Blakbird

Update: Information regarding modules from 2018 onwards are represented after @Blakbird's original post. I want to keep BlakBird's section of the post as he left it, to honour the immense amount of work he put into it. ( @Ankoku @9v system) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original Post Start ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- G%$ #@&% it. Thanks to Akiyuki, The Rebricker, and the rest of you &%$*ers, I've now caught the GBC bug and it is going to cost me a lot of time and money. It all started with Akiyuki. Well, GBC didn't start with Akiyuki, but I was more or less "meh" on the whole concept until he came along. His ingenious mechanical solutions are mesmerizing, perplexing, and wonderful. Although I admired them from the start, I figured there was more or less no chance of me replicating them from the videos, especially since the one I was most interested in was also the most complicated: the ball factory. My involvement therefore remained stagnant (and non-existent) for a couple of years until The ReBricker showed up and proved that you really could reverse engineer the Ball Factory and then went one step further and posted video instructions for the whole thing. "Fine", I thought, "I'll just build that one." A few months of LDraw modeling, part collecting, building, testing, and display case building later I was hooked. It was one of the greatest building experiences I've ever had. This forum has repeatedly wished for a comprehensive set of instructions for the GBC modules of Akiyuki, and I've decided it is my responsibility to help make your dreams come true. With that in mind, I've compiled a list of all of Akiyuki's 31 non-Mindstorms modules with the goal of creating and/or finding complete PDF instructions for as many of them as possible and compiling the resources here. I've made a lot of progress already. Here is the list along with whatever I know about building material available. (currently 31 of 31 complete) Pinball PDF instructions available from Blakbird and Courbet 992 parts Presentation Topic IO file Zigzag Stairs PDF instructions available from Courbet 481 parts Presentation Topic IO file Cup to Cup - Type 1 v1 PDF instructions available from djm v2 PDF instructions available from Blakbird 1089 parts Presentation Topic Cup to Cup - Type 2 PDF instructions available from Courbet 1222 Parts Presentation topic IO file Elevator Module PDF instructions available from Blakbird and Courbet 1621 parts Presentation Topic IO file Marble Run PDF instructions available from Blakbird and legolijtje 1140 parts Presentation Topic IO file Catch and Release PDF instructions available from Blakbird and jesuskyr 711 parts Presentation topic IO file Ball Factory Video instructions available from The Rebricker PDF instructions available from Blakbird 4428 parts Detailed review by Blakbird Spiral Lift Short Version 876 parts PDF instructions available from Blakbird Presentation Topic IO file Tall Version 1455 parts PDF instructions available from Blakbird and 9V System Presentation Topic Pneumatic Module PDF instructions available from Blakbird and jesuskyr 543 parts Presentation Topic IO file Archimedes Screw - Type 1 PDF instructions available from Blakbird and Courbet 995 parts Presentation Topic IO file Archimedes Screw - Type 2 PDF instructions available from Blakbird and Courbet 739 parts Presentation Topic IO file Archimedes Screw - Type 3 PDF instructions available from Blakbird and Courbet 768 parts Presentation Topic IO file Zig-Zag Lift PDF instructions available from Blakbird and jesuskyr 800 parts Presentation Topic IO file Basket Shooter V1 PDF instructions available from Blakbird and djm V2 file from 9v system 2226 Parts Presentation Topic Train Module - Type 1 PDF instructions available from Blakbird and Courbet Motor (157 parts) Switch (167 parts) Unloader (324 parts) Siding (106 parts) Loader (603 parts) Crane (3046 parts) Complete Set (4569 parts) Presentation Topic IO file of full layout Train Module - Type 2 PDF instructions available from Courbet Motor (160 parts) Unloader (751 parts) Siding (178 parts) Loader (835 parts) Presentation Topic Wheel and Steps PDF instructions available from Blakbird and Courbet 1198 parts Presentation Topic IO file Step Module V1PDF instructions available from Blakbird and jesuskyr V2PDF instructions available from Ankoku and 9v system 1785 parts Presentation Topic IO file Fork PDF instructions available from Blakbird 878 parts Presentation Topic IO file Six Heads PDF instructions available from Blakbird 1696 parts Presentation Topic IO file Bucket Wheel Tower PDF instructions available from Blakbird 1415 parts Presentation topic IO file for 8 bucket version Lifter Triggered by a Stuck Ball Video instructions available from The Rebricker PDF instructions available from Blakbird 1068 parts Presentation topic IO file Spiral Staircase PDF instructions available from Blakbird and jesuskyr 1923 parts Presentation topic IO file Tilted Rotors PDF instructions available from Blakbird 1223 parts Presentation topic IO file Invisible Lift Video instructions available from The Rebricker PDF instructions available from Blakbird 3203 parts Presentation topic IO file Cycloidal Drive PDF instructions available from Blakbird and jesuskyr 2081 parts Presentation topic IO file Fork to Fork PDF instructions available from Blakbird and jesuskyr 1743 parts Presentation topic IO file Planets PDF instructions available from Blakbird and Courbet 1558 Parts Presentation topic IO file Strain Wave Gearing PDF instructions available from Blakbird and Courbet 2789 Parts Presentation topic IO file Zig Zag stairs V1 PDF instructions available from 9v system 469 parts IO file Here's a montage of some of the LDraw work I've done so far which also gives you an idea of the relative scale of the modules: I'm not going to post any actual instruction files until I (or someone else) has tested them by physically building the model and proving that it works. I'm a stickler for accuracy, so I'm trying to get as close to Akiyuki's originals as possible. I already have PDF instructions ready for 4 of them and just need to test them out. As I build each model, I'll post a mini review about what I've learned and then I'll post links to the instructions and parts lists so anyone else can build them too. (Update: See bulleted list above for which instruction files are currently available.) As always, help is welcome. If you have successfully built any of these modules and are willing to share your information, please let me know here. In particular, I need LDraw files to make instructions. In a pinch, I can make them myself if you have detailed photos. In an even tighter pinch, I'm making everything myself from the videos, but it is slow going. Enjoy! Akiyuki GBC modules with instructions available to buy from the man himself ( In 2018, Akiyuki started to create instructions for some of his modules. Some for free, some require payment. For anyone who has tried to reverse engineer one of his modules, the price he charges is more than worth it. ) Hockey Stick Lift (2018) https://akiyuki.jp/en/works/1234 Catch and Spin Robots (2019) https://akiyuki.jp/en/works/1423 Heart Chain (2019) https://akiyuki.jp/en/works/1509 Peanut (2019) https://akiyuki.jp/en/works/1587 Akiyuki GBC modules with free instructions Cars with adaptive cruise control (2019) https://akiyuki.jp/en/works/1667 Spiral Lift GBC module compact type (2020) instructions by @FernandoQ https://akiyuki.jp/en/works/1841 New modules which currently don't have instructions available there are currently no new Akiyuki modules that need instructions Modules that were inspired or modified from this project Modules by @FernandoQ Serpentine PDF Instructions 1356 parts Pasillos/ Tilting ladder PDF Instructions 1140 Parts Modules by @Berthil Related threads Train System @Doug72 has created a dedicated thread for the Train System here: It contains many improvements, mods, additions etc. which anyone interested in the train system should check out! EV3 @9v system has created a dedicated thread for Akiyuki's EV3 modules: A thread dedicated to modules like the Ball Cleaner, Container Transporter and Fast Ball Sorter Robot.

