[TC26] Technic Arctic Vehicle Contest - Discussion Topic

[Jim]

TECHNIC ARCTIC VEHICLE CONTEST - DISCUSSION TOPIC

The summer is over and the cold dark winter months are knocking our doors. So, let's build a Technic set used in the cold Arctic environment. In the 80's we had an arctic subtheme and in 2015 we got the 42038 - Arctic Truck. This contest is about creating a new Technic arctic vehicle adding to one of both arctic subthemes. 

DESCRIPTION
Design a non-licensed/non-branded arctic vehicle using either the (mostly) white color scheme from the 80's (with yellow, blue, red details) or orange/black (with some added colors for details) used in the 42038 - Arctic Truck or in the modern day arctic City sets. You can use an existing vehicle as inspiration, but the model cannot be branded. The vehicle doesn't have to be an existing type of vehicle. You can design anything you'd like to see as an arctic set (check out the City sets for some inspiration). Electronics are permitted in this contest. However, there is a limit of a single battery box and four motors.

VOTING CRITERIA
Voting will be 100% public voting, but the votes will be cast on an external website and won't be visible during the voting period. The voting criteria are (in no particular order):

• Quality of the build.
• Functionality.
• Originality.
• Looks (shape, color scheme, etc).

DEADLINE
Deadline date is January 8th, 2024. Contest will be closed on Tuesday the 9th OR LATER. 

Disclaimer: I will close the contest when I see fit and when I have the time to process the results. This can be later than the deadline date. Please don't complain about this not being fair and all.

RULES AND REGULATIONS
The following section describes the contest specific and general rules and regulations. But before that, please take notice of a simple motto regarding the Eurobricks Contests:

CONTESTS ARE FOR FUN!

Of course there's competition, but at the end of the day, LEGO is just a hobby and the main goal for each of us is to have fun!

CONTEST SPECIFIC RULES AND REGULATIONS

• The entry needs to have a name.
• The entry needs to be a vehicle.
• The entry needs to be non-licensed/non-branded.
• The entry needs to be studless.
• Some studded System parts are okay, but model team is not permitted.
• Pullback Motor is permitted.
• Pneumatics are permitted.
• Cutting pneumatic hoses is permitted.
• 3rd party strings, hoses and rubber bands are permitted.
• LEDs are permitted.
• Electronics (PF elements, SBricks and Mindstorms) are permitted.
• There is a limit of single battery box and four motors.

GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS

• The contest is open to all EB members (also new members).
• Members who joined EB after the start of the contest can be banned from voting (when vote rigging is suspected).
• Voting rules will be explained later in the voting topic.
• One entry per member.
• Entries need to be new (never posted anywhere previously).
• Only physical builds, so no LDD or other virtual entry.
• If you have any doubts about the suitability of your entry contact me.
• All entries are to include only real LEGO. No clone brands, 3rd party parts, or digital entries allowed.
• No cutting, sculpting or modifying parts.
• Entries are to be placed in the entry topic in this forum.
• Entries not in the entry topic are not eligible for voting.
• The entry post may be edited at any time up to the end of the contest, so feel free to make improvements if you wish.
• The contest might be closed later than the deadline. Don't complain about this not being fair.
• You have enough time to build. Don't ask for more time.
• We reserve the right to disqualify any entry that does not follow these rules.
• These rules can be changed whenever we see fit to ensure that people follow the intent of the contest.
• Staff members are not eligible for winning prizes.

WHAT DO I NEED TO ENTER?
All participants need to create a discussion topic and create a post in the entry topic.

DISCUSSION TOPIC

• A discussion topic starting with [TC26].
• A discussion topic needs to show some actual progress (i.e. pictures of the build in progress) and should not be used to "reserve an idea".

ENTRY POST

The entry post in the entry topic should contain:

• Entry name
• Short summary of the functions.
• One or more images (max 4).  You can have combined pictures (4 in 1) as long as the picture isn't bigger than 1024x1024.
• Embedded Youtube video (not mandatory)
• Link to the discussion topic

PRIZES

There will be some prizes. More on that later.

[Maaboo the Witch]

Sounds cool (pun intended)! Break out the track links.

[kolbjha]

4 hours ago, Jim said:

Electronics (PF elements, SBricks and Mindstorms) are permitted.

What a great contest idea! Nitpicking not intended, but just to get it clear, as the list in brackets may be interptreted as a full list:

1. Is PU and SPIKE elements permitted?
2. Is other 3rd party elements than SBrick (for example BuWizz or PFxBrick) permitted?
3. Other electronics permitted?

