Hi everyone!

(Video at the bottom of the presentation!)

 

         Following my previous topic:

I have embarked on a new project!

Once again, I desired a smaller scale, something compact that I could carry with me wherever I go. My primary focus was to create an efficient suspension system that would allow for off-road driving despite the small size and wheels.

Here's what I've come up with:

 

 

As you can see, it is truly compact:

-Length: 17cm
-Width: 9cm without wheels (12cm with wheels)
-Height: 10cm (at the highest point)
-Weight: 420g (including the battery)

I would classify it as a 1:24 scale, based on a comparison with real RC models in that scale.

 

Now, let's delve into the specifications:

-A2212 1000kv Brushless Motor
-Bidirectional 30A ESC (which turned out to be more than sufficient, resulting in space and weight savings)
-Gray Geek Servo 360
-Dumbo RC X6FG + X6FG receiver (with an integrated gyro!)
-2S 400mAh battery

I have focused on creating a robust design, with reinforced elements to handle rough conditions (as showcased in the first sequence of my video).

The rear axle is in carbon fiber.

At the moment, the wheels are not matching, but I have ordered a second pair similar to the ones at the rear of the vehicle (with yellow rims). The tires are quite soft, even more so than the ones currently at the front. This further enhances the suspension and adds to the enjoyable driving experience.

As expected, it is highly responsive and agile, effortlessly gliding over surfaces. It truly is a pleasure to drive.

And by the way, I have finally figured out how the gyro works. It required changing the direction directly on the receiver. Now, it is constantly active on all my RC vehicles, set at around 45%, and I must say, it has become indispensable. It compensates for a lot of things, especially since my transmission is direct, which tends to cause some drifting issues.

 

                                                                                             Feel free to ask any questions you may have!

 

Next project: Transitioning to a 1:28 scale for an entirely new endeavor!

 

Edited May 10, 20231 yr by vergogneless

That is a very cool and cute build, well done.

8 hours ago, TangersTechnic said:

That is a very cool and cute build, well done.

Merci :) 

I've worked quite a bit on the bodywork and overall aesthetics. It's not easy on a small scale. But I think it's a little better now.

Meanwhile, I'm waiting to have four identical tires and four matching rims!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had the opportunity to seize the only sunny day in the past 10 days to embark on an extensive outdoor test. It was an absolute delight, and there is nothing more to add!

I also had the chance to test the top speed, and it is quite satisfying for a 1:3 ratio. We're reaching around 25 km/h.

 

A few weeks ago, I purchased a Wltoys 284161 for portability. Sadly, it will remain on the shelf for now!

What I am trying to convey is that I have attained a level of satisfaction higher than with a real RC vehicle, something I never thought possible.

 

I am eagerly looking forward to diving into other projects!

 

I cannot hide the fact that I have already placed orders for five more... for the time being!

Numerous special parts are also on their way, some equipped with ball bearings, others custom 3D-printed. Once I have a clearer understanding of my gear requirements, I will upgrade all my RC vehicles to full metal (ordering multiple shipments incurs excessive shipping costs).

 

And the best part of it all is the joy of knowing that it is possible to achieve even greater feats. Always striving for improvement!

 

 

 

Heyyy, I wanted to share with you my latest video of this little monster.

 

 

 

I switched to a 1:1.66 gear ratio from 1:3 before.

Why didn't I do this earlier ?

I drive it a lot, at least one battery charge per day (which amounts to over an hour of playtime), and I had no idea that simply changing the gears would give me a completely new car! It's like going from single to double!

I don't have a way to measure the speed yet, but I'm thinking of investing in a GPS soon.
But regardless, I can't believe what this tiny motor can accomplish.

And I remind you that I'm still running on 2S...
And I want to point out the condition of the tires, they're absolutely not made for speed!

 

Regarding the title of the video, I don't think I've ever seen such a small/compact Lego model that is powerful, reliable, sturdy, etc.

If there is one, I'd love to see it! It would be an extra boost for me!

Because I still have a lot more ideas in mind, including a new project that improves upon everything you just saw, while being even more compact.

PS: No damage to the Lego, not even the gears, thanks to silicone lubricant, a real hack 
 

Even at such a small scale, it looks cool. Not many people pay attention to the small scale. 

You obviously did a very good job on this model. 

I will wait for the next news.

I wouldn't really use silicone lubricant, until I am sure the parts won|t go into the bins - because otherwise not cleaning carefully this could megabluck up all ones' stock...

