2GodBDGlory

Thanks for the pictures! It's pretty interesting to see inside those. I'm surprised they even have the plastic bearings!

Impressive how much you can get into a System model like that! Those micromotors are really cool; I might need to buy some

Anybody notice the Aurebesh text in the Venator's trail? It appears to spell out "Resolute," which is fun, but not a hint at future product

Thanks! That's a fair point that the crane looks a bit big for the model--I wanted it to have enough range of motion to reach down to the ground, and also up onto the bed, which was a bit hard because the bed ended up being so high. Perhaps I could have figured something with small linear actuators, but I'm something of an amateur at building cranes anyways, so there's probably some other solutions that could have been pursued. I can't say I mind too much, though! I feel like the whole thing is proportionally a bit odd, with the body being a little high and a little stubby, but I think the effect is more cute/cartoony than ugly, in my opinion.

Thanks! I'm glad you like it! Hmm, you're right that that TC stuff is an interesting branch of Lego history, and something I would probably have never heard of if it weren't for you guys. On that level, it'd be cool and educational to include in the book, but at the same time, it seems a bit outside the scope of the book, given that I haven't even included Mindstorms in there, and that there don't seem to be any models included in the sets (that I see at quick glance). I do also feel completely unqualified to write about these mysterious pieces of circuitry, but of course that's what forums are for!

Very impressive! The body looks great, and the performance is really impressive too! I like seeing the possibilities of that micro-motor. Great idea for the suspension, too! I did something somewhat similar on my recent Geo Tracker MOC, but that could have been another option! Also, is there any trick for getting the spring over the ball? I just gave it a shot and couldn't get it to work, even using tools, but then maybe I have a different spring variant

Hmm, that's true. It wouldn't be as helpful as true page numbers, but would be something. It'd probably be harder to format that way, though, so I'd probably still go with having roman numerals and Arabic numerals for different parts.

We were discussing that the other day in the General Parts Discussion thread: Basically, the consensus was that prices do decrease (with the 20T clutch gear and wave selector from 2018 being used as examples), but we didn't have any clear information on how long it takes for them to go down. I'm in the same boat as you, really wanting those new parts, but not willing to pay those prices! Probably patience will pay off, whether via Bricklink, cheaper sets being released with those parts, or PAB getting cheaper...

Ok, that makes sense!

Is that really significantly more convenient than just using existing suspension arms to build a link? I guess it may not be a fully optimized design yet.

Oh, what I mean about the page numbers is that if I print out a copy of the 2023 edition, and then want to add pages next year for the 2024 edition, the 2024-edition page numbers won't match the 2023-edition ones, so my printed copy won't match up unless I reprint all the automatically updated pages from past years. You're right that it wouldn't be a problem online! Though, I did realize that I could also just number everything introductory on a roman numeral system, and then number all the normal pages with an arabic numeral system, and then just add to the end of both numbering systems, so it's not unreasonable if I can figure out the formatting.

Thanks! A. That's a good point--I probably should make a rear cover design, and also update the front cover to have some post-2018 sets. B. I can add basic page numbers easily enough, though on some pages the images would be covering them. The main reason I haven't done them before is that my printed copy changes every year or two, which involves adding pages early on in the book (in the timeline section), which would throw off all the page numbers following it. I guess my assumption is that page numbers are a bad idea on printed copies for that reason, and that they're unnecessary on digital copies, because most programs list page numbers. Do you think it would be worth doing them in spite of that? [EDIT: Come to think of it, I could always just put, say, six blank pages after the timeline and fill them in over twelve years, which would push any updates to the page numbers/index into the distant future] C. Hmm, an index could be handy, but again the issue is that page numbers change every year when I update it, so the whole index would need to be changed each year, which sounds like an awful lot of work. I typically just use the timeline section in the front as a sort of pictorial index, because I can quickly determine what year a set is from, and then page through to that year's section to find it. Is there any particular reason that books always have pages in multiples of four? This reminds me, another person on here was working on reformatting the whole book a couple years ago, including some of those improvements, but I kind of forgot about all the progress he made. I'm not sure where that project is at now, but if something based on it could come together it'd be nice!

I've got the 2023 update to this book done now! Hopefully Lego doesn't drop any surprise late-November 2023 sets to force me to edit it... Here's the link to the new version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J95q3pTi8s_HVfQZ17GFtDN67wZmT9El/view?usp=sharing

I believe it's just that CADA breaks that part up into two subparts to avoid copyrights, which makes for a more annoying build experience, because you have to combine the two halves all the time.

If you check the file again, I've now added submodels, which allows me to easily share a couple screenshots of the bare chassis!

That's a good point that submodels at least would make the building process easier--I'll have to try that! A wave selector would have been ideal for the transmission, but I had already pretty much committed to having a 7x11 frame there, and so couldn't really fit one anywhere. Although my solution was bulky, it was very strong, and I never had issues with it skipping out of gear. And yeah, that extra wheel must be an accident! Thanks!

