McLaren 720s 1:10 scale

[tiledfloor]

After many years of work, I am proud to present my take on the McLaren 720s in 1:10 scale.

Lego 1:10 McLaren 720s by @tiledfloor, on Flickr

It took 4 different iterations of chassis to get to this final version. I started this project with (almost) no experience in Technic MOCs, so I expected this to be the case. The first version was in 1:10 scale, had an 8-speed gearbox (which couldn't shift reliably), was wobbly as could be, and looked abhorring. The second version was in 1:8, -for some reason I thought that my first technic MOC could be THAT large without encountering many problems- I quickly realized how wrong I was. The building process was infinitely harder than in 1:10 due to the required stability and stiffness and added connections between components. This version had a really unique mechanism that I hadn't seen anywhere else though: adjustable drive modes, thanks to small linear actuators controlling the stiffness and travel of the shock absorbers. (you can find a video of the mechanism in action here:)

Suspension with adjustable stiffness by @tiledfloor, on Flickr

This version also had remote door controls, but after many problems regarding part count, sturdiness etc. I quickly realized that 1:10 was a better suited building scale for me.

And so came the final two iterations, the first was almost a 1:1 copy of Dirk Klijn's mp4-12c, but after completing the chassis, I dismantled it to create one that allowed me to add a couple more functions, but I can safely say Dirk's model was the one that inspired me and taught me the most throughout my journey, along with Bruno Jensen's P1 and Charbel's 720s.

And the final one was the one that I was finally satisfied with…

Lego 1:10 McLaren 720s by @tiledfloor, on Flickr

I wanted it to be completely modular, meaning that every single mechanism could be separated from all of the surrounding components. This was the most difficult part of the building and designing process. To achieve this, I settled on a transverse 4-speed sequential gearbox (IIRC, it was borrowed from Charbel’s 8 speed design), a custom made v8 which would sit as low as possible to allow for some detailing on top. The most difficult part of the chassis was the one-piece carbon monocoque also present in the real deal.

Lego 1:10 McLaren 720s by @tiledfloor, on Flickr

It had to be stiff, allow for two functions to pass through it (gear shifting and active aerodynamics), and still fbe as close to the real McLaren as possible form-wise.

Lego 1:10 McLaren 720s by @tiledfloor, on Flickr

The modularity also presented many problems mainly relating to the longitudinal stiffness, and I must admit, I wasn’t able to solve all of them, which resulted in a chassis that bends a bit when the suspensions are activated. Though overall it does generally behave as a single-piece chassis, and driving it around feels stable.

Lego 1:10 McLaren 720s by @tiledfloor, on Flickr

The rear axle is perhaps the most compact, stable and best looking part of the chassis imo.

Lego 1:10 McLaren 720s by @tiledfloor, on Flickr

After the chassis came the bodywork. It has many, many, MANY illegal connections that bend and induce torsion in long beams and panels. But overall, I am actually quite happy with the way the body turned out. The lines are as smooth as I find reasonably possible in this scale, and the proportions are mostly accurate. The car sits as low as I wanted it to, and has many of the original curves and lines that make the car recognizable imo.

(most importantly, it passes my “squint test”, where if I squint hard enough it is indistinguishable from a photo of a real 720s.) :)

 

Here is a rundown of the functions present in my model:

-independent suspension on both axles
-steering wheel/HOG with an acceptable turning radius
-folding display in front of the steering wheel
-adjustable seat recline on both seats
-opening hood (half) and doors (though the doors require a bit of a wiggle to get them to sit right)
-airbrake connected to steering
-fake v8
-4 speed sequential gearbox controlled from the cabin (via turning a knob)
-modular chassis
-modular bodywork

Lego 1:10 McLaren 720s by @tiledfloor, on Flickr

The rear was very difficult to recreate due to the many intersecting curves and the large space the active airbrake mechanism takes up, but it’s the part of the body that I’m most happy about.

Lego 1:10 McLaren 720s by @tiledfloor, on Flickr

here you can see the airbrake in action, notice that the front wheels are in a “steered” position and that the spoiler is raised compared to the previous photos.

And a final shot of the rear:

Lego 1:10 McLaren 720s by @tiledfloor, on Flickr

I am going to upload a video showcasing the functions whenever I can, in the meantime here is my bricksafe for a couple more photos:

https://bricksafe.com/pages/tiledfloor/mclaren-720s-110-

I eagerly await any and all constructive criticism. With this being my first full technic MOC, as well as my first scale model, there are plenty of things I can learn from you guys. Thanks!

[jorgeopesi]

My first cars are not like this at all  , very good work and with a difficult color. if I had to say something I would say that the roof it seems to me a little bit high.

