[TC25] 41999 4x4 Crawler Exclusive Edition

[gyenesvi]

I realized that it is possible to add a differential to the axle while increasing the width of it by only half a stud on both sides, which is still acceptable! So I went on and redesigned the whole axle to include a differential, and it has been a really good exercise because many things became better / more true to the original. First of all, the redesigned portal part now holds the wheels more firm, because it is also supported from the bottom. Scrub radius is also improved as the pivot point is moved out by half a stud. As the differential takes up a lot of space the axle became much more bulky, but that's a good thing because it resembles the original better :) Also, due to space constraints, the suspension geometry had to be redesigned to a single pivot version (with a slight negative caster at the front), which also makes it just like the original, along with the driveshaft which now enters the axle at a higher point and routed down, again just as in the original. Finally, the spring attachments needed to be redesigned to have two degrees of freedom, as it is required when the axle has caster. Here is the new axle:

 

Because the mounting point of the springs needed to be changed on the chassis end as well, it got too close to the fake engine. I wasn't completely satisfied with the flatter engine anyway because the more I tested it the more I realized that it's not as good as I thought, as @Saruzeufel noted, it skips easily. So I decided to go back to the classic 90 degrees version, and I managed to move it backward a few studs and this way it seems to fit under the hood (where it sits a bit higher).

Here is the chassis with the new axles and the new engine. I also started designing the interior and added some simple seats.

Here is the complete model in its current status. Changing the suspension geometry and spring mounting point lowered the model by something between a quarter and a half stud. I think it still sits okay.

Now all the parts I ordered have arrived so it is time to build it completely.. :)

[GerritvdG]

Well done, it's coming together nicely. 

[gyenesvi]

On 8/3/2023 at 6:22 PM, GerritvdG said:

Well done, it's coming together nicely. 

Thanks, indeed, I got around building it in real life :) It's looking pretty cool!

I found a virtual model of the set and managed to import it to Studio. Then, I generated a proper side view render of it and added that into Studio as a reference image for precise comparison for scaling. So the fiddling with the small details can start..

First off, I realized that the wheel base is short by one full stud. I managed to quickly fix it by shifting both axles with half a stud to the front / back (the suspension links and the drive shaft was easy, the steering links and the panhard rods are angled a bit to bridge the half stud gap). The build above is already with the shifted version.

However, I noticed a few other inaccuracies when comparing; the whole body would be better off if shifted forward half a stud (without moving the fenders), furthermore the fenders are sitting half a stud too low. Also, the cab is about half a stud too tall.

As both the axles and the body need half a stud shift, the two can actually cancel each other and the whole thing can be rebuilt and simplified (getting rid of the half stud offsets). Furthermore, the fenders are also already sitting in a half stud vertical offset (but half a stud too low), so that could also be raised by half a stud by getting rid of the offset (and also the slight slope that it has currently due to the way it is fixed).

So I redesigned the whole chassis in a way that places the axles on full stud boundaries and at the same time shifts the body forward half a stud, and managed to raise the fenders half a stud by mounting them differently (and straight), which also required some changes in the body. I'll still need to rebuild it to this one some time later.

I haven't yet found a way to lower the top while also keeping the hole position of the HoG steering on the stud grid..

Edited August 6, 2023 by gyenesvi

[1gor]

How much space is below front hood?

Can I see it from side without doors?

[1gor]

Slightest problemem to solve is to replace axle joiner 3 stus long with one 2 studs long...

...seats should be lowered a bit...

[gyenesvi]

2 hours ago, 1gor said:

How much space is below front hood?

There's like 1 - 1.5 studs space above the chassis floor.

2 hours ago, 1gor said:

Can I see it from side without doors?

There you go.

2 hours ago, 1gor said:

...seats should be lowered a bit...

They cannot be, they are sitting on the floor as you see. But that's not a problem I think, they are high in the original one as well, which does not even have complete seats :) because of the electronics, but I wanted to build the interior more proper here without electronics.

2 hours ago, 1gor said:

Slightest problemem to solve is to replace axle joiner 3 stus long with one 2 studs long...

Which one do you mean? In the HoG? It's intentionally there to be able to pull out the HoG without removing the axle that goes to the gear..

[1gor]

Sitting area can be lowered by one plate, but problem is backrest; if you make it one stud smaller it wojld probably look disproportional... if you want to keep axle joiner 3L, then 1 stud smaller axle for HOG is the solution. IMHO major complication are seats...liftarm construction can always be adjusted...(example one stud shorten liftarms that hold a roof...)

[gyenesvi]

19 minutes ago, 1gor said:

Sitting area can be lowered by one plate

No, as you see, the hinge piece itself is at the bottom plate, that is why it's required. I tried with different hinges as well, but I have limited inventory for that, and others weren't even looking good in virtual build.. But I don't think the seats are a problem for lowering, I tried and it looked manageable.

19 minutes ago, 1gor said:

if you want to keep axle joiner 3L, then 1 stud smaller axle for HOG is the solution.

It is a 5.5L axle under the joiner, not possible to make that 1 stud shorter. Otherwise I could obviously do it :) The more problematic part is the horizontal placement of the HoG axle if I move the roof..

