Blakbird

I have spent the last week building this model (sans base) and thought I would offer my impressions. First I'll post a bunch of pictures and then some summary explanation. Larger versions of all pictures at Bricksafe. Here is the pile of parts. Keep in mind that these are only the parts for the superstructure and arm. I also didn't have all the PF in this image. There are relatively few liftarms for a model this size, but a lot of brackets and some obscure connectors in large quantity. There are also fewer pins that you would think. Much of the structure is locked with axles. Here is the completed arm. At this point of the build, everything went very smoothly. The instructions were pretty easy to follow. The arm is much larger than I was anticipating and very heavy. Now I'll build the superstructure. The early pictures show the attachment of the arm to the body, then further images add many more parts, motors, and structure. In some places you can see 5-7 motors at once. Then you see wiring accumulate and gradually disappear. The area where the arm attaches to the body is particularly dense. At this point the mechanical bits are done and I was still missing a few of the parts I needed so I skipped ahead and built some panels. The model is not actually modular, so these "assemblies" are not necessarily removable. And finally, success. In the first picture I am standing up the model because there is no base and I needed to charge the battery. It is quite stable this way. The second picture looks almost like it is from a real nighttime job site. Like a transformer, this model is more than meets the eye. A cursory look at the outside makes it look like this is just a big cube. The panels make it all look quite smooth and unassuming. But under the covers is a mass of parts which must be seen to be believed. This is by far the densest model I have ever seen, built, or heard described in legend. If you imagine a Technic model to be comprised of parts which occupy places on a 1x1x1 stud grid, then in this grid every single box is filled. While most Technic models have lots of empty space on the inside like an atom, this model has no empty space. Every unit of space is in use. One repercussion of this is that the model is very heavy and very sturdy. I think you could drop it off the table and it wouldn't break. The other result is that it is not forgiving. The instructions up to this point comprise about 2200 pages. Typically each page has only one or two parts. This is NOT because the instructions are simple! Rather it is because you can really only add parts one at a time. This means you can also only remove parts one at a time. At one point in the model I had to remove a motor to move a wire which wasn't fitting. When I pulled the motor, the axle came out with it. The axle connected to a 12 tooth double bevel gear in a bracket deep inside the model. I spent almost 4 hours trying to figure out how I could ever access that gear and that's when I made the discovery. The model had become so dense that it had generated its own gravitational field from which no part could escape. That means this model can never be disassembled and you can never screw up! If you screw up there is no recovery. I finally got the axle to go back through the gear by randomly shifting the model in my hand hundreds of times until the gear happened to line up with the hole. You can't see the gear (no light can escape), so you have to guess. Later I found a pair of 2L thin liftarms in a picture that I realized I had never installed. Since each step does not tell you which parts to add, sometimes you might miss something. I decided I could live without them since going to back to where you could access them would have meant undoing days of work. I started being more careful but still had another such moment later when I had installed the back panel and then completed the 100+ steps to lock the back panel into place. At that time I found that I had used an 11L liftarm when I should have used a 9L. I spent the entire evening undoing all 100+ steps to access it again and fix it. The density also impacts the wiring. There is a LOT of wiring! For the most part, there are no open channels to route the wires. Although the instructions do show roughly where to put the wires, they must generally pass through only the space between adjacent parts. This means you sometimes have to put a lot of force into the parts to squeeze them together on the wires. I did finally get it all done, but you must be a determined and patient builder. I made one final discovery that made me stop building while I decided if I should go on. As far as I can tell, the 2 PF rechargeable batteries are permanently entombed in the model. I usually swap my batteries between all my models as needed. Those are the only 2 Li-Po's I own. But I don't think you could get them out without totally disassembling the model. This means a potential builder must be willing to sacrifice those batteries to the model at least until they are willing to break the model to get them out. Maybe I am wrong and there is a non-obvious way to remove them. There is good access to the on-off switches and charging ports. With all that being said about the difficulty in building, I will say that Sheo has put more time and effort into the design and instructions than any builder I have ever seen. I can't even imagine how much time he spent preparing these files for us. Thank you! Having the model now in working condition, I can say it is very fun to play with. Here are the functions currently working: Arm lift: This uses an L-motor and 2 linear actuators. The motor struggles to lift the arm, partly because there is quite a bit of friction in the drive train which consists of a bunch of brackets and bevel gears. Dipper: This uses an L-motor and a single linear actuator. Very powerful, direct drive. Bucket tilt: This uses an M-motor and 2 linear actuators. The drive passes through some brackets and a large number of u-joints all the way up the arm. Works very well, but understandably jams when the u-joint approaches 70-degrees. Bucket dump: The bucket pivots open using an M-motor and a pair of small linear actuators. Again, the drive system passes through U-joints all the way up the arm. Works perfectly. Ladder: The ladder can be raised and lowered with an M-motor. Engines: A pair of v-6 engines and 4 fans are chain driven from an M-motor. This function is not remote but operated by a pole reverser under the body. PF lights; There are 3 sets of PF lights operated by another pole reverser. Finding homes for the diodes was among the more difficult building tasks. The following functions won't work until I have a base: Drive: This is an XL motor with an axle passing through the turntable. Steer: This is an L motor driving a subtractor also passing through the turntable concentrically. Slew: This is an M motor driving the turntable. That's right folks, 9 motors. And all sandwiched into a box that is not as big as you'd think. It is a miracle Sheo made it all fit, but it all works pretty well. From the previous picture of the bottom of the model, you can see the two batteries, the two red levers for the pole reversers, and a stack of PF connectors anchored to the chassis. I have the whole thing sitting on a home made stand for the moment. Now I just need that base!!

