MOC: Minifig-scale BMW

[Dennimator]

UPDATE:

As some of you guys might know, I´ve been a 5-wide car for a long time, however I´ve taken a pretty long break from uploading my creations. That was because I wanted to improve my building skills. Now I´m working on several cars, 2 of them is just waiting for parts from a BL order. Meanwhile, I wanted to build a BMW. This model is not a replica of any particular existing BMW, I just wanted to make it feel "BMW-y".

So, enough of me talking, now for the pics (sorry for the yellowed/reddish background, I REALLY need to get myself a new camera ):

(Oh, I almost forgot, the front grille technique is originally Ralph_S´idea.)

It looks like Vader likes BMWs! However it seems like the Emperor didn´t give him any pocket money, so he had to trade something else for it...

What? Are you messing with me? This is my car. -

As always, comments and constructive criticism welcome.

Edited February 1, 2010 by Dennimator

[Legostein]

Hello!

Nice looking car! What I like best are the side mirrors using clicky hinges. That's a very original solution.

Cheers,

~ Christopher

[lightningtiger]

This tiger loves the colours you choose !

Nice studs showing minifig sports car.........at least Mr. Vader won't get any speeding tickets while he has his lightsaber handy !

I'm a conformist! 'Dennimator' !

[Big Cam]

I don't mean to sound rude but I don't like it. it seems so blocky (ironic I know it's lego). The overhangs on the bumpers are actually touching the ground, there are no doors.

I guess I'm just not a fan. The color scheme is nice though and Vader in anything always helps.

[Dennimator]

Hello!

Nice looking car! What I like best are the side mirrors using clicky hinges. That's a very original solution.

Cheers,

~ Christopher

This tiger loves the colours you choose !

Nice studs showing minifig sports car.........at least Mr. Vader won't get any speeding tickets while he has his lightsaber handy !

I'm a conformist! 'Dennimator' !

Thanks guys.

I don't mean to sound rude but I don't like it. it seems so blocky (ironic I know it's lego). The overhangs on the bumpers are actually touching the ground, there are no doors.

I guess I'm just not a fan. The color scheme is nice though and Vader in anything always helps.

It might just be the pics, it doesn´t feel/look blocky at all IRL. Also, nothing is touching the ground.

[DJ Force]

Well... it´s a nice 5-wider, but it doesn´t really scream Bimmer to me...

[prateek]

Well... it´s a nice 5-wider, but it doesn´t really scream Bimmer to me...

Me neither, but it is an awesome car How did you do the windshield?

[Ralph_S]

I like it, but it doesn't really look like a BMW to me too. In fact, making a car this small look like anything in particular is a chore. S you wrote, you based the front on one of my cars. With mine I was going for an American musclecar look and somehow yours looks more like, say, a Camaro than a BMW, certainly with the racing stripe. Nice colour combo BTW. The stripe down the middle really shows a nice perk of going for five-wide.

I don't want to push you towards building an outright copy of my car, but I do have a few pointers. It's hard not to make a small car like this look 'blocky' because the size of the parts is large compared to the size of the vehicle, but you can smooth things a bit by using a combination of plates and tiles. For instance, replacing some of the plates with tiles, in particular at the edges, would make it look smoother. I don't really like the flat expanse behind the driver. On my car I added a little hump to suggest a folded convertible roof. What you could do would be to add two black cheese slopes on top of the 1x4 black plates to suggest headrest or a tonneau cover. I'm not sure the click hinges work on this one. When I use them I tend to attach them using a half-stud offset. You can't do that on this car, obviously, because they'd interrupt the yellow stripe running down the centre. I couldn't do it on my car either, which is why i chose cheese slopes instead. IMO they also look a bit more sporty.

Cheers,

Ralph

[Dennimator]

The MOC has been updated, check the 1st post for the pics.

Well... it´s a nice 5-wider, but it doesn´t really scream Bimmer to me...

Thanks. Well, as I said it was mainly a test, I´ll build another version later.

Me neither, but it is an awesome car How did you do the windshield?

Thank you. I connected it with click hinges. This can be seen pretty good in this pic.

I like it, but it doesn't really look like a BMW to me too. In fact, making a car this small look like anything in particular is a chore. S you wrote, you based the front on one of my cars. With mine I was going for an American musclecar look and somehow yours looks more like, say, a Camaro than a BMW, certainly with the racing stripe. Nice colour combo BTW. The stripe down the middle really shows a nice perk of going for five-wide.

I don't want to push you towards building an outright copy of my car, but I do have a few pointers. It's hard not to make a small car like this look 'blocky' because the size of the parts is large compared to the size of the vehicle, but you can smooth things a bit by using a combination of plates and tiles. For instance, replacing some of the plates with tiles, in particular at the edges, would make it look smoother. I don't really like the flat expanse behind the driver. On my car I added a little hump to suggest a folded convertible roof. What you could do would be to add two black cheese slopes on top of the 1x4 black plates to suggest headrest or a tonneau cover. I'm not sure the click hinges work on this one. When I use them I tend to attach them using a half-stud offset. You can't do that on this car, obviously, because they'd interrupt the yellow stripe running down the centre. I couldn't do it on my car either, which is why i chose cheese slopes instead. IMO they also look a bit more sporty.

Cheers,

Ralph

Thank you.

Well, you´re right about the front, but.. I don´t know, I like it as it is now (after the update). It may not shout 'classic BMW', but I like it.

I updated the car a bit after your suggestions, I made the front smoother and 'rounder' and added a 'convertible roof hump'.

I kept the click hinges as they were, mainly because I couldn´t fit a headlight brick there.

[Rick]

The update looks much better than the original. The curve achieved with the tiles-studs combination looks very good. I don't like the absence of proper wheel arches. I know it's virtually impossible to achieve in 5-wide though. Also, I'm not a fan of windows made out of transparent plates and tiles. Wouldn't it be possible to fit a 4-wide window? But I guess it's a matter of personal taste in the end.

[Dennimator]

The update looks much better than the original. The curve achieved with the tiles-studs combination looks very good. I don't like the absence of proper wheel arches. I know it's virtually impossible to achieve in 5-wide though. Also, I'm not a fan of windows made out of transparent plates and tiles. Wouldn't it be possible to fit a 4-wide window? But I guess it's a matter of personal taste in the end.

Thank you.

Well yeah, the wheel arches is, as you said, impossible to improve in this scale.

Yeah, it would be possible, but there are only 2 different windows that would fit a car in this scale, and they both look 'wrong', either too shrinked or too.. well, the other one just don´t look good IMO. I like the transparent tile window solution better.