[kodlovag]

Very cool modular design. I still cannot make any similar. I also like the cross positioned transmisssion. But the total difference between the four gear ratios is just 1 to 1.5

[1gor]

IMHO extraordinary shaping; much better than on Ferrari Daytona 

[GerritvdG]

Well done, thanks for sharing! It was also a nice read, this really makes it even more interesting!

[tiledfloor]

Thank you all!

Yes, I do agree that the roof is a bit too high, though if I recall correctly, it was only by 0.6th of a brick, so I didn't see it fit to lower it by a complete stud.

Yep, the difference between the ratios is not much at all (I'm going to be honest, I never cared enough to calculate them, when I saw that they all had different ratios, that was enough for me)

I'm glad you liked the read! Like I said, I'll try to post a video showcasing the functions ASAP

[Scoar Sonander]

I was just generally browsing the site today, and this... Well it truly inspired me. I haven't been building that much recently due to school etc. but this is truly stunning, to fit all that under a 1:10 scale hood! The bodywork is really nice and instantly recognizable. 

[Pvdb]

nice work on the chassis and bodywork.  I like the tub section.

I would agree that the roof section looks much to high (and counting the studs, and comparing it to other similar MOCs of this type of car maybe confirms this.   I reckon it would be a relative easy fix to lower it by one stud?

[brunojj1]

Considering the amount of time and efforts invested into this build and since you mentioned my P1 inspired model as one of your motivational sources, I owe you a comment trying to be not too harsh . Overall it´s a nice replica, I respect your considerations and right decision for the scale ! Dirk Klein´s approach with the diagonal beams looks very good on your model and the modularity division has been managed very well, I like it!

But this one is funny to read, sorry: "(most importantly, it passes my “squint test”, where if I squint hard enough it is indistinguishable from a photo of a real 720s.) :)"  I have to disagree somewhat after doing the squint test myself. Visualization and imagination always have their room however .

The door handles + suspension handle seem not braced properly, so I doubt they function very well. In general I would recommend not to use mini LA´s for the suspension adjustment because they misalign / desynchronize too quickly and don´t stand heavy duty (by design!). Apart from the mentioned roof which is too high by 1(!) stud, you simply should do a better presentation with neutral background and from many different perspectives like flat front and rear view, side view, doors closed and open, rear wing activated ect. Especially an underbelly shot gives a good picture of the overall build quality and reveals interesting insights (at least for me), we are in the Technic forum. Btw. the rear spoiler has not the needed curvature, but it´s the same dilemma in Charbel´s version and in my "Pista" inerpretation as well. After having seen the real car recently I realized how severe the problem is - convex vs. concave panels´ shapes is a big chapter to discuss in the future. 

Don´t feel any pressure to do anything said, it´s your project and you can be really proud of it as it is! With a few tweeks you can do even better and double the joy .

[Erik Leppen]

I can't comment on the likeness with a real McLaren, but as a Lego model by itself, I think it's really nice. I much prefer this scale above the 1/8 scale which often feels too large. I think 1:10 is the perfect scale for Technic supercars.

I love the modularity of this car, that makes it all the more realistic and is very hard to do well. Having the monocoque being a separate module is a bold move, making it harder for yourself than if you would have done a single-piece chassis. So kudos on that. I also like the transverse gearbox. I'm not sure with the suspension with the sideways-offset springs. That could induce some unwanted torsional forces when the suspension is compressed.

Finally, the paneling is crazy with all the angles, I think the result is really beautiful (personally I don't really care it's a McLaren - it's just a really nice-looking Lego supercar). I never understand how people make those rounded shapes with a grid-based system of parts.

Chiming in with Bruno above: i'd like to see some pictures of the underside, and of all the functions you mention (engine, gearbox levers, adjustable seats, doors) :)

[langko]

For your first MOC I think you can be pretty proud of what you have done! Yes the roof is a bit high and some parts could do with some polishing but at the end of the day I think it does a reasonable job at passing my "squint test" too. One area that I think is really well done is the seats! I always like seeing panels used there instead of lots of connectors. The front area around the lights and nose looks nice too. Looking forward to seeing what it looks like with the doors/bonnet open. Thanks for sharing! 

[tiledfloor]

On 7/20/2022 at 1:36 PM, Erik Leppen said:

I can't comment on the likeness with a real McLaren, but as a Lego model by itself, I think it's really nice. I much prefer this scale above the 1/8 scale which often feels too large. I think 1:10 is the perfect scale for Technic supercars.

