Brickend

Updates - still waiting on some parts in the correct colour and playing around with wheel options. The front wheels on Lego's version really are much too small in reality. Note that front axles are currently stand-ins, will likely be shorter when wheels finalised. 8455 type links used for steering - shame that the pins only go on one side, but play in steering much reduced - thanks for the suggestion. PTO and engine fan are driven by the left wheel as there's no room for a differential. Engine fan was way to much hassle for the pay off. 'Radiator' currently not fitted in front of fan, but a 2362 panel can be made to fit. May work on the rear linkage as currently it relies only on friction to stay up. PXL_20210306_191840791~2 by Brickend, on Flickr PXL_20210306_191937177~2 by Brickend, on Flickr PXL_20210306_192531659~2 by Brickend, on Flickr PXL_20210306_191916992~2 by Brickend, on Flickr original_6a458dd6-021b-4e58-89fa-c7a179ceb2c5_PXL_20210306_192042186~2 by Brickend, on Flickr PXL_20210306_191855378 by Brickend, on Flickr original_6136559e-cf73-4491-ae8f-2db498cc3e02_PXL_20210306_192013849~2 by Brickend, on Flickr

Great to see a focus on technical accuracy. Only comment at this stage is to check if the potential bonnet line will clear the strut towers. Will follow with interest.

As a tractor fan, this build is very pleasing.

How much does the mighty brick weigh now?

A white fabric seat on a tractor? That'll work....until they use it

It's already been stated, but so many AFOLs are buying one to build and one to resell so there is more likely to be a glut on the market. There is also the issue of the reproduction / fake Lego market - if someone 20 years from now has a bit of nostalgia there's now an avenue open to them that wasn't there previously to get a vaguely similar product for a fraction of the inflated cost. I'm also amazed as mentioned, that Lego haven't really embraced the retro re-release market like other brands have, especially on unlicensed sets (8880/5571 Big Cat etc.)

This is utterly diabolical......please keep us updated!

I just quickly mocked this up to hopefully explain the concept. The yellow connectors represent the handlebar, which is attached to a 5L grey axle (fork steerer) that runs through 45590 in order to provide resistance and a degree of return to centre, whilst damping out some movement. Of course there are multiple ways to build this and can be tuned with multiple 45590s add more resistance. The other way I've tried is to put a 2l liftarm on the steerer and have it turn against 45590 pieces to each side of the steerer if the attached configuration is not suitable. Without looking at the system as a whole it's hard to know if this is of any use to you, but thought I'd add it to the discussion anyway!

This is great work - I was recently playing with motorbike geometry myself, and used part 45590 in the headtube to control the steerer movement and to provide some return to center; would this add any benefits to this setup, or could possibly be used to add dampening in place of springs?

Is the front axle drive just for show and not connected in operation? It seems odds to bother with a differential in the rear, only to not incorporate one at the front? In terms of styling, function and parts count efficiently, I can't fault it and if you weren't selling instructions, the self destructive design features would not bother me - but selling instructions kind of means it needs to be held to a higher standard.

Thanks. Engine wise, I'm not sure at the moment; it needs to be 2 studs wide at most which would limit crankshaft options - I'm also not sure if being able to see the inner moving parts of the engine externally is what I'm going for on this project. The aim is to keep the engine bay modular so I can play with a few options once the chassis and steering is finalized. This project has made me think of doing a 4 stud wide chassis version with the bigger motorcycle wheels, so it'd be interesting to see what you've achieved.

Thanks Its https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=21560&idColor=11#T=C&C=11 It's copied from 4000025 but unfortunately unobtainable in Light bluish grey at the moment - not a massive issue as many real TE20s have replacement seats. Some progress on steering, improving the steering box strength and changing some of the geometry appears to have sorted the wheel scrub issue well enough, at least when driving forward. Obviously the steering axis is way outside the wheel centerline, which is maybe not such an issue on 8455 as it's in the hub?

Thanks all Thanks L_Lgor - that's a good point - I didn't know that 8455 did that, which is quite interesting! I tried the 6l links and they didn't really work with the angles so I discounted the idea, but a 9L 32293 might do it, but because the link can only be used one sided, it may make the mechanism too wide where it comes off the steering box? Worth a try I guess. Although it's just mocked up at the moment, the actual steering arms don't want to seem to fall apart, but a 9L link would be neater. Getting a tow ball pin in the right place on the front axle might take some doing but again, is definitely worth trying.

