[MOC] Classic Land Rover Defender 90 - 1:10 scale (42177 alternate)

[gyenesvi]

Hi Guys!

I'm happy to present you my (first) alternate model of the Mercedes G500 (set 42177) into a classic Defender 90!

A classic Defender has been on my todo list for a long time, I have tried it with set 42110 as well, but certain details just did not work out (oversized fender pieces relative to wheels), but with the G500 set I finally went for it as the parts are quite okay for making the iconic details of this model. Due to the orange color, the model was heavily inspired by modern variants in classic shape, such as the Heritage version, which does exist in almost exactly this color.

 

Let me take you through the design process as well, but to start off, here's a video to showcase all the features!

 

Features

• 4-link live axle suspension on both axles
• all wheel drive with central and rear differential lock
• 3+R gearbox in an H pattern
• working inline 4 piston engine
• working steering wheel and HoG
• openable doors with functional locks, including the rear
• clean interior with seats and classic benches in the rear section
• numerous accessories such as roof rack, reflectors, toolbox, cans, ladder, spare wheel, snorkel, spade and axe

 

Design process

Bodywork

As already usual for me with these kind of models, the design started with the bodywork to see whether it is possible to make a good looking model using the parts of the source set. This was done in Studio to be able to easily build in the air. Certain parts were key, such as the trapezoid panels to be able to make the hood (actually I already suspected this possibility when I heard about the G-class as it has a similar hood shape). Then I tried the front face / lights / grille. Luckily the source set has an unusually high number of 1x2 grille tiles, just enough to make the entire large grille (which had to become even width because of the 1x2 part). Also, enough clear parts to make the light cluster, even the luxury of choosing from 2x2 and 3x3 dishes, somehow the smaller ones looked better for me, but they are actually exchangeable.

Next was the fenders. This was critical, since the Defender has a distinct shape of fenders, with angles / curved shape that are different from the 4x6 angled beam used in the G500, so using those parts was out of the question. Also, the set did not have enough 112.5 degree angled connectors, which would have been perfect for the job, so I had to resort to different technique to make the angle. Luckily, there were just enough black connectors in the set, which could be used with some tricky mounting points.

Another key detail was the curved slope running through the sides; to see whether there's enough material for that and whether it can all be connected firmly to the rest of the body. Especially the door are was tricky, where I also had to pay attention to allow it to close easily. 

The new angled connectors also came in handy to add that small but important detail to the side windows, which is best seen on the rear view.

So slowly the sides and front got together, and using the curved black panels, I just managed to put together a convincing roof shape too.

Last I made the rear door/windows, where I also managed to model those little side windows while allowing the door to be openable.

At first I did not want to bother with door locks, I did not find them very convincing on the A model, but then I saw that all alternate builds do it, so I thought I had to give it a try, and I am happy I did. I tried to make a more realistic and smooth mechanism than the A model, and I stumbled upon a simple way that opens by pushing the handle down. It works like a charm, and I managed to replicate it for the rear door too.

Chassis, drivetrain, suspension

Once the body was looking nice and the dimensions were known, I started thinking about the internals. First the suspension. The rear suspension was the part in the A model which was the most underwhelming for me. Even though there is a ton of space at this scale, the linkage geometry is just unrealistic; it even binds up if there is no weight on it because of too much constraints (triangulated upper links plus a Panhard rod constraining the axle at different heights is just physically impossible). The use of that new suspension arm feels out of place, a simple parallel 4-link with long 9L links and the Panhard rod could have been much simpler and realistic at the same time. Another thing I don't like there is the chassis rail geometry and the spring mounting. The chassis rails are unrealistically tall along with the springs which end up being in the middle of the trunk. Again, I was thinking, at this large scale, in a manual model, it should be possible to make something more realistic. So that's what I aimed for, if even with the part restrictions of the set.

In a chassis with live axles squeezing in the 3x19 frame is a bit more difficult as longitudinal space is a luxury because the axles need more space, but it turned out to be just okay. So I aimed for a solid but slim / flat chassis railing that does not protrude into the bed area in the rear.