In another active topic on Eurobricks, modifications to the LEGO 42009 Mobile Crane MKII have been discussed. Many of these modifications have been rolled into a single "ultimate" model which has been under discussion for several months with a full instruction project well underway. I felt that it was time that this magnificent model had its own topic. In this topic I will present the history of the model, detail how all the individual functions work one by one, then go through my review of the build process and thoughts on each function. I expect this writing process will take at least several days, so watch this topic for updates, and please feel free to add to the discussion. By the time the review is done, I'm hoping the "final" instructions will also be available for download. Drafts are already available. It all started with Technic set 42009, "Mobile Crane MKII", by far the biggest crane LEGO has ever released and also the largest Technic set ever by part count. You might think this would be enough to satisfy anyone, but you would be wrong. From nearly the day that the set was released, fans around the world were already modifying the set to make it even bigger and better. The first major modification came from Jurgen Krooshoop. His "Ultimate 42009" looks nearly identical to the official set, but instead of having a single motor and a gearbox to switch between them, Jurgen's model featured 8 motors to control all the original motorized functions as well as driving and steering. Any of these could be operated simultaneously. Jurgen was kind enough to produce a full set of professional instructions for his model. The original model features a 3 stage telescoping boom, but the full extension of this boom is not very impressive because there is so much overlap of each section at the stops. Cristophe Moittie solved this problem by creating an extended boom which was nearly the same length as the original when retracted, but was much longer when extended. Instructions for the extended boom were then created by afol1969 here at Eurobricks. Finally, Eurobricks member Gerger decided to extend the cranes 5 axles to 6. While he was at it, he added full independent suspension to every axle. At this time the model no longer resembled 42009 very closely, so Gerger changed the appearance to loosely match the Grove GMK6400 mobile crane. He was kind enough to provide an LDD file of the completed model, and from there (and a couple of design iterations later) various EB members such as myself took over to make an LDraw file, a parts list, and full instructions. Finally, we arrived at this brilliant model: From the outside, you might be tempted to miss how complex this thing is, but from inside you can see the 9 motors and copious mechanical functions. In this color coded image I've produced, you can see the interweaving of all the functions: Red = Drive: 2 XL motors, all 6 axles driven Blue = Steering: L motor, 5 axles steered Yellow = Suspension: all 12 wheels independently suspended Teal = Outrigger Extension: L motor Brown = Outrigger Lift: L motor Pink = Slew: M motor, 360 degree rotation Tan = Boom Luff: L motor, parallel linear actuators White = Boom Telescope: L motor, 3 stage telescope using cable return Green = Winch: M motor At current count, this model features 3504 parts and 199 pages of instructions.

