MinusAndy

If you’re struggling to decide whether to go powered or full manual model with the rv, do both. Build it manual then take it to bits and build it powered. That’s the beauty of Lego.

I think they are fine as plastic, just not a brittle plastic. they really enable compact solutions to be made. I was delighted when I saw them after my dark ages, I had, prior to that, used the version for radio controlled models as a third party component and really got on with them.

I don’t do pins but I do bushes. The slots have to be in line and the knurled ends have to join to something else knurled like a connector if one is next to the bush, or if two bushes are next to each other then I’ll have the knurled ends facing each other. Also, it’s not OCD, it’s CDO.

I use these a fair bit, I haven’t yet broken any but I think it’s only a matter of time. I’d be interested in getting my hands on viable Lego-ish alternatives.

I built my super car moc as it was in real life, ie a monocoque main body as one module, then added self contained gearbox, rear clamshell, body panels, engine and subframes. It seems to work well with cars. I have trouble marrying up inputs and outputs from each module though. With my A10 I started building modules but there needed to be so much structure to keep it all stuff that I’ve had to combine functions with structural bracing so it didn’t really work in terms of modules as it’s 9 wide at the most so realistically some functions and shafts need to run in the outer skin or there just isn’t room. It seems to me that I’m best focussing on the model and not whether it’s modular or not, though compartmentalising ideas into little self contained parts can help in terms of focussing what I’m doing. I think there is something inherently appealing about building modules with the brains of people who like Lego as there is definitely an element of collecting components and organising stuff. Modules look great on build diary presentations and proof of concept ideas too.

Plastidip might be a good option as you can easily peel it off again, though it might also hinder connectivity as it can be quite thick. I tend to only buy rego in colours that aren’t available in official Lego colours or if the official part is so rare that the price is stupidly high. Recently I have been considering painting some faring panels in dbg as go bricks don’t even do them.

Here’s a quick clip showing the joystick and rudder pedal functions. There is an output from either side of the knobs of god so the joystick and pedals move as the control surfaces move. https://flic.kr/p/2mks1Bz

I only found out about these awesome little cars about a month ago from a mate who is into jap stuff. What a great moc.

Two words: back. Lash.

I think mainly my terrible photography is to blame! I now have a separate video camera so I can film functions whilst using my phone to control them. I shall attempt this over the next few days.

Quick update: I have moved the Knobs of God to behind the canopy as I needed to keep the fuselage lower at the back and also need room for the motor and hub. I think I will “invest” in a new buwizz to save on space and give a decent amount of power to the functions. My original plan was to have the hub as part of a working ejector seat but in order to make the seat big enough the plane would have had a 2m wingspan! I have been working on the canopy structure and that is now somewhere near How I want it. If I can squeeze a remote mechanism to open it I will but it’s getting tight in there.

I just checked out the k100! You lived in optimus prime!

I lived in a van for three years and did Lego for two of those. I used a spread bag to keep it all self contained. Now I use an old bureau. Workspace is the fold out part. I use the big drawers for components in stack pack boxes and keep a top drawer free for rummaging. I have racking to try to keep my stack packs in order when I’m “working” as well. It works as a nice compact self contained solution.

You should check out the wip thread of the nj flyer bendy bus that a guy on here is making.

Wow! That is over 2x the size of my entire living space including kitchen bathroom and bedroom! if I had that room with that much entertainment and Lego in it I would never leave. You sir, are living the dream! Nice work!

If I didn’t post wip stuff I’d only post something once every 2.5 years, plus I need the help, it’s easy to become too insular or married to techniques that are familiar so posting and reading wip really helps me. I also much prefer to see how something is made rather than just the shiny finished product. Lego is all about building. Why just show it finished??

For me, Lego should look like Lego, cars should be a little bit shonky otherwise we might as well just dump polycarbonate rc car bodies on them. I’d much rather see something built from, for example: re purposed parts like frankfurters for disc callipers than this. I don’t feel I could use this bonnet for anything else. The good news about this bonnet for anyone who doesn’t like it is that, like all clone/third party components, purchase isn’t compulsory. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. If you do, fill your boots!

So you’re building a mechanical CCPM system? Absolutely fantastic. I’ll be following this. And you’re putting it in a helicopter at that scale?? Even more fantastic!

Absolutely brilliant! Not just in terms of form but the functions are excellent too!

I don’t usually post outside of the technic forum but these are incredible! They’re exactly the outcome my 12 year old self had in mind when I tried to build them as a kid. Mine always came out as wonky colour vomit though!! I really like the tractor one!

This looks like your best yet! I love that you’re building “ordinary” cars with such attention to detail. It’s way harder to build a recognisable version of something like this than say, a flagship Ferrari or Lambo and you are capturing the nuances of the bodywork really well. When it’s done you should post it on the 180/200sx owners club forums, I bet they would love to see it.

Haha. It’s actually fairly simple, but built fairly rugged. It is basically a mechanism that returns the switch to centre when the undercarriage hits full extension and retraction. I’m very open to suggestions for other ways of doing this though. I’ve built the gearbox as a separate module but it anchors into the body of the plane to become a structural member as well. All the functions fit in quite nicely so far, the bit I had the most trouble with was routing the control of the tail plane around the motor that runs the engines but I think I’ve addressed that with this latest incarnation.

It’s been a while since I posted any progress on the uglybird. Partly because it has taken me a while to work out how to automate the undercarriage switch so that it works reliably and partly because I quit smoking weed and ironically it has had a catastrophic effect on my Lego productivity! Because I wanted the motor to run constantly as the APU would do on the real plane, and functions to operate using a distribution box it meant that when the undercarriage reaches its upper and lower limit it must be disconnected from the motor drive in order to prevent it binding up and skipping gears. I tried using rotary catches for this but sadly when the changeover catch is under load the rotary catches seem to lock up. I have now settled on using the older style changeover lever. A red 1/2 lift arm is driven by a worm drive and as the undercarriage reaches its limit it pushes a sliding lever which disengages the gearbox. The neutral and up and down positions on the switch are kept in place using a spring loaded ball on the sliding arm. If I used the white centres to the changeover catches there is too much resistance for the switching mechanism so I had to make a system that meant I could adjust the tension on the position selector. I have also used an angled l-motor to keep the drive down low so that there is room for the control surface mechanisms to fit inside a fuselage which needs to be lowered.

I’ve shrunk the controls down by 2 studs from my original design. I have to put the linkage for the elevator above the fulcrum as there is no room underneath it because BBBBRRRRRRRRT! the three universal joints are the outputs from the rudder pedal, elevator and aileron controls.

I was gutted about the osprey as that was going to be a great donor. I bought those new curved panels in line to see if they fit. If they do I’ll splurge for some grey ones! Fortunately the hawg is ,at its heart, a boxy bulletproof tricycle and this means I can overbuild the wing root and undercarriage area to cope with the weight whilst the rest of the wing can be less so. I’ve been experimenting with a 3 stud thick wing built from panels on the top and bottom with frames inside. It seems pretty strong and light but ultimately it’s a big bird and pretty heavy so we shall see how she hangs together.