dhc6twinotter

Awesome, thanks! I'm very impressed with your moc. You've used some really clever building techniques, and I especially like how you built the tail rotor and rudder assemblies.

That is an amazing helicopter. The rotor head assembly looks very authentic, and I really like that you were able to fit variable pitch blades on the tail rotor as well. How is the tail rotor controlled? Fantastic moc you've got here.

I was pretty excited when I ordered 8258. That was my first Technic set since I emerged from my dark ages. It's one of my favorite sets, although I have yet to get the Unimog. I'm pretty excited about the helicopter coming out as well.

Just another update. The rear fuselage frame work is complete. There will eventually be some bodywork around the frame structure. The rudder and elevators are now hooked up, as well as the AA battery box. You may notice the battery box is sitting a bit crooked. The battery box works as a counterweight and keeps the elevators in the neutral position. Without the counterweight, the elevators would droop under their own weight and push the joysticks forward. It doesn't look very pretty, but it works surprisinlgy well. I need to re-gear my rudder pedals as they don't provide enough rudder movement. Also, the plane is a bit tail-heavy at the moment. Hopefully, the weight of the floats and wings will bring the center of gravity far enough forward that the plane won't be sitting on the tail. My goal is to have the CG just forward of the main wheels. I have my niece's 7th birthday party to go to this afternoon, but once I get back, I hope to finish the rest of the fuselage and have the wings sort of mounted. I might even have time to build my 2nd float, although I can't miss the season premier of The Deadliest Catch on tonight.

Thanks guys! For sure. My plan is to have it done by this Thursday, but I'm not sure that will happen. That will leave me Friday to make and upload a video for the TSATS competition.

Grum64, here's one way you can wire it up: BB>Pole Reverser>compressor motor and receiver>XL motors. Plug your pole reverser into your battery box, then plug your compressor motor and receiver to the pole reverser. The pole reverser has a pass through design, and the receiver will always get power no matter what position your pole reverser is in. You will be able to turn on/off the compressor as needed, and your receiver will work like it should. Plug your XL motors into the receiver. Should work.

Well, over the weekend, I was able to put the wings together. They are mostly done, although I need to figure out where to mount the wing struts. I don't particularly care for the gap behind the red panels used for the wing's leading edge. The original plan was to use more red angle connectors to fill in the gap, much like the black part of the wings. However, the bricklink store that I ordered these parts from has not sent me an invoice, and I won't have them by the deadline. I'll have to leave it as is, or I'll probably just add some red beams to fill in the gap (if I have enough). I still hope to have this done by the deadline. My contract at work ended on Friday, so I'm now unemployed and have more time to devote to my project. More LEGO time....Yay! Jokes aside, I actually will be very busy the next month or so as I look for work and prep for a 4-6 month long road trip. This may be my last moc for a while. Anyways, I'll have more updates as the day progresses.

Looking forward to your project.

Well, awesome! I'm from NC too....I'm down in Fayetteville. I think there are about 7 or 8 Technic builders from the USA on this forum. Check this thread for more info. I don't know of any other Technic builders in NC. There is a big LEGO show in Raleigh on May 17th-20th. www.brickmagic.org Paul Boratko, another Technic builder from PA, will be attending and has some fantastic MOCs that will be on display. We also have a North Carolina LUG, NCLUG, that meets once a month at the Cameron Village Library in Raleigh. Next meeting is on Saturday, April 14th.

Welcome! Your story sounds familiar. I just got back into LEGO about 2.5 years ago. It's nice to see another Technic builder on the forum!

Great moc! I like the live rear axle.

I used the rechargeable battery pack, which has a variable speed dial on it. You can insert an axle into the dial and connect it to the throttle via linkage or whatnot.

Thanks guys! This is still a WIP. Wings have yet to be built. I still have a bit of work to do on the rear fuselage as well. The deadline for completed entries is the 13th, so I should have it done by then. I had to have at least a WIP thread up by the 2nd.

Very nice sea plane! I like how you were able to built it using just the Unimog parts. The orange and grey color scheme looks great on a plane too!

