Blakbird

While it is true that all 4 wheels can turn at different speeds, there is still an imposed relationship between them. The average speed of the wheels on one axle will have to be the same as the average speed of the wheels on the other axle if there is not inter-axle differential. Because the rotation center of the truck could be closer to one axle than the other, it is important to allow these averages to be different, which is the purpose of the IAD.

I guess nobody cares about identifying the MOCs. Apparently I needed a better prize.

I'd be interested in hearing any thoughts on the quality of the instructions. I went for a balance of sharpness (300 dpi) and reasonable file size to get a file that looked as good and was as readable as possible. I also did a lot of experiments with the settings in LDView to get the image sizes, lighting, and edge line size to look as good as possible. Did it all work? There are a couple of disadvantages with purely visual instructions such as the fact that you can't tell the difference between light gray and pearl light gray. I highlighted the pearl parts in the BOM to make it easier. I also changed the color of the edge lines on rubber so you can tell the difference between rubber and black, but I guess it is pretty obvious that the only rubber parts are the tires.

If you mean Escalade, that vehicle did not exist until 1999. Are you thinking of the Eldorado?

Hijack away! The new topic puts me in good company.

I regularly use both the train regulator and the Control Center on 12V DC and have used them to run old 9V motors and PF, and have never had problems.

That's a good question! The answer is yes. I propose a contest in which the Eurobricks Technic readers try to identify all the MOCs on my shelves by looking at the pictures (there are larger versions at Brickshelf). I think all of them have been presented here in this forum at one time or another, so they should be recognizable. According to my records, there are 30 of them. Bonus points for getting both the designer and the model name. The winner gets..... nothing. Except the admiration of their peers. That would be a dream come true, especially if I could charge admission! However, the truth is it wouldn't get much business. Despite what you are reading in this thread, USA based Technic fans are not only a tiny minority of the general public, they are also a tiny minority of AFOLs. My displays at BrickCon get virtually no interest. There just isn't much interest in Technic in the USA. I clearly need to move to Europe. Which country will have me? I'm afraid I am already taken. You and my wife can fight to the death over me. You will lose. I tried, but insuring LEGO is actually pretty difficult. They just don't know what you are talking about when you ask them about it. I *think* I'm covered, but I bet they would try to weasel out of paying if it ever came up. Your compromises are indeed reasonable, and in fact even Jennifer has said she would build them differently today than she did at the time. I think I speak for everyone when I say that we do want see your copy though. I don't know if you did a CAD file for it, but if so I'd like to see it. The files JC posted for the Baldwin are incomplete.

Yes. Your first task will be to dust everything with a tiny brush. When that is done, it will be time to start again. Please report to work first thing Monday morning.

A truly stunning machine. Having built another car which uses those Silver Champion tires (Nathanael Kuipers' Supercar), I think I can appreciate how huge this is. It is MUCH larger than the "standard" scale like 8070. I don't think it would fit on my shelf, but that wouldn't stop me. I hereby officially invite you to come visit me at my home, but please remember to bring this model.

You are not the first one to ask me that! Someone wanted to come and be the caretaker at my "museum" once, until I told him it was unpaid.

I have built all of those models and have made Brickstore inventories for each. Using those inventories, we can predict what the parts would cost at average Bricklink prices. In general, you will pay more than this because Technic parts are hard to find in quantity so you will be ordering from specialty sellers who have a large percentage of the parts. There is also shipping to consider. Technic is hard to buy in the USA so many parts need to be shipped from Europe. If you live in Europe, parts will be easier to get. I typically estimate that I would pay about 50% more than average prices to buy all the parts and ship them. Han uses mostly modern parts and not many rare ones, so if you have a reasonable Technic collection of new models, you will have most of the parts. The bulk of cost comes from the Power Functions parts. Again, if you already have some of those to use, you can save a lot of money. Here is my summary: Dumptruck 10x4: This model has 2439 parts with an average aftermarket price of $340 USD. The expensive parts are the 14 wheels and tires and the pneumatics. This model is not motorized. Drawbar Trailer: This trailer goes with the above truck. This model has 979 parts with an average aftermarket price of $100 USD. Truck 8x4 with Lowloader: The truck has 2054 parts with an average aftermarket price of $290 USD. The trailer has 1656 parts with an average aftermarket price of $220 USD. The expensive parts are the 25 wheels and tires (!), the Power Functions (especially IR), and the pneumatics. This model is motorized. Articulated Hauler: This model has 2140 parts with an average aftermarket price of $410 USD. The expensive parts are the 6 huge wheels and tires, the Power Functions (especially IR), and the pneumatics. This model is motorized. I usually have about 3/4 of the parts in my spares and buy the rest. Keep in mind that I keep these all assembled at the same time, so you would probably have even more of the parts if you have all your parts loose. You can see the trucks and trailers in this wall picture:

