D3K

+1 Also, to be absolutely clear on the 1500 total parts: no two models with 50 pieces each, and one with 1400,right?

Damn, I'm at school, and now I can't focus, to many ideas spinning around in my head!:-) No restrictions in regards to power functions, pneumatics or other specialized parts? Everything made by the Lego group is g2g? An idea popped into my head almost immediately, and I'm sitting here doing preliminary sketches while the lecturer is saying something about viscous flow I think:-)

I hope you're not screwing with us now, because that plane sounds absolutely awesome,a breath of fresh air!

Cool, you model is actually more complete than mine was, as I didn't have all the parts! Did you try the suggested mod cutting the 4L differential to get a 24z clutch gear? Also, seeing it next to Han's magnifiscent hauler is pretty cool! I'm glad you liked the model, and that the people at BrickCon liked it! Thank you for bringing it and showing it off! Will you be keeping it assembled in your already massive collection, or does it have to give way for other models?

A little over a year ago, I rediscovered the joys of LEGO Technic building, after a 15 + year "dark age", and to mark this occasion, I thought I'd show you where I was and where I am today in regard to creating with this wonderful tool that is LEGO Technic! Mostly just my MOCs, but also some tips and tricks I've found to be helpful in regards to building both with bricks and digitally. Like I've said in other topics earlier. it all started when I bought the 9392 Quad Bike for the purpose of modelling it in a CAD program we used at school at the time, to try some different techniques in regards to kinematics and assembling multiple components in the software. I never got around to finish the 3D model, but my interest in LEGO Technic was back in force! Shortly thereafter, I bought the 8053 Mobile Crane, and after that, a used 8043 Motorized Excavator. Around this time I started also to get to know that LEGO had come into the digital age, and discovered EuroBricks. Let it be known, that when I started browsing these forums, I had absolutely no ambition to make complicated MOCs myself! The new studless style of building things seemed very different from the studded style from my childhood, and quite frankly seemed extremely complicated! However, with the parts now at hand, and experience from building these sets, I set about to modify the 8053 a little, and this is the result: My very first custom creation: It was of course very pleasant to make something technical like this, and see that it worked just like I intended! I then bought an 8069 Backhoe Loader, mainly for the parts, as I wanted to try and make some sort of remote controlled car! So, here is my very first studless MOC, a car of sorts: Although not exactly a good looking thing, I used the parts at hand to make suspension for both the front and rear wheels, a working steering wheel, steering via a vertically placed M-motor, and drive via two M-motors connected via a differential to even out possible differences in speed from the motors. I was fairly satisfied with the result, but there were heaps of things I wanted to improve on, and this is when I discovered Man oh man, if there had been something like Bricklink when I was young! This of course opened up a whole new world of possibilities, and made it possible to implement the mods I wanted in my RC buggy As you can see, I also made a trip to my local hardware store to get some organizers Around this time I started a lot of projects that I for different reasons did not finish, among others a tracked carrier A small race car And I made a holder to take better pictures and videos with my phone I made a studless reimagining of my favourite set from my childhood And I made a (at least I thought so at the time ) very ingenious 4x4x4 chassis with multiple speeds forwards and backwards I didn't at the time know this kind of mechanism had been made by anyone else already, so I felt pretty smart! I also made a small, very ugly, pneumatic loader. with a way too large bucket This is also around the time I discovered LDD, and started using this in the design process.The ease of use, and speed at which one can build things digitally with LDD is unrivalled. I feel this is a great tool, especially when designing more complex mechanisms involving many gears and axles, as you can colour code the different drivelines for easy modifications. The way I've done it lately, is to start building in real bricks, improve on the design using LDD, rebuild in real bricks, improve in LDD, and so on and so forth. My biggest project up until then was my first iteration of a SwingLoader I was very proud back then, but felt it could've been done better... who would know it would be over a half year till I got around to improve it I continued to make stuff in LDD, amongst other things this wheeled excavator chassis And a container stacker, which I also built in real bricks I later built a small red RC Race Car Driven by two XL motors and featuring full independent double wishbone suspension in a fairly small package, it was fun and fast, but unfortunately very fragile. Building a fast, not too big RC car that works very well is still on my to do list! Later I made a military vehicle on top of Effermans brilliant 4x4 chassis. It was supposed to be an Mercedes Geländewagen MB290 "Multi Light", a lightweight off road car (more a weapons platform) we used in Afghanistan. This was my first MOC where it was more form than function, as it featured a lot of loose parts, but I'm still happy with the result! If I'd built it now, I would've tried to make it smoother looking in regards to all the holes I then went straight back to building yellow construction equipment again, this time a small RC Tracked Loader I was so satisfied with this one, that I decided to make instructions for it! Easier said than done, I discovered MLcad and LPub, and ended up with instructions that were by no means perfect, but understandable, and I think someone might have built it, but I'm not sure... Next came the long postponed revamped SwingLoader Mk II, complete with far better instructions, and incorporating better looks and better solutions to most of the mechanical sides of things. Looking at the picture I realize I didn't take a picture of the final version! Anyhow, were now in the present, I hava a couple of projects going on, among them this: Which is soon to be finished (waiting for some parts)... Will make a proper presentation, and hopefully even a video this time around (!!!) when it's 100 % (or in reality probably closer to 99 %) And also the eluding fast race car I was talking about, has to be built! So to sum it all up: -It's great to be building again -EuroBricks forums have fantastic, helpful and insightful users!!! -Use LDD to design and improve on complicated mechanisms, colour coding different functions and the likes -Don't give up too easily -Ask for help, learn from others! And even though most of us are concidered by society to be adult... -Leg godt!!

