Appie

I like to present my Mini for the contest, it is a truck with trailer and a wheel loader: After finishing my little dump truck last week I came up with this idea instead of trying to cut down the parts of the little dump truck from 350 or so to 200. And to be honest I am glad I went with this idea. Was alot of fun and it provided alot of challenges, but I got everything in the model that I wanted with exactly 200 parts. A total of 9 functions (10 if you count adjustable seats in the truck) I managed to put in this entry. One function actually shares his with another and came to be by chance actually. I didn't plan it, it just happened when I placed a part for which all I had to do was turn it around to make it even more functional, but more about that later. Allow me to go over each part seperately: 1. The truck with a total of 97 parts. Could be a considered a "Mini" on its own I suppose. It has the following functions: - HoG steering - Rear suspension - Fifth wheel lock 2LegoOrNot2Lego actually inspired me for the fifth wheel with the version he has on his awesome US Truck T1 MkII. I wanted that on my little truck, but I had to do it on a much smaller scale so I didn't fully look at how his worked, just knew it had rubber bands. My fifth wheel requires a little manual assistance to function (don't have to open them this far to get the trailer in there). Trailer uses a technic crankshaft to lock into the fifth wheel And this is how it looks attached. The suspension on this model is actually an improved version of the one I made for my little dump truck. Originally the truck for this had a 5 stud wide chassis like the little dump truck, but after making the wheel loader this 7 stud wide body looked too big in scale (and had a wooping 135 parts). So I made a 5 stud wide truck, which means I had to refine the suspension from the little dump truck from 5 studs to 3 studs. This was a challenge, but making the centre of the rear chassis from connectors instead of liftarms made my day. But Appie this truck is 6 studs wide? Yes, the 5 stud wide truck looked too slim so I tried a 6 stud wide body while keeping the chassis 3 studs wide for a better look (works better with the tires too in my opinion). 2. The wheel loader with a total of 57 parts It has the following functions: - Articulated steering through gear on top of the cabine - Bucket lift through control at the rear - Bucket tilt with hinge Added bonus for me personally is that it uses less parts than Lego's smallest technic loader, but this one can steer Can't wait to see how it looks besides the 42030 3. The trailer with 46 parts. This was a real challenge. Before even starting this I remade the truck like 3 times to get the parts down to what it is now. I took apart the wheel loader for the same reason, but 46 parts is what I had to work with and I managed to get the functions in that I wanted to. Though they are a little simple in execution (as in: very direct), but that also happens in "Mini" Lego sets, so I guess it fits It has the following functions - Ramp that can be lowered - Stand that can be lowered - And the double function: the stand also functions as a lock for keeping the wheel loader in place during transit. The ramp at the end provides this feature a little too of course, but the stand really locks it into place, it can't move at all. I call it "the hook" Let me explain the hook with some pictures. This is how the stand would be during transit. When the stand is deployed the wheel loader can move a little, but is quickly stopped by the ramp at the end, so no crazy stuff will happen when standing still The wheel loader has an open space behind its front axle, the 2x4 liftarm fits perfectly in this space. Here you can see how it looks on the model: Thank you for your time and I hope you all like it. Big thank you to Eurobricks for this fun contest. It's alot of pictures, hope you don't mind. I like showing stuff Photo of the parts will follow soon (will have to disassemble it first).

I see your problem, would have to redesign the whole bottom construction. I will leave it up to you if you want to do that since the model is fine as it is, but I do see options to make it work. Even with 1 stud space between the 2 LA's and the hinge to the back section behind it.

Great looking redesign! I'd too suggest moving the control for the bottom LA's to the rear. Would also fill up the rear a bit with axles, gears and whatnot.

Looks pretty good, but those soft axles on the outside are prone to fall off because of how they are mounted. Also looks like you are stressing the connector and pin that connects that soft axle construction in the front to the body very much (it's bending?)

Nice truck, I can see why you thought it sort of looks like mine Great idea! Make it hook it on the fork and you add alot of playability to it.

I see I am not the only one who was thinking of making a B-Model for the contest. Good job

Second version looks alot cooler already, nice use of the pullback motor. While keeping the height you could perhaps make it so that it can snap in the middle so the minifigs could enter the buckets on the ground? Gives your model another function too Also perhaps an option to lock it at angles for a super crazy fair ride

I'd go with the second version too.

Wow, thanks! And thanks again to everybody else for your very kind words regarding this model But unless I can get it below 200 parts, I don't see it entering this contest. I am currently working on revamping a few things on this truck thanks to some tips I recieved, don't know if I can get it below 200 parts with that, but we will see. I still like to use my second idea too, so I am a little torn at the moment which to use for the contest Edit: well after trying out some new ideas, some worked and while they bring down the part count a little, it also alters the colour scheme I tried to achieve. So I don't really like it. Going to keep this model as it is and focus on my new idea for the Mini contest.