1 hour ago, SUPER Max Black said:

Even at such a small scale, it looks cool. Not many people pay attention to the small scale. 

You obviously did a very good job on this model. 

I will wait for the next news.

Thank you for your feedback 

It's true that smaller scales are completely overlooked.

But that's because it's unfortunately impossible to produce these scales with Lego/Buwizz materials. Too heavy, too bulky, requiring numerous sacrifices, and ultimately offering power and precision that are more or less relative.

And still, too few people are using brushless systems, but I believe it will gradually become more popular. That's what I hope, at least!

I will do everything possible to make this solution accessible to as many people as possible. I'm planning a comprehensive tutorial, among other things, without any tinkering involved.

If it took me so long to make the leap to brushless, it's simply because I didn't have the right information (or it was too scattered, too outdated, etc.), and I felt that it was beyond my reach. And I know that's the case for a number of people. The fear of having to tinker, the fear that it won't work, spending money for nothing, melting their Legos...

 

48 minutes ago, aFrInaTi0n said:

I wouldn't really use silicone lubricant, until I am sure the parts won|t go into the bins - because otherwise not cleaning carefully this could megabluck up all ones' stock...

Thank you for your message as well 

I believe you're referring to the dirt accumulating faster?

@vergogneless partially - wiping the then sticky dust off it is the one thing - the other is the fine film of silicone, which will still be on all surfaces of the sprayed parts - those will be distributed via your hands if you grab other parts from your non-yet sprayed parts or put them back (without cleaning them in a dish washer to really get rid of everything).

Not judging anyhow, so please don't get me wrong - I know lubrication makes more RC related things possible, I just wanted to mention the other side of the coin, before other people happily spray their parts and wonder after a while.. :D

Edited May 21, 20231 yr by aFrInaTi0n

@aFrInaTi0n 

Interesting! I hadn't imagined so many possible "collateral damages" :D 

It's always good to take note of such considerations.

One must use it in moderation and think about maintenance to retain only the benefits.

In my case, with such high speed requirements, it is indispensable. However, it is indeed important to remember that it should not be automatic or used without genuine necessity.

I'm curious, how exactly did you attach the motors and batery so securely to the car if the y don't have any LEGO mounts? (Especially with the round brushless motor, which would probably try to spin.) 

35 minutes ago, bruh said:

I'm curious, how exactly did you attach the motors and batery so securely to the car if the y don't have any LEGO mounts? (Especially with the round brushless motor, which would probably try to spin.) 

Thanks for your question! To answer you, the motor is perfectly suited to the Lego system. You can attach any Lego piece with M3 screws directly to the back of the motor!

And luckily, the total length, including the gear, also fits exactly within the Lego system's dimensions. So, I can create custom mounts that securely hold the whole assembly. I think there are many ways to approach the mounting of this motor; here are a few for the types of projects I undertake:

 

 

And the battery, I usually just place it loosely in the cabin  but it is entirely possible to secure it in some way 

 

Edited May 30, 2024May 30 by vergogneless

Wow! I can't believe that fits perfectly! Did you buy it and then realize it, or did you purposely buy it knowing that?

Also, is the liftarm on the back of the motor actual lego? It has weird markings on it.

1 hour ago, bruh said:

Also, is the liftarm on the back of the motor actual lego? It has weird markings on it. 

That looks like a cada part. 3L Liftarm with pins at the end. Cada has them in a couple of lenghts same for the 4L flip-flop beams.

ok, so its a part that is compatible with Lego, but not. Too bad that it isn't entirely Lego, but then again, you also have non-Lego motors in it lol. I hope you make another soon.

Have you thought about posting your MOCs on Rebrickable? And also, it would be interesting to see how a larger model does with the motor. Just something to think about ;).

Edited June 7, 2024Jun 7 by bruh

On 6/6/2024 at 11:11 PM, bruh said:

Wow! I can't believe that fits perfectly! Did you buy it and then realize it, or did you purposely buy it knowing that?

Also, is the liftarm on the back of the motor actual lego? It has weird markings on it.

It's no coincidence, the information has been circulating for less than 2 years, I would say! The advantage is that it costs about €6 

On 6/7/2024 at 12:46 AM, Ryokeen said:

That looks like a cada part. 3L Liftarm with pins at the end. Cada has them in a couple of lenghts same for the 4L flip-flop beams.

