2GodBDGlory

Wow, that's a pretty creative alternative!

Wow, I'm honored to have placed in this competitive field! Congratulations on a well-deserved win @Akassin! I loved the way you didn't compromise with the gearboxes! That's also a solid recreation of an interesting and oft-neglected set, @Zerobricks!

Wow, that's an interesting combination of Technic and System styles, with lots of nice greeble! Interesting functions too

Alright, it took me a bit longer than I had hoped, but I had a chance to try that out tonight, and it honestly works pretty good! The higher-compression in the air definitely works more like a liquid, and doesn't allow for much extra compression, giving it much more force than the version with just atmospheric pressure, which was limited by a low amount of air in the system to work with. I think the main thing to worry about at this point would be the annoyingness of having to re-pump it regularly, but I'll plan on trying some more things, and maybe making a little video on it Hmm, I'm not quite sure what you mean with that

Hmm, so the challenge is to hook up this peristaltic pump to a cylinder with only air in the system, and see how it works, and then try the same thing, but with a setup to pre-pressurize the whole system first? I could probably try that soon!

Yeah, I wouldn't say it's worth doing to be more realistic-I think you'd just have some performance advantages in lifting capacity and control, since pumping is very precise

That's true about the issue with the area difference from the two sides (I think I saw that in a YouTube comment as well, and it makes sense) In practice, it seems that eventually it leaks to the point where there is just enough air in the system to work in both states, which is definitely a downside, but I don't think it's a huge problem. You're right that there is pressure in the system, but I guess the difference is that there's a limited amount of water in the system, and so there's a limit to the maximum pressure, and the pump will slip before anything too crazy. I think it's probably the most practical Lego hydraulic system I've ever seen, but you're definitely right that it has some shortcomings, and isn't realistic compared to real hydraulics.

One good option you could look into is buying one of the older Mindstorms kits. You've got: Mindstorms NXT from ~$100 (https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=8527-1&name=Mindstorms NXT&category=[MINDSTORMS][NXT]#T=S&O={"iconly":0}) Mindstorms NXT 2.0 from ~$120 (https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=8547-1#T=S&O={"iconly":0}) Mindstorms NXT Education Edition from $80 (So dirt cheap!) (https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=9797-1#T=S&O={"iconly":0}) Mindstorms EV3 from ~$190 (https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=31313-1&name=Mindstorms EV3&category=[MINDSTORMS][EV3]#T=S&O={"iconly":0}) or Mindstorms EV3 Education from $$370 (https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=45544-1#T=S&O={"iconly":0}) All these kits are from eras where Mindstorms was more popular, and so they they may well have better fan support. Beyond that, the EV3 kit has 8 ports compared to the Spike Prime's 6, and the NXT has 7. Both of these generations also had actual LCD screens on the hub, and have a much greater variety of sensors available, with the common motors and sensors being very cheap used. (Especially the NXT ones, which are compatible with EV3)

Oh, to be clear, that's not my build! I'm just sharing a YouTube video I saw, because I thought it was worth discussion! It is a very cool system, though

In my experience, closed-loop pneumatic systems don't work very well. I was attempting to make a closed-loop pneumatic brake system on one of my previous MOCs, with a motorized compressor to automatically resupply air to the system, but the issue is that air will leak out over time, and an automatic compressor like I had isn't sensitive enough to work properly. I think you raise some good points about the longevity of the system. It really probably isn't good for the Lego cylinders, what with rust and grease loss (I'm using cheap MouldKing ones), and you're right, I am having some leaking in my test setup. Also, I'd have to agree that the hose may well wear out under this use! I think this system could be a good fit for people like me who like to build a MOC, keep it for a few days, and then rip it apart right away, because then the issues with leaking probably wouldn't build up too much, the rust probably wouldn't come too quickly, and the hose might survive! However, if one wanted to use it in a model destined for long-term play or a shelf, it's probably not the best. Here's my setup! Using this 3D-printed part instead of the Lego rim, so I didn't have to drill anything:

Yes, but it pulls it all from the other side of the cylinder, so it's effectively sucking from one side and pushing on the other, and so it's not actually building pressure. As for the micro motor... Not really, at least not without tons of gearing. I just 3D modeled/printed the whole pump housing (to avoid drilling Lego) and tried it out, and it's really cool, but I can't even get a PF L-motor to run it! Mine might be tuned a little differently than his, though.

Well, it's a closed-loop system, so it's never actually going to get more water in the system, and the pressure should never build up

I just saw this video on YouTube, and thought the hydraulic system in it deserved some discussion on here! Unlike previously proposed hydraulic systems, he's not using a standard one-way pump to draw fluid in from a reservoir, which allows him to make the model much smaller, and cuts down on mess a lot! Instead, he's using a peristaltic pump, made using one modified Lego part and one 3D printed part, but he also demonstrates a purist Lego one in a different video, that was just a lot larger. Using this pump, he is able to make an entirely closed-loop system, with one motor and pump per cylinder, and the video seems to show it working well! I may be trying this in the near future, because it looks very interesting! Any thoughts on this setup? It looks a little annoying to set up, what with bleeding all the air from the system, and perhaps the water would corrode cylinders?

Neat concept! Is the cut half-bush going inside the hub? If so, by using the old, toothed variant of it, you could get the CV joint a little closer to where it needs to be without cutting anything, because on it the axle-hole portion of it doesn't go the full length, so it can overhang the rounded part of the CV joint axle. FYI, if you buy generic planetary hubs from AliExpress, they come unglued, so they could be used as an easier (and cheaper) basis for this project, since you don't need to cut them open.

That's an impressive project, and nice presentation! Do you have a video of it playing?

I love the creativity, and the crank start is awesome! Too bad about that power, though

I seriously respect the perseverance! Great job!

The event was a lot of fun, thanks for organizing it! I definitely learned a lot from looking at other people's trucks, and from the shortcomings of my own!

Gloriously complicated! Beyond that, I don't have much to comment--I think it's too much above my level for much intelligent feedback!

Long CV joints + hacksaw? That's what I'd do (and plan on doing), but I know that's not everyone's preference!

Thanks for the encouragement! I have had some offers for help with instructions, so that may be able to work out

Very interesting project!

Ooh, thanks for pointing that out! I guess that's what I get for posting before the guidelines come out ;) Thanks for looking into it for me! Those are definitely good suggestions, but I'm definitely tempted to call it "good enough" and go work on something more fun... I'll see if I get the motivation, and again, thanks for the input!

Nice job! It's an impressive-looking and very detailed model, and the fact that it's modeling a FWD hot hatch makes it a lot more interesting than the typical models in this class!

I just built a LBG clone of it, and so it's been fun to see this mini model coming together too!