Posted January 3, 20169 yr I'm far along with the A model for this contest to start showing its features. The A model is an open-wheel race car called the Sun Speeder. REAR SUSPENSION The independent suspension in the back is driven by a differential and is only 13 studs wide. I had no idea how challenging it was to make it narrow and independent until I started building. There are some narrow suspensions out there that place the differential outside the axle, but size is a big consideration for this contest, so I developed my own (although I wouldn't be surprised if someone had already built something similar). The suspension travel is limited for two reasons: I didn't want the differential to bottom out on the ground, and the gears powering the wheels have floating centers, so too much travel would cause them to separate and/or grind. The result works really well without grinding any teeth. Here is a short video, it shows the functionality much better than I can describe: Edit: more tomorrow. Edited January 3, 20169 yr by BusterHaus
January 3, 20169 yr Author FRONT SUSPENSION The front suspension uses a torsion bar instead of springs. It works surprisingly well and keeps the profile of the car low. The axles end far away from the suspension arms to give the suspension enough flexibility. The lack of springs results in a front suspension that's only 3 studs tall. CHASSIS The chassis incorporates a 4 cylinder flat engine and a seat. The steering wheel turns with the wheels, and there is HOG steering just behind the seat. STEERING The steering has Ackerman geometry - the outside wheel turns less than the inside one. Here is a short video of the suspension and steering: MORE TO COME
January 3, 20169 yr This Looks looks like it could have been a recently published official set. Fantastic looks and neat suspension features.
January 4, 20169 yr Clever suspension. It's what i like about this contest - tiny solutions. Less parts, more fun)
January 4, 20169 yr This is coming along very nicely! Good engineering in a small space. I like the colours also, very vibrant. Have you thought about a B-model yet? Considering the specialised parts you're using for the suspension, I'm very curious to see what you come up with!
January 4, 20169 yr Its so orange Though I have to be honest I dont really like the torsion front suspensiom, its not something Lego would do.
January 4, 20169 yr I like it very much Cool back suspension and nice boxer engine, front torsion suspension is really compact and keeps car profile low as you said Orange is new black Keep up the good work!
January 4, 20169 yr I really like the look and compact suspension. It is good to have the gap in the bodywork so you can see the engine. I don't like the way the steering wheel "turns", maybe call it a joystick instead.
January 4, 20169 yr Very neat machine, i agree with jamesJT on the steeringwheel. But the orange, the rearsuspension and drive, plus the general shape are really nicely done.
January 4, 20169 yr I absolutely love it, the rear axle is very clever, love the power transfer (out of curiosity, would this also work with a smaller cog mid-arm for even narrower suspension?) The name really reminds me of this: http://brickset.com/sets/31017-1/Sunset-Speeder
January 4, 20169 yr It looks pretty cool, but Its so orange Though I have to be honest I dont really like the torsion front suspensiom, its not something Lego would do. This. The front suspension is basically working on twisting axles. This is something Lego would never do. If anything is considered an illegal technique, it's freaking this! Also, you can build a 4 stud high front suspension with a normal spring inbetween the top wishbones, functioning as an anti-sway bar/suspension. Don't like the steering wheel functioning as a joystick either.
January 4, 20169 yr That rear suspension is just amazing! Someone said it looks like it could be an official set... I think it is more innovative than many solutions I have seen in official sets! Your suspension idea could be very useful in a variety of situations. Note to self: Borrow this idea sometime! Good luck in the contest! Andy D Edited January 4, 20169 yr by Andy D
January 5, 20169 yr It looks pretty cool, but The front suspension is basically working on twisting axles. This is something Lego would never do. If anything is considered an illegal technique, it's freaking this! I dont really see a problem in this,.. and its a great way for kids to learn how torsion based suspension works imo,.. calling it an illegal technique is stretching it a bit imo,.. but thats just my 2 cents,.
January 5, 20169 yr I dont really see a problem in this,.. and its a great way for kids to learn how torsion based suspension works imo,.. calling it an illegal technique is stretching it a bit imo,.. but thats just my 2 cents,. I guess at best it's controversial I wouldn't do it myself, but I can appreciate the engineering that went into it.
January 5, 20169 yr I dont really see a problem in this,.. and its a great way for kids to learn how torsion based suspension works imo,.. calling it an illegal technique is stretching it a bit imo,.. but thats just my 2 cents,. It's a great way for kids to break their axles you mean? A lot of stuff people call illegal I think they are overreacting too, but bending axles is not what Lego would do for the simple reason that kids would bent them too far, thus breaking the axles. This is exactly why you will never see this in an official set. That an AFOL knows the limits and can call it torsion suspension does not make it any less illegal, especially since a legal method fits perfectly in the model as I described in my previous post. Edited January 5, 20169 yr by Appie
January 5, 20169 yr Author Thanks everyone for the feedback. Have you thought about a B-model yet? Considering the specialised parts you're using for the suspension, I'm very curious to see what you come up with! I have some ideas, but I'm not too worried about the suspension/steering parts. It will most likely be a truck of some kind. What's that front part? Something like 1/4 sphere? Something from bionicles? It's from the Star Wars Commander Cody set (it's also in the SW Poe Dameron set). Part name: Shoulder Shell W.3.20 Connector Its so orange Though I have to be honest I dont really like the torsion front suspensiom, its not something Lego would do. I understand that this type of suspension has not been used in an official set, but Lego seems to have no problem with stressing parts in official sets. I have a couple of other thoughts on this topic, kindly see my reply to Appie below. I absolutely love it, the rear axle is very clever, love the power transfer (out of curiosity, would this also work with a smaller cog mid-arm for even narrower suspension?) The name really reminds me of this: http://brickset.com/.../Sunset-Speeder Thanks. The name is quite coincidental - I wasn't aware of that set and my wife suggested Sun Speeder. I ran with it without checking if anything like that existed. For the smaller cogs, they will probably work but may limit the amount of travel available before the gears become disengaged. Maybe changing the pivot points would help. It's a great way for kids to break their axles you mean? A lot of stuff people call illegal I think they are overreacting too, but bending axles is not what Lego would do for the simple reason that kids would bent them too far, thus breaking the axles. This is exactly why you will never see this in an official set. That an AFOL knows the limits and can call it torsion suspension does not make it any less illegal, especially since a legal method fits perfectly in the model as I described in my previous post. The axles in this design are being twisted, not bent. The twist is over a long length, so the deformation is small and the axles come back to their initial form. There is no damage being done. You could keep pushing on one of the front suspension arms until the weakest point in the system failed. It may be an axle, or one of the connectors, it really doesn't matter. But by the same token, you can take most pieces and apply enough force to damage them. Just look at the number of broken Lego u-joints out there. I don't think it's realistic to expect Lego parts to last forever, and for pieces not to wear or get damaged. The set designers make sure that the sets are as resistant to damage as possible, but they can't prevent kids bending an axle into a bow, driving a set down cement stairs, or anything in between. This being said, I respect the builders that avoid illegal connections, as it's a severe restriction. To me, it just shows that each of us gets satisfaction from overcoming different challenges in different ways. Some like to cut or glue pieces, some like to use illegal connections, and some want to build like Lego designers. This is good thing, as long as we're all having fun. A few more pictures today. One of the big goals for this model was to have enough body cladding to give the car a shape while showing off a lot of the mechanical features. For this reason, the front and rear suspensions are very visible, the the gull-wing doors open to give access to the cabin and engine, and the engine is visible through an opening behind the doors. Edited January 5, 20169 yr by BusterHaus
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