[MOC] Vintage Rally Coupé (42098 scale)

[Rudivdk]

Be sure to check this thread in the 'digital tools' subforum to get you going:

 

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

Small update.

Color swap here and there, face lift, added a fake battery, filled the gap in the rear with exhaust pipes, added a rubber band to limit rear axle dangling, and a couple of random tweaks.

Edited April 4, 2022 by 1980SomethingSpaceGuy

[Celeri]

I missed this MOC in 2020, but now that I see it, I really love it, especially since it is an alternate model: well done! 

I would really enjoy building it (we have not enough rally cars around here, in my view...). Earlier you mentioned ongoing modelisation for upcoming instructions: are this still in the pipe?

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

I'll update the 3d model and publish it here. 

I'm not sure I'll have time to work on the instructions, but you may build it from the 3d model, it's not a big car after all.. 

That said, it's not really an alternate. You'll need quite a fair amount of bricks more than those in 42098.

Thanks for your message! 

[Celeri]

Yep, I will probably try to build it from the model. One thing you can do also is to make a movie of you dismantling it and play it backwards... it is a quite popular way and usually it works well!

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

Tweaking with this MOC again... This time, I ordered a few parts from bricklink.

Smoothed the A-pillars and tweaked the front side a bit.

I updated the rear bodywork and added a spare wheel.

I added a reinforcement bar and some tools. Roadside repairs are a thing in endurance rally!

On the left hand side next to the differential, a rubber band is limiting the dangling of the rear axle when holding the car up.
The articulated suspension system tends to have too much play when stretched rather than compressed and the rear axle was hanging too low to my taste when the car was manipulated.

It may be a bit low but this is as high as will fit on the lower deck of 42098.

Thanks for watching!

Edited February 28, 2022 by 1980SomethingSpaceGuy

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

Update:
Added mud flaps for the rear wheels, improved the rear suspension dangling limiter thing (rubber band is now captive and a bit more loose), smoothed the bodywork here and there, added a passenger side dashboard, added a working crank that fits in the trunk.
Also, I swapped the front soft shock absorbers for medium ones. I'm satisfied with the front/rear balance now.

Thanks for watching!

Edited February 28, 2022 by 1980SomethingSpaceGuy

[zoo]

What can I say. It is an amazing machine. ;)

Liking the in service action shots. Looks a bit low in the rear but that might very well be due to camera angle. Amazing to fit so much into such a small space. :)

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

Thanks a lot!
Yes, neither the angles nor the light are good on these photos. I'll most likely do another shooting session soon.
Must be camera angle indeed: with soft shocks on the rear and medium in the front, she now lays flat and returns to a balanced attitude after being pushed all the way down.

[Edit]: Updated photos in the above post.

Edited February 28, 2022 by 1980SomethingSpaceGuy

[whitepen]

@1980SomethingSpaceGuy This is a really cool moc!

[Mikdun]

Good looking MOC. Like the attention to the details (like exhaust).

Nice touch with the accessories.

[XTN]

I love the mud flaps. It's a small detail with an impressive effect to the overall look.

[zoo]

On 2/28/2022 at 1:05 AM, 1980SomethingSpaceGuy said:

Must be camera angle indeed: with soft shocks on the rear and medium in the front, she now lays flat and returns to a balanced attitude after being pushed all the way down.

[Edit]: Updated photos in the above post.

Yes, it looks much better now. Good job! :)

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

On 2/28/2022 at 7:32 PM, whitepen said:

@1980SomethingSpaceGuy This is a really cool moc!

Thanks a lot @whitepen !
I must admit I think it's the best Lego contraption I've ever created. At least it's my favorite. It has looks, play features, is very robust, mostly respects Lego standards but still uses a few hacks (e.g. snugging panels), displays a minimal amount of studs, makes good panel usage: altogether quite elegant. At least that's how I see it. I'm glad the feeling is shared!

On 3/1/2022 at 8:15 AM, Mikdun said:

Good looking MOC. Like the attention to the details (like exhaust).

Nice touch with the accessories.

Thank you @Midkun !
Yes, I'm happy with the exhaust line. Not only do the bended parts look nice, but the straight part also helps strengthen the chassis.
I also love the little crank: it's not a lot of parts but it was a challenge to have it actually work, be a real play feature and still fit in the trunk. It's my son's favorite part!

14 hours ago, XTN said:

I love the mud flaps. It's a small detail with an impressive effect to the overall look.

Thanks @XTN !
Indeed, they fill what felt like a gap there. They're not especially beautiful for themselves, but I love the rallye racing touch they bring!

10 hours ago, zoo said:

Yes, it looks much better now. Good job! :)

Thanks a lot @zoo! Re-doing a photo shot session took some time, but it was worth the effort.
 

Edited March 2, 2022 by 1980SomethingSpaceGuy

[Jurss]

This is really good, especially for scale. Kudos for all nice details.

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

On 3/2/2022 at 1:01 PM, Jurss said:

This is really good, especially for scale. Kudos for all nice details.

Thanks @Jurss ! I think you're a great builder, your opinion matters to me.

After the first track tests, it appeared the chassis was not rigid enough, so reinforcement bars were added.
Also, the car was lacking high speed stability, so splitters were fitted. Finally, the seats were hand sewed with vintage leather (black 3L pins) and the areas next to the seats were smoothened.

I think it's an improvement: il looks more smooth and racy, while also being a lot more rigid. Still, I fear the moment when I'd add too much and make it look busy and inadequate.

