Sunday, January 10, 2016

Beginners Guide: How to start

To get an idea how to build your own High Speed LEGO model, I will show you my creation process. Because this is a beginners guide, I will not tell every detail. Therefore I will post separate articles.

Base model
The creation process of my models started with building the base model. After that I removed parts until I had enough space for my RC-parts and a gearbox. In case of the LEGO model 42000 and 42039 I have removed the LEGO Engine. Additional you need some space for the steering servo.

Gearbox
The next step is to design a gearbox. You can do it with real LEGO parts, the LEGO Digital Designer or other LEGO design software. I used the LEGO Digital Designer for all of my projects. When you don't know which ratio you will need for your Model now, you can design it first with 2 or 3 pairs of a 8 tooth and 24 tooth gear. Later you can change it with a pair of 12 tooth and 20 tooth. So you can adjust your gear ratio.



Engine mount
I created my engine mounts with Autodesk 3ds Max, but you can use any other 3D modelling software. My recommended export file format is .stl. For all who can't design their own engine mounts, I will publish my for free use.



Order Parts
Now it is time to order all needed parts. A list with all RC-components can be found in the "Beginners Guide: How much it costs and what I need" article. Additional you will find there a list with shops where I ordered my parts.

Build drive
After receiving all parts, it is time to build our drive into the model. Use a lot of grease to reduce the wear on LEGO parts.

Steering
First you have to find a good place for your steering servo and find an idea how to fix him. To connect the servo with the LEGO axle, I recommend my little steering adapter, which I will publish with the steering article. I used it in all my models.

Test and improve
After mounting your model, it is time for the first test. In my first test I had a lot of problems with gears and axles. To fix this problems, it will help to reinforce your model. It is recommended that each side of both axles will be hold by the same part. After some iterations of test and improve your model, you will have an awesome High Speed LEGO model :)




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