Cutting panels (heresy)

[Ctan]

Hi, I just needed to have DBG smaller panels and I decided to cut it a bit. Now are the same size as black ones. Maybe it will help somebody when parts are not available in color you like.

 

Edited March 8, 2019 by Ctan
Picture resized

[skppo]

The end result looks surprisingly authentic.

[jorgeopesi]

For me even being purist is OK, you don´t gain extra features and it is like a real part, I said a lot of times I have cutted axle 3 with stud to have axle 3 with stop and the same with axle 12 to have axle 11.

[1gor]

Before several years I had complications to build desired model due to missing appropriate colors, but gave learned that if you can not build it this moment, there is something even better on its way...my example: for years I wanted to make particular John Deere tractor with independent suspension and everything I tried ended to wide or to flimsy...and in 2016 LEGO made Xerion with (finally) proper tractor tires and ended up with Fastrac that even (someone like) me got pleasantly surprised as it turned out. Point is that cut, painted...parts can not be used for another model and perhaps you should have tried to build it in another color before you plan to cut it...it looks that you made clean cut but I am not going to make "my" parts anymore...

[agrof]

Brave move, very accurate and clean result. For me it is legit - nice truck as well!  

[technic_addict]

Not sure how I feel about this but a build I am doing requires a specific color which has a couple panels missing.

Can you describe how you did this?  Specifically the very clean cut and no file marks.

[Ctan]

1 hour ago, jorgeopesi said:

For me even being purist is OK, you don´t gain extra features and it is like a real part, I said a lot of times I have cutted axle 3 with stud to have axle 3 with stop and the same with axle 12 to have axle 11.

Yeah, I did the same, I have cut lot of axles to desired length (especially 32L to 2x 16 L) :)

40 minutes ago, agrof said:

Brave move, very accurate and clean result. For me it is legit - nice truck as well!  

Thanks!

1 hour ago, I_Igor said:

Before several years I had complications to build desired model due to missing appropriate colors, but gave learned that if you can not build it this moment, there is something even better on its way...my example: for years I wanted to make particular John Deere tractor with independent suspension and everything I tried ended to wide or to flimsy...and in 2016 LEGO made Xerion with (finally) proper tractor tires and ended up with Fastrac that even (someone like) me got pleasantly surprised as it turned out. Point is that cut, painted...parts can not be used for another model and perhaps you should have tried to build it in another color before you plan to cut it...it looks that you made clean cut but I am not going to make "my" parts anymore...

I think one day Lego will release this panels in DBG but I have already bought lot of them on Bricklink so I don't really need them in this number. It's the same size so it's not tottaly different piece that can be used only in specified place.

36 minutes ago, technic_addict said:

Not sure how I feel about this but a build I am doing requires a specific color which has a couple panels missing.

Can you describe how you did this?  Specifically the very clean cut and no file marks.

I have marked cut lines with tape (very easy to figure it out where to put tape) next I cut it with very sharp hobby knife. Next break apart the leftover plastic. Gently sand it with file. Done. 

[dr_spock]

Nice job cutting.  Great skill to have should you decide to take up model railroading too. 

 

[Erik Leppen]

I'm not supporting this.

Make your truck another color. One in which all the parts you need actually exist. White, red, orange; dark azure: all these colors have both the 7x5x2 and the 11x5x2 panels available, and of those colors, white also has the 3x4x5 panel.

My problem with it is, if you allow yourself doing this for aesthetic purposes, how can any of us trust you that you aren't doing this elsewhere for functional purposes. Until the part actually exists, it's not a pure Lego build anymore, because the idea of Lego (or, one of the ideas, to me) is that it's always reversible, and cutting is not reversible. Cut a part into an existing part: fine, but creating new parts: not in my book. Cutting a 12L into an 11L axle is fine to me, since 11L axles exist, unless you are using the fact that it is another color than those that exist (yellow and gray).

Also, if you've made the jump once, the barrier towards more serious modifications becomes lower. You might one day decide to need a 13L axle and thereby create a build that can't be replicated by others.

6 hours ago, jorgeopesi said:

I said a lot of times I have cutted axle 3 with stud to have axle 3 with stop

This would be fine to me, since the axle 3 with stop exists, so you're not creating a new part. At most you're creating a recolor, but for those parts the color usually doesn't matter. So this doesn't hinder the re-buildability of a model by others.

Yes, I know it has the "heresy" in the topic title, and I clicked it anyway, but I still wanted to voice my stance on this, since I personally find the community to be too lenient on such modifications and therefore wanted to make a case for the other side of the argument :)

[Berthil]

No problem with it if it's to create an existing part in your desired color to obtain the result you have envisioned. Real building still beats digital building where you can use every color!

[jorgeopesi]

The important thing for me is building with the current lego inventory and features it has nor more or less. I could use a no Lego piece if I thought it was equal and it had same features or less that the Lego piece. The time changed me... I don´t kow well if I have to change my phrase, purist, purist maybe not.

