OCTAN LMP

February 18, 2024 Leave a comment


My favorite type of race car with my favorite livery.

Free instructions may be found at Rebrickable.com.

During COVID I had a little home office that was set up right next to all of my system bricks. I keep my Technic parts in a different place, so I could not get too distracted while I worked. But with this little parts so close, I did find myself tinkering with some of these system parts while I was on countless video meetings. As time went on I started to piece together some ideas that would work well for a full LMP car.

The LMP cars from the mid-90s to about 2008 were some of my favorite race cars. I love the look of the open cockpit, the long, aerodynamic bodywork, and the high rear wing of this generation of race cars. Though I do find this type of car difficult to build in LEGO. The cars are so low, and the wheel fenders are so slim. Both make it tricky to replicate in LEGO.

But after all this tinkering, I had some ideas that stared to work on their own. So I spend a couple of evening tying it all together. The bodywork guided the rest of the car. Once the engine cover and side pods were finalized, I started adding in the interior: engine, suspension, cooling parts. Which each added detail, I had to make sure the bodywork would continue to fit. The rear engine cover comes off in one part, and the front bodywork comes off as well, though not in one piece.

This car had no functions, but I was pleased with how I looked. I love the white, green, and red of OCTAN racing, even if this car could use a little less red. But all and all, the bodywork looks the part, and glancing at the car you know who the main sponsor is. I will keep this little build in my office for some time, and maybe I’ll try another little LMP car…

Happy building.

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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.

8440 Update Chassis

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.

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