MangaNOID

Really nice build and would make a really nice set! I like this one a lot. I forgot the original didn’t have a slewing mechanism. I think the video is perfect for a contest entry. No cuts, no smoke and mirrors. I’ll do similar because it’s also easier and less time constrained.

Yes good point after re looking at it! This shows it better…or worse 😅 still got some work to do I think to really capture 42042…

The cab has caused a few headaches because of the very small size, so what i have landed on (so far?) is a slightly larger than what should be scaled down cab. Why? because I like how it looks and also because I cant really use any other tracks to keep the look of the original 42042. A very small cab made the tracks look even more bigger and perhaps out of place. Other things that I have been working on are a few build quality improvements. below highlighted in green is the new link to the mast thingy. before this I have Pins connecting with different alignment to this (see previous images above) Lifting anything would have caused the mast thingy to pop out

I never studied planes before so I think I just learnt something about aeroplanes and controls from looking at your small build

Don't change anything...

Yes its within the rules, but wont get you any points in this circumstance…IMO Not that you need anyone to tell you how to build a successful entry but I would stick to the balloon tyres.

Not sure myself. I think the front hood looks great. In fact the whole build looks great well done! maybe the roof looks a shy to low on the first pic with the wheels on though. Must be the angle as the second shot looks ok. Something makes that first shot look ‘squashed’ maybe the visor makes the windshield look to squashed?? Actually it might be that black flex axle at the bottom of the windscreen making everything looked squashed? It’s not really on that position above the hood on the original. Just my take though you can’t please everyone 😅

From an aesthetics view, I think you need to loose some tiles and gain some holes. Mostly over the wheel arches. Maybe the side roof. It looks great but I feel it’s too model team compared to the original technic = points lost maybe.

Looks awesome! I really like how you kept all the gears colour pallet just like the era of the original. Nice small detail 😎 and yep look forward to see it doing it’s thing.

There is a noticeable lean towards the front unless that’s a camera thing. Is this the reason for strengthening? Besides that this thing looks amazing!

Love the 8284 it’s so open and ‘Technic’ But because it’s so open I think that yellow 20T under the seat should be changed to a gray 16T driven by another 16T off the HOG axle, the size of the gear and the colour will ‘hide’ it all better…IMO.

A very deceptive model as There’s a lot going on in this truck. I love the chassis dropping bed lowering function. as for the front I agree you need some technic bits on the surrounding for it to look right. Plenty of time.

Appreciate your input here! These two decisions may just loose points but this build is one I’m very excited about and is ultimately for me, so we got to build the way we are happy with 🙂

Your right! Turns out…😅… a crank is not very good. Last update for a while as back at work and normal life this week. I did manage to get finished the grabber. What a nightmare. I could not get a small scaled down version of a 4 way grabber especially one that performed well. So I am down to 2 way grabber. I am ok with that as it performs way better than my expectations! And the scale is pretty good. More non 42042 elements. The red half lift arm thing locks in between the 2 cogs to stop the grabber opening. It just drops in with gravity. Just flick it up to unlock the grabber which springs open from the elastic band. nothing really new but for me it is, as I never built one like this so very happy. One hand operation. it holds very strong too and it holds my modified 42042! Although I was lifting from a lift arm with a 3l pin sticking through it. quick size comparison…

Hey this is looking good! curious about the grabber as I just spent so many hours finishing mine for my crane and it looks similar in principle but yours looks very simpler. I can’t really see how it operates. Does it lock together? don’t worry I finished mine so Im not wanting to copy it, just really curious as the grabber busted my brain 🤪

This is a very nice looking build! A difficult choice with the pneumatics but you may be pulling it off! Looking forward to see it function.

I like your comments! After reading this I decided to test the functions out… and found indeed that the slewing felt awefull. I had (in the very first pic of this topic) a 24T meshed to a 12T driving the turntable with a 2.5:1 ratio. that’s now changed to a worm gear so a lot more turning of the crank input to slew it 👍 I had to re do the drive input too which was very tricky and I unfortunately had to use my second non 42042 element. But this setup all feels and works really nice so worth a compromise or two. the boom and hoisting may be a little slow but I’ll use a crank handle on the power input instead of a gear knob and then it’s a lot quicker if you want and feels great! hard to see what’s going on as it’s all very dense now but this is a secondary chassis setup where I could fix the slewing and drive. This is the only drive input for the functions. No knob on the undercarriage.

I appreciate the encouraging comments people 👍 very busy the last few days but I cracked on with this and found a lot of hours (on a week leave because of school holidays) to get the tracks done and figure out the boom. Te tracks almost ruined me. So many fails to get them how I wanted which was to have the same profile as the original of course with the little wheels and looks and design features of the original…IMO. I also used the original tracks which are now relationally wider than source material but there was nothing else that would keep the looks together. I have to say the trying and trying to get them right has paid off in my mind as I am very happy with the result. I also, after a lot of upper carriage redesign fitted in the switches for the gear box. Ill post an image of the bare chassis soon so it’s easier to see how this is put together. Here is the boom which had to be 4x4 studs in my view for it to look in scale with the rest of the crane. So now with the tracks I have used the first non 42042 set element in the build, that being the small track drive wheels. Quite a few recolours of elements now though… maybe 10 elements.

Parts restriction philosophy is still going ok but I have use recolours on 5 parts now to make for a better build…IMO. HOG power has been changed and made everything so much simpler and better than previous post. The ‘mast’ or whatever it’s called is in with correct angle of lean and I changed to smaller cable reel wheels to ‘better’ align with the scale. Im trying to use the original panels. This is where I get headaches but I’m getting happy with the results and I think it’s worth carrying on on that path.

That price is insane! But that crane looks awesome!! Would love to have it but no chance $$

hey everyone, I think these builds are going to look awesome and be a great collection of small dense builds so would any else be willing to share an LDD file or similar in the end for others to be able to build them? Collect them all in one topic? I would like to build many of these I think as this size and function density is what lots of us (I think) like. Anyway just an idea.

So much for designing stuff in my head than building it. Below is the drive mechanism HOG for the gearbox. Some reason I thought I would need to use 8T gears for driving the gearbox to stop them clashing with each other meaning lots of half studs offset. just realised after building it last night that it’s not necessary 😅 even though it works a treat I’ll change the 2 drive 8T gears to 16T gears and loose the half stuff. Hard to see from just photos I guess. anyway a bit more other structure and pulley wheels in place (for now?) still able to only use 42042 parts so far, except for 2 different placeholders you may notice, but that will end soon but I’ll document what and how much I use of non 42042 parts to see how ‘staying true to the original’ I am.

42042 was a no brainer for me as I have extensively modified and played with it years ago and was the first set I bought after 30 year Hiatus on Technic. Plan is to: -stick by the rules -use only parts from 42042...so far so good but that plan might probably not last when I get to the tracks and claw. -build about 55% reduction in size -enjoy the build So far I came up with this which mimics 42042 setup quite nicely with each gear switch in the same position as the original. Drive axle to the tracks through turntable setup just like original and the slewing sorted out also mimic's the original model with its position. powering the gearbox and the functions will be manual HOG from the rear where the 8L axle is. Biggest problem I see is my inability to panel this up to look like the original so this is why I'll make a big effort to replicate the insides as best as possible in this tight space.

While that’s your opinion I’m pretty sure a design team has a lot of constraints on them (we know it) I like the contrasting colour scheme 🙂 Not going to buy it ($$$) but I like it.

I really like that steering solution