I love the modularity of this car, that makes it all the more realistic and is very hard to do well. Having the monocoque being a separate module is a bold move, making it harder for yourself than if you would have done a single-piece chassis. So kudos on that. I also like the transverse gearbox. I'm not sure with the suspension with the sideways-offset springs. That could induce some unwanted torsional forces when the suspension is compressed.

Finally, the paneling is crazy with all the angles, I think the result is really beautiful (personally I don't really care it's a McLaren - it's just a really nice-looking Lego supercar). I never understand how people make those rounded shapes with a grid-based system of parts.

Chiming in with Bruno above: i'd like to see some pictures of the underside, and of all the functions you mention (engine, gearbox levers, adjustable seats, doors) :)

hey all, thank you for the feedback, the good, the bad and the ugly (especially the ugly :d ). I think I forgot to mention it in the write-up, but yes the door braces… well suck, and the only reason the doors can stay up are the door “locks” on the chassis. The suspension is also somewhat meh, they do work but do not nearly have the bounciness I see in other mocs, and as brunojj pointed out, this is probably due to the small liftarms I used. You can find a partial picture of the underbelly in the bricksafe link. Thank you again!

 

On 7/17/2022 at 11:35 PM, Scoar Sonander said:

I was just generally browsing the site today, and this... Well it truly inspired me. I haven't been building that much recently due to school etc. but this is truly stunning, to fit all that under a 1:10 scale hood! The bodywork is really nice and instantly recognizable. 

 

On 7/18/2022 at 12:11 PM, Pvdb said:

nice work on the chassis and bodywork.  I like the tub section.

I would agree that the roof section looks much to high (and counting the studs, and comparing it to other similar MOCs of this type of car maybe confirms this.   I reckon it would be a relative easy fix to lower it by one stud?

 

On 7/20/2022 at 12:41 PM, brunojj1 said:

Considering the amount of time and efforts invested into this build and since you mentioned my P1 inspired model as one of your motivational sources, I owe you a comment trying to be not too harsh . Overall it´s a nice replica, I respect your considerations and right decision for the scale ! Dirk Klein´s approach with the diagonal beams looks very good on your model and the modularity division has been managed very well, I like it!

But this one is funny to read, sorry: "(most importantly, it passes my “squint test”, where if I squint hard enough it is indistinguishable from a photo of a real 720s.) :)"  I have to disagree somewhat after doing the squint test myself. Visualization and imagination always have their room however .

The door handles + suspension handle seem not braced properly, so I doubt they function very well. In general I would recommend not to use mini LA´s for the suspension adjustment because they misalign / desynchronize too quickly and don´t stand heavy duty (by design!). Apart from the mentioned roof which is too high by 1(!) stud, you simply should do a better presentation with neutral background and from many different perspectives like flat front and rear view, side view, doors closed and open, rear wing activated ect. Especially an underbelly shot gives a good picture of the overall build quality and reveals interesting insights (at least for me), we are in the Technic forum. Btw. the rear spoiler has not the needed curvature, but it´s the same dilemma in Charbel´s version and in my "Pista" inerpretation as well. After having seen the real car recently I realized how severe the problem is - convex vs. concave panels´ shapes is a big chapter to discuss in the future. 

Don´t feel any pressure to do anything said, it´s your project and you can be really proud of it as it is! With a few tweeks you can do even better and double the joy .

 

On 7/20/2022 at 1:36 PM, Erik Leppen said:

I can't comment on the likeness with a real McLaren, but as a Lego model by itself, I think it's really nice. I much prefer this scale above the 1/8 scale which often feels too large. I think 1:10 is the perfect scale for Technic supercars.

I love the modularity of this car, that makes it all the more realistic and is very hard to do well. Having the monocoque being a separate module is a bold move, making it harder for yourself than if you would have done a single-piece chassis. So kudos on that. I also like the transverse gearbox. I'm not sure with the suspension with the sideways-offset springs. That could induce some unwanted torsional forces when the suspension is compressed.

Finally, the paneling is crazy with all the angles, I think the result is really beautiful (personally I don't really care it's a McLaren - it's just a really nice-looking Lego supercar). I never understand how people make those rounded shapes with a grid-based system of parts.

Chiming in with Bruno above: i'd like to see some pictures of the underside, and of all the functions you mention (engine, gearbox levers, adjustable seats, doors) :)

 

On 7/20/2022 at 2:22 PM, langko said:

For your first MOC I think you can be pretty proud of what you have done! Yes the roof is a bit high and some parts could do with some polishing but at the end of the day I think it does a reasonable job at passing my "squint test" too. One area that I think is really well done is the seats! I always like seeing panels used there instead of lots of connectors. The front area around the lights and nose looks nice too. Looking forward to seeing what it looks like with the doors/bonnet open. Thanks for sharing!