MT is certainly cool enough to have a forum, but I don't think we really have the traffic to support a separate forum just for that. I like to think of the "Technic, MIndstorms, Model Team" forum like "advanced building" and then they all fit together nicely.

Yes, they had it. 42025 was $139.99. I don't remember what 42024 was but I can check when I get home.

I found all the 1H2014 Technic sets at the LEGO Store finally yesterday, so they have officially arrived in North America. They also had the 2H bulldozer.

If my alley hadn't been so full, I would have been all over this. As it stands, I am just as eager to start building it as everyone else.

Awesome pictures but I'm afraid they are way over Eurobricks' size limit. I've replaced them with links.

There are various problems with lubricants. Many lubricants will act as a solvent and react with the ABS plastic, destroying it over time. Even if you find a compatible lubricant (like silicone spray) it is still very messy. For the most part, you can't operate LEGO at the types of loads where lubrication makes much of a difference anyway, so I'd advise against it unless you have no other option.

Most of the body is liftarms, not panels, so you couldn't make it in silver.

I have lots of them, they are just in use on other models. I didn't have any extras so I used the others. I happen to like the 8653 covers better anyway on this car. For those of you wondering what the technical bits on the inside look like, here is a render which shows the mechanical parts: And here is another that adds in all the electrics: For those of you interested in building the model in black, here is an idea of what it would look like with leather: Or yellow:

Not as good. The wheel covers hold in the calipers, so if you omit the covers you will lose the brakes as well. If you omit the wheel covers I think it might look better with gray wheels instead of black. You might notice that I used different wheel covers than are used in the instructions because I happened to have some.

