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JLiu15

Eurobricks Knights
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Everything posted by JLiu15

  1. JLiu15
    Another problem I see with this is that the torque needed to rotate the axle on which the compressor is attached varies through a rotation, i.e. more torque to push it down than to pull it back up. Notice how on pretty much every motorized compressor setup, the motor sounds stressed then unstressed repeatedly. It's hard to explain in words, but I'm guessing it's pretty self-explanatory from motorized pneumatics sets like 42043. This would probably make rolling the truck feel bumpy, and the friction from the compressor may be enough to stop the truck right after you push it. Then it won't be as fun rolling it around.
  2. JLiu15
    Wow! I love how you used the train hub in the undercarriage and the Technic hub in the superstructure. Really saves space when you only need 2 functions there. Did you create a custom profile in the Powered Up app to control it? I never knew you could mix and match PU hubs like this.
  3. JLiu15
    Yeah, I do feel like there's a big gap between the wheels and the wheel arches too. In fact, my original plan was to use black 16L flex axles around the wheel arches, as the real bus does have a black wheel arch/mudguard that protrudes slightly from the body. However, I saw no easy way to put them on, as they'd have to be attached at a half stud offset (as anything beyond that will cause the front wheels to collide with them when steering). I then scrapped the idea, as some other bus MOCs out there (such as Sariel's Solaris Urbino 18) also has quite a bit of space between the wheels and the wheel arches (but to be fair his MOC also has kneeling). What I could've done differently from the beginning was install the axles at a half stud offset, allowing me to make the wheel arches 1 stud shorter without having to install the body at a half-stud offset, but it would require a pretty radical redesign of the chassis. If you can think of a way to attach 16L flex axles around the wheel arches with a half stud offset, I would love to know! I just could not figure out how to attach them in a way that would firmly keep the flex axle in position while maintaining a clean finish.
  4. JLiu15
    UPDATE 6/7/21 I had to rework the chassis and roof support in the rear section as my original design had it too short. The rear section is now 4 studs longer - it was extended by 3 studs in front of the rear door and 2 studs behind it, although the very end of it was reduced by a stud by moving the beams at the end 1 stud inward. Note that there is more space between the frontmost seats in the low floor section and the articulation joint now, as well as between the frontmost seats in the high floor section and the rear door. I've also began modeling the rear section's bodywork, starting with the rear right body panel. Note that the windows' widths in the front sections have also been adjusted a little - the largest window (the second one with the destination sign) is now 11 studs wide instead of 10, and the last window before the articulation joint was reduced from 8 studs wide to 7. This way, I can make the wider windows in the rear section (such as those behind the rear door) all 11 studs wide, which looks to be more proportional to the windows on the real bus. Additionally, the last window before the articulation joint is slightly narrower than the one before it on the real bus as well. Photos: If you guys have any suggestions for me, please let me know.
  5. JLiu15
    In fact, this YEAR looks to be 2017 all over again IMO. Not only this set, but the 42131 CAT D11T is looking like a major letdown too. The design of it looks much simpler than the 42100 and probably has less motors, yet is priced the same or even MORE than 42100 AFAIK. However, I do think that after the clearer image came out, the wheelbase looks more reasonable to me. The previous image of the new design made the wheelbase look longer than it actually is.
  6. JLiu15
    Thanks! I copied "direct link" instead of "image link" and it worked for me.
  7. JLiu15
    Which platform did you use here? I used imgur for my screenshots, and it only showed up as links to the images on the imgur website. I usually use Flickr for actual photos (i.e. not screenshots), but if you click on the photo it'll take you to the Flickr website to view it. Here, it just enlarges it if you click on it and doesn't direct you to another website.
  8. JLiu15
    Nice! I believe the New Flyer D40LF took inspiration from a Den Oudsten bus. That artic reminds me of NJ Transit's Volvo B10M, which I believe were mid-engined: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Volvo_B10M_9251.jpg
  9. JLiu15
    This thing looks great. Looking forward to how it turns out. I especially like the use of the Jeep's tires here - works perfectly for such a model. On an unrelated note - how did you insert Stud.io screenshots directly into the post (i.e. without linking from Flickr). Did you just reduce the size until it's small enough to be uploaded? I'm afraid that to reduce the size I'll either have to make the image really small or reduce the quality a lot, and your screenshots are big and clear.
  10. JLiu15
    Lmao yes, I wonder why LEGO often chooses blue for the seats. I see a lot of MOCs have followed the trend too, such as Sariel's Pagani Zonda. Never seen an articulated bus with a non-driven steered 3rd axle. Most artics today (at least in the US) are rear-engined, so it's easy to just power the rearmost axle. What articulated buses have a steered rearmost axle? That sounds pretty interesting.
