SevenStuds

Correct, it has to do with having less material and more flexibility to hold the parts together. Also, there has to be sufficient tolerance for things like dust/dirt and deformation due to kids biting on the parts.

Very beautiful! I always seem to prefer this model team look. So much more realism and detail. Love it! Will you be buying the tractor tires for it once they are available?

The 58088 and 50965, which are both meant for the Technic medium wheels, but with the Tumbler tires, you can add them to the Technic small wheels. I could imagine this looking good on a Sport SUV. Here is an image with some other custom covers.

I personally think they are the best looking tires that LEGO has made with beautiful treads. The deep indent makes it also possible to fit 56mm wheel covers, which I think rocks! Getting them off Bricklink (at €7ea) is better than accumulating those "friends" colored parts off the drag racer.

That helps in understanding how you work. Thanks ! The chassis view is beautiful by the way.

Nice to see how that clutch is integrated since it's not on a bike wheel now. Is the braking system done using the rear servo applying pressure to the clutch wheel? With your gearbox, do you think gearing it up instead of down would be possible since it's such a light model? I had to smile imagining this as an official set, because it would have about 200 parts with over €200 of electronics (and you had to add those yellow panels didn't you?) Cant wait for the video! I think a smooth tennis court would be great for testing this. Hope the wheels hold on in the corners!

I'm very curious about 2 things: firstly, I notice that you now build 2 versions of each of your latest MOCs. Does this help with refining the model as you build the second, or in making instructions? What is the main benefit? Secondly, what improvement do you notice between using 4L motors vs 2 XL? Is it just to increase the speed?

You might find a way a round it with some mod, but as Zux mentioned, buying them is an easy option, knowing that many Bricklink shops sell and ship worldwide,

Strangely, I find sorting and storing parts as satisfying as building with them. Once I'm done with my current "big sort" I hope to share some photos of my humble collection. I'm relieved that I'm not the only one using that excuse :) but then I end up saying "you can't touch it till you're 3 so you don't choke, then you won't know how to use it till you're 7, then at 12 you'll toss it in the garage and rediscover it in 2046 once you make me a grandfather, so I'm buying this for you, but you have to wait 3 decades to appreciate it" :)

Works very well! I recently bought a few of those propellers to build something similar. Good to see you still find use in those old motors.

It's an honor that a LEGO MOC catches the attention of the vehicle's manufacturer, and Top Gear too! Congrats Madoca!

I enjoyed watching this! A lot of insight and facts learned, Thanks!

Very cool and compact build! Really liked how you timed the engine sounds with the camera angels. Did you use a standard full-size GoPro or a smaller Session? I imagine the weight must have affected such a compact car quite a bit.

So if I understand right, each rubber connector is attached to the bike wheel on one side and the other (reinforced) half can deform outwards to be "caught" by the gear-driven wheel? How much friction is there between the rubber and the driven wheel when it's in free spin?

Here is a little sneak peak of some of the new parts being tested. The more translucent models in the photo are made using the "frosted extreme detail" material from Shapeways, which is their highest resolution option. All surfaces are silky smooth without any contouring. Some further tests will still be required since the precise axle sizing of this material differs from the regular white "strong and flexible" plastic that most models are made in. The disc brake is made with a large hole that fits over the outside of the axle hole extension at the center of a wheel. This allows any LEGO or custom wheel cover to be added without needing space on the actual axle between the cover and the wheel. The beam with custom logo will take advantage of Shapeways' custom option, where anyone can insert their own text or graphic logo onto the model. Unboxing video is in progress.

Hi Tamas, With all the new developments in software, case colours etc, has the SBrick team considered making its own battery pack yet? I believe that having a lipo with sufficient current output (like 3-4A) would make the SBrick an unbeatable product. If the SBrick could optionally plug straight down onto a battery pack without needing a wire, that would be amazing. I ask because I know that you guys have used an RC lipo on a test model in your office, but these batteries come with some constrains like buying the specific chargers, resoldering the connectors and monitoring charge levels during use. This will still be the route I will go for, unless there are better options around the corner.

Top class as always! Looks and functions just as it should. That filming location is pretty great too with its "clean" rocky surfaces to test out the suspension. That's quite a few tumbler tyres, wow!

Very nice beam designs Oracid! The one on the left with alternating pin holes looks very useful. The printer and the technology which it uses. Most home printers work with an extrusion of hot plastic (FFF/FDM). They are priced from a few hundred euros, whereas a professional printer (like the ones used by Shapeways) can start at €50 000. These use either a bed of very fine powder or a tank of resin which is cured by precision lasers (SLA or SLA). For now, home printers are affordable and suitable mainly for testing prints. Once you're happy with a design, you can choose to send the file off for high res production in either plastic, porcelain, metal, etc.

These bins seem to work best when placed on a rack to space them out vertically. That way you could reach into them from above even with covers on. I saw a few room tour videos where people used just this type of storage solution: I was in my local plastics store the other day and did see quite a few in clear plastic. They were more expensive than plain black though.

Curiously no one has yet commented on what an amazing module this this. That is quite an array of 2x2 tiles with pins. Having all of them precisely rotated in the same direction shows the level of perfection that went into it.

For a permanent solution, get it chromed ;)

Didn't these older tires all get made from a softer compound than the newer ones? I personally prefer the old tyres (like the old 2995 balloon tyres) to the new ones just because tyre are so much more grippy.

If you think of "pay per use over time" then it certainly brings down the impression of its initial high cost. I personally think that having a Bricklink store has made this hobby much more affordable. I was surprised as to how quickly a small box of unwanted parts can accumulate to hundreds of euros. With careful buying and selling it can be a cost neutral hobby.

I remember this video. Didn't you build this a year ago? It's really excellent at drifting, especially with what you did with the steering and wheel lift. Not that age matters, but how many other people born after 2000 can build MOCs this clean?

Very realistic! The functions are impressive as always! I must say that the flat bodywork of vehicles like Jeeps and Land Rovers really makes them look so good in Technic.