Blakbird

Since the cost of building it is so exorbitant, I assumed that not many people would do it. However, considering all the work that went into the instructions I am still hoping that at least one person does!

I finished building this model last week and am really enjoying it. It is a beautiful model of a magnificent car. I also made a few renders. Some samples are below and more at my Bricksafe.

Just wondering if anyone else has decided to try building this or if I am the only one.

I just went to take a look at my copy and the front wheels are not perfectly parallel. However, there is a lot of slop in the linkage so sometimes they can be straight.

I also like that the ripper is actually dug into the ground. The size of the display messes with your head. You may be tempted to think that those are tiny 1x1 plates littered around the ground representing sand, but they are actually 2x2!

Making something complicated seem simple is what mechanical genius is all about!

You should be able to use the control arms from 8858 along with some u-joints to make driven, independent suspension.

Merging this topic with "what set should I buy?".

This is the saddest I've ever been about not being Dutch.

Another epic model! You have outdone yourself this time. I'm a little confused by the axles. While it looks a bit like a differential, the 20 tooth gray bevel gear is not actually attached to the axle but just spins freely. Does this mean the rear axles are just solid axles?

Amazing display! I wish I could be there.

Really?!? Have you contacted Chase to tell him about it? He runs the entire site himself and only serves PDF, so I don't see how it would have malware.

A really nice interpretation! How well does it work and how do you like it?

That sounds like a good factor, and is one I use variously. For more than a decade I did all the maintenance on my ancient Chrysler until I knew exactly how much any part cost to replace. Then later I bought a Mercedes and found that all my estimates were now totally wrong. I had to multiply by a factor of e to pi.

Very nice collection. I especially like that you have several alternate models displayed.

Please remember to post photos of your completed display at LEGO World. Looks like it will be incredible.

I'm jealous that you have been to a whole bunch more places in the USA than I have! I will live vicariously through your photographs.

Desert752 and I have spent the last couple of months working on instructions for this monster. After finishing my test build last weekend, the instructions are finally available for free here. Some statistics: 334 pages Almost 1000 steps 4510 parts Power functions: 18 motors 10 L motors 5 M motors 3 micro motors [*]6 Battery boxes 4 AA boxes 2 rechargeable boxes [*]22 lights (11 LED pairs) [*]7 switches 5 PF pole reversers 2 9V pole reversers [*]7 IR receivers 4 V1 3 V2 [*]14 extension wires 7 PF short 3 PF long 4 9V [*]5.5kg without batteries This is the most electrically intensive model I have ever built. Mechanically, it is not that complicated with many functions being direct-driven by a motor, but electrically it is fascinating given that the number of functions exceeds the number of PF channels. Here are a couple of photos of my build. The first shows the majority of the parts which have been partially sorted. The carrier and the superstructure are built totally independently and attached together with just 2 pins. This is a testament to the excellent balance of the model. Even with so many wires though, everything is pretty organized because there is so much space available. It is actually very fun just drive around the carrier before the superstructure is even built. because it has its own power supply and receivers, it can operate separately. It would make a great tank platform. With the turntables as sprockets and the double tread rows, it is incredibly stable. It is hard to describe just how big this thing is, but this might help.

If you load the parts list from Rebrickable into the Brickstock software, it will give you an estimate of the cost. Based on the blue color in which I built my model and average Bricklink prices, the cost would be $366.

Nice! Looks like the wheels from the Landmaster.

Desert752's Feller Buncher has 18 motors and uses a motorized switching system to turn on/off different battery boxes and IR receivers.

Merging this topic with "What set should I buy?".

I hope you meant "unforgettable"! Sounds like a lot of fun. It is great to have such a close relationship with your customers.

Teaser:

Done.