As for the suspension linkage, I used the short ones on the front, and for the rear, I used longer ones to allow the lower ones to pass under the frame. I also moved the springs out to keep the bed clean.

In this model I did not aim for long travel anyway, as I wanted to keep the body lowered on the wheels, to look more realistic, unlike the overly lifter G500. I mean it's nice to have that long travel, but when it comes at the cost of obscuring both the chassis / spring geometry and the fenders at the same time, then something does not feel right. I think the core of the problem is using these short springs all the time instead of bringing back longer softer ones. With these short ones it's not possible to build live axles with realistic geometry unless the spring ends up in the middle of the chassis / trunk, which is no good.

Once the suspension geometry was sorted, I moved onto the drivetrain / gearbox. The most challenging part. To make something true to the real world model, I definitely wanted an H pattern gearbox with a reverse gear. On one hand the availability of the new 12T clutch gear in the set made this possible, as it allows to move one of the 4 gears out of the connected gear-train and reverse it without effecting the others. On the downside, the set is quite short on various gear sizes (no 24T and 8T gears typically used in 3+ speed gearboxes), so actually making the 3-speed part was more difficult, I had to use a longer train of gears which made things harder to route and brace, caused some weird friction issues as well, and also I used up most of the gears in the set. The inclusion of a central differential with lock also complicated things, so I just settled from a bottom operated lock, as in case of the rear axle anyways. Another difficulty with a 3+R gearbox in an H pattern is where to put the reverse gear. The problem with the more obvious / favorable 1-2-3-R positions is that the reverse gear gets opposite to the 3rd gear, which means it will naturally become similar speed as the 3rd gear, which is unrealistic. So I went with the R-1-2-3 pattern, which allows the reverse gear to be similar speed as the 1st gear which is realistic.

On top of all, the HoG steering axle also had to pass through the chassis. Luckily, I could avoid routing it through the middle, colliding with the gearbox, rather on the side instead. This is because the steering is based on a linkage, as in case of real live axles, which is actuated from one side (where the steering wheel is) to the other. It turned out, that I had free space on the right side of the gearbox, which was lucky, because then I could put the steering wheel and the HoG routing to the right side, which is just a good match for the Defender being an English brand (interestingly, mirroring the gearbox would not work because then the H pattern would also get mirrored which would be unrealistic for the gear sequence). In the end I ran out of gears, so I had to use some tricky linkages to get the steering wheel move. I even had to resort to using the 20T clutch gear on a friction pin, which works okay when using the HoG and it moves the steering wheel in the cabin, but the steering wheel could not be used to steer the model (though can be fixed by swapping that green gear to a proper 20T one).

An interesting thing about the build is that the actual gearbox submodule turned out the be a single piece dropped in between the chassis frames.

 

Interior and accessories

The final touches were the interior, and some extra accessories to make the model more interesting, less plain.

As for the interior, besides the usual front seats, I definitely wanted to make sideways benches in the rear section. Luckily enough, there was enough DBG material to make these happen.

As for the extras, an obvious one was the spare wheel and the roof rack, but I also added a ladder on the side, making sure that it (and the spare wheel) still allows the rear door to open. I also took some inspiration from the Icons Defender to mount some tools (spade and axe) to the hood, and add a toolbox and some cans on the top. Also a simple snorkel mountable to the A pillar.

Here are some photos to showcase it in real life.

More images are available on Bricksafe.

Building instructions are available on Rebrickable.

Let me know how you like it!

Cheers,

Viktor

Edited December 21, 2024 by gyenesvi

[Aurorasaurus]

I have never wanted to build an alternate model so much! This model is just fantastic, the functionality is outstanding, and the execution of all the functions is flawless in my eyes. And the way you presented all the details makes it so easy to understand, seriously good work.

[Erik Leppen]

For the bodywork, I had to look a bit longer to notice it was even different, but under the hood this seems pretty innovative. Bodywork-wise, I think the options are a bit limited, so I understand you went with this type of car. But this model does suffer a bit from the fact that on first glance, it looks like a variation on the official set, where actually, it is a complete rebuild.

The chassis design looks really clean and I really like the suspension setup. It looks to be pretty interesting to build and totally different from the original set. I also like how you put a more standard gearbox in this, instead of all those levers of the original set. Yeah, all in all it seems like a technically interesting and well-designed model, without any 'messy bits'.

