JLiu15

Thanks! I haven't stopped building other MOCs, you'll still see plenty of other vehicle MOCs from me

I did the same with some of my older PF motors (which are now gone). For two L motors, I actually took a PF 50cm extension wire and cut the PF end to the same length as the motor wire to keep the same wire length. What's weird is, nearly all my PF elements from 2013-2014 have had their wires fail (4x M motors, 2x L motors, an XL motor, a Servo motor and a V2 IR receiver), but everything I have after around 2016 is still good to this day. I wonder if LEGO changed the wires' materials around that time - I have noticed on the ones I have after 2016 that the wire material looks shinier and feels stiffer than my old ones from 2013-2014.

UPDATE 8/8/24 I've started building the model, with most of the rear section's chassis complete and a few passenger seats in place. The chassis is very robust, and the two XL motors for the drivetrain have plenty of torque. I still need to add the Cummins engine model, as well as the passenger seats in the rear once more of the chassis in that area is completed. Note the new 3x13 frame on the right side just before the rear stepwell - it's not yet available in Stud.io so I just omitted it in the Stud.io model for now. If you guys have any suggestions for me, please let me know. I'm also wondering if someone has made a custom designed version of the 3x13 frame (and perhaps other newly released parts) in Stud.io that I can use in my model, since I noticed it does take a while for Stud.io to update with newly released parts. Photos:

Went through my Lego electronics and noticed that my two oldest PF IR Receivers (about 10-11 years old) are turning yellow on the light bluish gray parts. It's like a single yellowish "stain" on the back surface. Has anyone else experienced this with their PF components? It doesn't seem to affect their performance (the indicator LED does turn on when connected to power).

Thanks! The real bus is a "pusher" articulated bus with the engine at the rear, so I believe only the rear axle is driven.

UPDATE 8/1/24 I've modeled more of the rear section and experimented with the articulation joint. I want the model to have a largely smooth interior floor covered with Technic panels and liftarms with minimal gaps, like my recent MCI D4500CT Commuter Coach model. The real bus has a circular central section at the articulation joint which maintains a halfway position between the front and rear sections, and circular shapes are rather difficult to model in LEGO, especially Technic. I came up with a design that uses sloped Technic panels and while it's not perfect, it still does the job of reducing the gap between the front and rear sections' floors and the central section. Photos of the real bus's central section, A test build of the central section (won't be color vomit in the finished model of course), showing how it and the seats behave as the articulation joint turns: Stud.io screenshots showing the design incorporated into the model. Note that I have hidden the wheels and the top part of the bellows to better show the model so far: Stud.io screenshots showing the entire model so far:

UPDATE 7/29/24 I've modeled the seating layout in Stud.io, as well as portions of the chassis rear section. Thanks to the private owner of bus #3200 (a 2006 model, but the seating layout is identical), I was able to accurately model the seating layout with 34 seats in the front, 30 in the rear, and 4 in the articulation joint for a total of 68 seats. Seating layout (top view) compared to the real bus: The model will be powered by two hard-coupled PF XL motors; they are placed perpendicular to the chassis just after the rear stepwell and are hard-coupled using knob wheels. This is because the rear door is quite close to the rear axle, and placing the drive motors longitudinally would take too much space lengthwise. The high-floor design should help make the chassis very robust, as it is 6 studs from the lowest point to the floor level, similar to the rear raised section in my previous models of New Flyer Xcelsior low floor buses. Note that I took apart most of the bellows in the Stud.io model; I'll be remodeling it as it won't be an exact copy of the bellows on my New Flyer XD60 model (here they also need to accommodate the seats in the middle). Side view: More interior views referenced for the model are below. Note the mix of high- and low-back seats - most forward-facing seats are high-back while aisle-facing and last row seats are low-back. If you guys have any suggestions for me, please let me know.

I wonder if TLG is discontinuing the Control+ system as we know it. None of the individual components (hubs, motors, etc) have found their way into 2024 sets, and the only motorized set of the year (this) has an integrated hub. Maybe TLG is developing a new system of motors? I just hope TLG is moving in the direction of only using integrated hubs for RC car sets in the future...it would be a nightmare for MOC builders. Lol I didn't hold my breath when I saw this car branded as the "fastest", like no way was it gonna be like the return of the RC Buggy motors. Disappointed but not surprised.