I agree that the 8466 tires are massive and heavy, but this can be a good a thing or a bad thing, depending on your goals. For example, I love them in Grazi's Big Foot. Comparing 8466 to 8110 is difficult because they are from different times. I don't find that big a difference in their complexity, although 8100 probably wins based on the pneumatics and pendular suspension. Both have AWD and gearboxes. 8110 gearbox switches functions and 8466 switches gears. Both have massive unique tires. 8466 is actually greatly superior in terms of structure. Because the chassis is built with studs and the body is built studless, you get the best of both worlds. It is incredibly sturdy. Buying today, I would get 8466. 8110 will be available for a long time, and I think 8466 is not be missed if you have the opportunity to get it at a reasonable price. You will learn things from it that you will never learn from 8110 simply because they are not done that way any more. If you ever decide to study or build Jurgen Krooshoop's Sunbeam, you will find that he uses many of the parts and techniques from 8466 in the chassis, so these methods are still valuable today and produce a very strong car.

All right then, it's settled. What do I need to do to get the parts list on rebrickable?

Well, I'm back from vacation! The black panels are not available in a couple of sizes, but they are in red. Black will be available in 9397 when it comes out. Also, the 19L black flex axles exist but they are very rare. So for both those reasons the red is much easier to build. The black "deluxe" version also uses all black and grey pins instead of blue to make it look better, but obviously you could do this however you like.

Wow! Thank you for mentioning this because I did not even know about this link. It is indeed a huge honor. I was always under the impression that LEGO would not link to outside sites for liability reasons (they could be blamed for directing kids to something inappropriate). I see that they have a disclaimer when you click the link. I have never heard anything directly from LEGO about whether or not they liked my site or even knew about it, but apparently they do. Thanks LEGO! Good point. I admit to feeling very guilty that it has been so long since my last update. I look at the nice things people have written about my site and how much it means to them, and I know I should be working on it more. I could make a lot of excuses about life changes, but obviously I'm still spending plenty of time on LEGO in one way or another. I guess I just need to make the site a priority again. One issue is that I no longer have a "photo studio" area so it is hard to find a place to take the pictures. But I'll have to find a way. I've had 1996 half done for over a year.

Nobody can build it with the parts they already have because some of the parts don't exist yet! Personally, I don't see any reason we couldn't put the parts list on ReBrickable. Stay tuned.

Hmmm, that's a very good question. Maybe it will be answered soon too.....

Painting can be done poorly, and it can be done well. RoscoPC painted some wheels on his F1 cars, and nearly everyone would have to agree that they look fantastic. There was another builder on Eurobricks last year who had done a few Formula One cars that were extensively painted and looked amazing, but I can't seem to find them now.

No, I haven't actually built it yet. Only in CAD. I have built the Supercar Deluxe though, and I expect this to be just as smooth running. I am about to go on vacation and I will probably build it when I get back, although some of the parts do not exist in black yet until 9397 comes out.

I was just about to post those pictures, but you beat me to it. Don't worry, I think you'll be receiving some welcome news very soon.....

I did it by accidentally typing the number 6 instead of the number 8. You are right, they are 8L.

Yes, I suppose tandem is not the right term. However, "dually" is informal and is not the real term either. I can't seem to figure out what the correct actual term is. Perhaps "dual wheel axle" would be simple enough.

I was going to write a quick review of 9395, but I see that TechnicBricks beat me too it. Instead then, I'll present a small improvement I've made. 9395 is quite a lovely tow truck, but it has one fatal flaw, and that's the lack of tandem wheels on the rear axle. As it turns out, converting it is quite simple and requires very few additional parts (apart from the wheels). Pictured below is the model as designed by LEGO. You can see the big spacers between the chassis frame and the wheels. Those will have to go. There is so much space there that it almost looks like they left it open intentionally. See the 3L light gray axle sticking out just to the right of the wheel on the lower part of the image? Those will have to go and get replaced with 2L so they don't protrude. The 3x5 liftarms will be rotated and a couple of pins will get moved. Finally, the axles coming from the differential will get replaced with 6L. When all is done, here is what you get: So much better! This truck is very like those I see every single day in the northwest of the USA, and never in life have I seen one without a tandem axle, so this makes it much more realistic. Enjoy!

Oddly, my copy has the new engine cylinders but NOT the new triangles. I still don't have any of those.

If you are referring to rotor head containing a swash plate with full collective and cyclic, then a couple of people have tried. I was going to mention allanp's effort, but I see that he already has. There is also an excellent example from Mark Bellis. Oddly, the official set to come closest was the original Technic helicopter, 852. It had collective pitch. A couple of other have had a tilting rotor simulating a cyclic, but this is not the way helicopters really work. They all used the Flex System. dh6ctwinotter's radial engine with adjustable pitch would be worth studying for mechanical ideas as well. All thoughts welcome!