General Part Discussion

[HydroWorld Outlook]

On 3/2/2025 at 11:11 AM, Lyichir said:

The new joint is very exciting. As a fan of themes like Ninjago I'm looking forward to seeing what else it will be used for—Lego mechs/dragons/etc. have been pushing the limits of what existing joints can bear, so a stronger joint like this could create some impressive possibilities.

Good! So that means TLG should have no more excuses for large, heavy mechs without proper arm and knee articulation (cough, cough, Ninjago Movie Fire Mech, cough, cough).

Although unlikely, I am curious to see if this joint signals a future with a non- vehicle Technic sets like the action figures and robots we used to get. Perhaps, if we are fortunate enough, we could see these joints used in a studless, modern, scaled-up reincarnation of the old 8852 robot set in 2027 for Technic's 50th anniversary.

Technic sets using this new part are unlikely from my understanding, and after the T-Rex skeleton we will likely see them appear in Star Wars and other action-themed sets first, but I am curious about the potential of motorizing this part of it does appear in a Technic set.

Edited March 4 by HydroWorld Outlook

[Lyichir]

41 minutes ago, HydroWorld Outlook said:

Good! So that means TLG should have no more excuses for large, heavy mechs without proper elbow articulation (), and proper knee articulation (cough, cough, Ninjago Movie Fire Mech).

Although unlikely, I am curious to see if this joint signals a future with a non- vehicle Technic sets like the action figures and robots we used to get. Perhaps, if we are fortunate enough, we could see these joints used in a studless, modern, scaled-up reincarnation of the old 8852 robot set in 2027 for Technic's 50th anniversary.

Technic sets using this new part are unlikely from my understanding, and after the T-Rex skeleton we will likely see them appear in Star Wars and other action-themed sets first, but I am curious about the potential of motorizing this part of it does appear in a Technic set.

I think "no excuse" is pushing it a little, since age grade is still a limiting factor (a greater amount of articulation can be preferable for older builders, but for younger builders the stability and simplicity afforded by having some joints fixed can sometimes make that preferable even if more complex articulation was possible at that scale). I expect a large, complex technic joint like this to mainly be used for the very biggest, most premium mechs and creatures.

And to be honest, I'm not even sure whether this particular joint will find the most important use for things like knees (since often you would want those to hinge forward and backward with limited rotation along other axes, something that's possible to do robustly by pairing other types of joints)—it might be better suited for things like waist articulation, where both strength and a wide range of movement are important.

Edited March 3 by Lyichir

[HydroWorld Outlook]

10 hours ago, Lyichir said:

I think "no excuse" is pushing it a little, since age grade is still a limiting factor (a greater amount of articulation can be preferable for older builders, but for younger builders the stability and simplicity afforded by having some joints fixed can sometimes make that preferable even if more complex articulation was possible at that scale). I expect a large, complex technic joint like this to mainly be used for the very biggest, most premium mechs and creatures.

And to be honest, I'm not even sure whether this particular joint will find the most important use for things like knees (since often you would want those to hinge forward and backward with limited rotation along other axes, something that's possible to do robustly by pairing other types of joints)—it might be better suited for things like waist articulation, where both strength and a wide range of movement are important.

All valid points. Though while I believe you are correct about using the new part as a waist joint, I didn't mention it only because I thought the existing Technic spur-bevel gear-hybrid turntables (28-tooth and 60-tooth) meshing with gears on friction pins was a good enough solution already in most cases.

Still, if this new part is in fact suggesting a future with non-vehicle Technic sets, this could be a very positive sign for the Technic theme as a whole, especially when you consider that we may be getting a new and improved electronics system (one that goes back to good ol' Power Functions roots) as well if forum predictions are correct about an imminent retirement for Powered Up.

And if we do indeed get another big mech in 2025/2026, or a studless 8852 update for Technic's 50th anniversary in 2027, I sure hope we see these new joints used in bulk so that the cost of the part will drop. It would be nice to see them motorized as well, since the joint relies on the principle of rotating gears.

Before someone else comes along to remind me, I know wishes and speculation have their own topic already, so I hope I didn't derail this thread too much, and I apologize in advance to all users who reply after me if I did. To summarize, this new heavy-duty swivel joint is a very fascinating and interesting that I believe will be very useful.

Edited March 4 by HydroWorld Outlook

[Bartybum]

9 hours ago, Lyichir said:

And to be honest, I'm not even sure whether this particular joint will find the most important use for things like knees (since often you would want those to hinge forward and backward with limited rotation along other axes, something that's possible to do robustly by pairing other types of joints)—it might be better suited for things like waist articulation, where both strength and a wide range of movement are important.

I think this joint would actually work best either as a hip/thigh or shoulder joint, followed by a bicep/thigh swivel. That being said, we already have the following parts to replicate the same joint behaviour, albeit a bit less stiff:

 

[shroomzofdoom]

Does anyone have any advice on 30 x 20 rims with 3 pinhole arrangement that might work with the 1st gen Monster Jam Tire (5632 / 55976)?

It looks like these guys (4492) would work but they're a bit hard to get at the quantity I need.

Also looking to see if there are any options I've missed?

[Jurss]

That is the only legal option. 

Anyway, consider, that suspension parts will be close to the ground, if there will be steerable axle. With non stearable there is option to get better clearance.

