Top 16 of 2016
December 30, 2016 Leave a comment
For the third year in a row, Thirdwigg.com presents the Top 16 of 2016. From the start of 2016 the Board of Trustees of Thirdwigg.com have scoured the interwebs to bring you the top LEGO Technic MOCs of 2016. As with any list, the challenge is not what to include, but what to leave out. If you are interested in the past years, check out the winners for 2014 and 2015.
As in years past, here is the general criteria for selection.
Was the MOC something unique?
Did it contribute a new build technique to the community? Did we learn how to transmit movement in a new and unique way?
Was it something I found myself returning to frequently? I build at lot, and others inspire my builds. Did I see something this year that I incorporated right away?
Was is visually appeasing? It takes work to make a Technic MOC look good. Granted, this is subjective, but I think my eyes are generally consistent with the eyes of others.
Again, thanks for visiting, and keep making awesome stuff for 2017. We at Thirdwigg.com are watching, and ready to add your stuff to next year’s list.
16. Terex Crane
I try to frequent the French Techlug.fr forum frequently, even though my French language skills are lacking. At times, I find little gems like this crane or this Cargo Loader. This Terex crane caught my eye because of the unique vehicle, and prefect execution of the functions and general look. I think I would have made a small color change, but overall, well done.
15 Small Ural
I love a good trial truck, and the variety (size, makes, drivelines) I see is wonderful. This mid-scale Ural was just the right amount of Russian truck for me. Check out the driveline. I know Lucio’s 8×8 was pretty cool too, but felt myself wanting to play with this Ural more.
Technic cranes are becoming a dime a dozen, and 42009 didn’t help. So I appreciate finding another crane that is truly unique. This one was built by long time excellent builder Eric Leppen. It was a great size, had all the functions of 42009, and was manually operated. I love the planning required for a MOC with so many functions packed in a small space. The colors are great, as a little orange goes a long way. I also have to mention Eric’s stunning 4 Axle truck with Knucklebone, it was great, but didn’t make the top 16.
Lipko keeps getting better. He’s made some great designs over the years, and this year he had some knockouts. The Simple Supercar was stunning, and the TC10 Backhoe won a contest, but the Telehandler got my vote. Packing all the required features of a Telehandler is impressive. The leveling fork blades, the steering, the orange. All of it was great. Keep it up.
This year, LEGO did another Rebrick contest. There were many great designs, but this small 919 stood out to me. The 919 is well know, but this recreation in a small scale with a working sequential transmission, steering, and the white and blue coloring. It didn’t get a top ten in the contest, but thanks to the LDD file available, plenty of people should be building it. That is a win in my mind.
This Excavator was released among the fury of the Porsche Contest, so it could have been easily overlooked. The small design packed a number of power functions features. I liked the clamshell buckets, and the slewing of the arm in addition to the turntable. The overall dexterity of the arm was well displayed in the video. Well done again Anto.
10 Metrac Mower
I almost missed this. I was not attracted by the title, and the first pictures we nothing special to me, but after I gave it a little time, I started to see all the features packed into this little lawn truck. The driveline was complex with the various steering modes, and the four wheel drive. The PTO was a great addition with the implements lifts, and allowed for the mower attachment. The design was unique, and well executed.
Shinyu has come out with a lot of great designs recently, and he has not been around for very long in the community. I was impressed with this design, both tin the number of features of the truck, but also with the prevention. The stickers were tasteful, and the photography was effective. The crane was great as was the rear lift. Great job, we look forward to more.
Tamas had a great year winning the Rebrick contest. And for good reason, but I fell in love with his Unimog. Basically I swoon for anything built in Dark Green. And I fall for any Unimog! Then he makes the first Mercedes-Benz Mog with working drive and steering, and all the details in the engine and chassis. I’m over the top. The steering wheel is fantastic, and the interior is just as sparse as the real thing. Great job!
7 Veyron
I’m a little bit of a Pippasseyoyo enthusiast. Let me restate that, I think Pipasseyoyo is the best Technic building working right now. So I watch closely when he finishes a MOC. I was again impressed when this Veyron was finished. The body work of the Veyron it difficult, but the execution in this MOC did it justice. The driveline was great with all-wheel drive, that huge engine, the transmission, adjustable suspension, spoiler, and steering. Also it was great to know that my ATS transmission inspired Pippasseyoyo’s design.
6 Jeep
Not many Technic Model Team designs made the list this year, but again, Marat came in with this little Jeep. The driveline is compact, and only has what is needed. As it the case with Marat, the bodywork is over the top. Every detail is perfect, and the coloring makes it stand out. I appreciated the various picture that were taken with different tires and colors.
While I seemed like many of the Porsche entries were a 911 or a 919, I appreciated the designs that were an idea for what Porsche could have its lineup. Like James Tilson’s Mission E, this entry was unique, and well executed. The features were simple, but the body work was swoopy, and made me want to drive it. I liked the removable roof, and the rear lines.
I very much like forestry equipment, particularly fellers, but this skidder meets my expectations. Green is a hard color to work with, so the outcome was great knowing the constraints. Here again, we see a lot of functions in small MOC that makes you ask, “how does it all fit?” I love the rear claw. Now I want to see it with the new 42054 tires on it.
There were some weird aspects of the Porsche contest, one of which was the lack of notoriety of this design. The bodywork was a great rendition of the 919; such simple solutions were used to stunning effect. This was also the first MOC I built in a long time, and I was struck by the effectiveness of the transmission and changeover lever. The suspension was simple and effective. If you need a good build, give this one a go.
Every year Tommy gets a little higher in the list. To be fair, I’m a little bit of a sucker for tanks, and extra points for Shermans. But this design is complete. Working drive, turret functions, suspension, the fake motor, and so much more. His attention to exterior detail keeps getting better.
I appreciate Steph77’s participation in the Eurobricks forums. He invites participation as he builds with the community in the forum. It allows for improvements as he moves forward with his designs. This one started simple enough, but kept getting more complex. Many functions are pack into this, and it’s not huge. I loved the rear crane, especially the retracting and extending final boom. The outriders were great, and the control with each function was great. Congratulations Steph77, you win the 2016 Thirdwiggy award!
Also this, this! Why was it not finished? It was looking so promising. Get back to it Sylvian, we’re all cheering for this.
Thirdwigg.com 