[TC28] Typewriter

[Ngoc Nguyen]

"Technic is all about the cool functions" - said Markus Kossman.

In search for that Technic spirit, I started something new: turning models from other Themes into Technic builds. I did that once with the Ornithopter, and this will be my second try. I will Technic-ify the set 21327 Typewriter into a Technic build. In fact, I've always wanted to do this, but originally not now, as I have plans for other MOCs. However, this TC28 came around, and why not, I decided I'd just go with it. There's no guarantee I'd be able to finish the thing in time for a submission but it doesnt really matter. What really matters is I do what I like, and I like what I do. 

'The general plan for the Technic Typewriter is that first I'll construct the Studio model of the original 21327 not only to have  a base for Technic-fication but to also learn how the mechanisms work. Then I'll replace all the system bricks with Technic pieces and make adjustments in terms of supporting structures. As for the color, there's no or very few Technic pieces in Sand Green, so I'm not gonna use that color. Also, I hate all the colors that age poorly, like white. I haven't had anything in Sand Green but I suspect I'd be the same. Therefore I plan to use DBG for the exterior.

As for now, I've just finished constructing the lever structures of the original set. It was quite tedious so that's all I have for today.

[Ngoc Nguyen]

 

That was a lot of bricks for a not very big thing. That is one reason I don't like building with System bricks. I feel like it uses too many pieces just to construct one thing, while I can create a roughly similar thing with less parts in Technic.

[bruh]

Nice idea! I really hope it works out for you. Good luck! I still need to think of something to make…

[Seasider]

I’m not aware of how this set works in its standard form but if your images above are of the standard set it looks like the mechanism is already technic? And it’s just system pieces for the “box”

 

Edited December 20, 2024 by Seasider

[Ngoc Nguyen]

53 minutes ago, Seasider said:

I’m not aware of how this set works in its standard form but if your images above are of the standard set it looks like the mechanism is already technic? And it’s just system pieces for the “box”

 

Indeed it is Technic at its core, and that's why to me it has more Technic spirit than recent sets in the Technic lineup. I just wanna turn this thing into its true form: a real Technic set from inside to outside.

[gyenesvi]

While I like the idea of a typewriter itself, I also feel that there's too little originality in it since the core mechanism would just be copied I guess, and the cover is not so essential to technic.

[Seasider]

3 hours ago, Ngoc Nguyen said:

Indeed it is Technic at its core, and that's why to me it has more Technic spirit than recent sets in the Technic lineup. I just wanna turn this thing into its true form: a real Technic set from inside to outside.

So are you going to significantly change the mechanism inside ?

[Ngoc Nguyen]

21 minutes ago, Seasider said:

So are you going to significantly change the mechanism inside ?

Oh I'm not gonna do that. I'm just turn it into a full Technic build with a Technic case.

3 hours ago, gyenesvi said:

While I like the idea of a typewriter itself, I also feel that there's too little originality in it since the core mechanism would just be copied I guess, and the cover is not so essential to technic.

At first sight it may look like a simple cover swap, but the real job will be more complicated than that. Based on my experience of Technic-ifying the Ornithopter, there are two major challenges. The first one is that the connection points for the linkages in a System model may not lie on a perfect grid, because they can be offset by plates, while in Technic connection points can only be on grid intersections in most cases. The second challenge is that structural bracing in Systems is done in a different way from structural bracing in Technic. Therefore even though the core mechanisms don't have to be reinvented, working on the surrounding structures is an act of creation of its own kind.

[Ngoc Nguyen]

I just ordered all the printed key caps. It took a while to find a vendor that has the whole collection. 

[gyenesvi]

1 hour ago, Ngoc Nguyen said:

I just ordered all the printed key caps. It took a while to find a vendor that has the whole collection.

But you should be replacing the tiles with a technic equivalent :D

[Seasider]

1 hour ago, gyenesvi said:

But you should be replacing the tiles with a technic equivalent :D

Could use wheels or gears for the keys instead

[SNIPE]

Nice idea, I wanted to do this with the icons pac-man arcade, so that its more realistic in that you can play it like you do on a real arcade machine, I wanted to add a motor and be able to move pacman and so on and so forth and without making the model much larger than the original lego icons set.

[gyenesvi]

3 hours ago, Seasider said:

Could use wheels or gears for the keys instead

Actually I think that's a nice idea, except it would not have the letters, not even a surface for custom stickers.

[Ngoc Nguyen]

If you think Technifying a set is simply a matter of swapping out bricks with liftarms, then the development of this model may show the otherwise.