Having built many bus models with 49.5x20 tires, I'm very excited to see how this build turns out! I like the low-floor design - it's definitely a challenge keeping it low yet reinforced, especially at the front axle due to the steering mechanism, but installing the bodywork helps.

It was connected to port 2 I think.

Thanks! Haven't done much since the initial update but I should have the seating layout worked out by the next update!

Hey guys, recently I've noticed something with my BuWizz 2.0 that occurs whenever Fast or Ludicrous mode is selected. In Fast and Ludicrous modes, if I have a PF Servo Motor connected to the BuWizz, the motor would keep making the re-calibrating noise (that brief high pitched sound you hear whenever power to it is turned on, e.g. when connected to a PF IR Receiver). Does anyone know what may be causing this issue and if there's something I can try to fix it, or is this normal? I've only noticed it on my most recent MOC to use BuWizz, as I use the Fast/Ludicrous modes to control the brightness of PF LED lights. I use the BuWizz to primarily power two RC Buggy Motors (only one motor per port of course) and I haven't noticed any performance issues with those in Fast/Ludicrous mode, only that it would sometimes cut power if I accelerate too hard (but that's pretty normal from my experience). Any help is appreciated!

All my bus models up to this point have been of buses currently in active service. However, my next bus model will be of an older, retired bus: Metro Transit's 2003 New Flyer D60HF. Metro Transit, the transit operator in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, ordered a large number of New Flyer D60HF articulated buses in the 1990s and 2000s, with the final buses in 2006 being the last high-floor articulated buses ever built in the US and Canada. Over the years, they have been gradually replaced by newer New Flyer D60LFR and XD60 articulated buses, and the final D60HF buses were retired by 2021. A number of units were bought by private owners after retirement, such as #3143 (a 2003 model), which was exhibited at the 2022 NJ Historic Bus Festival. My plan is to make my model be of bus #3143; the simple yellow/blue livery should be easy to build in LEGO so the amount of custom stickers for this model should be minimal (only the fleet numbers, Metro Transit logos, and destination signs come to mind). Thanks to the high-floor design and the boxy build of the original bus, it should be easier to incorporate mechanisms into this model as opposed to my New Flyer XD60 model as New Flyer Xcelsiors are low-floor buses. The chassis can be reinforced much better (I could probably make it 5 studs high throughout the bus, same as the rear section of my XD60 model), and I may even be able to place all electronic components and mechanisms in the chassis without placing any (e.g. the doors mechanism) in the roof. The model will use Power Functions motors and will be controlled by SBrick. The tentative list of functions/features for this model is: Drive (with two XL motors; my XD60 model with one XL motor felt a little underpowered) Steering (with working steering wheel) Pneumatically opened doors (one of these per door) Cummins engine model (with new engine elements from 42170 Kawasaki set) Bike rack (removable) The design process starts out by using my New Flyer XD60 model as a base to determine the locations of various features (axles, bellows, etc). I plan to use 49.5x14mm tires for this model, as they offer better proportions than 49.5x20mm tires. The middle and rear axles with double wheels can also be spaced further apart, allowing me to use a 5.5L axle with stop and thus prevent the half shafts from pulling out from the differential under load, an issue experienced with my XD60 model. I still need to determine the seating layout of the original bus, which will make it much easier to design the chassis without needing to make adjustments later on for the passenger seats. I also plan to use the new engine elements from the 42170 Kawasaki set in the Cummins engine model, as the axles-and-bushes design is a bit noisy and I've found it to jam a few times too when using it in my previous bus models. Side note: I have found the new Kawasaki engine pistons to not "click" properly in place to a liftarm, stud or the crank disks in Stud.io - maybe this is just due to these parts being new and not having been really refined yet in Stud.io? Would love to hear any other experiences with this. There's still much to be done, but I'm looking forward to this MOC. I've already built an articulated bus model, and this one should be more straightforward with the high-floor and boxy design. I strive to add something new in every one of my bus models, and I'm curious to see how the pneumatic doors turn out (all my previous bus models used mini linear actuators or a worm gear for the door). If you guys have any suggestions for me, please let me know.

Sounds like an exciting contest! Since I'm a bus enthusiast I was thinking of doing a new bus model for this submission (two of mine already used 49.5x20 wheels). But then the model has to be non-licensed and studless. I've built a Kenworth T600 with 49.5x20 wheels around the time the 42078 Mack Anthem set came out. It's studless, but still a licensed model. Time to get a little creative...