Hey all, I guess this is a bit last minute, but here is where I'm at so far for my TSATS entry. This is very much a WIP. This moc is based on a Piper Super Cub on floats: Functions: -Motorized fake flat 4 engine and prop (variable speed controlled by rechargeable battery and throttle levers in cockpit) -Working ailerons controlled by left/right movement of joysticks -Working elevator controlled by forward/backward movement of joysticks -Working rudder controlled by rudder pedals -Working water rudders controlled by rudder pedals -Motorized flaps controlled by yellow levers in cockpit -Motorized drooping ailerons synchronized with flaps -Motorized variable pitch propeller controlled by levers in cockpit -Motorized retractable landing gear with suspension and locks controlled by lever in cockpit -2 m motors -2 mini LAs -1 Rechargeable Battery -1 AA Battery Box (not pictured) Pictures: Side View: Cockpit: Engine and Variable Pitch Prop Mechanism: Motor to Power Engine and Prop: Gearbox and Linkages: Float: Retracted Landing Gear: Extended Landing Gear: The gearbox has 3 outputs with forward and reverse for each output. It works similar to the gearbox efferman used in his fantastic log truck. There isn't any return-to-center system for the driving rings like what efferman's gearbox had, and I really wish I would have seen his gearbox before I built mine. It's a brilliant feature that I would have liked to incorporate. Otherwise, the gearbox works great! I'm really happy with how this is turning out so far. I've been wanting to build an airplane for a while now, and this contest has provided me the opportunity to do so. I'll update this thread as I progress with the project. I have a bit more work to do, but I'm pretty confident I can have it done by the April 13th deadline. I hope. Thanks! Daniel

Nice looking moc! Lots of nice functions there. Do you have any pictures of the internal gearing, etc? I think you're at the picture limit in this thread, but if you have a brickshelf or flickr account, please post a link. More pictures would be great! What does the wire connector hanging out of the yellow arm do? Is that for future attachments? I love this contest. So many people have uploaded great entries! This is going to be difficult to judge.

Really nice jet-ski. Great job duplicating the functions of the real one, and you've done a great job building the hull.

I have met about 8 or so Technic builders in the USA, three of whom post here on a regular bases (Blakbird, Dluders, and Paul Borako). Otherwise, we seem like a fairly small group here in the US.

I had the pleasure of meeting Marius at Brickcon last year. Super cool guy, although I was a bit bummed that I didn't get to see his plane. Way cool moc.

Here are my thoughts on this: 1) Tires are fine. If you feel like you want larger tires, the 81.6 x 36 tires fit the same rim. They are expensive, if you can even find them. 2) You can build a transmission using the picture allanp posted, or you may want to check out www.crowkillers.com for more transmission ideas. I think you can buy pre-built 5+R transmission on crowkillers.com or on ebay. 3) Whether or not you have enough panels depends on how many you have. I have seen some really nice cars that didn't use any panels at all--just lots of flex cables. I have also seen cars that used a lot of panels. It's a matter of personal preference. 4) There are different variables that go into positioning a door spring. Trial and error are probably your best bet to figure out the proper spring angle. However, for your door to stay closed, your door hinge and both ends of the spring should be pretty much in a straight line when the door is closed. Not sure if that makes any sense. I would suggest you build a simple test moc with some beams to figure out the proper geometry before you try to implement this on your moc. I find that building any Technic moc requires a bit of trial and error. It's not unusual for me to build part of a moc at least 20 times before I'm happy with what I have. That's all part of the fun (most of the time ) Bricklink is a good place to buy parts you need. Keep us updated on your moc! Nice to see another Technic builder in the US.

What a fantastic excavator! I love the orange color.

Grum64, What an awesome and inspiring story! I'm amazed that you are building Technic sets with your mouth. Way awesome. Have you thought about speaking at various LEGO conventions? I would love to hear your story, in person, at a LEGO show. I think it would be a great inspiration to all.

Awesome! I love old VWs. I like how the white-wall tires were simulated with white and grey rims. I like the dual carbs and the fan/alternator belt as well.

Nice looking boat!

Really nice moc! Cool to see something that drive and float.