2022

January 17, 2023 Leave a comment

Another year comes to a close in Thirdwiggville, and it was another year that saw some challenging MOCs, and some fun little builds. For 2022 I was able to build: Synthe Combine, LEGO 42126 SVT8/10, LEGO 8440 Update, John Deere Scout, End Loader, Skid Excavator, LEGO 42136 Articulated Dumper, John Deere Axron, Off Road Knuckleboom Truck.

It was a prolific year for me, and this list even includes as couple of MOCs that I have not yet posted. I was even able to upload my 100th (!) MOC to Rebrickable, which was a goal I had for the year. In addition, I made good progress on the building goals I made for the year.

A Combine to match the Atmos Tractor (completed)
Another 42126 MOD (completed, twice)
An attachment for the Unimogs (no, but I made different Unimog and made 4 attachments for that)
A Garbage Truck (No, but coming soon)
A small truck (completed)
A system airplane (completed)
A remake of 8440 (completed)

I am now fully committed to the small manual technic build. I recognize this is not what gets the likes and views, but it’s what I enjoy building, so this is what I’ll continue to build. It does mean that I am building faster, and getting to enjoy more types of builds, which works well with my desire to keep creating new things. Looking over what will come in 2023, it will be more of the same. Some builds I have started I am really excited about.

Just a quick note about Rebrickable. In 2021, I taught myself how to use Bricklink Studio, and I’m happy I did that. I have been able to create and upload some great instructions to Rebrickable and I have received some great feedback and affirmation. I’ll keep doing this as I enjoy it, and I am always excited to see another build make one of my designs. I try to keep as many of the builds free as I am able, but I do value Rebrickable, and want to forward some funds to them. I hope this will continue to bring value to the online LEGO community. You can follow my builds on Rebrickable here.

For 2023 here are my goals:

Finish the Garbage Truck (finally)
A 15 wide Unimog U5000
Another alternative build
Another old set update
Some aircraft
A spaceship
A 15 wide car

Finally, As more people move to Instagram, feel free to see what I’m building there.

https://www.instagram.com/thirdwigg/?hl=en

On to 2023!

Filed under Planning Tagged with 2022, Planning

End Loader

November 16, 2022 1 Comment

Time for another Eurobricks contest! Free Instructions are available at Rebrickable.com.

Another Eurobricks contest was made available, and this one was right up my alley. In fact, I was so excited about the contest, I made two MOCs. The contest was to create a small, less than 10,000 cubic stud, construction vehicle. I figured an end loader is perfect for the contest theme, and it was a while since I created one. I build a quick draft of the shape including where the steering, engine, and bucket would go.

At this scale I decided quickly that adding an engine would be a great feature, but four wheel drive would only distract from the look and the function of the bucket. The engine is a little 3 cylinder unit that is mounted transversally behind, and powered by, the rear axle. This placement allowed for steering and bucket tilting to be placed in a HOG placement.

I next worked on the linkage for the bucket. It took a couple of tries, but I finally got a linkage with full movement. Two mini linear actuators are placed on the side of the loader for bucket lift, and are linked together. The manual control is a small gear on the left side. The bucket tilt uses a Z-linkage design that allows for the bucket to move correctly through the lift movement and not dump any load. This is controlled by a single mini linear actuator, with a controlling gear on the top of the engine cover. The head of the bucket allows for quick change between a bucket and forks. Finally, steering is controlled by the HOG on the top of the cabin, and keep my high standards for steering feel with low slop.

I was pleased with this little creation, but it was not as interesting as the other MOC that I designed. So while everything worked well, and looked great, I submitted the other MOC for the contest. I hope you enjoy the MOC, and feel free to build one of your own.

Happy Building!

Filed under Construction Tagged with 2022, Cylinder, Differential, Instructions, mLA, MOC, steering, technic

Lego 8440 Update

April 11, 2022 1 Comment

I am on a little bit of a old set update kick right now, so here is another one.

Free instructions are available here.

When I do an update, I like to add features, but keep the look and feel of the original in a way that you see the build and know what it is referencing. It’s is easy to see the old studded design and have the impulse to recreate the set with studless beams. But there are a lot of new parts that have been released since those old sets were released and many of the new parts allow for a lot of new functions.

For this set, I started first with the bodywork. Once the bodywork was where I wanted, I would fit in as many new functions as I could. It turned out that not many functions were added. But at least the bodywork was a nice update to the original.

Updated 8440 (red) over original 8440 (light trans-blue)

I kept the V6 that 8440 had, and devised a new rear transmission to the rear wheels. It is single speed, but it is geared up in a way that the engine spins faster than it does in the original. I then started adding details to the engine that would fit under the engine cover. I had to keep some exhaust pipes, and cooling radiators, but it took a little time to get those to look the way I wanted. I finally found a solution that was a step up from the old pneumatic tubes.

Keeping the front steering was simple, but fitting it into the narrow nose was a little bit of a trick. The final result is not too interesting but works well, and allows for a removable nose. A simple rear wing was added as well, and can be easily removed.

The remake did not add as many new functions as I originally wanted to add. True, the design stayed faithful to the original, but a wanted a little more than that. Everything worked well, and looked great, but it was a little too simple. Maybe the next update I do will have a little more opportunity to make some updates. Until then, happy building.