This is not my usual style, but it should make a good christmas lockdown project. For those that may not be aware, there was a highly exclusive (80 copies) Ferguson Tractor set released to Inside Tour visitors in 2018 - these sets now retail for circa 1800 euros (sad that people are selling part of a unique experience, but hey-ho) https://brickset.com/sets/4000025-1/LEGO-Ferguson-Tractor On first seeing this set, I was blown away, but I had not seen it for what it was. It's not intended to be a replica of a real Ferguson tractor, instead , it is meant to be a replica of a replica of the real thing, produced by Lego in their early days - if only we could have the tires! https://forum.brickset.com/discussion/28775/the-story-behind-the-4000025-ferguson-tractor-exclusive-lego-set Knowing this, the reason for the bar axle steering and design details become clear - 4000025 was never aiming for real world realism; but then I asked myself, what would it take to change this? Could the features of the other Lego Ferguson, set 851 (https://brickset.com/sets/851-1/Tractor) be incorporated? The current aim is to have steering, PTO drive (not a proper diff due to space constraints), rear linkage and an opening bonnet. The first stage was to essentially build 4000025 as it has many useful features. In doing so, I realized that in order to represent a real (and not toy) machine, the bonnet would have to be shorted and narrowed by one stud. The curvature behind the grill also needed to be moved forward, removing the possibility of using angled plates. At the moment, I'm in a kind of technical prototyping stage, so you'll notice that some connections are temporary or asymmetrical (see the rear) whilst the best solution is found. Current task is to get the steering column to be more upright than the original, but the current form has too much backlash due to a poor pinion angle. The functional solution would be to link both sides with a tie rod, but this is not a realistic engineering solution for this tractor, so I'm trying to avoid it. Progress may slow for a while due to Christmas but will keep this updated, and fingers crossed Lego release mid sized tractor tires sometime soon! PXL_20201220_173719770 by Brickend, on Flickr PXL_20201220_173735934 by Brickend, on Flickr PXL_20201220_173815540 by Brickend, on Flickr PXL_20201220_173822877 by Brickend, on Flickr PXL_20201220_173840954 by Brickend, on Flickr PXL_20201220_173859478~2 by Brickend, on Flickr

The most dangerous thing in this video is the state of the kitchen!

I did think I should rethink my part count comment! But maybe if it was part count optimised (I.e more panels at the expense of appearance) in the same way as a TLG product, it might be close.

Thanks for the excellent review My only point of contention would be that the rear axle design seems appropriate to me, given this set is replicating the design of 80s/90s RC cars (Tamiya Grasshopper etc).

This is one of the best MOCs I've ever seen. I had the 8110 but found it severely disappointing, whereas this is something I'd be excited to build and I'd wager contains less parts even with all accessories . And scale wise almost fits with the excellent Xerion.

If you did this with a 2L axle, there would also be no where for the key to go to open the lock That part would only be able to unlock in one direction, which may or may not be a issue. Unused connections also offer more chances for a build to go wrong; I think this is a factor when aiming a product at 6 year olds If the key could be pushed past the top liftarm without being stopped by the blue pin below, it would be free to spin and get trapped within 92907 - the new part removes this risk.

Dots is aimed at 6 year olds, so a single part simplifies the build.

I like it, simple but effective, almost cartoonish. The forward offset of the turret gives it a sense of motion, a bit like a T34.

My personal rule (which applies only to myself) is "don't do anything that can not be undone". This allows the freedom to mess with tires/bands/sails etc. but not painting, cutting, bending or fitting drive-train destroying 540 motors etc. Something that has changed for me recently though is the purchasing of replica parts that Lego made, but do not sell (2903 in LBG for example) - I don't like third party parts and have always try to buy from Lego direct, but if they don't make the special parts available for models that they have produced, then I personally think it's acceptable to buy them elsewhere.

If they designed the lights in a similar way to wireless headphones with a mini rechargeable battery or own wired power circuit and a separate bluetooth (or other)connection, would they even need to be wired back to the hub?

That sounds more like backlash in the system, rather than bump steer to me? Both are annoying though! Anyway, I think the multiple solutions in play to create the correct geometry are ingenious; I think the caster angle solution will be very useful for similar MOCs. Did you have any plans for clam-shell fenders? Stylistically, I don't think the 'blocky' approach used on 4000025 would be appropriate

Overall, the design looks great, but a minor detraction for me is the sill line, which is too low on the doors, which may mean the roofline is also slightly too low.