rear wheel drive

*Ackermann steering (not precise, it's hardly noticeable)

*very smooth, stable steering with Hand of God operation, the first time I got it right

*working steering wheel

Rant about the design:

After the Hammer project failure (temporary failure), I almost gave up the whole building thing. I thought I'm too dumb to make "advanced" models, and I didn't want to build just mediocre stuff (I don't mean just functions, but the whole model).

But I realised that my methods were dumb:

1. wanting quite advanced features, too much ambition

2. hacking, firefighting through the whole building without keeping the whole structure in mind (except for some ad-hoc "interfaces" to let other future functions "go through")

The reason for no. 1 was ambition and the thought that features make a model. The reason for no. 2 was probably the drive to avoid rebuilding everything over and over again.

With this model, I have a totally different design approach:

I realised that actually a lot of advances features alone won't make a model good for me. Even a few features can make a model great if it's implemented well.

This means:

*no thinking about features up front (apart from the obvious ones), if I have place for a new feature, I incorporate it. If not, I drop that feature.

*if a feature takes too much effort to implement, I just drop it.

Making use of LDD for the design. This helps a great amount with getting rid of hacking and firefighting.

*It's easier to design with LDD at the beginning of a project when you continuously have to change parts. For example replacing a beam for another one was actually a barrier for making clean designs, since I unconsciously tried to avoid replacing beams unless the change was crucial (having a 13L beam instead of a 15L doesn't make a difference locally, but can make a huge difference on the whole model).

*Easier and not demoralizing to make big changes and rebuilding the whole thing many times

*Real building and testing is also necessary of course

There are still some hacky parts but overall I'm satisfied with the progress.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Lipko

[jorgeopesi]

More cars yuju , it looks good and big.

[Kierna]

Please don't call it a "fake" motor, "model" is nicer, or lego official term is "plastic motor".

Plastic and miniature does not mean "fake", it means "model"

[Lipko]

Please don't call it a "fake" motor, "model" is nicer, or lego official term is "plastic motor".

Plastic and miniature does not mean "fake", it means "model"

Everybody calls this kind of engine "fake engine", it's a custom I guess. Fake, because there are real engines, the electric motors in Lego. But this model doesn't have any.

[kieran]

I think fake is a normal term in this instance, I have wondered about the term before as well but it just one of those that has entered normal use and most people know what it means. The engine looks enormous for the size of car, in real life i could see this being quite a quick vehicle, nice work looking forward to more

[Balrog]

The chassis looks very good. I am looking forward to the body you will build for it. Though it seems, that the wheelbase is a little too short for the size of the tyres.

[Pedro Antunes]

Love the seats

[Jeroen Ottens]

I wonder what you call advanced, when you call this a simple model

I do recognize the 'Oops I've got too much functions in my model and now it is falling apart' issue. Reducing functionality at the start worked for me as well.

As for the issue with losing the overall structure during the build my solution is to make several copies at once. One that is solely aimed for structure & looks, so no internal gearing, functionality etc. Just some hinge points for the basic functionality. Then a second one that is almost the opposite, namely just the internal gearing & functionality.

And finally a third model which incorporates both the structure and the functionality.

All three variants are then developed iteratively, where solutions in one model affect the next iteration in the second one.

This approach makes the chess-like think ahead your moves a little easier in my experience.

But it does require more lego and you will always find yourself using those rare pieces right in the middle of your structure

[legomuppet9]

I am going to make my first car soon, and i must admit I'm probably trying to do way too much for the size, we'll just have to see....

Anyway, any hints on what V12 car you're going to try and base the bodywork on? or is it your own design?

[Lipko]

Thanks for the comments. The car is my design, but I don't have much plans yet. Maybe the wheelbase is a bit short, but I think it's okay for a 2 seater sportscar. If it is too long, it's quite easy to make the model longer.

[Balrog]

Thanks for the comments. The car is my design, but I don't have much plans yet. Maybe the wheelbase is a bit short, but I think it's okay for a 2 seater sportscar. If it is too long, it's quite easy to make the model longer.

Ah right. I forgot about real cars. Something like a Mazda MX5. Though it is not available with a V12

[legomuppet9]

Aston Martin V12 Vantage perhaps?

Relatively small wheelbase, with a V12 engine (I knew my car knowledge would come in handy one day... )

Edited December 14, 2012 by legomuppet9

[Lipko]

Some progress:

Edited January 20, 2013 by Lipko

[Balrog]

This is really cool. The front looks somewhat like a Mitsubishi Evo X!

[rm8]

Looks like it was made by lego technic team. Well done!

[jorgeopesi]

Looks like it was made by lego technic team. Well done!

Lol, it is hard to build something like that, looks like a real car or like a Lego set may be a epic MOD of the 8070 .

[Paul Boratko]

This looks Fantastic..!!!

[legomuppet9]

Looking good

[LiamM32]

I like this model. It's a good looking car. I really like it that you have Ackerman steering, as most Technic cars unfortunately don't, and I was looking for one that does. It seems quite well-worked to me for being a "Warm-up model", but that may be because I'm fairly new to the Technic community.

Everybody calls this kind of engine "fake engine", it's a custom I guess. Fake, because there are real engines, the electric motors in Lego. But this model doesn't have any.

I think fake is a normal term in this instance, I have wondered about the term before as well but it just one of those that has entered normal use and most people know what it means. The engine looks enormous for the size of car, in real life i could see this being quite a quick vehicle, nice work looking forward to more

Most people think that they know what "fake" means. But I have heard it being misused to mean "unusual", or even to refer to products not made by Apple inc.

This is a fake engine. A model engine that is "real" would actually work with fluid flowing through it, like those Lego Pneumatic engines.

[Lauris]

very nice progress for a challenging model you've choosen in terms of design (if it's Aston - I hope it is! )

[shadowhearth]

I Really love that splitter on the front. Fits nicely. I bet you tried it already, but maybe black would fir better?

[Lipko]

I want to try in black, but no parts for that...

I will soon have other pics to post, but the progress is quite slow.

[Lipko]

Hi all!

I can finally call the prototype completed.

I didn't have much time and motivation, but I made progress and I'm satisfied with the model's overall look.

The chassis will be redesigned, some time.

Features:

• Steering: Hand of God and cockpit steering, with Ackermann geometry
  
• rear wheel drive
  
• front mounted V12 fake engine (planning to replace it with a V10)
  
• 3+R manual transmission
  
• Full, independent suspension on all wheels
  
• opening hatches
  

Issues:

• The overall look is good, the front is badass, but the other parts (such as the rear) is nothing interesting
  
• Weight. It's very heavy, about 1.5 kilos, so it's very hard to steer when pushed around.
  
• Too few functions for such a big model.
  
• The most awkward on is the lack of 4WD. Maybe I can solve it when I redesign the chassis, but the most problem is with the front suspension. If I don't place the shock absorber perfectly above the centerline of the wheel, the extra friction further decreases the steerability. If I place it above the axle, it will hardly fit under the hood.
  

Anyway, some more pictures:

Check out the Brickshelf folder for more pictures.

[Zerobricks]

What a beauty she is! More functions would be nice, yes, but its still a great supercar!

[07jkearney]

That looks fantastic , be proud of what you have achieved.