A Mining Truck fit for Hibernia

I took a break from my large scene to smash together this behemoth. I wanted a machine that dwarfed the minifigures beside it but was also operational and could be built with real bricks. The most basic chasis is based on the Land Bounty Ninjago set -- the steering is actually a straigh rip. All in all, this was an immensly satisfying vehicle to build, and an even more satisfying vehicle to animate.

 

I used Mecabricks' new animation system to rig the main features. This made it much easier to position for rendering and allowed me to make a full animation showcase. You can find the model and animation on Mecabricks. Feel free to look through the node system I used but be warned: There is no IK system so far so the 4-bar linkage for the extension arms is a super messy pseudo-analytical jumble. If you do this yourself, pay special attention to when the rotation coordinate system flips.

 

And of course, while I was building this, I came up with an idea for another vehicle that would make this look like a hotwheels car...

Done