Well, after an impulsive afternoon Studio session and a skipped supper, I now have a Studio file for this model. It's almost 100% made for my own reference, and as such I ignored all the good advice people gave me about my mini Arocs file and the importance of making steps in the file, so everything is in one enormous step of 1201 pieces. If you'd like to protest Lego instructions with only one piece per step, this would be a good way of doing that! I didn't think putting in the time to make steps would pay off for my personally rebuilding it someday, since I don't mind digging through a full model and rebuilding without steps, and I really don't expect any significant number of other people wanting to build it. After all, it requires uncommon things like a MouldKing 6.0 battery, metal universal joints, and Ford GT wheel covers in custom 3D-printed black, and cable management would be nasty! Anyways, that's why I didn't think it was worth making steps for the benefit of that tiny/nonexistent group that might want to build it. Nonetheless, because I have the file, I might as well share it, but it's very much NOT instructions, and dedication would be needed to rebuild it! The file can be found in this folder: https://bricksafe.com/pages/2GodBDGlory/1995-geo-tracker

Well, I think the model is done now! I'd like to take my final pictures in the snow, and while we've had some heavy snows already, it's all melted at the moment, so I'll have to wait a bit longer before a final presentation. Anyways, until then, here's the finished product: The first thing I added was the front blade, built out of my very small stash of yellow parts. The 5x11 panels I got from the stand for the BMW M1000 RR were extremely handy! Lift and rotation are handled by two of the outputs of my primary distribution gearbox. Lift is accomplished with a small linear actuator, while tilt is done using a worm gear mechanism to push and pull a 5L steering arm to perform the rotation. The crane arm is relatively typical, with two large linear actuators (controlled from my turntable distribution gearbox) being used to articulate two sections of the boom, and the fourth output of my primary distribution gearbox being used to rotate it. The third function in the boom, off my final turntable-gearbox output, is a rotating hook/magnet. I've observed rotating hooks on crane trucks in real life, and always thought it'd be cool to see in Lego, though it seems to be done rather rarely. It's not a complex function, though routing drive through so many joints to get it working was somewhat hard! I also provided a choice between a large hook for lifting loads, and a magnetic attachment, using old Lego magnet elements, to allow it to lift some different objects. (The "hook" not in use can be carried around on the bed.) The crane is working just fine, though shifting the turntable-mounted gearbox proved to be more finicky than I'd hoped. (Because of slack, the assembly doesn't move up or down quite a full stud. Perhaps I should have compensated for this by using a 1.5L stroke on my eccentric rather than just a 1L one, but it seems that doing so would require weakening the structure and adding more slack). After completing the mechanical side, I decided to throw together some accessories to load up the model with, in order to give it a "loaded-for-exploration" sort of look, and to give the crane some things to lift. I started with the fuel cans, fire extinguishers, shovel, and first aid box from the 42069 Extreme Adventure set, then added another crate, a couple spools of rope, a Technic figure (he may get a custom Arctic sticker for his torso), a spare Technic figure helmet, a canister made using the obscure x186 20X gear reduction block for a unique look, a snow brush/scraper clipped to the side, and most notably a model generator, with a V-Twin engine driving a 2x2 round brick via a chain. Anyways, I'm quite pleased with the way the model turned out--the white, yellow, red, and grey color scheme works well for me, and helps my model look like the stuff from the 1986 Technic Arctic subtheme. The functionality was definitely different from what I typically do, and an interesting challenge that way. Mainly, though, I'm happy with the large number of RC motorized functions I was able to achieve under the four-motor limitation!

Quick question, @Jim: Am I allowed to use some prebuilt accessories from my 42069 on my entry, like the gas cans? https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=42069-1&name=Extreme Adventure&category=[Technic][Model][Off-Road]#T=S&O={"iconly":0} I think they'd add some nice character to the model, but I don't think I have the required System parts to build original ones, so if I can just use the ones from that set that'd be great!

Yep, that's an efficient way to make use of that deal!

That's not a bad idea at all! For more information:

Yeah, I guess it depends how continuously he wants it running, but if he's hoping to use wall power, you're probably right to assume that it'll be pretty continuous, so it might not be a good idea to use such an expensive, potentially fragile, motor anyways. Sariel often used 71427 motors in applications where he wanted to keep sound down, so you could try them, but it looks like it would require rebuilding your base to fit it. M-motors are the obvious choice, but they're not the quietest, so I guess it depends how important that is to you. Running at lower voltage could help with that, though

Perhaps an old Lego micromotor could work well here? You probably don't need something that small, but it has the low speed/low torque/small size characteristics you're looking for

Ok, thanks!

Yeah, the gear's reasonable, just not the gearbox parts. Do you remember how long it took for those 2018 parts to drop in price? I remember buying some when they were new, but just buying the minimum I wanted because they were expensive. I think I picked up more later when I saw them at cheaper prices.