astyanax

Living in one of the main banking cities of Switzerland, I'd see a Lambo every day, if only I'd venture outside more haha! #ProgrammerLife But seeing the Sian... yeah, maybe if the car shows weren't cancelled.

Welcome into the light! But why would anyone want RHD?! *laughs in continental European*

Exciting to hear! Sometimes a single 7x3x2 panel can be replaced by a #3/#4 panel plus a "Bionicle tooth" to fill the gap. Other times, two adjacent 7x3x2 panels can be replaced by a single 11x3x2 panel plus some filling. However, even of the 11x3x2 panels we get only 2 in Lime. However, the Sian does come with many more #21/#22 panels than the Porsche, so perhaps it's more a matter of adopting a different sculpting style... Regarding the MOC vs B-model debate, in the Ferrari Enzo thread we considered whether there might exist 1 (small) companion set to supply additional parts. But now I'm thinking there might be another acceptable compromise: you could decide on a limited set of part classes from which you allow yourself to draw additional parts. For example, you could declare that the Lime Miura shares all parts with the Sian except for several additional Technic Panels and Transparent System pieces. So all beams, connectors, axles, etc. will still be drawn from the Sian only. If MOC and B-model were on a scale, I think this strategy would still keep you far on the B-model side of this scale.

Besides the parts mentioned by @Thierry-GearsManiac, there is also part 44374: Caveats: it's quite rare so may be hard to find at decent price. Also, being a thin liftarm, it shouldn't be used in stressing constructions. Better is to double them. Then you can easily make omniwheels, for example:

@Wismill Thanks for those links, cool stuff! You may also enjoy these 2 threads on this forum:

https://rebrickable.com/sets/compare/slow/?1-set=MOC-47261&1-inv=68948&1-user_list=&2-set=42056-1&2-inv=11015&2-user_list=

Hotly anticipated! Been drooling over the sneak peeks in your flickr albums since what seems like forever... Now, obviously, we're all thinking Lime these days... Do you think the wheel covers could be remodeled to fit the Sian's wheel arches? Would that even be an improvement? (Yes for the moment I'm disregarding the absence of 7x3 panels in Lime.)

https://rebrickable.com/sets/compare/slow/?1-set=MOC-46921&1-inv=68602&1-user_list=&2-set=42115-1&2-inv=63571&2-user_list=

It's really tough. Quite a few Technic sets seem to be lime-themed, however they invariably contain only a few pieces, and some lime-accented stickers over black panels. Only a big set like the Claas Xerion (42054) have substantial amount of lime. Regarding transparent pieces, Technic sets are also poor suppliers. The Porsche (42056) really had a freakish amount of them. Going slightly bigger, the Dodge Charger (42111) offer usable transparent pieces as well as usable black panels. Looking at recent System sets, the Lamborghini Urus & Huracan (76899) comes to mind: it offers both usable transparent pieces and lots of lime tiles and slopes that can be used to fill gaps in bodywork. Plus, it's more Lamborghini!

In the next few days we're likely to see a review on http://www.newelementary.com answering all such questions

Gull-wing doors FTW! I too have high hopes to see this model appear on Rebrickable!

Just found this out too. This weekend I finished my first buggy MOC: 999-pieces, 2 buggy motors, and 1:1 gearing from inner/fast output to new-style differential (from set 42109). With 2x BuWizz, I can do full-on acceleration in Ludicrous mode. Both BuWizz briefly flash a red light, but they hold up, and the car FLIES off. With higher gearing or less BuWizzes, you have to go easier on the throttle.

Sorry for my confusion. Are you saying you're working on a remote-controlled Sian, or are you developing a new motor?

I can vouch for this setup. I used Madoca's Icarus drivetrain in the Koncept Mantis, which is comparable in size with the Sian. (Acceleration video and size comparison can be found if you follow the link.) The Mantis is pretty light though! Definitely you'll want to get rid of the gearbox and fake engine of the Sian. It may not be so simple because the Sian is not a very modular build. In contrast, the Pimped Porsche cleanly separates the chassis and bodywork. So what I once did was build the bodywork as per the Pimped Porsche instructions, and then built my own chassis -- with the correct dimensions and connection points -- but with the Icarus drivetrain and no gearbox or engine. The bodywork fitted neatly on top: Now you'll want to know the performance, given that this project was similar in weight to what you're suggesting with the Sian. With 2x BuWizz, it had a very respectable top speed, but acceleration had to be done carefully. With full-on acceleration, the 4 PF L motors would quickly ground the male CV joints (that connect into the wheel hubs) into a pulp -- the same fate for the 12-tooth bevel gears inside the differential. That's why, for the Koncept Mantis, I chose to use the stronger CV joints from set 42099 instead. But it might also help to use the new differential from set 42109, which I didn't have yet at the time. Another possibility is to use direct drive: using 4 motors, each independently driving 1 wheel. This is a popular setup for buggy type models -- several can be found on Rebrickable I think.

Great stuff @JamesJT! As you said, front and rear lights are going to be problematic when making pure B models of the Sian, due to its total lack of transparent parts. But perhaps you can follow the strategy of your BMW i8: pick one other (small) set that does provide the required transparent pieces, and make a combined alternate model. Hint: set 8649 "Nitro Menace" contains transparent pieces as well as lots of complementary Lime pieces. However it might be an unpopular choice, as it's kinda old (2005).

Excellent move!

Is there any appetite to see if there's a way to fit glow-in-the-dark bars as headlights? (As seemed to be suggested -- for a fleeting moment -- in the reveal video.) Problem of course is that this color only comes in 4L bars so it may be hard to mount them without having them look too short.

Ha! Today in town I saw a lime green Fiat 500 Abarth looking very mean, and had the exact same thought...

100% disagreed. I find disassembly very relaxing, and the OCDer in me loves sorting the bricks...!

I've been concerned this would happen ever since I saw cracks in Sariel's monowheel video (2:35)...

Yeah, definitely find a flat open pedestrian-only area, like a basketball court. A (low-traffic) car road is not advised: often has lots of small stones that'll badly scratch the bottom of a low-clearance Lego model.

First of all I have to admit your thoughts go way deeper than mine ever went! Case in point: your comments made me realize, for the first time, that the front suspension's top and bottom arms are of unequal length... Anyway, although this thread has become a bit disorganized, the Rebrickable entry clearly explains the model's history, and that its design isn't mine. I made several "improvements" to it, but only insofar as I realized improvements could be made. The original front suspension worked fine for me, so I just left it like that... Note that the front suspension is also really really stiff (alternative viewpoint: the weight of the model on the front is very low), so not much "stroking" is happening... Regarding the rear driveshafts: indeed the idea is that the axles slide in the wheel hub. I did have some problems with the axle sliding out of the 12-tooth gear inside the differential instead, but only on one side. I guess some gears have a firmer "grasp" than others. I solved it by adding a small white rubber band on the rear axle to prevent any sliding: So I built the drivetrain to withstand full-on acceleration from 2x BuWizz in Ludicrous mode... assuming 4 stock PF Large motors. I'm morbidly curious to know what happens when you use instead your Chinese "+30%" motors.... Just promise me you'll test it OUTSIDE...

I once saw a video demonstrating how to do this using a butter knife. I successfully used the same trick a couple of times, no damage. But for the life of me I can't find the video any more... Found it:

Saw this on Rebrickable quite a while ago, and hit the Like button. Great "old-school" shaping with the ribbed hoses!

Oh boy, he looks ANGRY! Awesome!