  11. JLiu15
    Thanks! The real bus’s seats are a bluish color, but they’re closer to LEGO’s light bluish gray rather than blue, so I decided to go with LBG for the seats.
  12. JLiu15
    UPDATE 5/31/21 I've finished designing the bodywork for the front section of the model. I haven't gotten to physically building it yet and only have it designed in my digital build, but overall I'm satisfied with how it turned out. I decided to go for a studfull finish rather than a studless one, as studfull allows for a greater level of detail. This will be a first for me, as all my previous MOCs have been primarily studless. The bodywork has been a largely modular build, with the body and roof panels being built separately and attached to the Technic frame. My personal favorite parts are the roof HVAC unit (which was modeled accurately thanks to a Facebook photo showing the real bus's roof) and the roofline curves towards the front. I anticipated that being one of the hardest parts as the curves seemed really complex for LEGO pieces at first, but the extensive use of curved slope pieces (and some held at angles) allowed for an overall smooth finish. There are some small gaps here, but thankfully they're not too visible. Right now, the model is at just over 3000 pieces. Photos: The real-life version, for comparison: If you guys have any suggestions for me, please let me know.
  13. JLiu15
    Thanks! Some parts I feel could've been better (e.g. the gaps around the headlights and the headlights being too small) but ultimately it's Lego and Lego has its limitations.
  14. JLiu15
    UPDATE 4/3/21 At this point, the chassis and mechanical features of the model are essentially finished and I'm ready to move onto the bodywork. I've gotten a lot of work done on the front portion of the model since the last update, with the front roof support and motor for the front door mechanism in place. I've also gotten started on the bodywork a little bit - the front end and the bumper are built now. Overall, the mechanisms all work pretty well. The doors sometimes might not open fully due to backlash in the mechanism, but it's pretty negligible. The front panel of the front door was a struggle, as on the real New Flyer Xcelsior it's curved a little bit at the top. I ended up using a 4L 3mm hose and bent it a little bit before putting it in as they are pretty stiff. As for the front end, the use of System pieces gives it a clean finish, but a drawback is that there are some gaps around the headlights which sit at an angle to follow the curve of the front end. Another drawback is that the headlights are kind of small. However, there are not that many trans-clear pieces available to model the complex curve of the Xcelsior's headlights and have them sit properly angled. Using trans-clear plates and tiles and cheese slopes could have made it bigger, but it would not be as smooth and clean as my solution. If you guys have any suggestions for me, please let me know. Photos:
  15. JLiu15
    UPDATE 3/18/21 I've rebuilt the rear roof support and redesigned the rear door mechanism to include 2 mini LAs. The previous design with a single LA had significant backlash that often prevented the doors from opening completely, especially the rear panel. Now with 2 LAs it works much better. It isn't perfect and there's still a slight difference between the two panels, but it's not too noticeable and should be better once the bodywork is installed (right now I think it's because the front panel is closer to a vertical support beam, reducing friction on that side hence why it opens slightly better). @Aleh my model will include a bike rack, although it will most likely be removable. This is because not all of the fleet have them, so I can achieve both looks by having the bike rack be removable. Most of Hilton's and Big Tree's units, which serve Newark-area routes, have a bike rack, while Fairview's and Meadowlands's don't as they serve routes to NYC and bike racks are not allowed inside the Port Authority Bus Terminal. If you guys have any suggestions for me, please let me know. Photo:
  16. JLiu15
    Kenworth T600. Built at the same scale as the Mack Anthem. It can theoretically tow the Mack Anthem's trailer and vice versa.
  17. JLiu15
    Thanks! I've actually got an accordion prototype all worked out, it's just a tiny cross section but it works flawlessly. I might put a pic of it in the next update or something, as it's gonna be a while before the accordion part is fully installed on the model (the bodywork needs to be built first).
  18. JLiu15
    UPDATE 3/15/21 I've made a good amount of progress on the model over the last month. The driver's seat and steering wheel are in place. The support structure for the front end is partially there - I'm taking advantage of the new 15L beam with alternating holes to reinforce it. The gray beams to support the bellows are now gone - they will be entirely supported by the body. The rear section was also given a major redesign where I lowered the 11x15 frame to make the floor "lower" and so that the front section will be above the rear at the articulation joint where they meet at the turntable. Note that I've left the wheels off for now for easier building. The biggest change since the last update is the rear roof support - this section contains the motor and mechanism for the rear door, which is powered by a PF M motor and uses a mini LA, just like the front. Pillars in the chassis support this section and provide vertical bracing that the bodywork alone can't provide. There's a second turntable to further support the articulation joint, and there will be a roof support for the front section of the model as well - I'll likely show that in the next update. I had some struggle with the rear door mechanism at first - due to friction, the rear panel would not open all the way. It took some trial and error, but I was able to get it to work pretty well, and it should be even better when the bodywork is added as right now the roof support structure is sagging a little bit due to the lack of vertical support right now. If you guys have any suggestions for me, please let me know. Photo:
  19. JLiu15
    You don’t even need to connect to the ball joints to anything. The sides connected to beams will provide sufficient reinforcement.
