[TC12] Fire Ant - One-minute pitch

[Aventador2004]

6 minutes ago, Didumos69 said:

No, I thought you wanted to buy one . They have cost me about euro 70,- a piece I think.

No, I was asking a regular question

[Didumos69]

I'll be honest with you guys. Of course I didn't build 7  more copies . I just wanted to do more with the colony idea .

[mocbuild101]

3 hours ago, Didumos69 said:

I'll be honest with you guys. Of course I didn't build 7  more copies . I just wanted to do more with the colony idea .

I though so... I didn't think you could have done so much repetitive building without saying anything...

[Didumos69]

19 minutes ago, mocbuild101 said:

I didn't think you could have done so much repetitive building without saying anything...

I'm affraid you're right. Just like I would never be able to build something and only post about it after everything is finished.

Edited October 14, 2017 by Didumos69

[Didumos69]

Based on the Tiny font by Matthew Welch.

Edited October 16, 2017 by Didumos69

[Blakbird]

Very nice!  Works just like the 8226 Mud Masher but a lot more stylish.

[Didumos69]

1 hour ago, Blakbird said:

Very nice!  Works just like the 8226 Mud Masher but a lot more stylish.

Thanks @Blakbird! Yes, the principle is very similar, I thinks it's even more simple with the axles being solid. But this one has a working steering wheel, so the imaginary driver should be able to steer by himself.

I finalized the text in the entry topic.

Edited October 16, 2017 by Didumos69

[Didumos69]

This is my final entry text :

One-minute pitch

With its wacky turning feature and inclined V4 engine, this vehicle is extremely fast and highly manoeuverable. A perfect fit for a race in an urban area. Don't forget this contest is in fact a race held in LEGO City. This race-cart finds its way through the mess created by its large and heavy opponents, without giving in on speed. And like with real ants, a Fire Ant never comes alone. Their determination and willingness to serve fellow ants that stand a better chance to win, will drive other contestants even more nuts than they already are . And to make the ant analogy complete: this model consists of three segments:

• The head - With its steering controlled head lights pointing into each and every turn, the front section makes sure the driver won't miss a thing and allows him to anticipate unexpected situations.
• The thorax - The driver section, which tilts in turns, compensates for the centrifugal force the driver is exposed to. An experienced driver can make the car turn by moving his weight into the turn.
• The abdomen - Equipped with a V4 engine, inclined to ensure optimal lubrication under acceleration g-forces, the rear section gives the car enough power to stay ahead of all of its opponnents.

Admit it, you want to race this animal!

Base features

• Rear wheel drive
• Working steering wheel
• Working fake V4
• Adjustable rear-spoiler

Wacky feature

• Turning mechanism which offers 4-wheel steering and makes the driver section tilt in turns. It works like this: The driver steers the front section using the steering wheel. Steering the front section makes the driver section tilt, which in turn makes the rear section counter-steer.

More qualities

• High manoeuverability. The turning feature combines excellent road-holding with a very small turning circle.
• Straight line stability. The front and rear segments are stablized with silicon bands to keep the car straight.
• Everything in-system. All inclined constructs rely on perfect fits derived from the Pythagorean triple (3, 4, 5).
• Kid-proof. Each of the three segments has been build with a high level of form-locking. Nothing will fall off.

Edited October 18, 2017 by Didumos69

[Didumos69]

One-minute pitch

With its wacky turning feature and inclined V4 engine, this vehicle is extremely fast and highly manoeuverable. A perfect fit for a race in an urban area. Don't forget this contest is in fact a race held in LEGO City. This race-cart finds its way through the mess created by its large and heavy opponents, without giving in on speed. And like with real ants, a Fire Ant never comes alone. Their determination and willingness to serve fellow ants that stand a better chance to win, will drive other contestants even more nuts than they already are . And to make the ant analogy complete: this model consists of three segments:

• The head - With its steering controlled head lights pointing into each and every turn, the front section makes sure the driver won't miss a thing and allows him to anticipate unexpected situations.
• The thorax - The driver section, which tilts in turns, compensates for the centrifugal force the driver is exposed to. An experienced driver can make the car turn by moving his weight into the turn.
• The abdomen - Equipped with a V4 engine, inclined to ensure optimal lubrication under acceleration g-forces, the rear section gives the car enough power to stay ahead of all of its opponnents.

Admit it, you want to ride this animal!

[mocbuild101]

My final thoughts:

+ very maneuverable, great design.

- not very wacky.

Good luck!

[MegaRoi]

Long time after TC12 I finished mine. The Zebra Ant:

While i don't have all parts in the correct color, I had to improvise sometimes.

Maybe not my favorite building style, but really worth a build! Interesting angles an techniques. Thanks for sharing.

And with different wheels ... the Skunk Ant. 

Thanks a lot for these great FREE instructions.

[Didumos69]

Great pictures @MegaRoi! And nice colors! I hope the steering is enjoyable. Thanks for sharing your version.

[Hummelbiene]

16 hours ago, MegaRoi said:

Long time after TC12 I finished mine. The Zebra Ant:

 

While i don't have all parts in the correct color, I had to improvise sometimes.

 

Maybe not my favorite building style, but really worth a build! Interesting angles an techniques. Thanks for sharing.

 

And with different wheels ... the Skunk Ant. 

 

Thanks a lot for these great FREE instructions.

 

Nice ;)

Edited December 3, 2017 by LuxorV
Removed quoted images.

[Timewhatistime]

Congratulations to Didumos for the "fire ant" and the instructive phase of invention and improvement

I built it yesterday (with the great instructions) and am impressed by the very clever use of the angles. There are a lot of obvious and hidden triangles - I am not sure, if I already realized all of them.

The rear part and the rear axis are the parts I like most. It is very stable, and the "dog bone"-parts (I did't like them until yet) are fixed and secured very well.

Long live the pythagorean triangle!

The use of the small panels is another higlight, especially the ones at the driver's cabin.

The "fire ant" inspired me to work with this steering mechanism as well.

Another very creative part is the use of the 13 L steering rack - not for steering purposes! ;-)

Edited December 10, 2017 by Timewhatistime
some spelling mistakes

[Didumos69]

Thank you very much for these compliments @Timewhatistime! I would be interested to see what you have designed with a similar steering mechanism.

Edited December 8, 2017 by Didumos69

[Timewhatistime]

The first attempts included your steering mechanism, upgraded with suspended and driven axle - based on the big turntable (60 T). But I have to reduce it - this is too much.

Maybe it's possible to include suspension - but a driven axle will cause too much Problems due to the angle an the momentum which occurs when steering is done.

[AFOLegofan66]

very well built thanks for the pdf!!

[Didumos69]

3 hours ago, AFOLegofan66 said:

very well built thanks for the pdf!!

Thanks! Credits for the PDF go to @Ivan_M of course.