That's exactly it, thank you for getting ahead of me 

 

18 hours ago, bruh said:

ok, so its a part that is compatible with Lego, but not. Too bad that it isn't entirely Lego, but then again, you also have non-Lego motors in it lol. I hope you make another soon.

Have you thought about posting your MOCs on Rebrickable? And also, it would be interesting to see how a larger model does with the motor. Just something to think about ;).

Indeed, I have absolutely no hesitation in using compatible parts, especially this one, which is just indispensable for me, in all lengths!

Thank you very much for your interest in my creations. You can follow the latest updates on my general topic in my signature. For your information, the model presented here in this topic is really obsolete and is one of my early creations! New things are coming soon, always in small scale. My goal with each new creation is to surpass the previous one, ultimately achieving something hobby-grade. I'm getting close, and the final leap forward will happen with 2-3 metal parts that I hope will arrive over the summer.

I'm waiting for MTP (Metal Technic Parts) to release their metal wheel hub and drive flange. I'll take the opportunity to invest in metal gears among other things! After that, I think I'll achieve complete confidence during driving and extreme use of the motor with the 3S battery. Currently, I still have a slight hesitation on really sharp accelerations if I don't apply a bit of silicone on gears. I want to eliminate that dependency. 

As for the metal wheel hub and drive flange, they will eliminate the last bit of play in the front axle. Currently, I'm using those from TF Engineering with ball bearings, but they still have plastic around them. They are very good, but at high speeds, they gradually melt at the rear where the two elements connect. Plastic on plastic at several thousand RPM... This results in increasing play over time with use 

 

It's complicated for me to publish on Rebrickable because my models would be difficult for most people to reproduce. This is mainly due to the use of RC components, 3D parts with ball bearings, and some cut pieces here and there. However, I think I can provide enough information for people to acquire the components and experiment on their own according to their preferred scales!

Because I think people aren't too interested in small scales and would prefer to see larger ones, but I don't find that appealing for several reasons. First, the bigger it is, the heavier it gets, and the more complicated it becomes to manage the weaknesses of Lego plastic at high speeds. It would require more parts with ball bearings and metal components, only to end up being disappointed. This has been attempted by a few people here, and the conclusions are unanimous: it's impossible to achieve the level of even the most basic hobby-grade RC at the same scales that exceed 25-30 km/h.

However, when it comes to small scales, there are no affordable hobby-grade brushless models on the market. They are already very rare in RTR, they are expensive, and they remain fragile and costly in spare parts. In this case, I can say that my LEGO alternatives really make sense to me! Certainly, there has been an investment, but once I have the truly optimal 'recipe,' the only limit will be imagination. Nothing surpasses the pleasure of designing and building something that will be used intensely and with great reliability 

 

Edited June 8, 2024Jun 8 by vergogneless

4 hours ago, vergogneless said:

I'll take the opportunity to invest in metal gears among other things!

ONe reminder, as soon as you put metal gears on metal gears, you need to lube them, especially on high rpm. Plastic on metal should be fine, but still some try lube never hurts(or use dry chain lube)

Hello, I'm a new father and will definitely will offer this to my daughter's friends with a 42134 lego bodywork for anniversaries !

@vergogneless,

Thanks for all the info!

Although I do not (well, try not to) use non-Lego materials in my builds, I DEFINITELY understand using metal or non-Lego elements to get the model done. I can't wait to see the next model, although I probably will not build it, only look and admire because of the custom pieces.

Hopefully the parts you are getting will improve your car's performance and handling with less wear! 

As for Rebrickable, I totally understand how its hard to create instructions for people, and how its hard for them to actually make the model. However, if you send me pictures, especially pictures of the mechanics and mounting points, etc., I could probably recreate your model in Stud.io. I would use a supplemental motor, similar to this, except for the hobby motors.  

If you decide to not take me up on my offer, it is totally understood, but I think that if I can make this model on Rebrickable (making sure people know which parts aren't Lego and are necessary), then more people would be able build this.

Again, feel free to reject this idea. I'm just trying to help promote your models and Youtube.

Anyway, I get not wanting to make larger models. I personally enjoy making them, but designing them well is hard, and that's without any of the issues you deal with!

So, I will continue to be on the lookout for your models. If you decide to take me up on my idea to make your models for Rebrickable, my email is L.FERREIRA5685@gmail.com.

Happy building!

Edited June 8, 2024Jun 8 by bruh