Sokolov Edward

I don't want to upset you, but you can still buy original Lego sets in Russia. But why buy something you don't like when you can assemble much more interesting models from what already exists using free instructions.

The excavator is not the most popular model of Lego Technic and the same is true for other manufacturers. There are not so many interesting alternatives, especially with accessible free instructions - so we discuss what is available.

You probably mean this model https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/113737740020 Unfortunately, this author does not have instructions for this model on rebrickable.com. I agree that the mechanics are more complicated than those of MK 13130, but this is most likely due to the use of old Lego infrared sensors - when using 2 Chinese control units, everything becomes simpler. The MK version looks too fun - motors and fans will only please children. Rather, we discuss alternative models of excavators against the background of another "flagship" of Lego. Suddenly Lego will read and understand the needs of potential buyers. On the other hand, as a toy for children, it is quite suitable, if you do not look at the price tag.

I assembled a walker with a subtractor (MOC 95665 + 130587) - there it is fundamentally necessary for synchronizing all the legs on both sides. For tracks, this mechanism is not always necessary - it is needed if you want to get high speed with the most direct trajectory of movement, and to ensure maximum maneuverability, it will rather interfere. For an excavator, the race mode is definitely unnecessary. If we are talking about 17079, then the motors for the tracks are located in the chassis and the drive is separate for each pair of tracks without a subtractor. And the motors for controlling the bucket are located both in the boom and in the tower. I also used 2 control units with different protocols (MK 4.0 and TGL) - this allowed me to simultaneously control both the movement and the bucket from 2 remotes, unlike the original.

I've already looked at it (MK 13130S) - maybe I'll assemble it too. Now I'm assembling their loader (MK 17045) - 4500 parts and 170 gears - in terms of mechanical complexity it's much more interesting. For the first time I see steering on actuator 61927. It's a pity that not all Chinese Lego manufacturers make their instructions available to everyone, as well as MK.

Lego has released another excavator with new parts and old functions. You can argue with me that this bicycle will not be reinvented. I am not a fan of construction equipment, but some models are interesting for assembly because of the original mechanisms and high complexity of the design. Recently I saw an excavator that even I wanted to assemble because of its originality, although similar models have already been before. This is MK 17079 - Sci-Fi excavator. Its chassis uses 4 caterpillar tracks on which it can change the height. The bucket is made of technics parts, and not as a unique part. There are practically no "brickwork" in the design. The instructions were available in the application, although the model itself is still not available for sale. Previously, they had a similar excavator but with pneumatics and a simpler design. This model uses 3200 parts and 8 PF motors with 2 control units - 1st for movement and rotation of the tower and 2nd for controlling the boom with a bucket. The disadvantages of the design for me were inconvenient access to the control units. There are no unique parts in the design, and the "cut" parts can be easily replaced with full-fledged ones. And this is a truly original model in its class, and not just another excavator made from new parts.

The model is simple and contains almost no new unavailable parts, except for the 3x13 frames. But they are easily replaced with 2 pairs of 71710 beams. You will have to slightly change the assembly order of the lift in the rear. As a bonus, you will have 2 parts 3713. Of the shortcomings, I can only note the tight steering. The easiest fix is to cut the friction on 2393. Update: You can also use simple beams 41239 in the lower part of the frame.

This is not a new part - it was previously in black in the CADA C63003 sports car (the manual was from 2022) and has the number JF4045.

It's just interesting to see how the Technics section admires the "brickwork" in a car supposedly released in the Technics style. For some reason, another vector of development - the release of their own Technics panels causes more negation, although the models with them look much better. For example, "Eikee Y10000 McLaren Solus GT" contains new cast wings for wheels and a windshield, and is otherwise assembled from ordinary Lego Technics parts. And this is not the first experience of releasing their own wings - previously in China, Lamborghini and Porsche models were released with unique wings, which then "went" to other models. Lego also doesn't plan on stopping with the design of wheel wings, judging by McLaren.

I completely agree with you on the issue of motorization of Technics 1:8 supercars. Although Chinese companies have released a bunch of such models over the past year, most of them, unlike CADA, have motors installed at the last stage of assembly and are easily removed if you want to put the supercar on the shelf. IMHO, the "playability" of these supercars is not in the motors, but in the mechanisms, interesting design and complexity of assembly, and in the end, you should get a beautiful model for the shelf. CADA has such a model that meets all these criteria - this is Fantasma C61048. If you want to drive around the apartment, then it is better to take (or assemble yourself) not Lego 42166, but CADA Arctic Cat C62006. And if you assemble it from what is on tires from a Ford F-150, then it will also drift fun.

