Thirdwigg

I'm a little behind posting some of my trucks to this thread. U423 Rebrickable and Eurobricks Off Road Truck Rebrickable and Eurobricks

Nice hosework you have going so far. It's been fun to watch this project so far.

I love the red details. They looks so clean. Do you have any of the internals built out yet?

A little update. I was able to complete draft 2, which has the landing gear working, the rear pod lift working, and a reasonable structure for the wings. The canopy might be a little too small, but I'll keep going and see what I think a little later.

I usually have about 3-5 WIP MOCs going at a time. It seems to help me be able to move from one MOC to another depending on where motivation, creativity, and part access converge. I do generally only have one large WIP going at a time, as those take a little more focus. The rest are all smaller builds or build attachments (these 100-200 part builds are a great pallet cleanser for me). If something goes untouched for 6 months, I take a picture, and take it apart. This use to be hard for me, but now I think of it as a sunk cost, and take it apart with no emotion. I generally only use Studio when the final brick built version is done. Sometimes I will use it to try out a small idea or subbuild, but it takes too much time for me to try things out for a final build in Studio. Of note, I usually have about 10 completed MOCs built at a time. If I need parts for a WIP, I take one of these completed MOCs apart. But as I type this, I looking at both the Ionos and the U400, and it's going to take a lot for me to take those apart.

And now the chassis file is done. I'm not sure I like the wheel hubs, but I'll keep those loose for now.

I try to help my children understand that people are not fully bad or fully good, so the idea of theme around good police and bad robbers is a little hard for me, but I have wanted to build a spacecraft for a while. Like the Motorcycle Contest a couple of years ago (!) this one is a little out of my comfort zone, so I thought it would be good to participate. Also, space is a foundational LEGO theme, so I didn't want to miss out. Late winter/early spring is a little intense in the Thirdwigg household, so we'll see what I can complete. It does mean I'm keeping the build small and manual. I recently got set 40580, so Blacktron I is on my mind (and if I'm being honest, it's been on my mind almost non-stop since 1990), so this would be my design theme. Plus the all black with a little bit of yellow works well with a technic collection. Also, this means I have a transparent windscreen, which in my mind, and a requirement for a LEGO space ship. The Plunder Runner will be a small, fast, craft with a storage compartment for cargo, loot, or space police officers who are not quite above reproach. Call it the space robber side if you like, but I like to think it's not the space police side. I built a little draft to get the shape and proportions. Two HOG gears on the top would be for the landing gear and the Pod lift mechanism. After playing with some of the mechanisms and landing gear placement, the size would need to increase a little. Draft two is not much, but much more black. It was about this point, I figured out I needed to finalize the Pod size and shape. Studio was the best place to try some ideas. I think these will be final. The trick with Blacktron I is to have less yellow than you want, so we'll see if this is too much later in the build. Cargo Pod is on the left, and Cage Pod is on the right. Both open on the top. Like I said, it's a little busy in Thirdwiggville, so we'll see if this gets done on time....

OK, it seems like if a MOC has fewer than 1000 parts, it takes me a month. But if a MOC has more than 1000 parts, it takes me a year. I guess, it's OK, I'm still having fun with this. I have finalized the chassis and cab. The roof of the cab changed just a little bit, so it's now a little more stable, and has a better shape. Now the HOG is in a convenient position. I gave a little green and orange highlight to match the rear hopper. Both doors open, and the cab tilts. The chassis is now ready for me to make a Studio file. The attachment points are set for the box and the cab, and the fenders have been mounted. The hybrid system works well where the differential is always deciding if it's better to use the fake engine, or the fake electric motor. I also added a lockout on the left of the chassis, to select electric only. This locks out the fake engine, and forces all movement from the second axle to the fake electric motor. Moving quicker now....

I finished another alternative build. I feel like it's just OK. But hopefully some of you will enjoy it. 42139 Hummer Rebrickable Features: Steering 2 cylinder engine with two speed transmission Front pendular suspension Rear pendular suspension Front winch Removable overland package (Roll bar, fuel take, spare tires) Opening doors I hope you all enjoy. With the Overland Package off. Shown with remaining 42139 spare parts. Video is here.

Fantastic. I love the front suspension, and the routing of the exhaust. Great job.

Fantastic build! I love when a new part is used perfectly, and the Tank really looks great with those Shuttle panels. Great application, and the side and rear plates close up the gaps really nicely. Also, I love the two tone mirrors and the simple shaping. Such a simple little part of the build with common parts, but I love the detail.

@pow the drivetrain is from the ATS. It's a six speed transmission with a center gearlever pivot. It uses part 6641 for the changeover, but it does not slide on an axle like in set 8466 or 8448, it pivots fore and aft, and side to side on a mount much like a LEGO joystick.

Great job with this MOC @Anto. I love the 1:10 scale for Technic cars, and the Discovery Wheels are one of my favorite parts released in the last couple of years. The features you included are great, and the packaging is top notch. I really like the drivetrain routing and packaging as it looks like each function was well though out, or took a lot of trial and error. My times making pushrod suspension usually leaves me disappointed with how well it works and how much it flexes the rest of the car. It seems like this is not an issue in this MOC. While I generally struggle with non-LEGO parts, the pink version looks terrific. Also, I love the wheel cart and jack. Perfect.

What about using this kind of setup for the transmission? Six speed, with a center pivot for the gear selector. It uses a half stud drop for the center gears so the selector can catch all three changeovers.

I've said in other spaces that I think this may be your best Alt build. You use the parts very well, and the functions that are expected are all there and work well. I particularly like how you used all the panels well, and fixed them rotationally so they don't move. Very well done. Also, this looks perfect in yellow and black.

Alright, @Seasider is in, so I guess I need to come up with something now too. I like the start. I keep looking at all the trans-windscreens that are available as the basis for my build, and there are not many. Each one presents the challenge of the even stud width in the odd stud technic world. Are you going to keep the six wide body?

I like the shaping you have so far. It's going to be big!

Lots of function so far, and I like the Blue and Lime. Keep it up....

Very true. I have found recently that the new parts I get most excited about are the ones that are about 1-2 studs in length. 15100, 10197, and 22961 were all game changers for me.

Watching this thread with interest, but this is the first suggestion where I thought I would totally use that.

Thanks a lot! Yeah, the boom could be bigger as it's a little wobbly, but the simple design was attractive to me. Thanks!

This set seems to be perfect for alternative builds, and this is a great example. Well done, it's fantastic.

Thanks, Yeah, the fenders were a little epiphany I had about a week ago. I'm glad you like it. Yeah, LEGO tires always cause some sort of problem. The macaroni pieces are a little bigger than I wanted, but the effect is good enough. Glad you like them. Glad you like it. It is a cute little MOC. Yeah, I think this is about as small as I can go. At some point, like with the mower, you only have one function left. And steering is a must for me. Don't worry, it's gonna slow down here for a little bit. The next few months have a lot going on in my household. Can you believe, one of the drafts actually had the seat suspension taken out! Then I thought "this can not stand!" so I had to find a way to make it work. I'm glad I did.

That's my idea of a real vacation.

Thanks! The steering is a little fast for my taste, but everything else works great. Some other attachments is a good idea. Come on LEGO, let’s get some tractor sets!