The instructions are now published on Rebrickable: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-186023/JLiu15/mci-d4500ct-commuter-coach/#details

Wow, this build looks amazing so far. I can't wait to see what it looks like when the rear body panels are finished. I love the red/yellow scheme and the large water cannon on top. It reminds me of my Airport Crash Tender MOC from 2017, but your model looks even bigger. What's the tire/rim combo you're using for the model?

I've considered using something custom like BrickScreens by Brickstuff, but I don't think they make any in the dimensions of a typical bus destination sign (unless maybe I put a bunch of smaller ones next to each other).

I've considered that but realism is a major consideration for my bus models so if the real bus doesn't use planetary hubs I probably won't use them either, although they really do provide a huge amount of gear reduction (over 5:1 I think). Thanks! I like this approach as it allows for all the Technic functions while giving it a detailed finish with System pieces. It took me a while to get the right geometry for the door mechanism, but in the end it worked flawlessly and is one of my favorite parts about this MOC.

Thanks! I'm definitely thinking of using hubs for my next bus model of this size since the weight of the model really added up. I'll probably use two drive motors too. My initial design actually had the yellow differential from the Ferrari Daytona set, but as the weight of the model increased I had to find gearing down somewhere and changing the gear reduction at the differential from 14:22 to 12:28 seemed to be a good choice. Thank you! I'm really satisfied with how the looks of the model turned out in the end. Using System pieces for the bodywork really helps to capture all the details.