Technifying is about translating. The original model is built in one language, and I have to find the equivalent in the Technic language that can express the same idea as close as possible.

What I worked on today is the translation of the two curved pieces that form the bow shape in front of the keys. The number of parts with curved is quite limited in Technic so that was quite a challenge. Not to mention, in the original model the curved pieces are only 2 studs high, while curved panels in Technic are 3 studs high. In the end I settled with the new wheel arch from the McLaren P1. This piece also decided the color for whole model. Originally I wanted to build the whole thing in DBG, because DBG does not yellow as poorly as other colors. But then I have second thoughts. I have built quite a number of DBG MOCs lately already, and DBG just make the model looks boring. Thanks to the P1 there are quite a variety of BLO types of piece to use.

 

 

In the process, I Technify one side and leave the other side intact so I can compare. I also have to decide which features to keep and which features to sacrifice. In this case, I want to keep the slanting edges on both sides, and the best way to do that is to use the tapered 5x11. At first I also wanted to keep the round corner too, as that design is quite common in retro typewriter, but since I settled on using the tapered panels, I have to sacrifice the round corners. I also have to accept the fact that the Technic model will be 1 stud thicker on the bottom.

[Toastie]

On 12/20/2024 at 3:12 PM, Ngoc Nguyen said:

working on the surrounding structures is an act of creation of its own kind.

That is so true. However, I will never understand, why the mix of Technic and System is not appropriate. I mean, I slick super car does not look like having been under machine gun fire with blue bullets still sticking in the metal - they are absolutely smooth on the outside, but totally technical on the inside. Same thing for the typewriter ... full of nifty mechanics on the inside; smooth surfaces on the outside. Even back then, the folks making these things spent a lot of time on giving it a nice hull - rather than screwing together some sheet metal case with lots of extra holes ... after all, such a thing is an office machine. 

But this is just me. I believe you want to go full Technic because you want it all Technic - and that is totally cool.

Best,
Thorsten

[Berthil]

I respect the amount of work you have/will put into this, but for me it will not be prettier than the original. As such it will be an accomplishment if you are able to complete, but if you have a family/friends, it would be wise to spend time with them rather than completing this.

Edited January 3 by Berthil
typos

[Ngoc Nguyen]

3 hours ago, Toastie said:

However, I will never understand, why the mix of Technic and System is not appropriate.

I never said it's not appropriate. It's just that I don't like building with bricks and plates, because the building experience feels tedious.

Take the walls of the model as an example. The side wall in Technic can be covered with just 6 3x7 panels and one 5x11 taperer panel, while the front wall can be covered with 4 3x7 panels. In the original model, it takes a lot of brick and plate stacking to achieve the same goal (I did build the original model in Studio part by part).

Not to mention, it is easier to lock parts and ensure structural integrity with Technic. For example, in the original model, the front wall between the curved corner bricks can be just easily ripped apart if I pull the model from the front.

 

1 hour ago, Berthil said:

but if you have a family/friends, it would be wise to spend time with them rather than completing this.

Why "A rather than B" when I can "both A and B" 

[Ngoc Nguyen]

The wheel arch may be a good solution for the front curves, but on the two sides it ends too abruptly. I want to add some smooth curves at two ends, and after some tinkering this is the final solution. I replace that arch with the chopped arch and added quarter corner domes, and the curves flow very nicely.

[Ngoc Nguyen]

19 hours ago, Toastie said:

Even back then, the folks making these things spent a lot of time on giving it a nice hull - rather than screwing together some sheet metal case with lots of extra holes

I gave this some thoughts and I think that  there are some merits in it. This model should look better than just some metal sheet screwed together. Thus I decided to find ways to soften the look a little bit.

I took a look at some of the retro typewriters, and I notice that they and the original Lego typewriter all have round corners in the keyboard areas. So I spent an evening trying recreate those round corners, which is a huge challenge. I want to preserve the slant, and even though they can be created with 2x5 or 2x3 slant panels, the 5x11 tapered is the most ideal choice. However, it is longer than the space I have for the sides, while there are limited options in Technic for creating round corners.

In the end I settled with the 2x5x3 Thick Quarter Panel block, which luckily also exists in Bright Light Orange. This part pushes the front wall of the keyboard outward, so I decided to lengthen the liftarms for all the key levers. This is what it looks like at the moment and I'm quite happy with the outcome.

 

Below is the comparison between the widened keyboard and the original keyboard in the original set.

[Ngoc Nguyen]

DBG actually looks good.