That's a very good idea! Depending on whether or not you will be able to make a good quality LEGO-ish housing for it, I would suggest a studless design, as more often than not it is easier to integrate studless into a studded creation, than the other way around. Maybe a 4x3x1 footprint/base, with two holes in one of the long sides (as more holes on more sides would take up internal space) ? And then maybe something like a 1x4 liftarm with the holes facing upwards on top of this, next to the two PF outputs, that in themselves requires the remaining 2x4 area..? If this made any sense at all... I should note that I have absolutely no knowledge of the size of things in this kind of stuff

Awesome! This is one of those projects that will reach 10 000 supporters on Cuusoo in no time, if it were there, and for example IFLS (I f***ing Love Science) on facebook sees it! Like the ATLAS Large Hadron Collider (or whatever is the correct name) did. But this is even better, as you can actually magnify stuff quite a bit with it, whereas the LHC model didn't actually let you observe the collision of subatomic particles

I am also building a buggy with the same setup, but haven't come to the point where I can test it yet, so this is useful information.. I am going to use two aaa battery boxes, two buggy motors and one servo for steering... What would be the best way to wire this?

Thanks for the review and pictures! This is a pretty awesome model, but like you said: it should have had suspension! It couldn't have been too har to make live axle suspension a la (not exactly like) this years monster truck, all the necessary parts would have been there in -97 right? Well, maybe you could modify it to make it better in that regard!

It shall only be two sections.. I'm not making a mobile crane I did however come up with a solution an hour ago: Haven't been able to properly test it yet, but I suspect it's not exactly ideal... The idea is of course to attach the boom to the other end of the scissor contraption. It does however significantly improve the reach, and can theoretically make the reach of a single cylinder as long as you want, but even with these six sections, there is significant slack... Will try it with a boom in a couple of days

They don't need to all be used at the same time But yes, I currently have two manual pumps and one airtank. Also, there is an optional ACU (that is Automatic Compressor Unit, not Army Combat Uniform or Australian Catholic University) thatcan be integrated in the model for those a bit lazy. This is in effect a fairly compact package consisting of a AAA battery box, an L-motor, two small pneumatic pumps, a PF switch, a couple of springs and a small pneumatic cylinder. It can be connected to the pneumatic system and be placed in a yet to be disclosed position in the MOC. On closer inspection there are currently only 14 large cylinders and one small (in the optional ACU), and then if I find a good solution for the telescoping boom; two xl cylinders. Question: Can anyone confirm the stroke of these old cylinders (the ones used in the Arctic Action set 8680 and the old Forklift 8843). I have 6L from somewhere, but I am not certain of this.