Model of a New Jersey Transit 2020 MCI D4500CT commuter coach. Features motorized drive, steering, full suspension, working passenger door, removable Cummins engine model, and changeable destination signs. Functions/features: Drive Steering Full suspension Working passenger door Removable Cummins engine model with moving pistons Changeable destination signs Instructions available on Rebrickable: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-186023/JLiu15/mci-d4500ct-commuter-coach/#details In 2016, a new order of MCI D4500CT commuter coaches began slowly being introduced to the New Jersey Transit fleet to replace the aging D4000 and D4500 coaches built in the early 2000s. Deliveries would occur until 2022, and over 1200 buses were ordered for New Jersey Transit as well as private carriers. The buses saw a number of minor changes throughout the delivery years, most notably a change from the Cummins ISX-12 to the X12 engine around 2020. They are largely used on routes to and from New York City, as well as long-distance routes in southern New Jersey. My model depicts bus 20052, a 2020 model year unit assigned to Wayne Garage. I began working on this model in August 2022, starting with the Stud.io model. I wanted to build this model in traditional NJT colors, which includes silver stainless steel panels on the sides and a black upper rear section. I wanted to build at the same scale as my New Flyer XD60 model (roughly 1:20), and thankfully the rims for the 62.4x20 tires are available in metallic silver to match the silversides. I also ensured the seating layout is identical to the real-life NJT MCI D4500CT, with 57 seats on non-lavatory units (30 units equipped with lavatories from the 2018 and 2019 model years have two fewer seats). The model uses the Control+ system for electronics - the drive axle is driven by a Control+ XL motor and steering is controlled by a Control+ Large motor. Initially I planned to use a Control+ Large motor for the bi-parting passenger door as well, located in the roof support frame, but the two door panels would not open evenly since the drive from the motor is first transferred to only one of the panels. I eventually placed the entire door mechanism under the passenger entry in the front, and a WeDo 2.0 Medium motor is used to power the doors as its shorter length allows it to easily fit in the limited space. My initial design also sought to include a functioning wheelchair lift with its functions (extending/retracting, elevating/lowering and wheelchair lift door) along with the passenger door controlled by a 4-output distribution gearbox. Work on the physical model did not begin until November 2022, at which point I already had the chassis and axles largely modeled in Stud.io. After building the wheelchair lift mechanism I found it to be ineffective in practice - because the lift slides in and out from the side of the model and needs to elevate and lower in a limited space, the mechanism eventually had so much friction that the motor powering it stalls when the extension and elevation functions are selected and the elevation mechanism has so much backlash that the lift would not lower even after rotating the input of the mechanism until it eventually drops all of a sudden. I eventually decided to abandon the wheelchair lift mechanism (the 4-output distribution gearbox was saved for my Mack Granite Boom Truck model which also helped test the suspension design for this MOC). In the end the lower part of the model where the luggage compartments are normally located only contain the Control+ hub and Technic frames for rigidity. Because the underside is largely covered with Technic panels, I used the newer Control+ hub with screws as there is no need to leave open space around the hub for access to the battery door latches. In the end removing the wheelchair lift mechanism was a good call, as even without it the model is very heavy at over 6100 pieces. Similar to my previous bus models, this model features a System finish with Technic inners. Much of the chassis between the front and rear axles is quite empty, with the only electronic components being the Control+ hub and the drive motor (the steering motor is integrated in the suspended front axle). There is a Technic roof support frame as well, but because all electronic components are placed in the chassis, the frame is kept simple (consisting of mostly 11x15 Technic frames) and the lack of exposed wires in the interior is another advantage. However, there is a vertical axle in the interior allowing for pressing the power button of the Control+ hub from the roof. Reinforcing the roof support frame was a challenge though, as the real-life bus has the left and right side seats slightly offset from each other. This meant a vertical support beam on the left side may not work on the right side, as the beams must sit directly behind the window pillars to remain unobtrusive. Another challenge was the rear of the chassis, as it had to be kept largely open with no transverse reinforcements for the removable Cummins engine model connected to the drivetrain. The sections of the chassis directly above the front and rear axles also had to be kept open yet reinforced for the suspension - I also had to change the front suspension to two shock absorbers per wheel as the model got heavier which required rebuilding a significant portion of the front chassis section. The front of the chassis would still experience some bending even with the roof frame in place, but after the bodywork was added the issue was largely mitigated. As for the passenger seats, my initial design had them as System builds finished with dark blue tiles and slopes (the real-life NJT MCI D4500CT has two-tone blue vinyl covered seats), but because ordering so many dark blue pieces for an interior feature would be expensive yet still not capturing the two-tone blue finish, I decided to use Technic panels for the seats (part 24116 with 2L liftarms to slightly increase their height). While they are slightly less realistic, they offered a much more rigid connection to the Technic inner floor and likely helped reduce the weight of the model. The bodywork consists of a largely seamless white finish made using System pieces. Like my MTA New Flyer XD40 model, I made sure all connections to the Technic core are made using white Technic axle pieces into Technic bricks with axle holes to prevent exposed Technic pins. The roof however is still made using Technic panels, and a section of the roof also contains the power "button" which pushes the vertical axle for the hub power button mechanism. One of my goals when I started working on this model is for the silversides to actually be silver, not light bluish gray. Because the LEGO metallic silver palette is limited, I had to make sure all the parts I need exist and can be acquired in the numbers I need. LEGO's Pick A Brick came in handy here, as I was able to order over 70 2x4 tiles in metallic silver and several other metallic silver tiles, and acquiring the metallic silver pieces alone cost over $80. The passenger door was more of a challenge as the door panels are made using Technic pieces and some pieces I need (such as a 1x4 thin liftarm) do not exist in metallic silver, so unfortunately there is still some light bluish gray in the doors. The New Jersey Transit livery is done using custom stickers, mostly on transparent glossy sticker paper but also some on white sticker paper for those that do not sit on a white section (e.g. the silverside panels). I also included a mechanism for easily removing the front destination sign which allows for changing the destination displayed on the sign. The side destination sign is connected using only two pins which also allows for easy removal. Finally, because the run sign (the number display at the lower right hand corner of the front windshield) is only attached using two half pins, the number displayed on the run sign can also be easily changed. Overall, I'm satisfied with how my third motorized bus model turned out. At over 6100 pieces, it has nearly 1000 more pieces than my New Flyer XD60 model from two years ago. The System finish for the bodywork allows for a largely seamless look and the metallic silver for the stainless steel panels really make the silversides stand out. However, the heavy weight of the model also means the drive speed is quite slow, and I also noticed the front wheels would struggle to stay upright after driving it for a while. This could be mitigated by adding a second drive motor and Technic wheel hubs for future bus models of this size. Despite these issues, the other functions worked flawlessly, and I'm especially satisfied with how the bi-parting door mechanism came together. It's been a very rewarding two years working on this model, and I still have many more motorized bus models planned for the future. Video: Photos: Brickworld Chicago Photos:

