Backlog: Maelstrom (Part 2: NXTlog and Instructions)

I posted 4 different projects on NXTlog for Maelstrom because of all the stuff I wanted to add. The following is 3 of the 4 posts, the other one is basically a repost of the Maelstrom YouTube video.

Maelstrom: The Ultimate Lego Tank

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Maelstrom is my ultimate project: A giant Lego tank armed with a Hurricane launcher. It has a powerful drivetrain with suspension to let it climb over some really tough terrain and its Hurricane launcher can fire 23 Zamor spheres per second! That's 1380 spheres per minute. It has a 40 sphere magazine so it can only fire for 1.7 seconds straight, but with short bursts its ammo could last a while.

 Drivetrain

Maelstrom can be split into two main parts, the drivetrain and the Hurricane launcher. The drivetrain was developed over a period of about 1 month specifically for Maelstrom. It has a type of suspension I originally tried on Tempest (a Tornado Launcher tank) with mixed success. The suspension allows gravity to bend the tank's structure without breaking it so the tank conforms to the terrain. It also has sprung treads so they don't fall off when the tank bends. It is powered by PF XL motors geared for power and it has rubber treads at the front to aid in climbing.

Hurricane Launcher mark IV

Maelstrom is armed with the Hurricane Launcher mark IV, the fourth in a line of multi-motor Zamor launchers. Like the Hurricane mark II it uses 3 motors and like the mark III it uses an efficient firing mechanism. As I mentioned above, it is capable of firing 23 spheres per second, which is faster than many real machine guns. Needless to say this thing can devastate Lego structures (stacked Lego bricks, not pushed down) and armies.

 Hurricane Launcher mark IV Instructions

This project is the instructions on how to build the Hurricane Launcher mark IV, the weapon of Maelstrom. Here's an overview of how it works: The 3 motors spin 24 tooth gears which link to 8 tooth gears (which rotate 3 times as fast) on a long crankshaft. In 4 places along the crankshaft it is displaced from the center to make that section spin around the crankshaft's center. Attached to those sections of the crankshaft are 4 firing mechanisms that push/pull the firing rods in and out of the Zamor launchers as the crankshaft spins.

 Maelstrom Drivetrain Instructions

This project is the instructions on how to build the drivetrain of Maelstrom. Here's an overview of how the suspension works: Along a few points in each side of the drivetrain there are joints that allow it to bend. Each joint connects 2 main beams with other beams and only a few pegs. To keep the joint from falling apart an axle runs through it. Also, to keep the treads from falling off they are sprung by arms pulled up by rubber bands.

If you have any questions about the instructions, feel free to comment on this post. I'd be happy to explain.

Backlog: Maelstrom (Part 1: History and Videos)

Maelstrom was my Ultimate Lego Tank, and to this day it is unmatched in firepower. Maelstrom was, in many ways, an improved version of Tempest. The idea for Maelstrom was that I would get some Power Functions (PF) motors to use in the drivetrain so I could build a full Hurricane Launcher for the weapon. Soon after I got my PF motors, I began work on the drivetrain. It was fitted with the same suspension as Tempest, but it was necessarily larger because I wanted to fit a huge Hurricane Launcher on it. The original drivetrain was great at climbing over all sorts of terrain, and it was fast too.

Maelstrom drivetrain prototype

Soon after the first prototype, I added some rubber treads to the front to improve its climbing ability. This allowed it to conquer some really tough terrain. Unfortunately, Maelstrom was too heavy to climb over most of the terrain the prototype could.

Improved Maelstrom Prototype

At this point, progress came to a standstill for a while. I had used most of my beams on Maelstrom's drivetrain, so I didn't have enough parts left to make a Hurricane Launcher. I ordered a pack of parts from Lego Education, but it was nearly a month before I could resume work. In the meantime, I made a video explaining Maelstrom's suspension.
 

Maelstrom Suspension Explained

At long last, I constructed the Hurricane mark IV and put some finishing touches on Maelstrom. This project had taken nearly a month of my summer, more time than I even spent on another Lego project.

Maelstrom: The Ultimate Lego Tank

It's also worth mentioning that this was the first appearance of DroidFreak BattleTech and its logo.

Before I took Maelstrom apart and as I took it apart, I took enough pictures for an NXTlog project and for full instructions. I plan to post those here, but this post has already gone long enough, so I'll post those separately soon.