Introduction: Thousand-Year-Old Egg Car

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In the spirit of easter, delicious chinese food, and poor Frodo who really could have used a lift for the greater part of his unexpected journey, I present to you, the Thousand-Year Egg Car!

Things you will need:

  • 3d printer (I used a printrbot simple metal with a heated bed)
  • Computer
  • Exacto Knife
  • Toothpicks
  • STL files (attached)

Step 1: Print the Parts!

  • Download the stl files and print them on your 3d printer.
    • I used PLA.
    • I recommend doing a test on the small wheel first. I had adjust my temperature and layer height settings slightly to make the wheels and car body print well. I ended up printing at 215C with a layer height of 0.15mm -- but do the test first, because the standard 210C may work fine for you.
    • For the egg car body, I cut off 1 mm from the base of the geometry for easier printing. I also used support material.
  • When the pieces are complete, carefully pry them off the printer bed. Take extra care with the wheels! I crushed a few sets of mine by accident...
  • Use the exacto knife to trim off any unwanted whiskers and support material.

Side note: I tried to sand the surface of my first car iteration, however it turns the plastic a dusty white color and is a very slow and laborious process. So don't do that unless you intend to have that kind of surface finish.

Attachments

Step 2: Attach the Wheels!

Back (LARGE) Wheels:

  • Take 1 toothpick.
  • Cut off the pointy ends of the toothpick with the exacto. The remaining length of toothpick should be at least 1-3/8" long.
  • Push the toothpick into the center hole of one of the large wheels.
  • Slide toothpick (with the wheel attached) through the holes in back of the car.
  • Push the second large wheel on to the other end of the toothpick
  • Adjust wheel placement on toothpick axles as necessary.

Front (small) Wheel:

  • Take 1 toothpick.
  • DO NOT CUT OFF THE POINTY ENDS!
  • Place the small wheel in the gap at the front of the car. Try to align wheel hole to the axle holes in the car body.
  • Push the toothpick through the first axle hole, then the wheel hole, all the way through the second axle hole.
  • When the toothpick is firmly in place, trim off the excess length of toothpick with an exacto knife. I found it easiest to score the toothpick with the exacto and just break off the excess with my fingers.

Step 3: Give Frodo a Lift!

Your vehicle is now ready for deployment! Take your favorite LEGO characters for a ride.