Like off-road vehicles? Let’s build one with building blocks

Watching it slowly climb to the top of the slope, I realized that a man's happiness is so simple.

Cross-country is a romance for men. Playing in the sand and climbing rocks are all a continuation of childhood. So from the eyes of off-road players, you can see the fortitude and caution of adults, and you can also see the innocence and romance of children.

Off-road vehicles are naturally men's big toys, but this toy is not very cheap, and in a sense, this circle is really complicated.

Image source: Internet

Image source: Internet

After spending hundreds of thousands to buy an off-road vehicle, you have just arrived at a bottomless place. the edge of the pit. Just put a foot in it, AT tires, winches, long-stroke shock absorbers, competition bars, auxiliary fuel tanks, spotlights, you can change it to tens of thousands and go. This is not over yet. After modifying the car, we need to find an off-road venue, right? Do you have to spend money to travel? You have to hang out in circles, right? In short, none of the big toys for adults are cheap. But can we achieve the same happiness in a cheaper way?

And you must be familiar with this method, which is to build Lego.

My favorite LEGO series has always been about technology, in addition to the detailed street scenes. Using "bricks" to realize various complex movable mechanical structures is simply the romance of a science and engineering man. !

42055 Mining Bucket Wheel Excavator

However, due to the complicated mechanical structure, the overall weight is difficult to control, and the official motor basically does not set the speed too high in consideration of durability and safety. High, so the most suitable themes for the LEGO Technic series are complex movable construction machinery, or cars with a high degree of mechanical structure restoration (such as the familiar LEGO Bugatti Chiron).

Including the latest XL, L motors and generators in educational sets, LEGO has launched 13 types of motors

The torque of the XL motor is the highest in addition to the LEGO robot motor The largest

Although Lego motor speeds are generally not high, the powerful XL motor gives Lego Technology a new possibility: off-road climbing vehicles.

XL motor

Liebherr R9800 excavator

The XL motor can drive 42100 (Liebherr R9800 excavator, there are 4108 parts) , 42055 (bucket wheel mining excavator, with a total of 3929 parts), such a super behemoth, it is no problem to drive a much smaller and simpler off-road vehicle.

Limited to 41999, the shell-replacement version is 9398, which is difficult to buy

Although it is not fast, with the help of AT tires, gear sets and ultra-long stroke shock absorbers, Lego The passability of off-road vehicles is really unexpectedly strong! Moreover, you start from scratch and assemble a remote-controlled off-road vehicle part by part. You can just use shoe boxes and wooden boards at home to build a field and play. You don’t have to worry about breaking things if you are not fast. Isn’t it very interesting?

But to be honest, Lego’s “cheapness” is only relative to real cars. For a toy, its price is not generally high (even more expensive than some RC climbing cars, but I think The fun of building with Lego cannot be given by those models). So if you want to get into Lego off-road and climbing vehicles, my suggestion is to start with the cheap ones first, and see if you have the patience to spend a day sitting at your desk to build these complicated toys with thousands of parts. Don't throw the table over in anger. Some low-priced, small-grade products are undoubtedly a good choice.

Recommendations for entry-level players:

1.?42122 Wrangler

The recently released 42122?Jeep Wrangler is a small but sophisticated model, and it is also very suitable for entry-level players. It’s a product that’s a game-changer. The price of more than 300 yuan is very affordable. With only 655 parts (which is not many for LEGO Technology, most flagships start in 2000), the iconic air intake grille and toughness of the Wrangler are restored. The lines and part of the mechanical structure, including the winch, openable hood, off-road shock absorbers, and AT tires are all complete, and it looks stylish.

Although it cannot be controlled remotely and does not have a motor, it is a very suitable entry-level product for those who are trying LEGO Technology for the first time. The playability is limited, but after all, it is officially authorized by Jeep, so it is quite good as a car model display.

2. 42065 and 42095 remote control crawler vehicles

In terms of ground contact area, crawler vehicles are the ultimate off-road machines! It just so happens that if you are interested in remote control Lego but don't want to spend too much money, the 42065 and 42095 remote control crawler vehicles are very suitable for you. With a price of more than 500 yuan, you can experience the fun of an all-terrain crawler vehicle, and the number of small-grade parts of less than 400 makes it very simple to build. (Please note that the LEGO tracks are made of hard plastic and have very poor grip. When playing on hard ground, you can tie rubber bands on them to improve the grip)

However, it is worth noting that the motor of 42095 is an L motor. , the output power is larger than the M motor of 42065, the power is stronger, and it can make cool "head up" movements.