(I apologize in advance for the poor pictures taken with my iPad. Future reviews will use my real camera. Larger versions of all pictures at my Bricksafe.) I first saw Brunojj1's Ferrari on YouTube a couple of years ago and was immediately impressed. Although here was a pure Technic model, from a few feet away you couldn't even tell it was LEGO. This is unusual especially for Technic which is usually full of gaps. The model was instantly recognizable as a Ferrari 458. The only problem is that I didn't actually know this Brunojj1 guy. He was not on Eurobricks or any of the other forums I frequent, so I didn't have a good way to contact him. His YouTube video was filled with the usual "instrucshunz plz!!!' types of comments from 10 year olds so I didn't really want to jump on that bandwagon, but I did manage to send him an offer to help with instructions if he ever felt like doing them. Finally, earlier this year we began the process. He sent me piles of photos and I recreated the model in LDraw and made some draft instructions. Then I built the model to test the instructions and changed a bunch of steps to make things easier and/or more robust. I was so impressed with the model that I thought I would write a review. We'll start with the parts. This is an expensive model to build due to the Power Functions and some rare parts, but it would be entirely possible to make it considerably cheaper with a few simple changes: Use only one battery instead of two. Limit the number of LED lights or don't use them at all (which would also eliminate a pole reverser). Use V1 receivers instead of V2 (I did this). Omit the wheel covers. The red 5x11 panels and the suspension arms were rare when I built the model, but with the new 42029 truck the prices should come way down. Here are some pictures of the collected parts. For Power Functions we have: 2 Rechargeable batteries 2 XL motors 1 Servo 1 M motor 6 LED lights 1 Pole Reverser 2 V2 IR Receivers Here is the front suspension and steering assembly. You can see the servo which gives it return-to-center steering. Here is the nearly completed chassis. The pole reverser will operate the lights, and the drive shaft channel under the floor actually contains the M-motor which will drive the convertible top. At this point there is not much wiring but that will soon change. The second image shows the addition of floorboards. One of things that is unusual about this model is how solid it is. The cabin has no holes and therefore looks much very much like a real car! Even the inside of the doors are detailed. A lot has happened between the last image and this one, though it may not look like much. You can easily see the batteries, XL motors, and receivers. What is harder to see is the massive pile of LED wiring which is mostly hidden under the dash. Brunojj1 did a great job of providing places to stash all the connectors and wiring so that it is well stowed once the model is complete. You can also see all the gears on the rear deck which operate the convertible top. There are two sets of gears here which must be linked and have a ratio of roughly 2:1 compared to each other so that the roof can pivot 180 degrees which the cover goes up 90 and then back down. Here are a couple of shots of the interior. I love the detailed dash, instrument panel, and steering wheel. The seats are pretty awesome too. Now I've started the front end body work which captures 10 of the LED lights (the other 2 are for tail lights). Here is a back and side view. The back is highly detailed, even including the rear diffusers. From the side, you can see the brake calipers behind the wheel spokes. The completed model. I just love how it looks. Some of the additional details include the windshield wipers and radiators. So how does it work? This is the fastest Technic car I have ever built (or even heard of) which is impressive considering the weight. This is accomplished by the fact that there are a pair of XL motors gear UP 3:1 in parallel for drive. Each motor is powered by a separate receiver and battery pack which means the transmitter needs two channels bussed together. With the servo steering, it is quite easy and fun to drive. The convertible top works flawlessly and is endlessly fun to watch. I can't deny that this is a challenging build due principally to the wiring. The render below shows just how much is involved, although the neatness of the picture makes it look easy. This model is quite different from many Technic supercars in that its focus on not on technical functions like a gearbox but rather on accuracy and performance. I think it has succeeded on both counts. (Instructions are available on MOC Plans. Brunojj1 demonstrates the features on YouTube.)

The Brickstore parts list is downloadable from the MOC Plans page. It will also be on ReBrickable soon.

We usually call that a mulching mower.

I started by using the remote from the orange Zorex, but I found that the train remote is really necessary. The backhoe is so fast that you need to be able to start and stop it gradually. Perhaps you could change the gear ratio to make it slower if you wanted to use the normal remote, but the gear path is very direct so there is not much opportunity for change.

That sounds cool; can't wait to see it.

The instructions are now available at MOC Plans.

There are only M motors for lifting so the power is limited but adequate. I would never put soil in my lego model, but I'm sure it could lift various light weight payload. Or he did tell me and I forgot. It was years ago, after all.

Yes, Bricklink is the best way to go. It often takes a dozen or more orders to get all the parts you need for a Technic MOC in the USA.

In the image below, there should be a 12 tooth double bevel gear where you see the arrow. Without it, one of the functions never gets connected to the motor. Here it is next to the Unimog:

I have to say that this is the best contest I've seen at Eurobricks, especially for Technic. We have a huge number of entries and an amazing percentage of them are very high quality. Choosing a winner is going to be very difficult.

I built it and brought it to BrickCon and drove it around all weekend. I had no problems. The design is solid.

Because I already took it apart. I needed the parts for the Grove GMK 4600 crane.

I've actually got some extras of the orange parts. I'll post them to my Bricklink store tonight. Jurgen's original model used 2x 11L white flex axles which are really rare. I think he changed the design to use only one. It also used 2x 3L green beams which only come in a EV3 expansion set so they are crazy rare. I changed mine to 4x 3L thin liftarms which are way easier to get and look the same. I think he made the same change in the instructions.

If instructions were available, they would be posted on Crowkillers' web site. Unfortunately, I never got around to making proper instructions for this model. However, I made an LDraw MPD file from his photos and then built a copy for myself. Several people have built it from the photos, so it is certainly possible and no further instructions are needed. I posted the LDraw file, the parts list, and some build pictures and renders at my Bricksafe page. That should be all you need.

Madoca, it always costs me a lot of money when you make a new MOC because they are all so excellent that I have to build them. You have certainly done it again! This is a great looking Vette, and it performs really well too.