 

Edited December 21, 2024 by Erik Leppen

[Milan]

Frontpaged.

[1gor]

Better than both original sets (G wagon and Defender). It's perfect (for manual model). Everyone recognizes uconic design and details like shovel are great.

[thekoRngear]

When people say a MOC looks better than its stock model I would tend to disagree most of the time (they are beautiful in their own ways). Not gunna lie, it does look and feel better than the stock 42177. The body does not look overly cluttered. The rooftop looks clean yet attractive with accessories.
As someone who has built both his Jeep Bruiser and Willy’s Jeep I can say Gyenesvi’s use of parts within the constraints for a B-model is simply brilliant and lots more effective in terms of displays and functional authenticity 

Edit: glad to learn the gearbox submodule turned out to be a big single piece!

Edited December 21, 2024 by thekoRngear

[damian_kane_iv]

you've done it again; this is one superb alternate model!

[2GodBDGlory]

Yes, very nice! Good functionality and detail within the constraints of an alternate model

[_TLG_]

Looks cool and has nice functions, congratulation for the frontpage!

[ukbajadave]

What a great model, I was not sure i was going to purchase this set but the amount and quality of b models has convinced me. Now to try and find a bargain...

The instructions seem good too with clear colour differences between DBG and Black, something my old eyes appreciate 

On 12/21/2024 at 12:12 AM, Erik Leppen said:

...on first glance, it looks like a variation on the official set, where actually, it is a complete rebuild...

I must say at first glance I too thought it was very similar but I wonder if that is down to the colour and Lego fans being familiar with the existing set? If I showed the picture to a non Lego car person I think they'd get Defender straight away.

[pow]

The details are just mad! Brilliant alternate as ever!

The description is super interesting! didn't know these funny details about Lego's G-Class. Nice that you where able to get rid of all the (unrealistic?) compromises the G-Class comes with!

[langko]

This looks amazing! IMO you make some of the best alternate models in the game. Your write ups are always a pleasure to read as well, and I appreciate the effort put into them.

By chance I happened to see the 110 version of this car (dual cab version) whilst on the road yesterday. Same exact colour spec as well! I was looking at it whilst stuck at a red light and I’m blown away by how well you’ve managed to capture all the details and look of it. That curved slope section that runs through the side is spot on. Chassis and functions looks super interesting and well done as well 👍🏻

[gyenesvi]

On 12/21/2024 at 12:57 AM, Aurorasaurus said:

I have never wanted to build an alternate model so much! This model is just fantastic, the functionality is outstanding, and the execution of all the functions is flawless in my eyes. And the way you presented all the details makes it so easy to understand, seriously good work.

Thanks, glad you like it so much, and that you appreciate the presentation as well :)

On 12/21/2024 at 1:12 AM, Erik Leppen said:

For the bodywork, I had to look a bit longer to notice it was even different, but under the hood this seems pretty innovative. Bodywork-wise, I think the options are a bit limited, so I understand you went with this type of car. But this model does suffer a bit from the fact that on first glance, it looks like a variation on the official set, where actually, it is a complete rebuild.

The chassis design looks really clean and I really like the suspension setup. It looks to be pretty interesting to build and totally different from the original set. I also like how you put a more standard gearbox in this, instead of all those levers of the original set. Yeah, all in all it seems like a technically interesting and well-designed model, without any 'messy bits'.

 

I get what you mean about the looks, I also had that feeling when looking at my images. I guess it's mainly due to the color and the overall shape. Other alternate models are luckier in this respect. But indeed there's actually almost nothing in common with the G500. Thanks for appreciating the technical details!

On 12/21/2024 at 1:34 AM, 1gor said:

Better than both original sets (G wagon and Defender). It's perfect (for manual model). Everyone recognizes uconic design and details like shovel are great.

Glad you like it, thanks!

