Cumulonimbus

Or maybe by using silver flexible axles ... The "eyebrows" above the headlight are another make or break point for the styling. EDIT: What features can we expect in the set? I'm guessing: - Dark Azure and black exterior, tan interior -> very likely - Custom rims with 42056 tires -> confirmed - W16 engine -> confirmed - AWD drivertrain -> very likely - Sequential gearbox -> very likely - Actuated rear spoiler - Ride height adjustment -> probably not EDIT: updated the list

I had pre-ordered my copy of the Anthem set just after Christmas because there was a good deal, but the delivery was delayed several times. According to the shop, there were delivery issues form the factory in the Czech Republic due to the unexpectedly high demand for the set. This might explain the limited availability at the moment. Luckily, I finally received mine this week. Time to start building and modding.

Nice, I saw the live feed as well. Feels like a very logical choice. But it will be very interesting to see how well the typical curvy styling of the real Chiron will be translated into a Technic set. Also: the set will include about 900 parts more that the 42056, wonder where those will go.

Can you share a screenshot or photo of your progress on the legs so far? This can give us an idea what you are working on and makes it easier to suggest improvements. I think I can give some ideas for outrigger/landing legs, but I don't have access to LDD at the moment, I'll take a look tonight. Another approach could be to change the configuration of the hull when landing, since it's a fictional craft, you can't get it wrong. Yet another Idea I had is to hook you containers to a ring (made from the yellow gear sections) around your hull. Damn, I might be getting more excited about this spaceship than you .

I wouldn't give it up yet, as said before the 42055 parts give you plenty of options: With the huge amount of 5x7 frames, you could make a open spine structure which holds the containers for example. The tracks could be used as engine cowling, with he curved track pieces you could make a rotating crew compartment (for artificial gravity), ... I see a lot of potential. Yes, this will mean you will need to redesign and rebuild a couple of times, but this is just part of the game.

Yes actually, but the question is really how far you want to look back: The 9392 Quad Bike, the 42007 Moto Cross Bike, 42038 Arctic Truck and the even the 42001 Mini Off Roader were sets which introduced some crucial parts in orange that made the 42056 possible. Like @Erik Leppen, I feel an azure and black Bugatti Chiron is a very real possibility. The omens are very favourable: the increased availability of azure parts (similar to one of the launch colours of the Chiron), the fact that the Chiron is relatively new car which would fit nicely in the Technic super car range, the existing licence between TLG and Bugatti. This set would also need to recreate some interesting mechanisms which haven't been designed in an official set before: actuated rear spoiler and the W-configuration engine for example. Additionally, I would love to see a tan coloured interior again (last one was in the 8145 Ferrari Fiorano set of 2007). It just feels like it all makes sense (at the moment).

Cool project. Maybe you could integrate some mechanisms to make it more interesting and make it a true Technic MOC: You could use one of the large LA's from your 42055 parts to make a clamping system that can hold or release the containers for example. The other LA might be used for a retractable landing gear system I imagine. If your not sure how one LA can control three or four landing legs, take a look at the landing gear system in the 9396 helicopter (you can download the building instruction for that on the LEGO site). Building a spaceship from the 42055 parts gives you huge creative possibilities. Good luck and happy building.

Yes of course, thank you, I never get used to talking in set numbers.

With the suggestion that the upcoming 42080 set could be a sequal in the "Technic UCS" series that the 42056 started, I dream of a sedan like car on a similar scale as the brilliant Subaru Impreza that Pipasseyoyo designed a while ago: To me this is still one of the best MOC supercars out there, its functions, scale, proportions and bodywork are simply stunning. I would love to see TLG take on a car like this.

Not necessarily, it can trigger the urge to complete the series in some people so it can even lead to increased sales of the outgoing model once the (theoretical) new model is launched. Look at what happened with the modular buildings for example: Once it became obvious the cafe corner was the first in a series. the demand for it skyrocketed. The drawback of course is the increased load on the logistics when more sets are still in production. I heard here somewhere that TLG has reached its maximum capacity of the number of sets it can put on the market simultaneously. In other words, for each new set an older set must be retired.

I enjoy your topic as well. It is nice to see the evolution of your creation and it reminds me of my build process: At times, when you take one step forward at two backwards, it feels like it might be impossible to complete it and then suddenly a eureka moment makes the build leap forwards. I'm very curious how this one will turn out. About a caster wheel: I have tried my hand at caster wheels in Technic while building a Mindstorms robot and the result where not that great. The distance between the wheel axle and the rotational axis of the caster need to be quite large (at least 3 studs in my experience) for a smooth operation. This means that it can be quite tricky to build a caster bogie which compact and rigid enough.

This is what I see when staring at the blurry 42082 picture: 3x5 dog bones with 3x11 panels: EDIT: I agree that the prelim image suggests that the 42079 has dark blue panels on top.