Anyway, thanks for watching!

[astyanax]

So after this time, are the #5/6 panels staying bent in this position when you take out the half-pins?

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

On 3/22/2022 at 12:31 AM, astyanax said:

So after this time, are the #5/6 panels staying bent in this position when you take out the half-pins?

 Nope, they still want to pop out! After 2 years, there's less than half a millimetre delta with a new one at the tip.
I don't cut, modify or reshape parts: I'm just using a wider range of their mechanical properties: these panels remain perfectly usable! 
Anyway, I don't think I'll ever dismantle this MOC: as I said, it's my favourite ever, so I don't really care if these in particular are not pristine anymore.

I know illegal building is a no go for some. I tend to stick to legal techniques, but I'm an engineer; I know a little stress may be acceptable, especially with Technic contraptions: legal builds will also flex under load or have play.
This panel snugging is illegal. The maths for the A-pillars are not perfect. I fitted a 2L system plate inside the holes of a Technic liftarm. For the reinforcement bars, I went as far as assuming that 81 was a good enough approximation for 80. That's bad.
Blame me, but the model feels a lot better with these bars: the play created by the stacking of small bricks in the transmission far exceeds 1.25%...

On the other hand, mixing system brick bottoms and Technic panels is not illegal, but it's a no go for me.
I find that using motors is fun, but a whole lot less elegant: performance is disappointing for race cars and batteries are consumables, which, in my mind, is philosophically opposed to the Lego experience.
I prefer building small and detailed than impressively huge. I know that this does not match the dominant mindset here, but I think there's room for everyone: you'll find no other MOC of the same size on EB with that many features.

I'd rather build something that is to my taste than try to please people I don't know.

Edited March 24, 2022 by 1980SomethingSpaceGuy

[fosamax]

I like that build very much. It has some vibe of an old sport car my father used to own when he was young. It was a french model : A simca 1200s designed by Bertone.

Very nice work and could have been frontpaged IMHO.

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

Hi @fosamax !
Thank you very much for your kind words. Much appreciated.
My inspiration was more the likes of Toyota Corolla like this:

But I didn't want to be limited in my design and panel usage, so I opted for a free build.
That said, I love the little Simca 1200s, which indeed bears some common genes with this glorious époque of rallye racing. :)
Thanks for dropping a comment here!

[astyanax]

7 hours ago, 1980SomethingSpaceGuy said:

I'd rather build something that is to my taste than try to please people I don't know.

I could go all cynical and claim you're still secretly seeking attention & validation by posting on this forum, but I won't because actually I agree with your attitude.

Greetings from Svizzera!

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

On 3/22/2022 at 7:19 PM, astyanax said:

I could go all cynical and claim you're still secretly seeking attention & validation by posting on this forum, but I won't because actually I agree with your attitude.

Greetings from Svizzera!

Aren't we all? 
But seriously, it allows me to share stuff with relatives.. And anyone who's interested. For example, someone here on EB told me he was so interested in building this MOC that he agrees to work on the instructions. Which is absolutely awesome!

Cheers from la Suisse ! 

Edited March 23, 2022 by 1980SomethingSpaceGuy

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

This may be the last design update. I'll freeze the design now to focus on updating the 3D model, then the instructions.

I was not fully happy with the splitters: they did protrude a bit too much. I managed to pull them back half a stud, which is way better.
Moreover, the way they are attached is less bulky and allowed me to complete the exhaust line.

Thanks for watching!

[whitepen]

On 3/22/2022 at 3:33 AM, 1980SomethingSpaceGuy said:

 Nope, they still want to pop out! After 2 years, there's less than half a millimetre delta with a new one at the tip.
I don't cut, modify or reshape parts: I'm just using a wider range of their mechanical properties: these panels remain perfectly usable! 
Anyway, I don't think I'll ever dismantle this MOC: as I said, it's my favourite ever, so I don't really care if these in particular are not pristine anymore.

I know illegal building is a no go for some. I tend to stick to legal techniques, but I'm an engineer; I know a little stress may be acceptable, especially with Technic contraptions: legal builds will also flex under load or have play.
This panel snugging is illegal. The maths for the A-pillars are not perfect. I fitted a 2L system plate inside the holes of a Technic liftarm. For the reinforcement bars, I went as far as assuming that 81 was a good enough approximation for 80. That's bad.
Blame me, but the model feels a lot better with these bars: the play created by the stacking of small bricks in the transmission far exceeds 1.25%...

On the other hand, mixing system brick bottoms and Technic panels is not illegal, but it's a no go for me.
I find that using motors is fun, but a whole lot less elegant: performance is disappointing for race cars and batteries are consumables, which, in my mind, is philosophically opposed to the Lego experience.
I prefer building small and detailed than impressively huge. I know that this does not match the dominant mindset here, but I think there's room for everyone: you'll find no other MOC of the same size on EB with that many features.

I'd rather build something that is to my taste than try to please people I don't know.

Nicely written!

 

[1980SomethingSpaceGuy]

On 3/24/2022 at 11:14 PM, whitepen said:

Nicely written!

 

Thanks!

We're working on the instructions and something in my mind was not at ease. The steering worked, had very few play, but also design flaws and a lack of realism that I just couldn't live with.
So I updated it to a classic rack and pinion.

(left to right, items to remove to take the face apart)

It's a bit less exotic this way, but I think it fits the rest of the build a lot better.

Edited March 27, 2022 by 1980SomethingSpaceGuy