Heinlein's Gay Deciever - In LEGO® Bricks
This shot is a side view with the wheels in "down and locked" position. My first attempts at this had the wheels extending essentially straight down from the cabin area. My wife took one look at my solution and winced. "The wheels need to be a lot further forward," she told me. "Otherwise, it looks unbalanced."
Grudgingly, I agreed. The answer to this dilemma was to use the shock-absorber LEGO bits I had been hoarding and mount them on rod-and-axle hinges. This allowed the wheels to "meet in the middle" in roadable mode, and swing out for the distance needed to serve as landing gear.
The rear assembly locks into position when the wheel base snaps into the mounting bracket. The front wheel locks purely due to the weight of the craft pushing the wheel strut against the bricks on the chin of the ship.
This solution allows for a bit more clearance under the craft (necessary for landing). The nice thing was that the doors still reached the ground...and the steps the text had me include became even more functional at the new angle.
This front view shows the door in open position, as well as detailing the front wheel strut. With the wheels down, there's just barely enough clearance for a mini-fig to walk under the nose if it stoops a bit.
She got back aboard and Hazel wheeled me under the nose of the craft and around to its port side. - TCWWTW, page 247
This rear view shows the more complicated rear landing gear assembly. The brick with the warning lines painted on it is part of the mounting assembly.
When the wheels are locked in position, the top of the gear snaps into the bottom of this brick, providing a strong base for the weight of the ship.
The shock absorber construction of both the front and rear mounts allows for a bit of realism in detailing.
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