This trailer might be a bit more in the style of the upcoming Mack (shown with the equivalent of a 40' container):

After some googling, I'm staggered by all the possible variations in ISO shipping containers world wide. So far I have seen the following types: Length variations: 5 (non-ISO), 10 (non-ISO), 20, 40, 45, 48, 53 ft Height variations: half height, standard height, high cube Configurations: general purpose (standard), double door, open top, open side, flat rack, collapsible, reefer (refrigrated), tank, swap body, bulk And of course any possible permutation of these variants exist. EDIT: this is an interesting site for those who want more info about types, sizes and norms of shipping containers: http://www.shippingcontainers24.com

Ah, I see I have made a small error: I assumed that a shipping container is about 7.5 ft wide based on the image below, and the Anthem is 15 studs wide, so every foot in real life scales down to two studs in Technic. My model of the 53ft container is 106 studs long. Now I see that 7,6ft is the size of the door opening, the container itself is actually 8ft wide, this means a 53ft needs to be 100 studs long. Still a long Technic box if you ask me. I'll make a new versions soon.

By the way, a 53ft container is going to be huge. This version (in blue) has 740 parts give or take a few connectors:

You're right. This setup is often called "super single tires": Although I do agree that dual tires would look more appropriate, I think that the current Lego tires are simply too wide for a realistic look in this scale. I was hoping that the London bus tires would fit in a dual setup, but then the diameter of these is too small. As a result, I think I would just keep the tire setup as it comes in the set, but simply increase the wheel base of the Anthem.

@shimon Thank you. I made a crude mock-up of an European container trailer based on your file: Next, I will put the cranes back on it, and see if I can make it structurally sound again.

Yes, you could but in real life a reach stacker is a huge machine that dwarfs a container. So if you want to be true to the scale of the 42078 you would need to redesign the 42009B based on Unimog tires I think.

Too bad the 42009 B-model isn't to scale:

@shimon Do you have a lxf-file of your replica trailer? If so, could you share it so I can try and make the trailer a bit more realistic in its proportions?

Interesting observation: based on the proportions of a a real 20ft container and the width of the Anthem (about 15 studs), the container should be considerably longer and higher than the one in the 42078 set (on the right in the image below): Interesting observation number two: at this scale 1ft=2studs, so a trailer filling 40 ft container should be about 80 studs long in Technic.

To be completely honest, I'm at the opposite end of the scale: a perfectionist who finds it hard to complete a project if left on my own (don't remind me of all my unfinished MOCs ...). Luckily other team members and departments help me making decisions. My point is that maybe Wabra himself isn't proud of the end result and the sets you mention were simply the results of the constraints the designers had during the development of them. As a designer myself, I would hate to read comments like that about my work. If I remember correctly, I read somewhere that it was Wabra who wanted a Technic truck with a trailer for years, so he had probably had a hand in the Mack set. And anyway, this is all projection and interpretations without inside information from TLG.

I don't know how well you are connected to TLG, but I find this is a very bold claim. Everybody has ups and downs in their career and almost every creator is bound by much more that just their own creativity. Boring stuff like budget, planning, deadlines, target customers, etc greatly limited the possibilities of any creation destined for a commercial market. Stating that someone you don't know is suffering from a very serious condition judging only by a fraction of their (apparent) work is not very tactful in my book.

Interesting discussion. At the moment, I'm not a big fan of PF in sets for a number of reasons: Bulky components, especially for small and mid-scale models Need for batteries, which are just inconvenient Mechanisms in PF sets tend to less complex or "realistic" However, I can see the added value of PF/RC if done right. The play experience Xerion and the BWE for example would simply be annoying if you needed to crank continuously and the little Tracked Racer is just fun. If a next generation PF/RC system should be developed, I would expect the boundaries between Mindstorms and PF to become more vague or even disappear all together. Some of the potential I see: Programmable light and sound bricks would add a lot of play value in many sets and MOCs. Smaller motors and battery packs could increase the possibilities in smaller scales. Rechargeable batteries could be more compact and since they are becoming mainstream in plenty other products, costs could be reduced as well. Compatibility between WeDo, PF and Mindstorms elements would lead to a low threshold to start with animated Lego creations at young ages, while allowing almost unlimited possibilities for AFOLs. But this would be a huge project for TLG, and it would mean committing to a chosen system for a decade at least. Better speed controll for all types of motors Connectivity of PF to 3rd party devices seems to be inevitable to me, you see this happening in WeDo and the digital Technic instructions, but keep in mind that this is a huge step for any OEM. Once you make your product compatible with lets say a smartphone, you create a huge amount of work by needing to check which models are supported (available connectivity types, screens sizes, onboard sensors, etc) and you will need to do this for every new device which hits the market. Worldwide, this is a nightmare. Another point is this: which part of the Technic target group has access to a tablet or smartphone? I can image TLG would rather like to keep selling sets as stand alone units without extra requirements for device you need to have before you can start playing with your new set.