19 minutes ago, 1gor said:

liftarm construction can always be adjusted...(example one stud shorten liftarms that hold a roof...)

That is also non-trivial as these are thin liftarms with pinholes at the ends in the front, and there is no 4L version of that. Besides, that would be too short. I am experimenting with the angling of it though..

[1gor]

I see, and if you use ones with axle holes (4 l) I'm not sure if there are dark blue

[gyenesvi]

3 hours ago, 1gor said:

I see, and if you use ones with axle holes (4 l) I'm not sure if there are dark blue

Then I cannot mount them with half pins :) Btw, they don't exist in dark blue, but they are used in black anyway :)

Edited August 6, 2023 by gyenesvi

[1gor]

6 minutes ago, gyenesvi said:

Then I cannot mount them with half pins :) Btw, they don't exist in dark blue, but they are used in black anyway :)

Only bars can be used then...a bit complicated indeed; specially if you are perfectionist (and most of us here are perfectionists)

[gyenesvi]

Some final updates. I have rebuilt it with the redesigned chassis and fenders, some things got cleaned up nicely. Most notably, I also simplified the mounting of the springs on the chassis end, and even though it has less degrees of freedom, it works much more smoothly :) I guess because it's fixed more robustly this way, and simpler can often be better :)

As for the roof, I managed to lower it by adjusting the angles of the pillars, but it just looked too flat. As I was comparing to the original, I realized that the digital model I downloaded was wrong, LOL. The axles were not angled to have caster (as if springs were slightly compressed to 8L instead of 9L), and so the whole model was sitting lower than it should have been. So the roof line is actually good, and that also puts the bottom line and some side panels to the right position, which also seemed a bit too high previously. Now only the nose is sitting a bit too low, but it's impossible to position everything accurately while keeping it nice at a smaller scale..

I also added a rear seat, because it felt so empty back there..

I guess I forgot about the exhaust pipes on the sides though..

[1gor]

Now proportions look very good indeed. 

[rhplus]

The nose looks fine to me. It is very similar to the original. Lowered height of the body corrects the proportions especialy behind the cabin.
Overall look is great!

[Seasider]

Makes me want to dust off my 41999 and build it

[Zerobricks]

What a beauty. Well done, really impressive.

[gyenesvi]

9 hours ago, rhplus said:

The nose looks fine to me. It is very similar to the original. Lowered height of the body corrects the proportions especialy behind the cabin.
Overall look is great!

Thanks, indeed, it improved behind the cabin as well. But I also like your solution for that section.

8 hours ago, Seasider said:

Makes me want to dust off my 41999 and build it

You mean build this one or your 41999? (I suppose that is built already if it got dusty). If you want to build this one, it would be nice if you made a photo of them side by side. I don't own 41999 unfortunately..

8 hours ago, Zerobricks said:

What a beauty. Well done, really impressive.

Thanks! By the way, was it you who made the .lxf model of 41999? (zblj is also you, right?) I wonder why it is made with the complete top section opened up? It took me some time to close it in Studio to make the model usable for comparison.. just found it strange. But thanks for the model, still helped a lot.

[Zerobricks]

1 hour ago, gyenesvi said:

Thanks! By the way, was it you who made the .lxf model of 41999? (zblj is also you, right?) I wonder why it is made with the complete top section opened up? It took me some time to close it in Studio to make the model usable for comparison.. just found it strange. But thanks for the model, still helped a lot.

 

This one?

 

Yep, guilty as charged. Hmmm, maybe I should join the conest too

[gyenesvi]

56 minutes ago, Zerobricks said:

This one?

No, I actually meant this one:

But the one you linked is a cool one as well, I haven't seen it before :)

56 minutes ago, Zerobricks said:

Hmmm, maybe I should join the conest too

Sure! Only thing is that electronics are not allowed in the contest.. so don't know if that's interesting for you :D

[2GodBDGlory]

11 hours ago, Seasider said:

Makes me want to dust off my 41999 and build it

I just built a LBG clone of it, and so it's been fun to see this mini model coming together too!

[Seasider]

@gyenesvi I meant build my 41999 … but it would be good to build yours too but I’d need to buy lots of parts

[gyenesvi]

1 hour ago, Seasider said:

@gyenesvi I meant build my 41999 … but it would be good to build yours too but I’d need to buy lots of parts

Oh, I see (so how does it collect dust then?). Maybe you can build the small version in black.. (once I provide instructions).

9 hours ago, 2GodBDGlory said:

I just built a LBG clone of it, and so it's been fun to see this mini model coming together too!

Thanks! It's such a cute one to play with :)

I actually think I could build a black clone of the original..

[Seasider]

@gyenesvi it’s just an English phrase when you haven’t used something in a long time.
 

The box will be dusty though as it’s out of easy reach on top of a wardrobe 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Seasider

[gyenesvi]

Model is finalized, video is ready.

Building instructions are also ready, will be posted soon on Rebrickable for free.

[Mikdun]

It looks very nice, closely resemble the original. So great job! 

Looking forward for the instruction, will have to build it.