I wasn't sure which orum this should go in. Since the final MOC probably belongs here, I thought a question on building technique should go here,too.

I am planning on designing a MOC with a lot of tanks. I've found that 2 stud wide tanks are pathetically easy. 4-stud diameter tanks have several options, using macaroni bricks or the 4 x 4 round bricks. 8 stud can use the 4 x 4 macaroni brick or the 4 x 4 x 5 quarter panel. But a 6-stud diameter cylinder is giving me fits.

Has anyone made one that looks good? I've tried various combinations of hinges or plates with handles and plates with clips, but I couldn't get it small enough without going to a hexagon, which isn't very round. I can do it with this slope, but that leaves a nasty ridge if you go any bigger than two studs high.

I'm hoping someone has a solution out there.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Edited March 5, 201014 yr by Walter Kovacs

Wait for new trains in summer. Tanker has 6 stud wide cylinder on it.

What about using back to back 1x3 curved slopes, and fasten them to an interior structure using something like this. There is also use a pre-made 6x cylinder.

Edited March 5, 201014 yr by gotoAndLego

Thanks for your help, guys.

Wait for new trains in summer. Tanker has 6 stud wide cylinder on it.

Looks like the new tanker is coming in white. I was hoping for Light gray (stainless steel), but white wouldn't be too bad.

What about using back to back 1x3 curved slopes, and fasten them to an interior structure using something like this. There is also use a pre-made 6x cylinder.

Unfortunately, the 3 x 1 curved slopes end up in a 8 stud diameter cylinder (and a very nice looking one at that). Looks like the 3 x 6 x 5 cylinder you are thinking of only comes in purple for now (your link points back to the 3 x 1 curved slope, by the way).

Although looking at the Curved slopes on Bricklink, I spy this 2 x 4 x 2/3 slope. It comes in Light gray, and looks like it makes a really good 6 stud diameter cylinder, if I can get the internal supports set up correctly.

Thanks for your help. If it weren't for you, I would have forgotten about that piece forever.

hell i just read this thinking you were building panzers or shermans , tho after clicking on the links i sort of get the idea , not military tanks

hell i just read this thinking you were building panzers or shermans , tho after clicking on the links i sort of get the idea , not military tanks

You know, it never occured to me that someone might think military tank. I'm an engineer, so when someone says tank, I think vessel. Sorry for any confusion.

I am planning a MOC on a truly huge scale: a minifig scale brewery, from grains receiving through packaging and warehousing. The tanks I am referring to are for the brewing process. A lot of the ideas I've already put down on paper*, but more than 75% of it is still rattling around in my head. I need to get the equipment designed first, so that I can layout the floorplans that much better.

* I do all of my designing in MLCad. Technically, it's not paper, but it is recorded somewhere.

Although looking at the Curved slopes on Bricklink, I spy this 2 x 4 x 2/3 slope. It comes in Light gray, and looks like it makes a really good 6 stud diameter cylinder, if I can get the internal supports set up correctly.

Thanks for your help. If it weren't for you, I would have forgotten about that piece forever.

That's what they use on the Emerald Night, photos should give you an idea of how well it works, and it looks pretty good. It does come in white, which is used on the Freeco speeder for example.

The premade 6x cylinder link I gave was wrong, but its what they use for the side pods on the new Tantive IV set.

Hinckley had some light gray cylindrical tanks in his brewery... but i believe they were 8 wide.

hinckley brewing co

Hello!

Maybe you find these suggestions useful. Or maybe not.

I like the last one best.

Cheers,

~ Christopher

I'm partial to this design. The 1x1 with three studs can be replaced by 1x4 with studs on side for longer segments.

Tim

Hello!

Maybe you find these suggestions useful. Or maybe not.

I like the last one best.

Cheers,

~ Christopher

I'm partial to this design. The 1x1 with three studs can be replaced by 1x4 with studs on side for longer segments.

Tim

Thanks for the suggestions, gentlemen. I really like Tim's solution, except that I don't se an easy way to attach a tank head to it.

Here's the design I think I'm going to go with. It's sort of a hybrid between two methods:

The ring of 2 x 2 slopes is there for supporting the tank. It will hang by that ring through a floor.

Hinckley had some light gray cylindrical tanks in his brewery... but i believe they were 8 wide.

hinckley brewing co

Hinckley has quite a nice micro-brewery there. But I'm thinking on a larger scale. Instead of micro-brewery, think AB-Inbev or Miller size. Should be quite the project.

I'm partial to this design. The 1x1 with three studs can be replaced by 1x4 with studs on side for longer segments.

Tim

This is indeed a clever design ! I am gonna print and save this proposal for a rainy day

Well done, Gambort.

Thanks for the suggestions, gentlemen. I really like Tim's solution, except that I don't se an easy way to attach a tank head to it. The ring of 2 x 2 slopes is there for supporting the tank. It will hang by that ring through a floor.

Hopefully you can follow along with this, as I don't have photos to provide. Nor have I tested if this will work.

Treating the cylinder and tank heads as separate items, you could connect them using flat plates attached to the backs of the hinges. If you added 1x1 bricks with a stud on one side, 1x1 headlight brick, or that bracket I posted earlier.

Edited March 10, 201014 yr by gotoAndLego