The grille of the new AMG clearly has non-technical details. About filling holes with bricks was not written directly about this model, although here too in the area of the wings they laid bricks well.

Maintaining the purity of style is also a style. IMHO, a mixed style in Lego does not always look good, even though both the system and the technics have parts made in the same size. IMHO, filling the voids in the technics with "brickwork" looks bad. If you need to make it close to the original, then the outer part of the model should be made entirely of bricks, and the frame can be technics. On the other hand, a mixed style is also a style and a matter of taste.

Again, some "bricks" in the grille. Why not make a grille from standard technics parts? For example, look at the grille of the TGL T5019 - it is made of thin 32250 and looks very good. The previous AMG C61503 IMHO turned out to be unsuccessful - the car drives equally poorly and "stands on the shelf". I assembled it from regular parts in red. The spoiler on rubber bands is terrible. The assembly itself is quite interesting, but because of the motors there is not much mechanics and everything works poorly. For those who want to assemble it themselves, I can please - unique parts from CADA JH6107 and JH6108 are used in most cases as 63869 and 10197.

Lego uses different styles of displaying changes in instructions - apparently it depends on the author. For example, look at the instructions for the new motorcycle 42202 - it is different from the G500. But almost always in Lego instructions you see the assembled part of the model in real colors - this requires the presence of contrasting details (yellow, red, green) to dilute the monochromatic model at least in the inner part of the structure. Some Chinese Lego manufacturers use a different style - they display the assembled part in one color or make it pastel - this allows you to show the details from the current step in contrast.

This is not the worst drawback of the instructions. If you assemble according to Chinese instructions or MOC, there will be more complex tasks.

You need to push the pin from step 779.

You are wrong - this is not a calibration problem - at first the hand hits the pole with the ball perfectly - the problem starts after several operations. In real robotics, the manipulator is guided to the object by external sensors - "machine vision", which allows you not to depend on the accuracy of the servo drive rotation - the system automatically adapts with each operation and does not depend on the displacement of the object. At the beginning of the video, your hand takes the pallet with an offset to the edge - for such a design this is not critical, but it is noticeable.

The long-awaited instruction for C61503 appeared in the YWOBB library. Unfortunately, the Chinese comrades like to "inflate" PDF files several dozen times and this instruction suffered the same fate. After optimization through the foxit pdf editor, only 45 MB remained from almost 2 GB. According to the manual, the C61503 has exactly the same set of motors and controls. The manual says nothing about new settings and applications for this radio control unit. Most likely, there was a redesign of the motors and cables with connectors, which began to look like new Lego motors. Other Chinese manufacturers (for example, IM.Master 9809) already used similar connectors several years ago.

If you believe the cover of the instructions, they really should glow. The only question is for how long - my wristwatch has an afterglow, but it's no more than an hour. They're not on sale yet.

CADA promises to post instructions on how to assemble a large tyrannosaurus from 3 dinosaur kits. The instructions will appear somewhere here https://cn.doubleeagle-group.com/list.php?pid=6&ty=25&tty=19&page=16

In the video with the robotic arm, everything is not as smooth as you say - at 58 seconds the ball lands crookedly, and at 1 min 22 sec it does not hit the pole and falls. The drive of the turntable is not direct, but through a couple of gears and this is already enough for errors. The calibration action ends very quickly, and autocalibration is apparently not implemented or is not possible at all - correct me if I'm wrong. Another wonderful video about a factory made from Lego parts for building houses from greenhouse cucumbers:

A living confirmation of my words - even minimal use of gears between the motor and the mechanism still gives a noticeable inaccuracy of positioning. For home crafts this is possible and does not matter. It also has useful mechanisms in the household:

An ancient rarity produced in 1995-2000 - it is clear why I did not notice it. The Chinese have a copy of the Mindstorm - they did not add it there. There is information about it on Rebrikable, but there is not a single model using this sensor. It all depends on your tasks - I do not know them and do not claim that you will not be able to solve them, I just outlined the existing problems. There are many examples of robotics on Lego on YouTube. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide.

What's the difficulty? In addition to motors with a controlled angle of rotation, you need 2 more sensors - colors - to track the route line and a gyroscope to maintain position. If this is the limit of your desires, then you can easily repeat it. Lego motors were enough for me to build drifters and walkers with radio control. I have enough programming at work - I am interested in assembling something with my own hands in the real world, and not inside a PC.

In your example, the wheel is on the motor axis. Try to get the same result by transmitting rotation through several gears with play. There is no external rotation sensor in Lego.