[Jim]

Hmmm good question. I will be somewhat lenient this time.

1 is okay.
2. is okay (all three elements)
3. nope. Just 1 and 2.

[SaperPL]

5 hours ago, Jim said:

Voting will be 100% public voting, but the votes will be cast on an external website and won't be visible during the voting period. The voting criteria are (in no particular order):

1) Is voting going to be still connected with forum account or is it going to be some kind of public voting site with e-mail verification like strawpoll or something like that?

5 hours ago, Jim said:

• There is a limit of single battery box and three motors.

2) Why exactly three motors? It makes sense to make it 4 motors because of the hub having four connection, and thus you get two motors for drive and steering and two for additional functions, but with three it just makes it a single motorized movement for that additional function. Kind of feels like it might limit those builds that want to have RC drive to just having a winch or motorized openable loading ramp/doors. Is the core idea that you either go for RC or have a manual model with 3 motors for some other features then drive as a treadeoff?

3) About the progress in the topic - is it okay to keep my build secret and jump drop everything in the topic last day with photos/screenshots of the phases the project came through?

4) Are gifs accepted in the entry tread as a single photo or not? Some contests back I asked this and it was a no, but it seems as it wasn't a problem in the last contest.

5) why no size/piece count limit? And it's not clear whether it has to be a vehicle or not? We may end up seeing something like a "set" containing an arctic base and multiple vehicles. Is that approach ok? Is it okay to make a base and ton of various vehicles in it?

[Jim]

@SaperPL STOP IT NOW!! 

[msk6003]

I also don't know why motor limit is 3. Considering Sbrick, Buwizz, and C+ hub, 4 motor limit is more logical.

Edited October 22, 2023 by msk6003

[Jim]

I will get back to some things tomorrow, especially motor count.

But I am not going into elaborate discussions about certain parts of the contest.

[suffocation]

This contest is brilliant! I hope I can find the time to take part.

[Ngoc Nguyen]

8 hours ago, Jim said:

In the 80's we had an arctic subtheme and in 2015 we got the 42038 - Arctic Truck. This contest is about creating a new Technic Arctic set adding to one of both arctic subthemes.

Does 42069 not count 

[Saruzeufel]

Nice idea, looking forward to that contest!

Two questions regarding color scheme:
1 - does it have to be pure orange or is the color "flame yellowish orange" form 42099 also ok?
2 - would it be ok (for example for a tracked vehicle) to have an undercarriage or other functional areas in mostly DBG but the upper and most visible parts in white or orange?

[Jurss]

Nice to have new contest. Theme is really surprise, but good for wintertime - maybe last pictures will be possible in snow.

No questions regarding rules, everything clear.

[Jim]

43 minutes ago, Saruzeufel said:

Two questions regarding color scheme:
1 - does it have to be pure orange or is the color "flame yellowish orange" form 42099 also ok?

I'm sorry, but it has to be orange for the theme to work.

48 minutes ago, Saruzeufel said:

2 - would it be ok (for example for a tracked vehicle) to have an undercarriage or other functional areas in mostly DBG but the upper and most visible parts in white or orange?

Absolutely! That is how the City sets usually apply the theme as well.

10 hours ago, SaperPL said:

1) Is voting going to be still connected with forum account or is it going to be some kind of public voting site with e-mail verification like strawpoll or something like that?

2) Why exactly three motors? It makes sense to make it 4 motors because of the hub having four connection, and thus you get two motors for drive and steering and two for additional functions, but with three it just makes it a single motorized movement for that additional function. Kind of feels like it might limit those builds that want to have RC drive to just having a winch or motorized openable loading ramp/doors. Is the core idea that you either go for RC or have a manual model with 3 motors for some other features then drive as a treadeoff?

3) About the progress in the topic - is it okay to keep my build secret and jump drop everything in the topic last day with photos/screenshots of the phases the project came through?

4) Are gifs accepted in the entry tread as a single photo or not? Some contests back I asked this and it was a no, but it seems as it wasn't a problem in the last contest.

5) why no size/piece count limit? And it's not clear whether it has to be a vehicle or not? We may end up seeing something like a "set" containing an arctic base and multiple vehicles. Is that approach ok? Is it okay to make a base and ton of various vehicles in it?

Okay, here are my answers. But no endless debating about them.

1) It's not really important how we will implement the voting. You worry about building, we worry about voting.

