2GodBDGlory

Very cool stories! I remember hearing anecdotally that Lego was used to prototype the linkages for the "Stow-N-Go" folding second row seats in Chrysler minivans, but I don't have a source for it

I for one feel quite pleased with this set! It avoided the pitfall of becoming some kind of luxed-up street cruiser, it's got a nice eye-catching color (Though annoying for combining with other sets, but at least it's good here), it's got great tires (Though I'd prefer something with more sidewall and less rim, but realistically this is still better than expectations), and I'd say it looks good. Sure it's not complicated bodywork, so there's a lot of simplistic stuff that has been done similarly by MOCers, but at the end of the day, the real vehicle has very simple styling, so it just doesn't require or need fancy techniques to get it to look good. It is pretty lame that the rear diff lock is controlled directly, but unlike the Defender, it at least has a rear diff lock, plus a more interesting solid rear axle. It's too early to judge it on drivetrain complexity, but given that there's two (or three?) controls in the cabin, it can't be too bad. Ideally there'd be a 2-speed transfer case and at least a 4-speed transmission, but who knows. I wouldn't expect a RWD/4WD selector, though, because doesn't the real car have a locking central differential? That implies a central differential, which implies full-time 4WD. Anyways, I would say this set appears to exceed my expectations!

Cool to see an all-in-one solution for brushless Technic cars!

I'm enjoying your serialized presentation of the model's development! It must be a lot more work for you to type so many updates, but it's fun to see a sort of WIP thread without the long waits between updates you'd have in a normal situation

Yeah, I'd probably have to try making a custom one with some kind of flexible tube if I went bigger. On that thought, though, I wonder what scale you could get with Unimog tires! Well, actually I don't wonder any more, because I just researched it. Looks like it'd be about 1:5.8!

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it would be! It might look fairly goofy to try that on the style of forklift I was originally thinking, but that one you linked would probably look fairly respectable with it! It's not as interesting of a design to me, though, but it does have me thinking about forklifts again. Maybe it wouldn't look so bad after all to do that on my original style model?

Ach, I'm disappointed to notice that the rules require a minimum of four wheels! I had been thinking about building a truck-mounted forklift like this: https://www.hiab.com/en-us/products/truck-mounted-forklifts, but on rereading the rules, I see that a three-wheeled vehicle like this is explicitly banned. Oh well, there's plenty of other vehicles out there! Now I just need to pick one

Reminds me of good times fooling around with Technic as a teenager! Lots of fun, even when I didn't make anything amazing It's fun to see!

I LOVE the ambition of this model! Unique/realistic engineering solutions are what make me excited about models, so I love seeing the worm-and-sector steering and the 60 degree V12! The ball joint for the shifter is a neat idea, but I worry about how high the joint is above the gearbox. It seems like you'll need a really long lever on top of it to regain your mechanical advantage to shift properly! (Though you hint that it's working, so I'll reserve judgment). The leaf spring idea is also nice! I bought a few of those parts not too long ago, but haven't found a need for them yet. This looks like a nice one, especially since you can add a spring to add stiffness while still being reasonably realistic. I do question whether the studded bracing for the gearbox will hold up in practice, though. 1:8 cars take a lot of effort to drive, and adding a complex gearbox like that requires a lot more force, making any weak points very susceptible to problems. I do love the willingness to use some wild half-stud offsets in there, though! I'd recommend giving that some real-world tests before you get too far, though even then without having the full weight of the model it might be deceptive. I hope it works out well, though!

I find it funny that the NZ flag on there looks almost exactly like an Australian one because the red on the stars doesn't seem to be showing up very clearly! Without that, the only giveaway is the lack of the extra star that Australia has

Ooh, I love the concept! I've spent the last month or so on a property with a '90s Suzuki Carry driving around for the maintenance guys, and I'm in love with them again! (Though this one was an icky automatic one--I didn't even know those existed!) In fact, I like your idea so much that I'm now feeling like I want to build one for this contest now! I probably won't--it'd likely be more enjoyable to do a more accurate one later at a larger scale, but I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Interesting model! I like the use of the old 24T crown gears in the drivetrain! Do electric-powered vehicles like this exist? On one hand I think it's funny, because there's probably not much real-world overlap between duck hunters and EV enthusiasts, but on the other hand maybe you need a quiet vehicle to sneak up on them ducks!

Very interesting work! One thing I'm confused about is that I have proportional control from a MK 6.0 box working perfectly with Lego PF Servos, even though you're saying that the output signal is half what the servos are expecting. Should there be a problem with that?

That's crazy! I built a Bugatti Chiron on Unimog tires one time, and I think that only came out to 1:7! What kind of wheels are they using on 1:6?

If you're wanting to code things on Arduino, I'd look into GeekServos. I don't own any myself, but my understanding is that they work well, are affordable, and come in different variants for different purposes, with standard Arduino-style cables, and Technic mounting points: https://www.amazon.com/Sparkleiot-Programmable-Geekservo-Compatible-Control（Pack/dp/B0B3RM5L6Z/ref=sr_1_5?crid=31APRX8GCX7ST&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3kv084oY7rx03JWHdPL64FzmW72-dXK9jjEjUILQ4Pr9ztye1KVyIPoKmur4YseRCcY7vVKKVGRfstvBPhVCaDuzJGvgradq49yWbAOP1yCQ9fNEpKiKEBgta16_LnyPCY2XlLHTEVsge99dmAALU400XPn0WpOvf6x48ujBqd3N6FQq52E199JdhiHlRsACGaHp5yTMgoDcosAy-zUS_g.G8V5pctwMQp2_Jx5MMg44crAHA_NRNIn4Tu7ANr6g90&dib_tag=se&keywords=geekservo&qid=1716945822&sprefix=geekserv%2Caps%2C431&sr=8-5 This is just an example of one of their models, and you could probably find better deals on AliExpress, but it should give you an idea what I'm talking about

Good job persevering!

Yeah, have four independent hi/lo gearboxes does seem like some overengineering! Still, it's the good kind, I think

Interesting! That does look a good bit like the typically shown releasecolor for the electric G, at least. It would be a good look for it

After reading some more about the electric version of this, I realized that it has a De Dion rear suspension, as well as the four hi/lo gearboxes. If a Lego model of the electric version modeled both of these features, I'd be quite satisfied with it, though I doubt they will do that much if it does end up being an electric version

Is that a driven, steered, virtual pivot steering system? Very unique! This should be a cool model

That is a very interesting front suspension! Looks like the geometry should work out pretty well, and I always like seeing different designs! It looks nice with those rims, too

That is interesting! So Lego servos have those 14 segments, no-name AliExpress ones have 3 segments, and CADA ones only have 1 continuous segment. I would agree with @R0Sch--they must be using an entirely different system to encode the position it's in. That would imply that it is continuous, but it limits the controllers that it works with. I wouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be more reliable, though! Those segmented contacts seem to have caused a lot of problems with my Lego servos, so if CADA has developed a different system, I'd be hopeful about their durability

Minifigures would be expensive, to be sure, but I don't imagine it would be too difficult to print out your own stickers, if you don't have anything against custom ones!

Cool, that'll be interesting!

Looking good so far! It's always nice to see people build complex, realistic, suspensions