Cool idea for a MOC. Very creative and a funny mechanism. Since it is a fair ride and you have plenty parts left to use you could add a sign on top of it with lights and stuff from normal Lego and if needed for some technical pieces order a few on bricklink?

Thanks everybody for the kind words Actually I just now thought of a new model for the contest that I would really like to try and realise. Considering Blakbird's words of a mini model that would look like an official Lego set I think my new idea meets those criteria better than this one could even if I would manage to get this one below 200 parts, because even if I manage that I still think it looks like a 20-30 euro set.

When I read about the Mini contest, my first thought wasn't: I am going to enter, especially with all the awesome builders here and the buttload of cool entries! But I was thinking what I would make if I did. So after coming up with some ideas I decided on doing a dump truck, in which I would cram as much functions as I could. This being my first own MOC since my "dark ages", I had a blast exploring the possibilties of studless! So after a few days this is what I came up with: It has the following functions: - The bucket tilts (shocker I know ) - HoG steering (and working steering wheel in the cab) - Rear suspension - Openable doors - Tailgate lock (pushing it as a function? ) Now why isn't topic labelled with [MINI]? Because it has about 350 parts. I could adjust some stuff and get it to 300, but the last 100 I don't see happening even if I rebuild some stuff from scratch. Like putting in a mini LA for the bucket instead of my wormgear construction (which I chose on purpose instead of a LA in the first place). Maybe I will use one of my other ideas to enter the contest or maybe not My main reason for building this wasn't to enter anyway, but the contest did give me the idea to think of making a cool little model, so thanks for that Eurobricks Here are some more pictures: For the mirrors I actually want to use a different part and perhaps add a little 1x2 tile on it, but I didn't have any black (or red) left and LBG and DBG looked out of place, so these were a good second choice. Suspension at work! Hope you guys like it, thank you for your time reading this topic

Really awesome!

Yeah, I noticed this colour coding for some beams as well. For pins and stuff I can understand it, if only for an ease of sorting stuff later in less sorting boxes, but to be honest, if kids can't see or learn the difference in 2L then I don't have high hopes for the future. Also, yesterday I was building my new EV3RSTORM and 5L axles were in the same bag as 7L axles, wouldn't this have to freak out kids too then? That is probably it. Black toggle joints probably didn't see some good production until the 9398 and 9395 hit the shelves. Kinda tooting my own custom colour horn here, but a white Mustang is possible, but you will have to adjust a few parts on the car. Yellow might be a bit harder, especially 11L soft axles are very rare on bricklink. And #4 connectors don't come cheap either. Which I find kind of funny that they have only been in 1 set, considering how much yellow vehicles Technic Lego has

And to think, the 42029 could have been fixing 2 problems if only they made the #3 connectors near the grill red instead of LBG And even without the rarity I don't understand why they aren't red. Suits that spot better imo.

Really nice moc, you really nailed the curves of the body, looks awesome! And all those cool features like the drumbrakes, realistic supsension, the gearbox and the easy removal of the body. Great work.

Thank you very much! Well there are a few parts that can be hard to find: - 4L ribbed hose white - One guy basically holds the "new" market for the white #4 axle and pin connector, luckily you only need 6 of these (need 2 more compared to the normal parts list since this part doesn't exist in white) - white long pin with stop bush isn't much available. I managed to reduce the number needed to 6 on the Mustang that were part of the body (at the rear wheel arches, on top near the rear lights and at the hood). Others I changed to white stop bushes (plenty available) with an axle (like in the chairs) or changed to black to blend with the chassis. - I changed quite a few of these connectors to these connectors. Mainly because the new price scared me and I am always a little careful buying white parts used for the risk of yellowed parts. My model only has 2 of the 19 intended connectors. The ones on the outside of the hood, the others I could keep in place through other means that didn't affect the look. Of course soft axles don't escape either in this set up, but don't cost as much (yet?) as some of the red or black ones. 11L white soft axles can be quite expensive though second hand parts have been nice to me in terms of price and quality. Also 14L and 19L aren't much available. Blue parts I didn't have much issues. The only problem is that Lego blue can vary a little in colour, which you will notice when you are really up close. Getting all parts in the exact same blue would be very hard. I even had colour differences in the same zip bags from bricklink shops on (new) parts.