  20. JLiu15
    I think he means the LEGO sets, and yes - I’m guessing TLG has already been developing the Zetros set when the Osprey incident happened
  21. JLiu15
    UPDATE 2/6/21 Lots of progress here. The entire front section of the chassis is complete, with all seats (except the driver's) in place. The second axle has dual wheels but is undriven, just like the real bus, and the front wheels are steered by a PF servo motor. In front of the front axle, the front door opening mechanism is integrated into the floor, with an axle connection for the motor which will be placed in the roof. The doors are opened using a mini LA geared 1:4.632. Note that the door opening mechanism for the rear door will be identical, but placed in the roof instead. The good news is that everything worked as intended. The model drove very smoothly when I tested it, and nothing was too weak or strained. I was initially anticipating having to make some changes due to having only built the model digitally, so this was a pleasant surprise. At this point I'm planning on controlling the model with SBrick, as having proportional control of drive and steering will be really useful for things like backing up. Photo:
  22. JLiu15
    Thanks! I'll probably play around with my Stud.io model to see if it will work well with the seats.
  23. JLiu15
    So with the announcement of the 42129 Zetros set, many have been wondering what functions it may have, with some suggesting we may see a 8043-style gearbox to use a single Control+ hub with its 4 ports to power more than 4 functions. I've seen some people suggest that the motors for drive, steering, etc will be connected to a gearbox that can power other functions (e.g. a crane), as well as remote-controlled pneumatics where motors can switch between driving/steering and controlling valves. However, I see a critical flaw in such a system that will make return-to center functions (e.g. steering, valves) very difficult to implement. This would be quite a letdown, especially given that it would defeat the purpose of C+ allowing for servo control. The first issue is that there's a gap between the teeth on the driving ring and those on the clutch gear. This means there will be some backlash where the driving ring meets the clutch gear, and while it's usually negligible, it won't be good for a return-to-center servo mechanism where precision needs to be very high. In a return-to-center steering or valve mechanism, the "center" that the mechanism returns to will be thrown off by the clutch gear's position relative to the driving ring at the moment they engaged. This might not be as big of a deal for valves, but it will be disastrous for steering as even a small degree of error in the steering mechanism will throw off the direction the vehicle's driving in. Additionally, trying to calibrate the motor would be a nightmare in this scenario. To eliminate the driving ring backlash issue, we could use a gearbox where a set of gears placed along an axle that slides back and forth engages various gears placed around it. This mechanism has not been used by LEGO since the driving rings were introduced (I believe one of the Car Chassis sets had such a gearbox), so it would be interesting to see it return. While backlash would not be an issue here, the concern here is that you need to make sure the gears line up at the right orientation every time the gearbox shifts (this applies for the driving ring gearbox as well). The mechanisms would ideally also have to return to center and lock themselves when the function is disengaged as well, as otherwise the return-to-center position would be thrown off when it reengages. This would be quite a challenging mechanism to implement. And even if everything were to go well, you always lose some precision with each pair of gears in the gear train as every pair of gears will have some play in them, not to mention adding friction to the mechanism which will make it harder for the motor to do its job. Now we never know what LEGO may come up with, and maybe they'll introduce a never-before-seen mechanism and/or parts that will make this work flawlessly. Maybe that's what justifies the high price for this set despite having just over 2000 pieces. I'd certainly love for that to happen, as it would mean being able to precisely control a 4W/crab/normal steering system or several return-to-center pneumatic valves without the need for multiple servo motors. Thoughts?
  24. JLiu15
    UPDATE 1/28/21 After putting the seats on yesterday I felt like the rear wheels were a little too close to each other, i.e. when the bodywork is in place they'll be too "recessed" into the body, especially with the wheel arches that stick out from the body a little. I noticed that the middle and rear axles' wheels are a little more outward than the front wheels on the real thing. Because there was plenty of space, I decided to go with dual wheels on the middle and rear axles to make it more realistic. I had to modify the chassis a little to make them fit, but I think it turned out pretty well. Photo:
  25. JLiu15
    UPDATE 1/27/21 BrickLink order arrived today, so all 31 seats in the rear section are now installed. Photo:
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