[Ctan]

38 minutes ago, Erik Leppen said:

I'm not supporting this.

Make your truck another color. One in which all the parts you need actually exist. White, red, orange; dark azure: all these colors have both the 7x5x2 and the 11x5x2 panels available, and of those colors, white also has the 3x4x5 panel.

My problem with it is, if you allow yourself doing this for aesthetic purposes, how can any of us trust you that you aren't doing this elsewhere for functional purposes. Until the part actually exists, it's not a pure Lego build anymore, because the idea of Lego (or, one of the ideas, to me) is that it's always reversible, and cutting is not reversible. Cut a part into an existing part: fine, but creating new parts: not in my book. Cutting a 12L into an 11L axle is fine to me, since 11L axles exist, unless you are using the fact that it is another color than those that exist (yellow and gray).

Also, if you've made the jump once, the barrier towards more serious modifications becomes lower. You might one day decide to need a 13L axle and thereby create a build that can't be replicated by others.

This would be fine to me, since the axle 3 with stop exists, so you're not creating a new part. At most you're creating a recolor, but for those parts the color usually doesn't matter. So this doesn't hinder the re-buildability of a model by others.

Yes, I know it has the "heresy" in the topic title, and I clicked it anyway, but I still wanted to voice my stance on this, since I personally find the community to be too lenient on such modifications and therefore wanted to make a case for the other side of the argument :)

No, I don't like to make truck in another color. I like it in Dark Bluish Gray. It will be dbg, yellow and black. So why you like to limit me with available colors?

Finally this way you're blocking yourself with limited color palette. Because of this part is available only in for example pink, that part is only available in green so you can't make an fully pink or green model if you want. Sorry, for me this limits are ridiculous. I'm full time job artist painter and seriously I'm not satisfied when something is in wrong color. 

I don't really care if somebody trust me if I make model only with original untouched, unmodified parts. It's a case of trust or case of building fun?

Only "new" part I've made was 2,5L axle because moc builder suggested that in a model. Lol :)

[jorgeopesi]

14 minutes ago, Ctan said:

No, I don't like to make truck in another color. I like it in Dark Bluish Gray. It will be dbg, yellow and black. So why you like to limit me with available colors?

Finally this way you're blocking yourself with limited color palette. Because of this part is available only in for example pink, that part is only available in green so you can't make an fully pink or green model if you want. Sorry, for me this limits are ridiculous. I'm full time job artist painter and seriously I'm not satisfied when something is in wrong color. 

I don't really care if somebody trust me if I make model only with original untouched, unmodified parts. It's a case of trust or case of building fun?

Only "new" part I've made was 2,5L axle because moc builder suggested that in a model. Lol :)

The color is a limit for me too but at the same time I understand it is a crazy limit, I think I have to keep some limits to not becoming less purist than I wanted to be...

Edited March 3, 2019 by jorgeopesi

[Ctan]

Just now, jorgeopesi said:

The color is a limit for me too but at the same time I understand it is a crazy limit, I think I have to keep some limits to not becoming less purist than I wanted to be...

The question is why you have to follow this limits? To be a better man? Or because somebody made you to follow them..

[jorgeopesi]

1 minute ago, Ctan said:

The question is why you have to follow this limits? To be a better man? Or because somebody made you to follow them..

For my fun and overcoming, this common inventory allows us this healthy competition that we have. Try to build something already done better with the same pieces and limits is a fun problem for me.

Edited March 3, 2019 by jorgeopesi

[syclone]

If you can't make your own recolors/parts, why TLG can?  Imo the DBG looks great, reminds me of Extreme Offroader, too bad there ain't cool sets like that anymore

[Erik Leppen]

1 hour ago, Ctan said:

No, I don't like to make truck in another color.

Sorry, I didn't mean to say you had to change your model. I said it wrong, sorry. What I was trying to say was that building in another color would circumvent the need to modify parts, so in the current state it's rather easy to "fix". But it only needs fixing if you see it as a problem - which I do, but you don't. And it's your model, so it's your choice :) 

1 hour ago, Ctan said:

Finally this way you're blocking yourself with limited color palette.

That's correct. To me, limiting myself to existing parts is the essence of this hobby. For me, limitations spark creativity. Sticking to what already exists, is the simplest limitation I can think of. The challenge I enjoy most, is to find what can be done with the existing inventory of parts/colors. If the challenge you enjoy most is something else, that's fine of course :)

Edited March 3, 2019 by Erik Leppen
I changed "the challenge for me" into "the challenge I enjoy most", because, in the end, this is a hobby, so it's for enjoyment :)

[Holodoc]

Ctan, your pictures have been reported by another member. They are bigger than they should be.
Please read the guidelines (following the links in my signature for example) and think again, if your pics couldn't be smaller while still transporting the same information.

Smaller images save bandwith, sometimes time, money and nerves. So if the same could be expressed with smaller images, please resize them. Thank you for your understanding!