Past few weeks I have been looking at the Mustang and it annoyed me a little that it is 99% Lego. So I revisted the soft axles on bricklink. I dismissed the idea back then because there were no 16L whites, but back then I didn't think of fixing that with some 14L's. So the past week I revisted bricklink and fixing the 16L's was pretty easy, just added 1 stud at each end of the solid parts for the soft axles. It got me thinking about other soft axles in this model that could easily be altered for other ones to save some money. Like the 14L reds, you could easily change these to 4x 12L reds and add an axle connector for half the price of 1x 14L red. As seen in Thunderfold's orange Mustang adding more solid connectors to these parts doesn't change much of the look of the model. I also altered the outer soft axles of the hood to 12L's, easy fix for people that face expensive 11L's (for me it was just being lazy and not wanting to make another bricklink order for 2 soft axles ). So here's an image of my 100% Lego Mustang Also added a little bit of white to the rims with some half stop bushes. I tried other options but everything felt like too much white (even full bushes ). Also didn't like 8880 rims with the white body, but these half bushes feel just about right. Woops I was last poster, guess I should have edited that one.

This would be awesome as a set! I could watch it go for hours.

While I like quite few midrange sets, I remember the 8858 Rebel Wrecker most fondly. It looks so cool and tough. Back then it was the first Lego set to sport front suspension while not being a supercar flagship. I loved it for that alone and could stare at the images in the catalog of that for weeks until I got it for my birthday. And it had so much more features in such a small package, like the drive line crossing the steering axle with a cluth gear was cool. It also has one of my favorite B-models of a set.

Today I recieved the 41999 I ordered and I am #06778

I found a 8466 on marktplaats this weekend (though it has been up for a week), however it was listed as a "Lego Off roader" and images were of the B model that was a bit dusty. I placed a bid for 50 euro thinking he would want more. Within in an hour of placing the bid he said "ok". I still couldn't believe it and really thought I was being scammed, but today it arrived. Upon inspection the model isn't as dusty as the pictures made it seem (still going to clean it of course), bricks, 10L pumps and wheels in very good condition and the stickers also in very good condition. In the delivery box there were 3 items besides the car which lucklily didn't fall through the crack at the bottom of the box: 2x 11L flat silver soft axles and the 12L metallic green ribbed hose, which are needed for the A model. Glossing over what big parts are needed for the main model I seem to be missing 2x 2L flat silver ribbed hose, maybe those did fall through crack, but no matter I have them in my own spares. The only thing "bad" (which is pushing it for this deal) is that the instructions have seen better days but they are still usable.

Thanks. Yellow as main colour? 11L flex axles yellow were only used in 1 model iirc and I am not sure if all lengths were made in yellow, but could be pretty pricey and slow just on those 11L yellows. I looked into this when I wanted to make the stripe yellow (and the main colour black), but I didn't find that as interesting as white and blue, so discarded it. Of course with pneumatic tubes like I did it should be possible or perhaps rigid hoses.

Well yesterday I recieved 99.9% of my missing pieces so figured I might as well post the images of my Mustang. I also made a few mods in general, but I also had to find an alternative for 2 pieces that simply don't exist in white. Part 42003, which I replaced with part 32068 or part 6536 and part 44 which I could only replace with connectors that represented the intended angles as close as possible, on the front this works fine, but at the rear lights there is a little bit of tension on the pin connectors (or well the axle pins in the connectors). Overall shot, with first mod (also seen here before) lights And from the rear As you can see I also moved the 7L liftarm in front of the rear wheelarch to the back (for now, 5L will come this week, since this is too closed off for my taste). I didn't like how the flex axle went around the liftarm in the instructions and Sheepo actually has a 5L there too in the video on his site I made room for brake lights too in these units, but my 3rd pair of PF lights should come this week, will look like this then: I didn't really like the DBG interior so I gave that an overhaul too: I wanted the lights to be operated somewhere from the dash, without buying another extension wire I had to turn around the batterybox and raise it (latter needed anyway to fit 3 connectors on it). This way the wires gave me just enough room to place it under the driver's seat. So the model still looks as clean as possible. I then had to find a way (preferably again without changing much of the original) to link the switch to the dash. I already had an idea to use flex system for this for nostalgia, but didn't expect it to turn out this well: Switch from the bottom of the car: I made the steering a little more idiot proof (aka "me proof" ) This also meant I had to adjust the liftarm above it or else the 24T clutch gear would touch it. I fixed this with some half liftarms leaving a 1L space where the 24T clutch gear is. Also, I ordered 11L black flex axles, but they actually turned out to be 12L, hence the little mod of that at the front with the black pins and no axle connectors at the sides. Gave the engine a little overhaul, since I wanted to see the cylinders movement more, also made them blue to go with the blue 1x8 tiles. Since I wanted red brakes I also switched out some red bottoms of the springs with yellows, to make some red "hard spring" x4 If this is too many pics for a post, I apologize, I'll sign up to flickr and host them there then and just link to an album there. edits: fixed some links

That's cool, I just didn't agree, opinions may vary :) And was just a little joke about the DBG since that one seemed to match the best with Lego, I understand you want to keep it under wraps until the reveal.