Technicopedia Hello everyone! I've finally decided to turn my LEGO Technic obsession into something useful. Well, more useful than it already is anyway. I've started a new website which will not only catalog all of the Technic sites, but provide technical descriptions, pictures, and animations of all of the features. It is far from complete, and it will take me a long time to finish it, but I've posted the first version with all of the sets from 1977. Please take a look and tell me what you think! Constructive feedback is welcome.

Yes, a teeter hinge is a real thing for simple rotors. Robinson helicopters use it and so do the UH-1 and Bell 47. I'm pretty sure that is only for 2-blade rotors which makes the 8412 actually somewhat accurate. My favorite rotor head is the 7-blade, fully articulated head on the CH-53E Super Stallion.

Yes, they are contradictory, that was the point. I can't tell whether the swashplate is real or not. The arrow on the official photo from LEGO makes it look like the whole rotor tilts.

From what I can tell from the helicopter photos, it will indeed have collective pitch (much like the original 852 helicopter in 1977), but what people are calling "cyclic" will really be a tilting head like 8856. I'd love to be proved wrong though. It looks a bit like there might be a real swashplate. Depending on the length of the control horn, they might even compensate for gyroscopic precession! Even then we'd be a long way from a fully articulated rotor without a flap hinge or a drag hinge, but we're starting to get as close as we as is reasonable with LEGO.

I seem to recall another major release having an error in the orders of the gears but I can't remember which one. Was it the Porsche? Then LEGO claimed they did it on purpose to make a bigger difference between gears. It doesn't make a lot of sense to make a book in such a limited quantity unless it was a requirement from Ferrari. They like their products to be limited and therefore demand inflated prices. Just a thought. I actually just want to read the book; I don't necessarily need to own a copy permanently. Hopefully there will be a way for me to borrow one or see a PDF or something.