2) Three motors was based on not using Buwizz or SBrick. But it's a fair point that both solutions will allow four motors, so I will change the rules. Four motors it is.

3) There are no restrictions on the moment you post the discussion/WIP topic.

4) We will allow gifs.

5) Let's stick to a vehicle. There are no further size restrictions.

[Saruzeufel]

6 minutes ago, Jim said:

I'm sorry, but it has to be orange for the theme to work.

Oh well, guess I'll have to stick to the white panels from my spare 42100 then.

Thanks for quickly clarifying!

[Jim]

6 hours ago, Ngoc Nguyen said:

Does 42069 not count 

If you make it orange or white it will  

[SaperPL]

13 minutes ago, Jim said:

Okay, here are my answers. But no endless debating about them.

1) It's not really important how we will implement the voting. You worry about building, we worry about voting.

2) Three motors was based on not using Buwizz or SBrick. But it's a fair point that both solutions will allow four motors, so I will change the rules. Four motors it is.

 3) There are no restrictions on the moment you post the discussion/WIP topic.

 4) We will allow gifs.

5) Let's stick to a vehicle. There are no further size restrictions.

Thanks for clarification!

[Jundis]

Very cool contest! Thx @Jim and @Milan!

Hope I finish my current moc soon, then I will enter 

[vascolp]

16 hours ago, Jim said:

Electronics are permitted in this contest. However, there is a limit of a single battery box and three motors.

It seems a very cool theme! Maybe you want to fix this in your text.

[Jim]

1 hour ago, vascolp said:

It seems a very cool theme! Maybe you want to fix this in your text.

Of course! Thanks

[SaperPL]

2 hours ago, Jim said:

5) Let's stick to a vehicle. There are no further size restrictions.

Sorry for the follow up question, but I just want to make sure and I should've asked that in the first place - similarly to how it was often in the arctic sets - I assume we can have a main vehicle carrying smaller sub objects (some scientific/drilling equipment for placing/carried living quarters container etc) or minor vehicles (small snowmobiles) as long as they fit inside/can be carried by it.

[Jim]

28 minutes ago, SaperPL said:

Sorry for the follow up question, but I just want to make sure and I should've asked that in the first place - similarly to how it was often in the arctic sets - I assume we can have a main vehicle carrying smaller sub objects (some scientific/drilling equipment for placing/carried living quarters container etc) or minor vehicles (small snowmobiles) as long as they fit inside/can be carried by it.

Yeah sure, that’s definitely okay 👍🏼

[Erik Leppen]

This sounds like a fun contest. Well done on the theme choice. Looking forward to seeing some entries :)

Only problem: I don't have any ideas at the moment. Will have to think about this.

Not sure about the white/orange requirement - that may be a limiting factor for many people. I get it, within the theme, but I'm not sure I like it (even though I'm probably not really impacted by it). But this has probably be thought through by the judges already, so I don't think I'm saying anything new :)

I do like the "no branding" option. I think this makes things more equal between people :)

Edited October 23, 2023 by Erik Leppen

[howitzer]

9 hours ago, Jim said:

5) Let's stick to a vehicle. There are no further size restrictions.

That's a great clarification, because my first thought was a ski lift, though I couldn't fathom how to actually build it (the slope and all). But yeah, just vehicles makes for a better contest.

No idea if I'll participate myself, with time being very constrained around this time of the year for me, but I'll make sure to follow the progress of others!

[2GodBDGlory]

Well, I've got no obvious ideas for what I might enter for this theme, but then that's one of the big advantages of contests in the first place! Building outside your comfort zone is always interesting.

[Jim]

39 minutes ago, 2GodBDGlory said:

Well, I've got no obvious ideas for what I might enter for this theme, but then that's one of the big advantages of contests in the first place! Building outside your comfort zone is always interesting.

Absolutely. And remind you (and everybody else); it doesn't necessarily have to be an existing type of vehicle. 

54 minutes ago, howitzer said:

That's a great clarification, because my first thought was a ski lift, though I couldn't fathom how to actually build it (the slope and all). But yeah, just vehicles makes for a better contest.

We weren't sure about that either. But limiting it to vehicles gives if a bit more focus.

1 hour ago, Erik Leppen said:

Not sure about the white/orange requirement - that may be a limiting factor for many people.

True. Wasn't sure about it either. There is ample time toget a few extra orange or white panels (budget permitting of course). But indeed, not sure how this will pan out.