Thirdwigg

24. Skid Excavator Functions: Boom 1 tilt Boom 2 tilt Boom 3 tilt Boom slewing HOG Bucket Tilt Interchangeable buckets and fork Tilting front plow 2 cylinder fake engine Opening door Opening engine compartment Final Measurements: 17w x 21h x 28l = 9,996 cubic studs

I’m happy you were able to finish it. Great job!

Is there enough internal room on a 12 tooth gear for a clutch? I very much agree with the critique of the rear suspension. Considering how stiff those shock absorbers are, it seems like there are a lot of failure points on those swingarms. In my experience, thin liftarms with axle holes are not the most robust pieces.

Very cool designs, and it's neat to see all the iterations in one photo. Hopefully the rest of the car can have more of these creative little nuggets of technical mastery.

Alright, I'm all done. With the exception of the decision. The excavator is finished, and instructions may be found for free at Rebrickable. Hopefully seeing how to build it will be fun for you all. The final skid excavator features the following Boom 1 tilt Boom 2 tilt Boom 3 tilt Boom slewing HOG Bucket Tilt Interchangeable buckets and fork Tilting front plow 2 cylinder fake engine Opening door Opening engine compartment Some photos: And I realize I forgot to add a bounding box picture for the loader. The final is 15w x 18h x 33l for 8910 cubic studs. And 17w x 21h x 28l for 9,996 cubic studs for the excavator. And a video if it's helpful. OK, now the hardest part: choosing which one to submit for the contest. I'll make a decision by Sunday. I hope you have all enjoyed these builds. I certainly had a lot of fun making both of them.

Thanks again for the great review @kbalage. I kept thinking there were conflicting designs for the front wheel arches parts, but now I see there are two different designs. Lots of fun new panels....

I have been meh about these cars in the past, but I like all the new panels and parts (those wheels and tires look great) in this car. Plus the red and black can easily support other builds. I'll let this excitement simmer for a little while before I make this kind of purchase.

Thanks for your feedback, and it sounds like you understand the quandary I currently am in. I'll make a choice soon. Yeah, maybe the proportions are off a little bit, because something about this MOC is just a little funny to my eye as well. Everything measures out correctly to the Mecalac (including the cab height), but the arm is wider and thicker than the scale requires. I can't figure it out, but even if I did, I'm not sure I'd be able to fix it by the deadline. Thanks again for the feedback. I can't get the rubber tracks in time for the contest, but I'll do an update to the MOC when I get them. I agree, the new panel is perfect. I can only enter one MOC, so I'll need to make a decision at some point. If you asked me today, it would be excavator, but yesterday it was the loader, so..... I'm on track to post the instructions by Tuesday, so I'll make a call sometime after that.

It looks great! And I take back my comment about the black cabin details; the Dark Blush Grey looks great, and highlights the Yellow a little better. It's crazy how all this fits in the box when the tractor contorts itself in that funny way. Great job!

Yeah, if you have the cubic study space left, I would make the cabin a little bigger too. Love the colors!

OK, so I didn't like the way the rear of the Skid Excavator was looking, as it looked a little too stubby. So I added a little more to the rear, while keeping the feel of the body. I also managed to get a little fake engine in there as well. I hope to have the MOC finalized in the next couple days. I think I am about done with this. There are a couple more details to do, and as I look at these photos, I see the seat is missing. I am liking this MOC a little more than the loader now. Below is the current Studio File. Current size is 17x21x28 for 9996 cubic studs. Barely cutting it....

I hope you are able to finish. It looks close....

It's still there.

