gzumwalt Dual Mode Windup Car Remix

myminifactory

This is a complete overhaul of the fantastic Dual Mode Windup Car by Greg Zumwalt. As a kid, I was obsessed with model cars, particularly Herbie, the love bug. So I decided to create a remix that captured its essence, though later I drew inspiration from the New Beetle design more closely. Greg astutely points out in his comments that weight significantly affects the performance of this toy. I noticed this firsthand with my initial heavy prototype. To address this issue, I redesigned the gears set, expanding them to accommodate a larger and more powerful spring. Initially, I created a model featuring 10 ball bearings: five 10x15x4mm (6700ZZ) and five 6x12x4mm (MR126ZZ). You can easily replace the latter with properly cut Igus Iglidur 6x12 bushes, as seen in one of the attached pictures. However, I discovered that the bearings on the wheel axles weren't sliding as smoothly as the plastic bushings. Although the drawing still calls for using bearings, I designed bushings to eliminate them altogether. To those who object that this increases complexity, I respond by saying that bushes wear out over time and it's better to reprint simple bushes rather than a side body with worn holes. I get the best results by printing the bushings with PET, which is perhaps the ideal material for printing the spring as well. Another complication compared to the original design is that several holes (M3) need to be threaded – those on the wheel axles and the three spacers that hold the side bodies together. But thanks to these screwed spacers, a strict tolerance on cross members is no longer necessary. To avoid collisions with the rims, M3 round head screws should be used to tighten the spacers to the body. I designed a different rim, featuring a central locking screw: any M3 screw can be used to lock the rims to the axles. For the tires, I was inspired by John Corkery's remix on Thingiverse. I designed the tire with a more curved profile to reduce the footprint and friction. It's better to use a soft flexible filament to print the tires because the high initial power combined with the weight of the model could cause the tires to slip on very smooth surfaces. For those wondering about the unusual design of the recharge key, I did it so that it can be inserted under the body top during transport, as seen in one of the attached photos. Finally, I included step files for all the elements you might want to modify according to your printer's output. We should have enough time to get it ready for Christmas gifts – I didn't count the hours needed to print the model. P.S. If you like, you can customize the model by printing handles and lights separately. You can also create a personalized license plate by modifying the corresponding step files found in this additional remix.