BusterHaus

The purist in me winces at the screws while the rest of me cheers it on. I like this MOC quite a bit. The performance looks very good and it seems like a blast to drive. Did you damage any axles with all that power?

I made this topic to group my creations in one place. I won't bother reposting stuff that has its own discussion threads already, just new projects. 1) EV3 Trial Truck V2 I built another Trial Truck controlled by EV3 components. There was no programming involved in this project. The truck was controlled by the Lego Commander app via Bluetooth. The Controller Brick sits in the back of the truck while two Large Motors power the drive train. The power is transferred through knob gears to portal hubs. There are no differentials (like in the last Trial Truck) because their outdoor performance is not that great. Steering is done by the Medium Motor. Both axles feature a pendular suspension. The drive train has a weak spot where the motors drive the shaft - the 5x7 frames can pop apart when there is too much torque being transferred. There's space for additional bracing, but I discovered that a gradual acceleration helped resolve the problem for the most part. The truck isn't really a looker, but performs pretty well. The suspension works well and the drive train is pretty strong. I was worried that the center of gravity would be too high because of the location of the Control Brick, but that turned out to be a non-issue. Here is a short video of the Trial Truck in action:

Nice build! It's got a great shape and I like the wheel choice. By the way, if you can, try to spend a few extra minutes to set up an extra lamp for the pictures to present the model in the best light possible (pun intended).

http://www.stemcentric.com/ev3-tutorial/ is a great place to start. The videos will show you how to build programs and introduce some programming concepts. Welcome to EB and to Mindstorms.

Merry Christmas to everyone! (although this probably belongs in another section of the forum).

Wow, that's quite some reach! It looks like the attachment point for the boom lifting string could be closer to the superstructure, it may help with the bowing.

Max, I missed this thread somehow until now. This is a fantastic build. It looks rigid, fast and the steering solution is incredibly quick and strong (I wouldn't mind seeing more pictures of it). Congratulations on a great MOC!

Nice grille! Is that a PTO on the bottom front?

You wrote a very accurate review of this set, Jim. It's a pretty good model (with some obvious problems) but it's an even better parts pack. Your pictures with the Tumbler tires are great. What is the material of the gray background? Thank you for the mention.

Very cool hot rod! I guess when you build little pieces of art like the green rod, you don't take them apart to build the next one.

I'm also in the camp that really likes the bodywork. It's a great way to keep the weight down and still make it look good. The XL motors are well hidden, as are the rest of the electrical components. Very nice job! The video is very well made - the mountains make a beautiful backup.

This tank is quite faster than I expected. Good job! By the way, your son is starting to look like a mini version of you.

Very good build! It could use a narrower width at the windshield, but the building technique still makes it pretty sweet.

Great demonstration!

All of mine from the 90's are personalized with teeth marks.Proof that they're not easy to remove.

Very nice front end and cab on this beast. The third party tires really look good. I'm looking forward to the video.

Man, you really get the best presents for Christmas. Fun MOC, too!

To all the reviewers, a big thank you. You are doing a tremendous service to the rest of us. Jim, don't worry about your writing; it's great as it is. I think a little retrospective is always good, but don't get bogged down with the nitty gritty details.

I copied the leg & amplitude mechanism a few months ago from the WIP pictures and videos. It's very clever, and features some nice building techniques. I made 3 sets of legs and got it it to walk, but my body bending mechanism had a lot of lag in it because of flex in the system. I took the project apart but kept a set of legs as a reminder. Here are some pictures:

Comme j'ai dit sur YouTube, c'est une excellente création. Félicitations!

I align the splits on pins, usually to be in line with the force they are absorbing. I blame MLCad.

Sariel, let me play devil's advocate for a few minutes. I understand that the parts you collect for your MOCs are either rare or end up being reused in other projects. I also understand that replacing them once they're sold would often be a hassle. I also suspect that the vast majority of potential buyers would not pay a few thousand dollars for your time and some bricks. Not to mention people who demand stuff for (almost) nothing, like the case you described. This being said, do you think there is a serious market for your creations, sold for a price that would compensate your time and experience? Did you ever consider a MOC as a piece of art, and that offering it to the public would potentially bring in a serious offer? I'm not saying that you must sell every (or any) MOC, I'm simply wondering if there is a real market for one-of creations. You already benefit from a wide audience and name recognition - I doubt many would hold it against you of you decided to sell any of your MOCs. There is nothing wrong with making money or turning a hobby into a business. You've given plenty to the Lego community, and nobody could accuse you of selling out if you decided to add a revenue stream from selling your MOCs. That's about it for my devil's advocate argument. I'm fine with your current position of not selling anything, but I'm also wondering if you couldn't support your passion with an occasional sold MOC.

Great looking colour scheme! I sometimes wish Lego would produce a shock absorber that's between the grey and yellow in hardness. It's tough to use the grey one in a front suspension with PF and not have it compress under the weight of the vehicle.

In the real world, linear actuators (electro/mechanical or air/fluid) often have guides with bearings to strengthen the mechanism and prevent lateral forces from damaging the actuator. The side wobble on the actuator become irrelevant. You can do this in Lego by having additional guides, as well. Applications where linear actuators can't have guides also exist - just look at the arm of an excavator. The goal there is to design the mechanism such a way that the actuator has the majority of the forces applied in compression and extension, not in a way that could cause it to bend and buckle. Avoid designs where the force isn't being applied in line with the actuator. As for backlash, it's not easily avoidable, even if the tolerances are very tight. There are mechanical solutions to avoid it, but they become complex very fast.

Excellent rendition! The rear lights in particular - nice build method on those.