On 12/21/2024 at 7:53 AM, thekoRngear said:

When people say a MOC looks better than its stock model I would tend to disagree most of the time (they are beautiful in their own ways). Not gunna lie, it does look and feel better than the stock 42177. The body does not look overly cluttered. The rooftop looks clean yet attractive with accessories.
As someone who has built both his Jeep Bruiser and Willy’s Jeep I can say Gyenesvi’s use of parts within the constraints for a B-model is simply brilliant and lots more effective in terms of displays and functional authenticity 

Edit: glad to learn the gearbox submodule turned out to be a big single piece!

Thanks for the kind words, glad to hear!

On 12/21/2024 at 1:22 AM, Milan said:

Frontpaged.

On 12/21/2024 at 1:21 PM, damian_kane_iv said:

you've done it again; this is one superb alternate model!

On 12/21/2024 at 6:36 PM, 2GodBDGlory said:

Yes, very nice! Good functionality and detail within the constraints of an alternate model

On 12/22/2024 at 8:09 AM, _TLG_ said:

Looks cool and has nice functions, congratulation for the frontpage!

Thanks a lot!

On 12/22/2024 at 10:46 AM, ukbajadave said:

What a great model, I was not sure i was going to purchase this set but the amount and quality of b models has convinced me. Now to try and find a bargain...

The instructions seem good too with clear colour differences between DBG and Black, something my old eyes appreciate 

I must say at first glance I too thought it was very similar but I wonder if that is down to the colour and Lego fans being familiar with the existing set? If I showed the picture to a non Lego car person I think they'd get Defender straight away.

Always good to hear when people say they'd buy the set to build an alternative :) Hope you'll find the instructions easy. Agree that someone without being predisposed to the original set's pictures would get easily that it's a Defender :)

On 12/22/2024 at 1:04 PM, pow said:

The details are just mad! Brilliant alternate as ever!

The description is super interesting! didn't know these funny details about Lego's G-Class. Nice that you where able to get rid of all the (unrealistic?) compromises the G-Class comes with!

Glad you appreciate the details and the description. Well, those details are just my own experience / opinion, and I always try to get as realistic as possible within the bounds of the building system, and thought this time it could be improved, kind of low hanging fruit that Lego did not nail for some reason.

17 hours ago, langko said:

This looks amazing! IMO you make some of the best alternate models in the game. Your write ups are always a pleasure to read as well, and I appreciate the effort put into them.

By chance I happened to see the 110 version of this car (dual cab version) whilst on the road yesterday. Same exact colour spec as well! I was looking at it whilst stuck at a red light and I’m blown away by how well you’ve managed to capture all the details and look of it. That curved slope section that runs through the side is spot on. Chassis and functions looks super interesting and well done as well 👍🏻

Thanks for the nice words about my alternates and write-ups. Glad it compares well to the real-life counterpart and that the technical side is also interesting!

[ukbajadave]

To test my theory I've just shown one of the pics to a friend and they did get Land Rover straight away so job done 

I managed to get 42177 today for £120, I'll build the G500 first and then on to this.

@gyenesvi Well done on making this a B model. Were there any areas you had to make a sacrifice to keep it all one set? If I already had lots of parts would you recommend any small changes?

[gyenesvi]

6 hours ago, ukbajadave said:

To test my theory I've just shown one of the pics to a friend and they did get Land Rover straight away so job done 

Good to know, thanks :)

6 hours ago, ukbajadave said:

Were there any areas you had to make a sacrifice to keep it all one set? If I already had lots of parts would you recommend any small changes?

Yes there are some areas that could be improved, but not big sacrifices, most of them on the inside, a few on the outside, like cosmetic ones. For example the axles could be built better with more parts, the set does not have 5x7 O frames for example, a pretty essential one for axles. So in the front I had to build a frame out of beams, which is harder to stabilize and comes out more bulky. Also, in the rear, some more 9L links would have been useful, and I would have rather built a diff locking rear axle frame out of 7L flip-flop beams than using the 11x7 frame. That would have left more room for spring placement for example. In general, I'd be curious if it would be possible to build a version of this with long springs, slightly more lifted and longer travel.

Maybe some 24T and 8T gear could have simplified the gearbox, but at the same time the 24T needs more space, so bracing would have been more difficult.

