8458 - Silver Champion
8458 - Silver Champion
| Set No. | 8458 |
|---|---|
| Set Name | Silver Champion |
| No. of Pieces | 1413 |
| Main Colour | Silver |
| Electrics | None |
| Pneumatics | None |
| My Rating | 7/10 |
| LB's Rating | 8/10 |
| Features |
V10 Engine Suspension on all 4 wheels Steering Damped Hinged Engine Cover Differential Gear on Rear Axle |
| Unusual Parts |
Suspension Struts Shock Absorbers Damped Shock Absorbers Racing Tyres |
| Alternate Models | 1 (Silver Truck) |
I bought this set on ebay. It was in very good condition and the parts were all clean. It came with the box but without any stickers.
This is the first of the Formula 1 racers in the Lego line. It is the forerunner to the other two Formula 1 racers. It is the only one not based on a real-life race car. The advertising stickers are absent in this model and the stickers just have 'Technic' written on them instead of brands. As with the F1 racers, the stress is on looking like a racer and the mechanics are on the simpler side. The model uses Technic panels and flexible hose to make it appear as much as possible like the real thing. The model is quite long - 65 cms.
 Top View |
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 Side View |
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 Front View |
 Back View |
 Bottom View |
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The mechanics are the part that interests me most in Technic models. The Racer line has limited appeal in this aspect.
The model has a V10 engine. Exhaust pipes made of flexible hose run from each engine cylinder towards the back. There are two exhaust ports at the back of the car. The engine cover pivots up to reveal the engine.This is triggered by pulling on a lever in front of the driver's seat and the upwards motion of the cover is damped by two damped shock absorbers. This is the best part about this model.
 Engine Cover |
 Damper for Engine
Cover |
 V10
Engine |
The engine directly drives the rear wheels. The drive train is — 8 tooth gear → 24 tooth gear → axle → 24 tooth crown gear → 16 tooth gear → 16 tooth gear → differential(16 tooth side) → universal joint → universal joint → wheel. An interesting construction is the crown gear meshing with the 16 tooth gear. This is unusual as the 16 tooth gear has a radius of 1L. In order for the crown gear to mesh it, a wedge belt wheel is used as a spacer to push the crown gear forward by 0.5L. This needs a 19L axle. Rather than use a grey 7L axle, a 6L axle and a 12L axle are joined using an angle conn #2. This adds 1L to the length - a handy trick.
The wheels are pretty big and wide. All four wheels are identical and have the F1 regulation four grooves. These wheels are unique to the Formula 1 racers.
 Rear Drive Train |
Both the front and rear axle have suspension. Both use similar construction techniques. Each wheel is held in place using 4 suspension arms. These arms are a new part used just in the Formula 1 cars and keeps the wheel axle horizontal while allowing it to move up and down. They look a lot like the real thing.
Each side uses a 6.5L shock absorber. The shock absorber is too long to fit in any direction except along the length of the car. A link to the wheel support converts the up-down movement of the wheel to forward-back motion using a few parts. This is attached to the shock absorber. The same approach is used for both the front and rear suspension. In case of the front wheel, the steering link goes to the wheel support. In case of the rear suspension, the driving axle has to reach the wheel. This is done by using two back-to-back universal joints. This allows the wheels to move up and down and still keep the wheel axle and the drive axle parallel.
 Front
Suspension |
 Rear
Suspension |
The steering wheel is an ungainly square shaped thing. This is OK as the real life ones look weird as well. The steering wheel is at a slight angle and a universal joint is used to bring it to horizontal. An 8 tooth gear drives a gear rack to steer the front wheels through a link. The pivot point for the tyre is the inner edge. This does make the wheels a bit hard to turn.
 Steering |
I bought the set on ebay and it came with the box. The top has a picture of the racer. The Tyres in this image and the others make the tyres look like they bulge out in the middle - they don't. The bottom has an image of the alternate model - the Silver Truck. Unlike the other racers, the box has a lid. The inside of the lid has views of the model from different angles. It also has a transparent window. Anybody know what exactly is visible through this window in a new set?
 Box - Top |
 Box - Inside |
 Box -
Bottom |
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© 2008 Prashant Bhandary. Updated on
1 Jun 2008. Feedback to 