Vectormatic

In the same way that it is the same kind of model as the GT3RS. AFAIK we havent seen confirmed what type of engine is in there, and even that isnt a hard categorisation as far as im concernced. I agree that trying to put a series/succesor label on it right now is rather pointless, once we see some reviews it might be a bit easier to pidgeonhole, but as Bartybum says, right now this set is a bit of an anomaly, and even when it isnt, assuming lego keeps going straight on every line is flawd as well (see the bikes, 8051, 42007 and 42036 and 42063 are all two years apart, but 63 has been around for three now, 77 came three years after 39, with 66, a plane, taking the 39 car spot for a year) Personally im more interested in categorising it to shape my expectations of what it will be like to build, i enjoyed building 42096 and 42083 both, but they are vastly different, and the density and complexity of the chiron is a very nice thing to have, and imho mandatory to justify a high pricetag. If 110 goes towards Chiron complexity, im all onboard, if it is a relatively empty shell like 96, ill skip it unless extremely cheap.

2500+ parts, working gearbox and custom rims is solidly GT3 RS territory imho. It probably wont get the premium packaging treatment given the price, and marketing-wise it isnt as big of a halo-product to take over the lead from the chiron, but complexity/detail-wise, im expecting something to match 42056, not 42096

yeah, the driveline is probably brick-built out of currently existing parts, creator would be an extremely illogical place to introduce new fake engine parts, especially when existing parts would suffice for a harley engine, so something brick-built makes much more sense. It looks pretty cool as a harley set, but those closed wheels look pretty useless for non-classic-chopper bike purposes, and considering i dont care much about harleys, ill be giving it a pass

regarding the H1 cars, i have all of those myself, yet i cant bring myself to put 42077 on display, it is just too damn ugly 42000 and 42039 were quite impressive at the time, and i really enjoyed messing around with them (both are modified), but compared to the Chiron, which i just added to the lineup, they suddenly seem insignificant, and im wondering if i shouldnt replace them with something more impressive.

@syclone that looks decent, althought 8860 uses u-joints to increase the possible angle. I am with you on the dislike of the wheels cambering though. As for not going down the 8860 or floating diff routes, i want to make a sportscar, and imho a rigid connection between the two wheels isnt suited for that concept on a modern sportscar. My GF actually has a car with 8860 style suspension, and that is a 1971 fiat 600, the only thing it has in common with anything sporty is that just like a 911, the engine is at the back :D I know packing as many features into a model is the technic moc way, but i feel like having steering and a fake engine in the right place is a good place to start, adding suspension or a gearbox, while adding authenticity in some areas would compromise others. EDIT: thinking about it, i dont know the suspension travel on a modern porsche, but translated to 1:14 scale it cant be more then a few mm in realistic usage, perhaps using floating diff and torque sprung double wishbone would be more then adequate. Still, id rather keep things simple for now

@I_Igor 8860 style suspenion doesnt seem doable within 15 studs to me (H-frame with 2 u-joints + axle carries on either side is 13, and axle carriers dont fit inside the wheel, so width ends up at 17), but i dont mind, as that suspension style is poorly suited for a porsche anyway. And i know the engine is probably the best choice for something in this scale, it is still going to be a tight fit, but when i was thinking of a small-scale porsche, the cayman was an obvious choice due to its short engine, and engine location. Maybe something like a mazda mx5 would be doable as well, with an I4 between the front wheels, but i havent done the math on that one.

Yeah, a floating diff rear axle might work, but that would still produce some sort of live axle dynamics which would be unsuited for a sportscar, as well as increase arch-gap, which i really want to keep small, and looking like a nice scale model rather then the corvette with its shopping cart wheels. As for the engine, i am targetting a Porsche 718 Cayman, which has a 4 cilinder boxer engine. Going by some experiments with sariels scaler and some pictures, there is just enough space at this scale to fit a 4cil fake engine behind the back seats. It will probably sit too high for realism, but especially in the Cayman, it wont be too bad to have the engine a bit higher, as behind the seats is just empty space. Ive also been mulling the idea of some simple gearbox (just 2 speed), but i dont think ill have enough space behind the rear axle to work anything in, going by what i have now i would need ~6 studs behind the H-frame where the diff sits, and i think scale-wise i'll end up at 3 or so.

@I_Igor No pictures yet, so far ive only built a prototype for the rear axle/engine combo, and a small mockup for the front steering to see if Jurss's multilink design would work. Im also not going to put any suspension in there, if i keep the scale correct, the car will be 15 studs wide meaning independent suspension is impossible with a diff, and i dont want to resort to live-axle/de-dion style designs either, as it would greatly complicate engine placement, which is tricky enough as it is, given the scale, and be entirely wrong for a modern sportscar. At the front one might be able to adapt the multilink steering with a shock for some weird hybrid macpherson-multilink design and stay within 15 studs, but any suspension travel will seriously mess with ride height and arch gap, and given that the rear wont have any travel, it would end up giving the car negative rake as well. If i get the time and headspace for it, ill try to build a basic rolling chassis this weekend, if that ends up working well, ill post some pics before diving into the bodywork.

