Brio-Lego-compatible Carriage Wideload with Tack Axles

thingiverse

This is a ground-up remodel of the carriage from https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4199752 and the wheels from that design's predecessor. I loved the wider carriage deck, but I didn't want to deal with printed and glued axles. Since I ended up with 200 tacks from Amazon, I just subbed those in as the axles. This is pretty much how Brio used to do it, at least in the cars I still have from the 80s (see photos). I also simplified the carriage by removing the notch in the belly. More plastic means more weight, so I figured it might be an improvement. As with the source model, 70% infill added a decent amount of weight and 10mm magnets were all I could find. **SAFETY AND FIT** **Tacks:** The holes in the model hold the tacks really well. It took a lot of pushing force from my thumb to get them in and vice-grips or a lever to get them out. Having said that, your printer will surely vary and you may need to tweak things to get a snug fit. **No matter what, I don't recommend giving these carriages to kids who can't handle it if a tack comes out somehow.** **Studs:** The studs are modeled at the size that worked well for me at .2 layer height. Some lego pieces fit quite tightly and some fit a little more loosely, but everything seems to stay on. Even factory legos have some variation in their grab. I would say this is not a factory fit, but it's good enough. If the tack holes or the studs don't work on your print, try adjusting XY compensation (aka "horizontal size compensation" or "horizontal size expansion"). Just adding or subtracting .1 should hopefully help! **This is not an official LEGO product, nor is it affiliated with the brand in any way.**