[Ctan]

47 minutes ago, Holodoc said:

Ctan, your pictures have been reported by another member. They are bigger than they should be.
Please read the guidelines (following the links in my signature for example) and think again, if your pics couldn't be smaller while still transporting the same information.

Smaller images save bandwith, sometimes time, money and nerves. So if the same could be expressed with smaller images, please resize them. Thank you for your understanding!

Done. Sorry, on my device it doesn't look too big. 

Edited March 3, 2019 by Ctan

[dougstar]

I have cut 3849 lance to get 30374 light saber blade but don't think I'd cut panels

[1gor]

15 hours ago, Ctan said:

I think one day Lego will release this panels in DBG but I have already bought lot of them on Bricklink so I don't really need them in this number.

Trust me there is never enough of LEGO parts 

[Ctan]

1 hour ago, I_Igor said:

Trust me there is never enough of LEGO parts 

Yeah, I know. Maybe I said it not precisely. It should be "I don't need them at this moment" :)

Edited March 4, 2019 by Ctan

[1gor]

51 minutes ago, Ctan said:

Yeah, I know. Maybe I said it not precisely. It should be "I don't need them at this moment" :)

that is more likely...and then when you at least expect you found out that you need few extra...

[suffocation]

I don't have a problem with it - I'm always wary of purists. History has taught us a thing or two about that line of thinking.

Then again, if I ever caught someone putting parmigiano instead of ricotta salata on their pasta alla norma, I'd feel compelled to frown at them with mild disapproval. (For those unfamiliar with British culture, this is akin to wishing someone Montezuma's revenge for life.)

And if I caught them pairing Amarone with anything other than meat & cheese I'd go on the internet and complain bitterly while turning two blind eyes and two deaf ears to the country collapsing around me.

[nerdsforprez]

15 hours ago, Erik Leppen said:

I'm not supporting this.

Make your truck another color. One in which all the parts you need actually exist. White, red, orange; dark azure: all these colors have both the 7x5x2 and the 11x5x2 panels available, and of those colors, white also has the 3x4x5 panel.

My problem with it is, if you allow yourself doing this for aesthetic purposes, how can any of us trust you that you aren't doing this elsewhere for functional purposes. Until the part actually exists, it's not a pure Lego build anymore, because the idea of Lego (or, one of the ideas, to me) is that it's always reversible, and cutting is not reversible. Cut a part into an existing part: fine, but creating new parts: not in my book. Cutting a 12L into an 11L axle is fine to me, since 11L axles exist, unless you are using the fact that it is another color than those that exist (yellow and gray).

Also, if you've made the jump once, the barrier towards more serious modifications becomes lower. You might one day decide to need a 13L axle and thereby create a build that can't be replicated by others.

This would be fine to me, since the axle 3 with stop exists, so you're not creating a new part. At most you're creating a recolor, but for those parts the color usually doesn't matter. So this doesn't hinder the re-buildability of a model by others.

Yes, I know it has the "heresy" in the topic title, and I clicked it anyway, but I still wanted to voice my stance on this, since I personally find the community to be too lenient on such modifications and therefore wanted to make a case for the other side of the argument :)

So again, there is a purist versus non-purist issue.  We all get that.  Associated with the purist versus non-purist issue is this whole comparative value of pitting one's abilities against another's.  This assumes a competition, and playing by the rules is obviously something greatly valued.  The comment "how can any of is trust you that you aren't...." tells us that Erik is in the "purist" camp.  But it tells us more than that, it tells us that to Erik, there is some form of comparative value inherent in the hobby that makes it valuable to him. 

This is all great.  But this is not how all build, or why they build.  Non-purists know they are not playing by the rules, and most times they say so right out of the shoot.  They are not building for comparative purposes, and just b/c they share with others does not mean that their approval is all that important to them. 

In reality, I think we all have the "purist" versus "non-purist" argument poorly defined.  One camp may not agree with the other, but i don't think that many get their wires crossed solely based on because someone else falls in a different camp than they do.  No, I think the real problem is when someone tries to cross-pollinate the camps.  What I mean by this is when someone poses as purist when in fact they are not.  Essentially by claiming to be a purist they are claiming to play by a set of rules and so therefore when it is discovered that they do not, obviously folks are justified in being angry.

But that is why the above comment doesn't work for me.  It assumes that others build for the same reasons he or she does.  "How can any of us trust......" assumes that the OP belongs to the purist camp when all the evidence indicates no, that is not the case.  The OP stated from the beginning what he was doing and in such an obvious way I think it goes without saying that he is not a purist and therefore doesn't value the comparative value of building.  Obviously he is not trying to "sneak one by us" so to speak.  He is saying from from the starting whistle "look guys, I just wanna show you something but there is no hierarchy here.  I am not trying to outshine anyone.  I am not playing by the rules so I am out of any competitive or comparative discussion." 

Therefore, at the end of the day I have no problem with this.  When folks are upfront that they are modifying pieces they are not trying to say "look at me I have achieved something no one else has" and so holding them to this standard makes little sense in my book.