Moreover, the prices of the two are very close. In addition, 42065 is a 2017 product and there is not much inventory on the market. Therefore, if you don’t particularly like its more off-road style, it is recommended to buy 42095.

If you can feel the fun of LEGO Technology through these small-level SETs, but are not satisfied with their simple building experience, then I recommend the following "big meals" to you. Note that the built The process will probably take you a weekend!

Recommended for advanced players:

1.?42110 Land Rover Defender

Strictly speaking, 42110 is a product of the same type as 42083 Bugatti Chiron, with internal structure It is very restored and even more detailed than ordinary assembled models. The total 2573 parts are several orders of magnitude more than those "children" above. An in-line six-cylinder engine, three locks, high and low gear switching, a four-speed sequential gearbox with D-N-R switching, and front and rear multi-link independent suspension are all available. The 500-page instruction manual also makes the building experience perfect.

The appearance is even more restored. I have always felt that LEGO Tech is more suitable for building a square and hard-core off-road vehicle rather than a streamlined supercar because it is difficult to restore the curved surface of the parts. In fact, 42110 does look more handsome and coordinated than 42083. The large number of Land? Rover stickers and various "small school bags" are full of confidence. Even the wheels are specially made by LEGO and are exactly the same as those of the current Land Rover Defender.

However, for players who like RC remote control models, this one may not be your cup of tea. The complex internal structure leaves no place for the motor, but this is not a problem for all Lego masters. On the famous MOC (My?Own?Creation, use Lego parts to create your own unique designs) sharing website Rebrickable, you can already find a large number of remote control modification solutions for 42110. The price is that you have to dismantle some complicated gear sets. Overall, 42110 is suitable for appreciating complex mechanical structures and learning the design of Lego gear sets. If you want to enjoy the fun of a pure remote control climbing car, then I recommend you the following one.

2. LEGO 42099? RC? The off-road vehicle 9398 (2013 flagship) was once sold out by JS to a price of 2,00 after it went out of print in 2016-17.

Lego 9398 (2013 flagship)

The debut of 42099 will definitely give you no reason to buy 9398 except for collection. The most important thing is that it maintains the strong off-road performance of 9398. At the same time, it is also equipped with a new L motor (large motor), a new XL motor (extra large motor), and a Lego Bluetooth control module for the first time. You can use mobile phones and tablets for remote control without worrying about the transmission distance and receiver of the infrared remote control. The problem of being easily blocked.

The new motor looks very similar to the motor used by Lego robots, which will be familiar to parents with children

The built-in gyroscope can also check the body angle status

More than 900 parts are already a lot for a remote control car, so the appearance of 42099 is definitely worthy of a flagship level. The internal structure is not as complicated as that of the 42110 Land Rover Defender due to the addition of the motor system, but after all, the orientation is different, and the fun of remote control is worth the 1,500 yuan you spend.

The ultra-long-travel suspension and oversized AT tires are enough to give it a passability comparable to that of an RC model, whether it is a simply built off-road field at home, a lawn in the community or a sand pit in the school, wherever The advantage of off-road vehicles is that they can all play.

In addition, when playing with 9398 outdoors (sorry, I don’t have 42099 yet), I found that by strapping a GoPro to it, I could easily shoot off-road blockbusters. It has an extremely close-to-the-ground perspective and a long-travel suspension The natural bumps brought about by the forest in the community can give you the feeling of traveling through the jungle. In terms of play alone, this type of Lego all-terrain remote-controlled off-road vehicle is definitely my most recommended. It is much more interesting than the remote-controlled vehicles I played with when I was a child!

If these official packages are not enough for you, congratulations! Got into a trap! At this point, you will understand what "killing meat" means, and you will also understand that the price of LEGO parts is as strong as hard currency. The gate of MOC is waiting for you! Friends who are interested can go/take a look. Note that this pit is very deep.

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.