I didn't get a book. Out of stock at 12:15.

Wow, this brings back memories. I think this one of the first sets of instructions I ever made (and it shows).

I recently got an extra copy of 42009 and 9396 on sale at Toys R Us with the intent to use them for parts. I figured that before I parted them out I may as well build and enjoy the B-models first. I took a few pictures and will present a very brief review. The 9396 B-model is an intermeshing rotor helicopter - a very unusual configuration. I was pleased to see TLG choose such an obscure type of helicopter as a model. These types of choppers really do exist! A conventional heli needs a tail rotor to compensate for the torque generated by the main rotor. A few helicopters use two main rotors instead. A tandem rotor configuration uses one in front and one in back. A coaxial rotor uses one right on top of the other. An intermeshing rotor does just what it sounds like. The rotors are installed next to each other with axes tilted away and rotating in opposite directions. This helicopter drives the main rotors (and other functions) using the small prop on the tail as a crank. On real intermeshing helicopters, the main rotors have a cyclic which can be used to provide thrust in any direction, just like a normal helicopter. This model seems to use a prop for propulsion and rotors for lift, so it is more like a cross with a gryocopter. The main rotors do have collective pitch adjusted by a lever behind the pilot's seat. The mechanism doesn't work very well because it jams against the adjacent linear actuator 9 times out of 10. The collective mechanism is also not heavy enough to droop under its own weight when you release the lever. The heli features a two position gearbox under the engines. The second function is retractable main landing gear which tucks up flush with the body. This picture shows the left over parts, and as you can see the vast majority of the parts are used for the alternate model. This is also a really big model! Take a look next to the 42025 Cargo plane. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I like this model. I certainly think it is worth building if you own 9396. The big tail prop works really well as a crank so you can drive the main rotors very fast, and even generate a little wind if you pitch the rotors! No, it won't fly.

