DrJB

In all honesty, I am not sure everyone can be good at doing body work. The stylists with the auto-makers are paid large amounts of $$$ for a reason. There are few artists, but the rest of us are engineers. This reminds me of my dentist a while back who said (speaking of his young/charming assistant). There is a fundamental difference between men and women. Men say 'Make sure it works', whereas women say 'Make it beautiful'. Not to start a gender debate though... That said, and back on topic. There are those who try to mimic every shape/line/contour of a reference vehicle, and the MOC ends up being full of panels and tiles. I, however, prefer the 'clean' look of the 8448. It's not overwhelming, yet the main lines of the car are captured with few flex axles.

There are few 'what if' threads recently and my intention is not to reverse the clock. It is more hopefully to voice a 'need' and possibly have TLG grant our wishes. Yes, everyone wants to see the 19L black flex axle come back. But, that aside, what other parts you think are long overdue? Here's one to start: The spindle of 8466/8070/Ferraris

Thank you. Yes I recall seeing that topic, but was wondering if anyone had attempted an LXF (I reckon my question was not stated correctly). Otherwise it's an activity for an upcoming evening. :)

I know there are multiple opinions, but I stand by my statement. I see Lego as 3 worlds 1. System Bricks 2. Technic Parts 3. Hybrid parts (old system bricks with Technic holes) Today most Technic is primarily #3. If you remove the old technic bricks, there is very little connectivity options between the current technic parts (liftarms+connectors) to the lain basic bricks. Yes, there are exceptions and SMALL commonalities, but those only confirm my statement. Just like in biologic evolution, there are always 'remnant' genes that link current species in the distant past. Hence, my statement 'evolved away' does not necessarily mean they are no longer related ... nuance

You need first to decide if you'll be using the TECHNIC parts that come with any of the sets mentioned above. Technic parts kind of live in a universe of their own. They have evolved away from the regular lego/system bricks. If you're not going to build your own technic sets, then simply stay from buying technic sets. You can put that money to good use and buy only the power functions components from either BrickLink or Lego Education. If however you insist on buying Technic sets just for the power functions, ... well, go ahead, and you can send the technic parts to me.

Any chance of sharing the LDD for this beauty?

When one thinks controls, typically some version of mindstorms is needed. However, one can still do some basic closed-loop control with just the PF assortment. This is a thought that has been 'intriguing me for some time and I'd like to hear feedback/ideas from others. Strictly speaking it may be difficult to implement but nonetheless feasible. The idea is to use a powered motor to operate the switch or speed of a controller for another motor. Both the RC and train remotes can be operated 'mechanically' i.e., by some contraptions, not necessarily by operator's hands. Those familiar with hydraulics might think of this as pilot control. Any thoughts or would it help if I did few schematics?

Great review. I got the 8448 (new) about 10+ years ago, and it's one of the few model I still have on display. Some say the 8880 was a landmark, rightfully so as it introduced many functions. But, I prefer the 8448 for modularity, clean design, and very 'modern' looks. There are several parts specific to that set only (wheel+tire+spindle+rack) and it's a pity they were not made available in other/subsequent models.

How about immersing the assembly in soapy water for a while. Though absolutely no knifes after that as slippery and sharp do not go together.

There was a discussion on here, recently, that the iPhone/iPad application was 'mature/stable' whereas the android app was still in the development stage and thus, not fully functional/stable.

That is real nice. Tempted to make an LDD, but not sure there are enough pics (yes there are many already) One questions: Typically tracked machines have only one motorized sprocket. In this MOC, it seems both fron and rear sprockets are motorized. Is this meant to increase/double the tractive effort?

That is definitely something I'll be looking forward to. Of all Akiyuki's contraptions, the 'invisible lift' has got to be one of the most complex. Others were more or less 'easily' reverse-engineered in a German forum (Doktor Brick).

Sorry to revive an old thread but ... this project got the required 10,000 votes already. Keep your fingers crossed, and we may actually see this come to life ... err shelves in a toy store near you!

Thank YOU for sharing the details of such beautiful masterpiece. Keep in mind that the LXF file is not an EXACT build of the original that Nico made. I had to make 'small' changes (yellow parts) because of LDD's strict anti-collision requirements.