@Jurss @I_Igor I tried out the multilink steering with the corvette wheel-arch and 49.5 tire, and it works perfectly, the wheel sits snugly in the arch with a few mm all around, and while the multilink movement causes a small amount of inwards movements (which looks a tad unnatural), it stays within the 7 stud gap at all times. Ill still have to figure out how to properly drive two sides of these multilinks, and what anchoring to use (tan 3L pins give too much play, blue 3L fixes that, but introduces a lot of friction), but im convinced this is the way to a good looking wheel/arch combo in this scale.

Amazing MOC, somehow the nose evokes Ferrari to me (think 308/328), but it is pretty accurate for the NSX too. The shift mechanism is really cool, ive never considered that as a solution to shifting a remote gearbox.

I know, and if my high school math is intact, the largest cross section of the 49.5 tire would be roughly 53.2mm (when rotated slightly, it would need at least this much space in the wheel space), so provided that the multilink geometry places the turning punt close enough to the exact center of the wheel, it should work.

@jurss Ah i see, quite clever, making the turning point of the wheel virtual by having the wheel mounted on a trapezoid multilink! I will experiment with that, and see if i can fit a 49.5 wheel in a 7 stud gap.

@Jurss I wasnt using suspension to begin with, Im aiming to make the entire car 15 studs wide (same width as 42093), and proper suspension at that scale is already pretty much a no-go, especially for a rear axle with a diff. Im also using bigger tires then your small supercar, im using https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=15413&idColor=11#T=C&C=11 As these fits in the wheel arches very snuggly, giving a proper look, rather then stock 42093, which looks ridiculously undertired.

Not sure if this is the place for this, but here goes: Has anyone tried making a steering axle for the new small wheel arches and 49.5x20 tires? Im toying with the idea of build a smaller orange porsche with the corvette as a wheel arch donor, and while i have the rear axle pretty much worked out, im not sure how to fit those tires in the arches and have enough steering angle. Fitting those wheels on the corvette's front axle result in rubbing pretty much everywhere. I think spacing the wheel juuuust a bit inside the arche will make it clear the arche itself, but then im struggling with the body work below the arch.

im really digging the louvre engine cover and the rollcage, the hubcaps are ace too (so sad that i got rid of my 599), but those tires are waaaayy too much for this scale. im glad to see this car get some serious modding attention

Well, since i bought and built this set today, i figured i should give my revised opinion. Ever since seeing the first pics and reading reviews i was quite negative about the ZR1, i figured that technic cars simply dont work in this scale, and detested the weird pushrod engine. After building it though, i quite like the concept of the engine, as it is pretty much correct in terms of scale for this car, and kind of shakes things up compared to the normal fake engine. Furthermore, i rather like that they made the small wheel arches, and managed to make something vaguely resembling an actual car in this scale in technic. Comparing it to other lego themes isnt entirely fair though, the F40 for instance is the same size-ish, but 2.5x the price. (and muuuuch better looking) Criticisms then: - The wing... even if they were going for the performance pack wing, it is at least on stud too high, i lowered it one stud, and it looks much better, as in, it isnt a full stud out above the roof line of the car - The engine. Different from the normale fake engine they managed to get the cross-plane crank in there (all regular fake engines have a flat plane crank), but they messed up the order, as usual (lego messes up the crank on an I-4 as well, checkout 42037), which i fixed after looking up the correct crank form. Further, im kinda spooked everytime i turn the model upside down because of all the loose engine rods whobling back and forth. Its a bit unnerving when you arent used to loose parts. - The tires, they are both too small and too slim, it looks like the corvette is sitting on the wheel of some small shopping cart. Ive tried some other sizes i have available (49.5x20, 43x22) and while the 49.5s fill out the wheel arch very nicely, it gives the car an extra 3mm ride height at the back, and to avoid rubbing on the door panel mounts, they need to sit outside the wheel arches, would be fine if you are going for a drag-car, but that isnt my prefered aesthetic. Overall i think 49.5s would work if the car could drop a stud down, but then i suppose you end up in trouble at the front with the wheels rubbing during steering. - The general shape/styling. I cant really fault the designer, but i feel like technic isnt really suited to making something licensed at this scale, from some angles it looks passable, from some it looks just plain bad. Maybe the designers will grow into it (Speed champions got a LOT better in the years following the first wave), but i dont think there is much potential for a long running line of these types of cars, at least not in a collectable sense. The concept is cool but limited (no space for cool stuff like the bugatti geartbox etc..), and the looks simply arent awesome display model grade. That said, im quite happy with it, it was an entertaining build, and will prove both an interesting base for modifications, and a nice parts pack for smaller scale cars.