The time has come for me to part with a major portion of my collection. As many of you know, I have every Technic set from the beginning in 1977 up until 2017. I also have around 100 MOCs built averaging about 2000 parts each. There's a significant investment here, but actually getting anything out of it is a daunting thought. Bricklinking everything could take me several years. So I thought I would create a post here (with Jim's permission) to see if anyone is interested in a significant portion. I can post a list of available MOCs if necessary. Update, including the MOC list and average part price in the first post. Model Designer Parts Value US Truck 2Legoornot2Lego 1,783 $507 Train Module Akiyuki 6,480 $720 Ball Factory Akiyuki 4,428 $475 Invisible Lift Akiyuki 3,197 $320 Basket Shooter Akiyuki 2,226 $300 Spiral Staircase Akiyuki 1,923 $157 Pegasus Amida 480 $50 Avatar Scorpion Barman 1,823 $194 Ferrari 458 BrunoJJ 2,046 $760 BMW M4 DTM BrunoJJ 2,027 $441 Mercedes C63 DTM BrunoJJ 2,210 $424 Phantasm GT Crowkillers 2,003 $283 Vampire Crowkillers 1,925 $378 Muscle Car Crowkillers 1,887 $279 Deluxe supercar Crowkillers 1,850 $382 Porsche Crowkillers 1,841 $335 Assassin Crowkillers 1,827 $291 Swingloader D3K 1,483 $471 Feller buncher desert752 4,510 $1,346 Prinoth Leitwolf Designer Han 2,912 $577 Dump Truck Designer Han 2,439 $467 Dragline Excavator Designer Han 2,167 $650 6x6 hauler Designer Han 2,140 $512 Low Loader Truck Designer Han 2,054 $386 Lowboy Trailer Designer Han 1,656 $220 Snow Speeder Drakmin 2,191 $180 Zonda Erik Leppen 1,615 $258 Audi R8 Fanylover 1,839 $367 GMK6400 Crane Gerger 3,504 $919 Tow Truck 5571 Grazi 3,969 $1,173 Wheel Excavator GuiliuG 1,997 $501 GG001 GuiliuG 1,294 $403 LS160 Jennifer Clark 471 $106 Aston Martin DB11 Jeroen Ottens 2,929 $443 Alfa Romeo 4C Jeroen Ottens 2,134 $509 Black Dragon Jovel 1,641 $328 Telehandler Jurgen Krooshoo 3,383 $700 Kenworth Jurgen Krooshoo 2,594 $506 Sunbeam Jurgen Krooshoo 2,177 $419 Backhoe Loader Jurgen Krooshoo 1,972 $711 Koeniggsegg CCX Jurgen Krooshoo 1,967 $303 Link Belt Excavator Jurgen Krooshoo 1,849 $487 Forklift Kevin Moo 1,768 $408 Cement Truck LasseD 1,520 $245 Simple Supercar Lipko 2,336 $300 Telehandler Lipko 2,250 $339 V12 Coupe Lipko 2,113 $277 MAN TGS M_longer 2,415 $366 Liebherr L580 M_longer 1,604 $397 Wing Body Truck Madoca 4,126 $959 Tatra 813 Madoca 2,527 $759 Icarus Madoca 1,906 $493 Shaman Madoca 2,574 $676 Predator Nathanael Kuipe 1,797 $325 Jeep Hurricane Nathanael Kuipe 1,724 $373 Concept Car Nathanael Kuipe 1,458 $340 Pony Car Nathanael Kuipe 1,299 $156 Braiding Machine Nico71 1,929 $227 CVT Truck Nico71 1,121 $267 Spirograph PG52 764 $109 Koeniggsegg One:1 Pvdb 3,021 $388 Volkswagen Bus Sheepo 3,527 $409 Defender 110 Sheepo 3,437 $566 Jeep Wrangler Sheepo 2,461 $400 Kamov KA-32 Sheepo 2,059 $334 Terex Shovel Sheo 4,325 $1,100 Aventador AnniversarStefan Pendula 2,575 $436

Finished. Here's 2019.

Looks like this will work. There are a quite a few position errors from the conversion so I wouldn't use it for close-up mechanical pictures, but it is close enough for overall renders which is all I was looking for now. Thanks! I've only got one file left for 2019 and I'm working on it now.

If know absolutely nothing about Stud.io. If you can export an LDraw file, I can take a look and see if it will work.

I've completed the LDraw models for the 2017 and 2018 sets, and I have a large portion of the 2019 sets done. I don't have the time to do the 42098 car transporter though. Any volunteers?

When you're right, you're right, and you are right. I found an interference hidden in the model that forces the 5.5L axle out half a stud. I fixed it now. That's not what I was referring to, but I'm glad to make the model more accurate. Yeah, the flex axles are always a giant pain. I know LDCad is much better at it, but I never learned that software. If someone wants to improve them, I have no objection. The flex axle along the roof line should actually not be flat. There should be a continuous curve from the front the back, with the center one arched a bit over the flat roof. I could do that with enough time, but I didn't. Last night I went through the long, agonizing process of exporting a parts list from the file and comparing it to the parts list in the back of the manual. This revealed a number of errors that I fixed, revealed one error in the manual, and left over a few errors that are too much trouble to track down. Summary below: Error: Manual shows 26x black 11478 5L liftarm with axle holes, but the actual instructions have a mixture of black and light gray. I'm guessing they made a change to make some parts show up more easily during the build. There are actually 12 black and 14 light gray. Missing: 1x black 32316 5L liftarm Missing: 2x black 32523 3L liftarm Missing: 2x black 2780 friction pin Missing: 1x light gray 32316 5L liftarm Missing: 2x blue 43093 axle pin with friction Missing: 2x red 11214 long axle pin with friction Missing: 2x red 32054 long pin with friction and stop bush Missing: 1x red 3705 4L axle Extra: 2x red 32062 2L axle So that's an overall delta of -11 parts. My Brickstock parts list now shows 3679 parts so even with the extra 11 it is only 3690 which still doesn't match TLG's stated part count of 3696. The file is now to the point that I feel comfortable sharing it. You can download it here. Anyone bored enough to find where those parts are missing earns point redeemable for a free download of the updated file.

