Meet Lachlan Cameron, creator of the amazing LEGO® Ford Mustang Hoonicorn V2
20 August 2019
It’s been a while, but we are back with a brand new episode of our series Meet the LEGO® Pro. We had the chance to interview Lachlan Cameron also known as Loxlego. He is the designer of the LEGO® Ford Mustang Hoonicorn V2. This is one of the most popular MOCs at this moment in the world and an ingenious piece of design. We asked Lachlan about the Ford Mustang’s designing process and his passion for LEGO®.
ToyPro: Hi Lachlan, great to meet you and thank you for cooperation for this article. You are the designer of the LEGO® Ford Mustang Hoonicorn V2 is inspired by Ken Block's Ford Mustang. Can you tell something more about how your idea did come about?
Lachlan: Well I was certainly inspired by Ken Blocks Gymkahana series, with Pikes peak and the infamous 1400 HP Hoonicorn with insane drifting abilities. I had also created the Eleanor Mustang about 8 months prior, and had already created some design ideas that worked well and I kept what I liked, and modified / changed areas of the design to best follow Ken Blocks Mustang.
ToyPro: Can you tell us about your design process for designing and building this MOC?
Lachlan: I usually start by scaling the model from a blueprint with Sariel’s scaling tool (thank you Sariel!!) but this car did not have a blueprint as it’s a one off for Ken Block. I used photos to do some scaling and get close to the final design. I plan the functions before I begin and focus on fitting the functions into the framework.
I also study the real car and try to incorporate the special features and functions into the design. Some replication ideas were the inboard suspension, the shifter changing gears, the interior and engine bay looking realistic and proportionate. Then onto the bodywork, I used beams over flex axles for the wheel covers and made sure the slopes and shapes perfectly followed the original Hoonicorn.
ToyPro: What were the greatest challenges for constructing the Ford Mustang Hoonicorn V2?
Lachlan: I came across many challenges’ with the design. The first hurdle was the suspension as it had never been done before. The beauty of the cantilevered in-board suspension was that it could hold the weight of the car with a single spring per wheel. It had to hold up all the motors and batteries as well as the 2900+ other pieces.
The next huge challenge was the transmission. I have failed at transmissions before, so making this work, and work well with RC was a massive undertaking. I chose a slider mechanism for the shifter and had to gear the car properly or else it was too slow or would skip gears. I took the whole car apart 3 times to get all the gear ratios correct, for both Buggy motors and XL motors.
Lastly, the design. This car is the essence of American muscle – it had to have stance, the shape of the roof had to be slightly tilted up, the back end needed to have big race scoops with the angled lights and that race lip at the top of the trunk. The front had to have a menacing grill, with everything in proportion. Hitting all those design cues really made me proud. Hard work pays off if you persevere!
ToyPro: Which non-LEGO® part did you use?
Lachlan: I used the buwizz batteries to power this beast because they’re the most powerful batteries on the market. My brother made some 3D Rims with his printer to add a nice touch for photos.
ToyPro: Do reader who want to build this MOC be aware of some special parts/software?
Lachlan: Yes, I would be aware of the turbos PN 2999, they were only in 1 set ever (supercar LEGO® set 8880 as steering collars) – it will become rare in the near future! My instructions are very detailed 1000 – 1200 page HD PDF’s what require a PDF reader to view.
ToyPro: How did your passion for LEGO® start and since when do you design (professionally)?
Lachlan: My passion began when I was 5, I grew up in the country side and was not allowed to watch TV, so I had 2 options - play outside or build LEGO®! We had very limited pieces, but I would spend hours sorting through a big bucket looking for the perfect parts and always created mechanically functional things.
I stopped when I around 12-13 years old and didn’t get back into it till I turned 30. I had just been to a store and saw a 4x4 crawler set with motorized functions and thought it was a very cool idea to have your creation come alive! My next set was the green F1 set and I tried to motorize / modify that set and that’s when things started to click! My brother does metal fabrication for a private Porsche collector and he was a massive inspiration and support when building each new car. He would push me to design the car just like the real thing and is much better than I am at suspension. I wouldn’t be here without his help!
I’m a CMM programmer and I measure Aerospace parts to the tenth of an inch. Each day I take a 2D drawing and measure a 3D part, this has helped immensely with my ability to create these scale models and to have the patience to sit through the tough times and make it work.
ToyPro: You design LEGO® Technic cars. What is so much fun about designing these?
Lachlan: The best thing about designing Technic cars is the artwork that enfolds. I have so many ideas for shaping and part placement that I will never run out of new build styles! I am driven by originality, to create something that has never been done before. Imagination is everything, its life’s coming attractions. To have a creative outlet that can be shared around the world for others to enjoy is brilliant! Nothing better.
ToyPro: Which projects are you most proud of?
Lachlan: That’s a tough one… I was always proud of my first big 1:8 scale car, the Bugatti Chiron. I built it 2 years before LEGO® did and it had many new functions / ideas built into it. Then the Lamborghini Veneno and Ford GT – two cars built back to back one summer and each sporting new suspension and functions, RC Lambo Doors and butterfly doors. The hoonicorn I would say is my best overall MOC, with a nice balance of functions and looks.
ToyPro: What tools and software do you use for your MOCs?
Lachlan: I use Sariels Scale online, and my favorite is photo overlay. It’s an app on my phone and I super-impose my car over the real car for a better vision with proper proportions.
ToyPro: Do you have goals of projects that you want to reach or build in the future?
Lachlan: My goal is always to mimic the real car as close as possible in functions, suspension, mechanics and looks. This is always the main goal!
ToyPro: Do you have tips for our readers who want to design their own car MOC?
Lachlan: Yes – try and try again!! I made so many poorly designed cars as fast as possible at the beginning. Many people tried to put me down, but I didn’t listen to any of them and kept trudging forwards, taking the good of what I had learnt and changing / modifying the things I didn’t like about the build. After time your own style will shine through.
ToyPro: Lachlan, thank you very much for your time, thoughts and inspiration. We want to wish you a lot of luck designing more amazing LEGO® cars in the future.
Do you want to build a LEGO® car yourself? ToyPro has a large collection of LEGO® car parts and LEGO® car minifigures. We also have a nice collection of regular LEGO® car sets among our LEGO® Creator sets and LEGO® Technic sets.
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