Aurorasaurus

Those gears skip even when properly braced... I really hope that those gears won't be transmitting any load.

How are your skills with soldering/electronics? You could probably cut the wire that connects to the powered up hub and try re-attach a new power functions plug to it. Maybe you could also swap the plug end of the monster motor to a powered up plug. From my experience, lego or lego compatible motors use the middle two wires of the PF wire, so you should join those 2 to the motor leads on the PU plug. Good luck! Also, you could just buy a different exchange/adapter wire. I have bought 1 and made 2 myself, and one just doesn't work for no clear reason.

I've made some progress on my... whatever this thing is. I solved the issue of the buwizz motors having different speeds by using good old PF XL motors instead. The power from the XL motors goes into knob gears, then to the tracks. But between the motors is a differential, for driving the fake engine. I made a colorful recreation of it, since the actual one is obscured under panels and built in all black. Notice the bracing on the sides of the 5x7 frames connecting into the bodywork, which is acting as a structural element. Then, since this vehicle is already a bit stupid, I added a rear winch! Additionally, the entire underside of this vehicle is paneled up, meaning it could be good for offroading... if it didn't use tracks... oh well! Anyway, I'm just having a bit of fun building something wacky now. Next up: power for the front winch, fake engine install, working steering wheel?

I'm really curious what you come up with because I've been tinkering with the same problem. I tried using a diff between the tracks (with one tracks axle direction inverted) feeding a clutch and then the steering wheel with a self centering mechanism. But I got bored before getting anything reliable. I hope you can make something work!

Well I personally think that TLG is doing us an enormous favour by even allowing mere mortals like us to give them money! They're being so generous and all of you are being terribly rude to our benevolent corporate overlords.

No actually, all my other motors are tied up in two suspiciously identical trophy trucks...

Your tracked dumper models reminded me of this photo:

I think ferrari in particular are particularly stuck-up about protecting their brand, don't they sue youtubers? Hopefully other brands don't do the same.

I've been away from this for a little while, but here's an update on why. The left track always runs slower than the right track so it doesn't drive in a straight line. I checked everything moves freely and swapped the tracks around, but I think the problem is the planetary hubs or the buwizz motors. Has anyone got any ideas what to do? I'm thinking xl motors instead of buwizz ones...

I'm building this set from my collection and 3d printing the new parts I don't have. Here's some observations while building: The seat inside is TERRIBLE. It's the worst seat I've ever come across in a lego vehicle. It's not symmetrical, and its reclined so far back you could fall asleep in it, if it wasn't tilted in such a way that you would always fall out! Front suspension is pretty bad, the shocks are mounted in such a way that they want to buckle while compressing, not great! Also, a lot of half stud thick liftarms are used which I personally don't like, it feels kinda flimsy... The 3x3 liftarm block thing on the rear wing can easily be replaced by a (slightly weaker) smoother looking assembly. Personal gripe: this set uses many system parts, I hate it. Biig gap in the hood, its glaringly obvious from some angles. If you can look past the varying part textures due to 3d printed parts and missing headlights (I have ordered them but I'm impatient) I think it looks pretty decent. The bad: Terrible seat so bad I fixed it before moving on with the build. Disappointing reliance on system parts, too many gears in the steering system, rear suspension too soft, rear wing being "adjustable" is just lazy design not fixing it in place. Also, there were two weird gaps in the roof?? I filled them in with 1m beams, but it just seems lazy. I don't think the real car would have big holes in the roof... The good: Overall it looks pretty good, having a the drift function is nice. The 57585 part usage to get the angle of the rear wing is nice. The working steering wheel at this scale is good to include too. Front engine and AWD is nice to see, and all the new suspension parts are glorious. My verdict: 5/10. Overpriced, but a good set. It should be what we expect, not what we are surprised and happy to get.

Wow! I was surprised by the performance, it seemed get up really slippery surfaces with relative ease. I feel sorry for you having to clean it now, ouch...

Feels like quality is going down and prices are going up...

Maybe someone put it there just for you :) I don't think TLG would put one there since it might be hard to disassemble without bending parts slightly to get the stop away from the beam a bit. But then in other themes they literally bend parts to attach things, I don't know...

I think its more likely not secured in your way because that allows the panels to be angled and the body to look smoother. Maybe? Not sure.

I saw this on YT a few hours ago, and I thought it looked like a lot of fun! Maybe something with conveyor belts would be fun to watch, as a kid they always fascinated me...

I dont agree- the point of a hobby is to have fun, no? So therefore whatever gives you the most enjoyment from your time is the right way to do it. Everyone's goals with their "lego" models can be different, and I think if third party parts allow you to achieve your goal, then go for it! As for keeping this forum "just original lego" I see the argument, but it feels a little silly. We're all adults, and can agree to disagree. Especially if the argument is about where our plastic toy bricks come from...

If you have this part you can brace a 12t half bevel gear and a 12 full size gear (often black or gray). If it has to be both tan 12t gears you can use this part and it will work well. General tips- brace gears whenever you can. Put beams behind the clutch tears and on both sides when you can.

sailboat?

They have extra resistance when running because more surface is in contact with other parts. Also, at least on the 12t gear, the non bevel version actually has slightly longer teeth. So if you use it with a steering rack you ever so slightly reduce the slack because it has that little bit less space to move.

Inspired by the mad max ripsaw from fury road, I've been working on a muscle car with tracks. I haven't built anything with tracks for years, so I'm aiming for robustness and fun rather than realism and complexity. For that reason, I have no suspension on the tracks, just a tension system which can also adjust the stance of the vehicle, operated by linear actuators. Originally I was going to have suspension, but I found the tracks were coming off when not even driving.. I don't fully expect to finish this, but it's been fun to just play around with a silly concept so far. I'm thinking about a 2 speed gearbox, I want to try use the planetary hub in a gearbox with dual clutch rings so the hub doesn't cause extra resistance when not in use, not sure yet though... Also, I made a studio file for the bodywork if anyone wants it: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-222028/Aurorasaurus/offroad-muscle-car-body/#details Thanks for reading- I'm feeling a bit shakey about this build so some ideas/encouragement would be appreciated...

I have a project that could work for the competition, but I dont know if my motivation to finish it will last so i feel bad about making a post then not finishing it.

You will have much better results connecting via a wire. I would also recommend building something to attach your phone to the controller. My preference is for the phone below the controller so its easier to move around without the phone swinging around heaps. This will stop the phone screen from accidentally doing things in your pocket and the model going rogue.

I think its glow in the dark, not lime. Having glow in the dark cars is super realistic! Haven't you ever seen an entire car glowing at night before!?

I LOVE TPU, I've tried it for all sorts of things and its just a fantastic material. It's incredibly tough, and good for panels since it will bend back after taking a knock. It prints slowly and sorta messily, though. I would not recommend using TPU to make your own tires though, its slippery like normal plastic, not grippy like rubber. I tried making TPU steering links once, that didn't work... I've used it for wheel rims though, which works fairly well. Just be aware that the ridges caused by layer lines act like sandpaper on your wheel hubs. I think with TPU this effect is less, but its still worth considering. TPU liftarms for flexible roll cages seems like a good application, if you have the patience to print lots of beams.