[msk6003]

14 hours ago, shroomzofdoom said:

Does anyone have any advice on 30 x 20 rims with 3 pinhole arrangement that might work with the 1st gen Monster Jam Tire (5632 / 55976)?

It looks like these guys (4492) would work but they're a bit hard to get at the quantity I need.

Also looking to see if there are any options I've missed?

If you don't care of use off-brand parts, cada has one. I don't have cada's part but in my eyes pinhole's offset looks same with that TLG wheel.

[shroomzofdoom]

@msk6003 and @Jurss - Thanks for the help.

I'm building a really small steered 4x4 with IFS which will be powered by Circuit Cubes so I def have to break a few rules. We've all built big and powerful stuff so I'm trying to take this in the other direction.

I think I got the wheel sorted out with some standard parts. The end result bead locks the outer part of the wheel and also improves backspacing to keep the tire from contacting the steering hub. The wedge belt wheel provides just enough friction to keep the tire from spinning on the rim and seems to be perfectly sized for the diameter of the tire bead. Since I won't need it to hold up to a ton of torque, I believe this will work.

[R0Sch]

Did anyone use the new wishbone suspension arms as a torsion beam rear suspension in small cars? Not sure if they are made of rigid ABS as they would easily break. The way the longitudinal ribs are designed would also suggest that some torsion is possible at the pin holes.

[NV Lego technic]

2 hours ago, shroomzofdoom said:

@msk6003 and @Jurss - Thanks for the help.

I'm building a really small steered 4x4 with IFS which will be powered by Circuit Cubes so I def have to break a few rules. We've all built big and powerful stuff so I'm trying to take this in the other direction.

I think I got the wheel sorted out with some standard parts. The end result bead locks the outer part of the wheel and also improves backspacing to keep the tire from contacting the steering hub. The wedge belt wheel provides just enough friction to keep the tire from spinning on the rim and seems to be perfectly sized for the diameter of the tire bead. Since I won't need it to hold up to a ton of torque, I believe this will work.

 

That is a very interesting solution!

[Aurorasaurus]

Has anybody really pushed 42160 wheel hubs to the limit? If so, how much rpm/km/h did it take to break them? I know they have an internal bearing from plastic, but is it good enough for really heavy use?

[NV Lego technic]

The Buwizz team broke them with the McLaren P1 version 1, there they used 8 bw motors, and the wishbones were bending too. So, with a correctly designed suspension, I think it can handle 10 on on road use. But I haven't tested it.

[Jurss]

11 hours ago, Aurorasaurus said:

Has anybody really pushed 42160 wheel hubs to the limit? If so, how much rpm/km/h did it take to break them? I know they have an internal bearing from plastic, but is it good enough for really heavy use?

I think there were some pictures here with melted internals. It is plastic, it is not intended for heavy (long) use.

But there is this option and other parts for heavy use

https://metal-technic-parts.com/products/metal-wheel-hub-with-sealed-bearings-compatible-with-lego-technic-like-11950-92909

[LegoTT]

From which set is this part coming from ?

(Only 2 to sell on bricklink right now)

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=7244&name=Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Perpendicular 2L with Axle&category=[Technic, Connector]#T=C&C=5

[Aurorasaurus]

39 minutes ago, LegoTT said:

From which set is this part coming from ?

(Only 2 to sell on bricklink right now)

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=7244&name=Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Perpendicular 2L with Axle&category=[Technic, Connector]#T=C&C=5

21355

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?O=21355-1#T=S&O={"iconly":0}

[Maaboo the Witch]

Check out the eye-melting neon tyres in the latest Dreamzzz set.

[N-4K0]

Oh my brick, my eyes! And with the yellow rims too!

[1gor]

3 hours ago, Maaboo the Witch said:

Check out the eye-melting neon tyres in the latest Dreamzzz set.

 

More like optic nervus melting...I need to use sunglasses on that, or something like this... 

[Aurorasaurus]

4 hours ago, Maaboo the Witch said:

Check out the eye-melting neon tyres in the latest Dreamzzz set.

I kinda like it... maybe they could be used on a skateboard model or something. The colour sorta sparks my imagination, which I think is a really good thing. Damn is that set ever bright though...

[howitzer]

Are those rims neon yellow or normal yellow? Can't tell due to the neon green tyres...

[N-4K0]

I looked up this set on Rebrickable and the yellow is named there as Vibrant Yellow, I assume it's the same as Neon Yellow or whatever BrickLink calls it.

[howitzer]

8 hours ago, N-4K0 said:

I looked up this set on Rebrickable and the yellow is named there as Vibrant Yellow, I assume it's the same as Neon Yellow or whatever BrickLink calls it.

Yeah, vibrant yellow is the TLG's official name for neon yellow...

[howitzer]

New connector in the 21356 River steamboat set, one end has friction and the other doesn't:

[astyanax]

New connector type coming.

Source

[Lyichir]

1 hour ago, howitzer said:

New connector in the 21356 River steamboat set, one end has friction and the other doesn't:

I assume that connector is to allow the central axle to interlock while still having the "floors" that the axle runs through being easily separable. Should be useful for other sorts of builds where you want a component that's mechanically connected to be easily removable—in the Technic theme I could see that being used in some interesting ways (for instance, some sort of custom car set where you can swap out different types of engines).