Nope, that's not it. Skirts are positioned correctly. Here's an extra view just for fun that shows I can open the hood and doors reasonably well in the model and also lift the spoiler and remove the engine cover.

OK, I checked more closely and there is indeed a single rotational degree of freedom on that panel attachment. I rotated them forward and it looks much better. If I'd had the correct wheel arches in there it would have been much more obvious because those panels won't even fit without rotating them. I've done a new render with the corrected panel positions and also took the opportunity to use the old metallic green from 8466 which looks way more accurate to the real car. Of course, after the render was complete I spotted one more easily visible error in my file. Bonus points to anyone who can find it. Higher res version of the picture here. When I build my physical version, I think I'll be replacing all the visible blue pins with black.

Thanks, I'll check on that. I didn't think they looked quite right, but that's the way they fit according to my file. Maybe I missed something.

Here's the final model. Errata: wrong wheel arches, wrong wheels, wedge panels only symbolic, no printed parts. It was about a week of back breaking labor (my back is actually really sore!). I'll post the file once I have checked it for errors.

Just finished Box 5 which is everything except the wheels, tires, handbag, and plaque. The doors were not as hard as I thought, but a lot of time was spent on the flex axles. I also kludged together a proxy version of the wedge panels for the hood by modifying the file for the straight panels. I just linearly extrapolated the edge points out onto a slope by entering all the points by hand. It looks OK from above. Another little detail I noticed at the last minute is the fact that the center black strip on the roof slopes slightly toward the back. I have that modeled correctly now.

There are LEGO themes other than Technic? The camera has nothing to do with MLCad. The camera is controlled in the rendering software, POV-Ray. This software has no GUI so certainly no hotkey. You have to manually enter the camera parameters in the input file. I usually do my LDRaw to POV-Ray conversion in LDView which also allows you to set camera parameters. Jim, sorry for OT. I'll try to stop talking about CAD and get back to the model.

Box 5 proved to be more than I could do in a day with all those tortuous angles, but I got the front end done. Hopefully I can do the doors tomorrow. Obviously the panels on the hood are wrong, but that's as close as I could get with existing parts.

If ever you want to test your MLCad mettle on an impossible twisted mass of LEGO geometry inspired by Cthulhu's face, this headlight assembly would be it. I don't know if Uwe Wabra has a degree in geometry, but the University of Copenhagen should give him one as an honorary title. Through the magic of exact math I can confirm that there are actually some very slightly stressed parts in this assembly. Given this fact, it's possible that relational CAD software like LDD may not be able to deal with it because it doesn't technically fit. You'd never notice it in real life; I'm sure it will fit just fine. I can also confirm that the digital download of the manual has corrected at least one of the errors that Sariel pointed out in the manual during his review.

Yes, I can use any kind of lens. The pictures I've shown aren't technically orthographic, they just have a very small field of view (1 degree). I chose this intentionally because it makes it easier to interrogate models during the building process to check for errors without distortion. It also makes it easier to overlay steps to check progress. However, I agree that pictures with greater perspective look more "real". Try these. Here is the original picture with 1deg FOV: Here it is with 20deg FOV: And here it is with 40deg FOV: Sure, I can make the file available when I am done. Agreed. For example the 32294 wishbone suspension arm has been used in this model around the tail lights in lime. It has never existed in any other color than black. In order to produce a color parts pack for this model, they would have to produce that part in a new color just for the parts pack. Maintaining a new element ID is very expensive, and that's just one of several parts in this model (rotors, wheel arches, panels, etc) that don't exist in other colors. If all the parts did exist in an alternate color (in current production) then it would indeed be a pretty simple matter to offer a color swap.