Didumos69

I tried, but as @amorti already addressed, the overall rigidity declines under such a change. So no openable doors. Guess this is simply the way I build. Thanks for the comments though.

Thanks guys! Btw, I'm on the fence for adding openable doors, but it does make the flanks more cluttered. For myself it wouldn't add much. Who wants openable doors when you have interesting things like steering, suspension, drivetrain and engine. But maybe for the contest I should...?

Thank you very much @nerdsforprez! I promised I would tell a little about the building experience. The build was actually quite straight forward, had to tweak a few small things to make the build process more easy, but the real challenge was to get the suspension right. I really wanted to get the max out of this when it comes to ground clearance, suspension travel and suspension fluidness. To allow the front suspension (double wishbone) to travel at least two studs, the expanded angle of the wishbones and steering rods had to be about 20 degrees. This meant that the steering rods needed a lot of space to move. For example, the 8L axles with end-stop holding the lower suspension arms, had to be 'naked' near the steering rods. Btw, I used @Limga's solution for tying the HoG to the steering rods, thanks again for your suggestion. Eventually I managed to get a simple setup for the front axles, which is form-locked width-wise and allows for the desired 2 studs travel. Also the ground clearance in the front is 2+ studs. For the rear suspension (trailing arm) I first of all dropped the shock absorbers, because - as @Erik Leppen already suspected - when fully compressed, the shocks made an almost 180 degree angle and got locked, i.e. did not expand again. I did manage to get firm trailing arms though, which are mounted at three points. These reinforced trailing arm assemblies allow for smooth movement and keep the rear wheels nicely straight up. Also here I managed to get the desired 2 studs travel and 2+ studs ground clearance. But the main challenge was to get the right fluidness into the suspension. The model needed to sink into the suspension a little, but the suspension also needed to be able to return easily. Getting that balance right, gives this behavior as if all wheels are glued to the ground. Where one wheel compresses, another should expand. I first tried with rubber connectors, but they give too much resistance with the least of expansion. Eventually I found salvation in silicon bands. With silicon bands I managed to tune the tension so precisely, that I could get the exact desired behavior. One thing that was very important in that tuning process, was symmetry. That is, the silicon bands should not pull the suspension arm - wishbone in the front or trailing arm in the back - sideways. That would have immediate effect on the ease of movement. Another thing I wanted to avoid, was to have the silicon bands run underneath the chassis, for I didn't want them to be the closest to ground. So after a full day of fine tuning this was the end result: Eventually I managed to get 2+ studs ground clearance overall and 2 studs suspension travel all around. And of course, it's rock solid too .

My chassis somewhat relies on the bodywork, for instance 2 red T-bone pieces in the hood. So my question is, would an half open image like this suffice? I can remove the wheels and the left seat to show the drivetrain and the axles better.

Thanks! Especially for @nerdsforprez, here is an image with half of the bodywork removed. Btw, the chassis is actually only 9 studs wide. The bodywork 11 studs, only the side bars makes the body 13 studs wide.

Thanks! I'll share my building experience soon.

Thanks!

Finally had some time to build irl.

Thanks for the feedback guys! Option 2 it will be. I tried that but I really don't like it. So still no other option than the HoG gear. I did add a steering wheel: I'll leave it as an option pack then This is the complete design now:

Very nice model! A few months ago my son made this. You must have had the same brain wave . He likes your model very much!

Totally dig this! You entered a new league now. Hats off!

I will certainly try. Yes. Here's a top view. Thanks for you comment. I have a few options for the A-pillar. I like the one with the connectors with half pin holes the most (the second option). Any preference? Having an intake as HoG is a nice idea. I haven't found a solution though. A spare wheel as HoG is not an option, here's an impression of a spare wheel in the back.

Thank you all! I added seats. Here's a short Stud.io impression. Please let me know what you think.

I understand your concerns. For me this is actually a tribute to 8845, hence the spring position. Btw, the angle will never reach 180 degrees. I will be using soft springs and they will sit there mostly for cosmetic reasons. At the bottom of the swing arms I will attach silicon bands or a rubber connector to add tension. Also, there will be a ant-roll torsion bar between the swing arms. Here are some images, but please note this is all still work in progress. When I start building in real life I will most likely need to finetune and redesign etc. Btw, here's another closeup showing how the A-pillar is mounted. Everything in-system.

Thanks guys! Here's an update:

Nice idea about the HoG, but the wheels are practically as big as the hood itself. I'll see what I can do as I progress. Didn't know about those wheels, actually I didn't check their availability at all. I like them because they have 2L long axles holes, so hopefully more friction compared to the more common wheels. So I'll switch to LBG.

Nice car and fun thread to read ! The minimalism and relativism are welcome in these hard times. I work for a company who's payoff reads as 'driving simplicity'. This car is a very nice materialistic incarnation of that slogan .

Nice! I tried my setup and it works as expected sofar, albeit very direct, because of the amplying effect. But tire rub under weight might make it slip. But then I still have the form locked options. I'll keep your solution in the back of my mind though.

Thanks for the suggestions, The would be even better. I'll try both options. I won't be using the old differential. I need a beam in the center running between the rear suspension arms at the same level as the differential. So having a longitudinally placed differential is not going to help me.

Thanks @nerdsforprez and @Rudivdk! @Rudivdk, yes, I have an alternative, but when the friction is enough I'll hold on to the friction-locked version.

One of my first sets was the 8845 Dune Buggy. Since then I've always been intrigued by serious suspension travel. So for this contest I focussed on suspension and built the model I would have wanted if I would still have been a kid. Instructions are available on Rebrickable. Features: HoG steering Rear wheel drive with differential Fake V8 engine 2 studs ground clearance 2 studs suspension travel all around Double wishbone front suspension Trailing arm rear suspension

Congrats to the winners! I haven't been much around here, because I have been occupied with managing everything for working from home, school from home and taking care of my family, all because of the Covid-19 crisis. In hindsight this has been a prophetic contest. I hope you'll all be okay.

Very nice and cute! Feels like a modern evolution of my first set ever (8845).

At a certain point this guy said I was working for another brick company too, so why not for them. He was not impolite though, not polite either.