The one 'obvious' question that comes to mind is this: If this is a display, it most likely is destined to be running continuously with very little human intervention. This was possible with the old 9V train system where motors were powered via the tracks. Now, the only trains available are based on the more recent PF system, and those require a new set of batteries every few hours of operation. Have you thought about how to circumvent this 'major' obstacle? The last thing you want is to hire someone full time to be constantly flipping batteries ...

A bit of history first: During the late 80's / early 90's, there was a required undergraduate Mechanical Design course at MIT (2.70 Introduction to Design) where students designed and built their own bots, based on parts provided by various sponsors (Ford, Polaroid, 3M, ...etc). At the end of the semester, the final competitions took place in a large auditorium and many faculty/students attended to watch/support/rate the contestants. The course was so popular that the EECS (Electrical Engineering & Computer Science) Department developed their own version, and called it 6.270 Autonomous Robot Design. Instead of ordinary building blocks, the toolbox consisted of many Lego parts (beams/gears/axles) and a micro-processor. The goal of the course was to design robots (of course) but the emphasis was on programming the micro-processor board. That idea is where the MindStorms brick originated, and in fact, if you check the RIS box, there is a mention in there that an MIT team helped with the development. Fast Forward 25 years later, now there are robot competitions in many schools around the US/world (copied/adapted from MIT 6.270). I stumbled upon a video on youtube, where the robots now are actual 'humanoid/fighters'. The question that immediately came to mind is: When will we ever see robot competitions based on such model? This is very different from the original 6.270, but nonetheless a 'natural' evolution. Are you aware of any such competitions based on lego designs?

Thank you for sharing, and Very nicely done. My Lego room is just full of boxes/storage (Ikea/Costco). This thread reminds me of an older hobby of mine (reefing, saltwater tanks with fish/corals). Most people would talk primarily about their live specimens, but every now and then some forum members would talk about 'building the fish room'. Very novel what you've done!

Why are you 'bricklinking' the set. can't you find a complete one on eBay?

Nice touch BlakBird ... Thank You. It's a 'Friends' world and I better not show this to my girl or she'll insist on me building it.

I can't say this often enough, this is a 'phenomenal' build. The more I do in LDD, the more I appreciate how intricate the design is. It's taking several hours to do the virtual build, and that's a bit 'deceptive' (non representative) compared to the number of hours (or maybe weeks) the author invested into this. That said, and for those of you who have built the actual/physical model, what is the function of two turntables stacked together?. As I'm only 'playing' with LDD, I can't figure out yet what they're for. Edit: Never mind, I found it. On page 826 onward, only the turntable is shown for 'clarity'. The superstructure is built on top of the track frame. I was used to two parts built separately then assembled together in the final step, but here it's not the case.

Very nicely done. Few questions though: 1. Did you actually use several LEDs (at least 4x2) or somehow managed to split the light and illuminate the many lights? 2. The 41999 plate number, that has got to be a sticker? UNless you got lucky and have an actual 2x4 tile with that number. 3. The 2x2 yellow tile, is that a Vayamenda (mahjqa) logo?

I'm thinking few of these (below) in the track frame (they're exactly 5L wide) may alleviate the need for so many thin liftarms and pins, but again, just a thought. I guess I'm just trying to 'adapt' the build to parts I have on hand (got so many of those T-bones)

I 'knew' there was an easy answer. Reason I asked is, I recently discovered a similar feature in LDD, where one can do multiple selection by color or part type. For example, I built the Terex excavator following exactly the colors in the PDF instructions, where there were many black 3L pins, and black 3L axles. It was then very easy to switch those to the more common 3L gray axles and 3L blue pins. All I needed was to select by part, and recolor all such parts with 2-3 clicks, all at once.

I have to admit that I have only built an LDD version. Has anyone given any thought to making the track frames and boom a bit 'lighter/hollow'. I think we the use of the new t-bone part and other frames, there is room/opportunity to make the structure lighter and reduce friction. Don't get me wrong, this is a very 'solid' build (structure/design/functionality) but I'm tempted to make use of newer parts. Any thoughts on this?

Rather novel ... but I see this getting 'sticky' rather quickly?