Yeah, I have renewed interest in the excavator. I am going to keep the red, as I want to use the new panel from the Porsche Formula E. An update to the excavator will be here soon. You bet! I hope you enjoy the build when and if you do it. I'm happy you like the build, and I'm happy to share the instructions. Yep, I'll release the instructions for the excavator as well. I had an epiphany yesterday for the excavator that I am working on so the MOC will be done soon. Thanks, and I'm glad you like the instructions. You know, I didn't even think about this as I built the loader, but I think you are correct; the mudguards should be a little bit wider. But I think I'll leave this in the "it's not a perfect MOC" category, and keep focusing on the excavator. I hope you enjoy the builds if you get to them. Thanks for the praise of the detailing and the engine bay. Both were important to me, and after I realized to get another know in the back for the lift would result in extending the steering pivot back a stud and increasing the wheelbase by two studs, I scrapped the idea.

I have expressed my love for 8081 many times before, so I like any MOD of this set. I do miss the original design of the hood on this MOC, as the lower hood, and front grill part are important for the overall look for me. The tracked version is very cool.

Fun idea. I'm looking forward to the result.

Thanks for the suggestions. I understand the critique, but the knob on the side of the Loader solved a lot of problems for the steering and overall proportions. Yeah, there are a lot of knobs on the excavator as well. I'll see what I can do to clean it up. OK, everything with the loader is done. Some pictures. And with some forks. An a little video to see it all move. Also, instructions are posted and are freely available at Rebrickable. If you give it a build, let me know what you thought of the build and the clarity of the instructions. Enjoy. https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-111608/thirdwigg/end-loader/#details

Yeah, the body of the excavator is not where I want it to be. @Akassin I know, I'm beginning to think I should have never started two builds! Glad you like the Excavator. I agree the small tracks are too small, but I don't have the rubber tracks. Here is a rough render with the rubber tracks. Better? Instructions for the Loader are done, and will be posted when final photos are taken. Excavator studio file is about 40% done, and I'll finish the file once I'm satisfied with the bodywork. I'll post the instructions soon after.

Thanks, and I'm glad you had fun watching the loader come together as you were making the log loader. Final pictures should be up early next week. OK, I spent a little more time on the skid excavator and I think the bodywork is more or less final. I'll need to redo a couple of details, but the general idea is there. The mechanics are all final. Here is from the rear. The body seems too short front to rear in my eyes. And for those of you who very early in this project suggested the small tracks, here is a simple mockup with them attached. Which one do you like better? The Loader or the Excavator?

Thanks! Thanks for the permission. I'm closer on the excavator than I thought. I spent an hour on it yesterday, and I think I might need another hour or two. It will get done. We all go through stages. Hopefully my (and other's) building can carry you through your withdraw for the moment. I'll post free instructions of the loader soon, so you can live through my current creativity until yours is back. You know, I didn't even consider this. I have plenty of the black hubs, so I'll see what I like better when the yellow hubs arrive. Thanks for the idea. Thank you. Yeah, not only the lack of panels and stickers on the bumper, but also having extra features would limit its official LEGO release. Thanks again, and I'm glad you like it. I've done well in recent contests, so feel free to share the love for some other great designs this time.

Thanks for the update. I like the outriggers myself, but I confess I am more team linear actuators than team pneumatic, so know that..... I miss the black details on the cabin. I really liked cabin that was in the first draft as it looked very clean. I do like the rotating cab design that you added though, and integrating all the pneumatic functions to the cab turned our really well. Keep it up.

Considering some of your recent work, I am excited to see where this ends up. I like the roller so far, and I like the cab forward proportions. Looking forward to the final result.

Great job with this MOC, and the pictures in it natural habitat look great. But the tires are so clean!

Thanks all for the feedback. I went with option three as it looks the cleanest to my eye. The door will no longer be a play feature, but it's worth it in my mind. I added mirrors, and lights, and finalized forks that can be easily interchanged. The design is final and I have ordered parts. I'll post a video and final build photos when the parts arrive. It should be up on Rebrickable early next week. Thanks (sorry?) to @MP LEGO Technic creations for using (stealing?) your hub and mirror design. They work well, and look great. Alright, I have some time this weekend, so I'm going to make a hard right turn to see if I can get the Excavator done as well.

Inspiration was a Volvo L50H, with a wide engine cover that continues to the cab.