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42154 Porsche 911

February 1, 2024 Leave a comment

Like so many other builders, I have found joy in building alternative models.

You may find instruction at Rebrickable.com.

The alternative build is becoming a popular theme in the current LEGO culture, and LEGO Technic is no different. Many people buy a set or two, and look for ideas what to make with the sets they have purchased. Rebrickable has made this even easier. Certainly I would like to share some of my creativity with them, but I also like the challenge of trying to design a creation with a limited amount of parts. I have built a couple of alternative builds now, so I wanted to try something a little bigger. LEGO set 42154 is a good size, has a lot of fun parts, and has a beautiful dark blue color. I love any Porsche, so I stared with a 911.

When I do an alternative build, I start with the big parts first: namely where do the panels go. For 42154 this meant I started with the fenders, the door panels, and the transparent panels. After a quick draft, I knew I would be able to get the general shape of the 911 right.

Then I worked on the interior. The car would keep a four wheel independent suspension setup with steering at the front. A flat 6 engine was mounted at the rear with drive connected through a differential between the rear wheels. I was able to keep the HOG steering link on top of the roof. Two seats are include, but no jump seats.

It took some time working on all the remaining parts. 42154 does not have many liftarms, so I had to design and redesign what parts are used where a couple of times. At the end, I had a lot of parts leftover, so I was able to make two rear end designs: a rear wing, and a little duckbill spoiler (my favorite 911 look). Both are easily interchangeable.

I was pleased to have finished another alternative build. They are hard for me to complete, but a good exercise in working with constraints. I like the way this one turned out, as I like the stance and the proportions of the design. The size is right for my desk, and the dark blue looks great in LEGO. Plus any 911 is a good 911 in my mind.

Until next time, happy building.

Filed under Cars Tagged with 911, Altbuild, Cylinder, Differential, Instructions, MOC, steering, suspension, technic

Porsche 911 Cup Car

March 1, 2016 3 Comments

In a moment of online immaturity, I requested a topic for the 100th LUGNuts Challenge. I was tasked to build “any year Porsche 911, or a 2015 Jaguar F-Type.” It was to be completed during February 2016. I, of course, mistook the challenge as a requirement, and worked frantically to complete the MOC in 13 days.

The full gallery may be found on Flickr or Brickshelf.

Being the year of the Technic Porsche, I figured it was a good idea to try my hand at the 911. The 911 is an iconic car and it’s shaping is instantly identifiable. It seemed like a bad idea to try and recreate it. I spent the first week of the month planning the style, scale, and the features. I decided to model 935, 964, or 991 GT3. Each were rear wheel drive, and had a wide rear track with prominent rear fenders. I decided on a four speed transmission, steering, and full suspension all around. Throughout the build, I settled on a cup racing version of Model 964, in OCTAN colors of course.

I started building on Feb. 10th, and completed the placement of all the major components. By Feb. 15 I had a final chassis. I used a “dynalive” suspension on the rear connecting to a short/long arm suspension design. The differential is not fixed to the chassis, but move in a dynamic way between each side of the suspension. I have used this set up before, and it works well. Immedialty in front of the suspension is the transmission. Rather than having the common four speed tranmissions found in 8880 and many other MOC, this transmission has all the gears in a single plane. This add a couple of gears, but it allows for a lower car, which works great at this scale. The output shaft exits the transmission on the non-driver side, and goes up and over the rear suspension where it connects to the boxer 6 at the rear of the car. Finally, I added a simple double A-arm suspension on the front.

By the 16, I had an introduction to the body work, and the steering had been finalized. I added a drivers seat and worked on the roof , and a draft of the front hood was done on the 17th. On the 18th, I submitted for feedback to the internet a couple of designs for the front hood. I finalized the hood and the rear quarterpanels on the 19th. By the 20th the exterior details were done, and I stopped posting work in progress pictures. After a week of solid building, I took a couple days off and made a 12 part Bricklink order to cover the few white parts that were needed.

I then spent the next couple of days finalizing the interior details, including the dashboard, a full roll cage, and the engine details. The MOC was done by the 25th, which means I completed it in 15 days, faster than anything I have ever built.

The MOC worked well. The suspension was taught, and functioned well. The steering lock was a little limited, but it worked smoothly. The transmission was a little gummy in gear one, but two through four worked great. But did it look like a Porsche? Yes, but some parts bothered my eyes a little, such as the spoiler, fenders, and hood. Basically the shape is there; you can tell what car it is, but from some angles, you cannot tell it has flared fenders. The hood does not look as curvaceous as it should, and the spoiler looks like an add on. The colors looks good, but a little more great would be great. Overall, I was pleased with what I did in 15 days, but next time I will be a little more particular.

Until next time, happy building.