I know about your design, and I really like it, but it would look very ugly on my current MOC.. Also, placing two (or even three) rams inside a 3x5 boom, and still making it rigid, and have room for the hoses (especially when using the newer, two-port rams) will be quite a challenge.. But I do like a challenge I have a couple of ideas I'm gonna try out once I get these long cylinders (and also some new T-pieces.. I'm all out, the MOC currently has 15 cylinders on one pneumatic circuit ) It would, yes definitely, but it's not like I'm going to have anything else in there main concern is rigidity, having to use 2 of 3 available studs width for cylinders, leaving only 1/2 stud on either side, for much of the booms length

I was just wondering, has anyone ever made a pneumatic telescoping boom, where the cylinders are inside the boom? Am making a truck, and just couldn't think of a way to do this effectively due to short stroke of the pistons, and limited space (the inner boom cross section is 3 studs wide by 5 studs high max).. Also worth to mention is that the outer boom is roughly 35 studs long, so I would want a stroke of at least 20 studs for the inner boom I already went with a more traditional worm gear / gear rack solution, but as I am making a mostly pneumatic vehicle, I would like to know if anyone has done something similar before...? Am also getting some of the old style long pneumatic rams in the next couple of days, so might try something new then

Absolutely awesome! I almost expect heaps of black smoke and a growling 12 cylinder diesel engine sound in the video!;-)

Haa, that is actually a pretty good read! I laughed aloud on several occasions!

I absolutely love! It doesn't even look like LEGO (and in this case, that is a good thing!) Also, it is obviously a lot bigger than I initially thought! Very good work! :thumbup: Dude.. really... :laugh: Reminds me of that scene in Demolition Man, where Sly corrects Sandra Bullock... "Away.... Blow these guys away!"

New MOC in progress: It is an 8x4 truck in the same scale as the 8258 Crane Truck, but a bit shorter. I am making the chassis first, because I haven't decided yet what kind of truck to build... It features -a fake V-8 driven by both rear axles -rearmost axle can be disconnected from the driveline if one wants to lift it etc. -independent double wishbone suspension on the fore two axles -live axle suspension on the rear two axles -different steering angle on the two steered axles (of course) Will update once I have more

I bought 9392 Quad Bike around this time last year. Initially I just wanted to model it using Creo Elements / PRO Engineer (a 3D CAD and analysis software), to try some techniques.. However, when I finally built the model, I was hungry for more.. So a couple of weeks later, I bought the 8053 Mobile Crane, and was just blown away by the possibilities offered by all these new pieces (The last set I bought before my dark ages, was the 8412 NightHawk/Sky Wasp helicopter, and that was actually several years after I got out of Lego!). When I first started snooping around these forums, I never pictured myself making even the simplest of MOCs, but one year on, and several thousand NOK spent on sets and pieces, I'm starting to get a hang of it, and am MOCing like crazy! :thumbup: I find it relaxing (except when tipping over one of my small parts containers) and inspiring, and simply just a great hobby!

I'm currently making a "pneumatic mayhem" MOC, and could definitely have a use for some long actuators!:-) The current solution (the brackets) work to a certain extent, but I don't have any, and they are WAY too expensive to buy (off topic: if anyone is interested in trading some of them for some micro motors, shoot me a pm). The old cylinders can of course be mounted back to back, but it takes up too much space, and puts pieces under stress...:-(

I would not! In fact I am interested to see it in 3D myself!

I'm really glad you appreciate it, feel free to post a picture or two of the finished model along with your impressions here in this topic when you are done! Seeing as there are some small mistakes, some illegal techniques, and the instructions lack the overall quality and refinement as seen in the ones from the more notorious MOCers around here, I wouldn't fell comfortable charging money for them

That is very correct, and you only really need one... to go from the battery box to connect the IR receivers and lights.. The parts list was pretty much exported directly from LDD, and then edited, so there are some minor faults.. will fix this cable issue asap

Thanks a lot! It is a bit weird to see ones creation made by someone else, but a good weird! A first for me, and it makes me very happy that you liked the model! :thumbup: It looks great it red, and I think it would have been absolutely awesome with some white put in there (for example the cabin and the digger assembly)! Also, I really like the mods you have done to compensate missing parts, and accomodate the AA batterybox! Looks great! That would be awesome, but it is surely a pipe dream Maybe in the future? Better start saving then! Thanks a lot, looks great! :thumbup: And yeah, the instructions are updated, same link as before (I think you'll like the cover page) The only thing I forgot to fix (that I recall) is early on in the construction of the front.. there are two #1 axle/pin connectors inside a 5x7 frame/beam that will conflict with the differential, when you turn said diff around as I suggest by text in the instructions. This is a no brainer to fix though, either by moving the connectors to the proper side, or by flipping the rear diff instead. (the two connectors are there only to prevent the 10L vertical axle that goes through the turntable from being pushed down..)

Lego actually does a pretty good job recreating the suspension used on these types of cars