On the outside, the fender is a part that could be simplified / improved with more connectors (as I wrote above), especially reddish orange ones (the right angles exist in the color, so it would be doable), but also in case of the black version. Some more #1 connectors in orange could improve the looks of the rear side windows as well. And a longer (2x5) black winglet panel on the front of the roof.

The area that I would like to definitely improve is behind the doors, where the last 2x3 orange panel is attached at the bottom. That does not look very nice, but improving that is difficult, because that panel has connection points in not so good places. The best solution I could do would require a corner pinhole with two axles in reddish orange, but that does not exist.

Maybe the gap between the base of the hood and the bottom of the windshield could be filled with more orange beams.

[Thebrickfig]

Love the shape that you made with the pieces you had on hand!

[R0Sch]

Excellent work on this alternate model! You could even pass it as the main one. Didn't realize that the reddish orange was so bright irl. Wish LEGO would make some nice metallic colors too like the good old 8466. Fun fact, I see more Defenders than G-Wagons in Germany. :)

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Beautiful MOC and fantastic features! 

[1gor]

2 hours ago, R0Sch said:

Fun fact, I see more Defenders than G-Wagons in Germany. :)

G-Wagon is extremelly expensive (moch more than Landy), but now every pesant think he/she has royal blood and must have G-Wagon (or similar expensive toy)...Landy has kind of not-so-exclusive image still and for years G-Wagon was very very reliable, so price of G-Wagen was faster climbing; but I bet Victor's Land Rover will out last them all. 

Edited December 24, 2024 by 1gor

[SimonCK]

Great job, this is fantastic, easily one of the best alternative C models I've seen. 

I'm excited because I've got 42177 sat under the christmas tree as a self present.  I'll definitely be building this to go alongside my 42110 Defender. 

You mention there's a few small sacrfices, I'd love to see a "mods and improvements" thread for this Defender model.  I really enjoyed improving my 42110. 

[gyenesvi]

On 12/24/2024 at 4:40 AM, Thebrickfig said:

Love the shape that you made with the pieces you had on hand!

Thank you! Actually I am trying to see if I could improve it with unlimited parts, and it's more difficult than I thought :)

On 12/24/2024 at 11:42 AM, R0Sch said:

Excellent work on this alternate model! You could even pass it as the main one. Didn't realize that the reddish orange was so bright irl. Wish LEGO would make some nice metallic colors too like the good old 8466. Fun fact, I see more Defenders than G-Wagons in Germany. :)

Thanks, funny enough, I am starting to see regular orange as a bit dull.. I like this color actually.

On 12/24/2024 at 11:51 AM, LEGO Train 12 Volts said:

Beautiful MOC and fantastic features! 

Thanks!

On 12/24/2024 at 5:47 PM, SimonCK said:

Great job, this is fantastic, easily one of the best alternative C models I've seen. 

I'm excited because I've got 42177 sat under the christmas tree as a self present.  I'll definitely be building this to go alongside my 42110 Defender. 

You mention there's a few small sacrfices, I'd love to see a "mods and improvements" thread for this Defender model.  I really enjoyed improving my 42110. 

Thanks, glad you consider it a good one! You got me thinking about the possible improvements, but it does not seem easy to make fundamental changes with the parts available in this color.. some less significant beautification is possible though.

[SimonCK]

I was thinking of improvements where you can use additional pieces.  Not so many that it's a fundamentally different base model but say up to 150 extra pieces,  the sort of thing people can buy on Bricklink for a little extra spending. 

They don't have to be complicated mods, simple things like adding extra roof lights to match the real one in your photo, maybe a winch....etc. 

[gyenesvi]

On 12/26/2024 at 11:38 AM, SimonCK said:

I was thinking of improvements where you can use additional pieces.  Not so many that it's a fundamentally different base model but say up to 150 extra pieces,  the sort of thing people can buy on Bricklink for a little extra spending. 

They don't have to be complicated mods, simple things like adding extra roof lights to match the real one in your photo, maybe a winch....etc. 

I see what you mean, sure definitely possible, for example something like a full roll cage, and winch at the front.

Also, with a bunch of extra 2L reddish orange liftarms, the body curve above the rear fender can be made look smoother, like on the doors.