Now that i do like! If they'd taken the effort to give this 911 the RWB treatment i wouldve been more enthousiastic, but that wouldve required a new custom wheel-arch (or even two).

i expect a wave-catch in there, with one of those the mechanism to actually move the clutches is much simpler, just a single axle into the wave-catch, compared to various gear meshes to move to seperate selector arms. With a wave catch the entire setup is padles > 90 degree stepper > wavecatch

@Big Adam Modern cars are more reliable i think, but also a pain to work on. From what i understand replacing the battery on a modern audi requires a trip to the dealer, as the ECU needs to be "paired" with the new battery, totally insane imho... My own car is 2005, so luckily i can still do most stuff myself, and with a simple ODB2 reader one can read and reset faults, but even then there is stuff you simply can no longer do yourself, while a ~1980s car can be maintained entirely with a well stocked home workshop (some powertools, probably a welder) @Mechbuilds, you like boxy stuff, im willing to bet it wont take long for AFOLs to make old school defender bodies for this set. Especially if the new car (and lego set) still use some old style chassis/body construction. That would probably leave you with an old school landy with padel shifters though :P @Didumos69 some more advanced suspenion and torque control would be interesting to see in lego form, an LSD is probably waaaaaaay beyond what is doable in plastic for toys, but this defender definitely gives them an opportunity to make a diff-lock @I_Igor dont forget the alfa/fiat JTD(m) engines! bulletproof stuff

Indeed, i am very much not a fan of how the bugatti chiron looks, and i think in the end, the real car is a solution to a problem that doesnt exist (i mean, what usecase is there for a luxury car that does 400+ kmh? what possible real world use does it have that couldnt be adequately covered with a 100K BMW?), but the lego model absolutely blew me away, despite its design defficiencies. Same goes for SUVs, my low coupe car handles better around the corners, has less wind resistance, weight etc... and i never go off the tarmac anyway, useless blobs of steel which should have been used to build other cars (everytime i see a maserati levante, i cant help but think 'they couldve made a quattroporte instead'), but that doesnt take away from this lego model, as it can have interesting functions and building techniques, and plenty of people will have nostalgic attachment to the LR brand.

Isnt that what the discovery/evoque etc.. are for though? the proper LR and especially the old school Defender were off-road first vehicles. I think though, for those who want some serious lego off-road toys, you should be looking at 42099, which is a much better base then this, if one was to take a normal land rover, or old defender, and scale it, and the hurdles it can take to 1:10 (roughly lego technic scale), you end up with the ability to drive over stuff like thick markers/penciles (thick branches) or through a CM or two of mud, which to play with isnt that impressive. This Defender is more about being a replica of the real car, with appropriate features, much like the Chiron isnt a good base for an RC track racer.

Considering independent suspension has been mentioned in the description, i would expect something very standard, although i do believe portal hubs are coming. Otherwise i think the fact that all the mechanisms are in the front of the car will be the interesting bit, 42056 and 83 have a split with steering/shifting front, gearbox/engine back. lengthwise i would hope, i dont know of a single car with a transverse i6, wouldnt make much sense with the AWD drivetrain either (the only AWD platform with transverse engine i can think of is the VW golf/Audi s3/tt haldex thing, but that is a bit of a weird one)

Makes me wonder if they will go for the old style 4 speed like in the GT3RS, or if we get a single half of the 42083 gearbox with a wavecatch. Either way the shifter will be some sort of 90 degree stepper, and should make it extremely easy to incorporate some kind of 4>1 gearblock. A mack style engine would be a disappointment, and given the 13L beam in the hood, i can still see a proper fake engine work, take the two front studs of the curved panel at the front as grill-space, start the 6I at 13L beam, and you just need one more stud beyond the end of the 13L beam, which puts the end of the engine (from what i can tell) smack in front of a-pillars, giving you a few studs of dashboard space to work out a few gears down to the gearbox/driveline. It will be interesting to see them cram an engine, shifter unit, steering AND gearbox all in the front of the car, the Chiron has those four mechanisms split front/back

Im actually mildly interested in this set, even if i dont care about off-road stuff usually. Feature wise im not expecting much, especially with independent suspension already mentioned, let's just hope that for an off-road model lego actually manage to make the springs tough enough to keep the car up. Those new wheel arches are quite something though, i assume that just like the porsche arches, these will show up in more future sets. Also, with the chiron last year, now this car this year (not to mention the 911 RSR), i would very much love it if lego makes a habit out off releasing a new large car every year. Ill happily buy one of these each year .

i love the UPE modules, looks very much like the way the cockpit and drive section on the Allied Avenger seperate. The big landing module especially is cool, as you end up with a serious landing/support craft able to carry several BT operatives and jetpacks. I never had much BT2 back in the day, but looking back it is easily my favorite old school space theme, id love a BT3 revival.