Ngoc Nguyen

Anyone has any idea why there's a direct drivetrain with a linear clutc between the front axle and the rear axle?

If that setup has to rotate, it will need a 3x3 space. In that case, I'd be better off using this.

I think this may be the best solution, but this setup can't be form locked vertically. I think when drifting, the back of the car just needs to slide in one direction, so the prop wheels dont really have to rotate, which means I can use two 1x3 thin liftarms and lock the setup vertically. Thanks for the suggestion!

That part can only hold the other half of the ball joint, not the ball. Actually I took that back, it is indeed able to hold a ball.

The towball doesn't roll though.

Is there any piece or combination of pieces that can serve the same role as the rolling ball in the ball holder? I think I need a more compact solution for my mini 42210.

Thank you! I love it too!!

The embargo date seems to be July 29th though...

This is the drivetrain of the propeller function in the fuselage. In the clip, when this funcion is engaged, the tan beveled 20z gear doesn't even twitch. That means the transmission has failed to reach that gear, which means the problem should be on the lower floor, where the transmission goes through the two DBG 8z gears and the black 12z gear. Unfortunately none of the attached photos shows that area, so I can't diagnose further.

Thanks for the support!

Indeed it should, and it was like that in the original design. However in the test build, I had to reduce the size a little to make the tilting work consistently. Since the tilting is controlled through a worm gear and a 8z gear, it can't really lift the arm if the arm is too hevy. I don't really get the setup you're referring here, can you illustrate? As for lifting the back tires, the current stabilizers work fine. In the photo below the rear wheel was off the ground and I was spinning it.

Thank you!!

Indeed! If TLG isn't gonna make it, I'll do it myself!

Mini bucket is for this new thing below. The gear setup was in the early version of the creation but was later removed because it didnt work in real life test build.

Another month, another new creation! Folks here seem to like backhoes. So I did one backhoe (JCB Compact 3CX). Folks seem to want more backhoes. I looked at my first backhoe and think: It needs 1000 pieces to buid, can I make a smaller one with the same number of functions? Then Lego releases a small scale backhoe (42197). So I decided to do a small scale backhoe too, to see how much I can cramp into it. DEVELOPMENT The first thing I started with is the rim and tyre. It is tempting to use the tractor tyre, but that tyre is actually too wide compared to the real tyre. On larger model that isnt a problem, but since this model is meant to be small scale, I went with the narrower version, which comes in yellow thanks to the Bugatti Bolide. Lego has done a small scale backhoe before, which is the 42004, so I used that as a base to work on. In fact the bucket tilt and the digger arm movement are taken directly from there. Now Technic is all about the cool functions, so what functions should I put in? First, it should have proper outriggers. So I put two worm gears and 8z gears. Then I think back about the JCB Compact 3CX I did earlier to look for functions I can replicate. At this smaller scale there is no point putting a differential or a drivetrain or a fake engine. Then I realized that I made the digger arm slideable in the 3CX Compact, and I made the claim that that function can only be done at that scale. But what if I was wrong? What if I can make the digger slideable at this scale as well? In the JCB Compact 3CX, the digger arm is slideable because its width is 17 studs, which means it can accomodate a 13 stud gear rack. But this model is only 11 studs wide, and the only smaller gear rack is 7 stud long, with an effective travel range of only 3 studs. So what did I do? I used this! Two adjactent worm gear driving a fixed 8z gear will allow a movement of 4 studs. It doesnt sound like much but that's actually the maximum traveling with, as the two sides are blocked by the 3L connectors required for the outriggers. To slide the digger arm, you turn the knobs on the two sides. That creates a new challenge. The distance between two knobs is 13 studs, and there's no space for an axle connector anywhere between, as you can see above. So what 's the solution? I used two 5.5 axles on each side and a 2L notched axle between two worm gears. The rear arm, as I mentioned above, is just taken directly from 42004. The only new thing is the custom bucket, because the smallest technic bucket (part 24120) is still too big for this scale. This custom bucket is only 3x5, while the 24120 is 4x7. The slewing must be done manually as there's no space for any gear. And so that should be it right? Or is it? If you follow me long enough you will know Im not contented with just that. After all, there is no engine and drive train, which means the whole portion under the cabin is unused. Surely there's something else I can put in there. And that thing is the thing that causes me the most trouble to get right. May I present, the two steering modes: Two wheel steering and Four wheel steering. In the original design of this model, I actually tried to put 4 wheel steering and crab steering. And there is actually space for that. And not just space for that, there is space for two different ways to arrange it. The setup above is used in my mini 42082, in which a sliding axle will change the number of gears meshed with the steering axle of the rear axle. In the current position the driving will go through 3 gears. When shifted 1 stud right, the driving will go through only 2 gears, thus reversing the direction. The setup below is the sliding selector mechanism taken directly from the set 42054. But during actual test build, none of them worked, because of the backlash between the gears. I was very dismayed at first because I didnt want to leave this area unused, but I couldnt make the steering modes work. Then I realized I could have just actually gone for a more ordinary version: switching between two wheels steering and four wheel steering. Two wheel steering means I just need to find a way to lock the drive train of the rear axle instead of having to reverse its direction. And that turns out to be much simpler, and it's also a new problem to work on too, because I have never developed a steering lock before. The solution is as follows. In the current position, the connector 42003 slides into the highlighted 2L notched axle, which connects to the steering axle of the rear axle, and thus preventing it from moving. The worm gear on top can push the whole setup one stud to the left, which will cause the left knob gear to mesh with the transmission input from the steering column, and cause the right know gear to mesh with the knob gear that steers the rear axle. I cant really describe how relieving it was to see the whole thing work flawlessly in the test build. See the steering modes and other functions in action here: Overall I've had great fun developing this model and I'm very happy with how it turns out in the end. Instruction: https://reb.li/m/227596

Is this gear new? It doesnt look like the regular tan beveled 12z or 20z.

Mini 42043, why not

Mini 42210 in scale with the Supra, anyone interested?

The small bars is for the older version of the EC500. At first I also put small bars there, then I did some searches and saw that new gen of EC500 has the orange box now.

I redid the breaker so that it has a more consistent color scheme and form. As for the main model, the only big task left is to fill the inside with the the knobs for the two functions as well as supporting structures. I hope to finalize the design by the end of this week or next week the latest, so that I can order the parts. Optimistically the parts should take one month to arrive, and I can do a real build before July 28th arrives.

What do people say when their partners propose to them?

Wtf did i just saw: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKhpP5vN-3j/?igsh=NzIwMmp6YzJqdXJv

Another 2000-piece creation has been finalized. Coming soon later this year! Now back to mini 42215 development.

What if I tell you this set is an example of what we can expect as far as set features and prices going forward...