The instructions are now published on Rebrickable: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-185091/JLiu15/race-buggy/#details

An off-road race buggy model powered by BuWizz. Features a drivetrain containing 2 RC buggy motors and a 4-cylinder piston engine, full independent suspension, and working headlights and taillights. Functions: Drive Steering 4-cylinder engine Full independent suspension Working headlights and taillights Instructions available on Rebrickable: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-185091/JLiu15/race-buggy/#details All my MOCs containing RC buggy motors so far have had the motors connected straight to the wheels or tracks (either directly without gearing or via a gear reduction). However, I have always been wanting to build something with a proper drivetrain since acquiring those motors. This would make it much easier to incorporate e.g. a differential and independent suspension on the driven axle. Because the 42160 Audi set offered brand new non-planetary hubs that use heavy-duty CV joints, they made for a good starting point for this MOC. Initially I was inspired by the 42160 set's BuWizz motorization which placed two BuWizz motors with their outer outputs connected to form the main driveshaft. However, because I was worried the vertical orientation of the motors in that design would add unnecessary height to the model, I still went with placing the motors horizontally in a transverse position with the inner outputs forming the driveshaft. Although the inner outputs have higher speed and lower torque than the outer ones, connecting the two motors via their outer outputs would result in an unnecessarily wide chassis. Even in the final setup, the motors still protrude from the sides of the body slightly, which interferes with the finished bodywork. Another challenge with the motors' placement is reinforcing the chassis, as their transverse placement makes it difficult to reinforce the chassis longitudinally where the motors sit. While there is longitudinal reinforcement above the motors, the front chassis and rear axle sections are only connected to the bottom of the motors by the friction of pins. I was initially concerned that this would be a weak spot in the chassis, but once the bodywork was installed it was not an issue. The compact design of the rear axle also allowed me to easily include an inline 4-cylinder piston engine (in clear engine blocks this time to allow for better visibility of the pistons), which is another advantage of having a proper drivetrain vs connecting the motors straight to the wheels. The rear suspension design is similar to that of the 42160 set, with the hubs' steerability restricted by liftarms on both sides. The front suspension has the same geometry as the rear suspension, but because the front axle is not driven, there was no need for specialized hubs, I decided to use the older steerable hubs on the front axle as the integrated towballs for the steering links proved to be a more robust setup. The full independent suspension had decent travel and was quite soft, which is good for a model like this. I also added three sets of Power Functions LEDs to the model (one for the headlights and two for the taillights), although it is mostly for show as I kept them off during driving to allow the RC buggy motors to have enough power. Managing the wires was also a challenge for a model this size, as there are seven electronic components (including the BuWizz) despite having around just over 800 pieces. Finally, as for the bodywork, I went with dark blue as I have a good amount of dark blue Technic pieces from the 42083 Bugatti and 42154 Ford GT sets. Although there are some details done using System pieces, I kept them to a minimum to ensure the robustness of the model. Performance-wise, this model exceeded my expectations. I was initially concerned that the gears in the drivetrain and piston engine would add some friction, but that was not an issue. I filmed the video at the skate park like my Red Beryl T (my previous MOC), and honestly it performed even better. It had enough momentum to go up the slopes at the skate park much more than my Red Beryl T, and I think the lighter weight of this model helped with that. The wheel diameter is also bigger (I used the tires from the 42160 set), and the final gear reduction is slightly less (7:3 vs 3:1). It was quite fun to drive it around, although I did have issues with the BuWizz cutting power (especially during heavy acceleration or on Fast/Ludicrous modes) and sometimes I ended up driving it too far up a slope where it started getting stuck. Despite the issues, it was still a very agile vehicle and had plenty of speed for some fun driving. Overall, despite being a simple sub-1000 pieces build, this model ended up being a fun one packed with functions. The RC buggy motors provided plenty of speed and the drivetrain handled that speed well. The 4-cylinder engine and PF LED lighting, although mostly for show, allowed me to squeeze in as much functionality as I can in a small build. I still see potential to further develop things, such as taking the drivetrain setup and extending it to an AWD design. Video: Photos: Brickworld Chicago Photos:

Thanks! I have more bus MOCs planned for the future

Thanks! It's a great color and I love that it's used more in Technic now (e.g. the 42154 set)

Thanks! I also felt it looked better IRL than in Stud.io.