Plastic Nurak Posted February 10, 2011 Posted February 10, 2011 Just today I realized that new way of building Technic models has turned 15, and it has cast off its short trousers. Below, the humble beginning: (from #8425 instructions, page 5) Happy birthday, in spite of a little preference of mine for studded construction. Quote
Pauger Posted February 10, 2011 Posted February 10, 2011 (edited) Yeah, happy birthay. I think you're wrong though IMO studless building began eigher in 2000, when the straight thick beams first appeared, or 2002-2003, when the first fully studless sets came. edit: thick.. not think Edited February 10, 2011 by Pauger Quote
mahjqa Posted February 10, 2011 Posted February 10, 2011 I think he's perfectly right. It's an arbitrary distinction anyway. The use of studless parts has simply increased over the years. One might argue that kicked off the studless age. But to me, it was that signaled that something new was coming. Quote
Plastic Nurak Posted February 10, 2011 Author Posted February 10, 2011 (edited) Studless parts are one thing, studless construction (with some function created only with studless beams and connectors) is other. We can speak of proto-studless building mode since 1989, at least (see some #8862 instructions step). But it was still primitive. Edited February 10, 2011 by Plastic Nurak Quote
gotoAndLego Posted February 10, 2011 Posted February 10, 2011 Studless parts have been available since Technic was called Expert Builder. Studless means that the main beams don't have studs, which that instruction page shows is not the case. Quote
Plastic Nurak Posted February 10, 2011 Author Posted February 10, 2011 (edited) Studless means that the main beams don't have studs, which that instruction page shows is not the case. I wrote "humble beginning", in a mainly studded world . My example is right. Then, you're forgotting that in 1996 came this part: The times, they were-a changin' ... Edited February 10, 2011 by Plastic Nurak Quote
Pauger Posted February 10, 2011 Posted February 10, 2011 The use of studless parts has simply increased over the years. Not since 2003? Quote
grindinggears Posted February 10, 2011 Posted February 10, 2011 (Maybe we should distinct between the first appearance of studless parts and the first completely studless set ) Back on topic: Happy birthday studless building! Let's hope we see 17 long liftarms on your 17th birthday Quote
CP5670 Posted February 10, 2011 Posted February 10, 2011 I would make a distinction between studless building in general and 100% studless models. 2003 was probably the beginning of the latter, starting with sets like 8455 and 8454. There was also a significant shift towards it in 1999, although studded beams were still used a lot at that point. Some amount of studless construction has been around for almost as long as Technic has existed. Quote
Zerobricks Posted February 11, 2011 Posted February 11, 2011 Yeah the 2003's mini front loader was IMO the first totally studless model. Quote
Tobbe Arnesson Posted February 11, 2011 Posted February 11, 2011 Give it another 15 years and I might actually have started to learn how to use it. Going into a second dark age when studless took over did not exactly help... Quote
RohanBeckett Posted February 11, 2011 Posted February 11, 2011 Give it another 15 years and I might actually have started to learn how to use it. Going into a second dark age when studless took over did not exactly help... tell me about it! See my other thread about a Front-Wheel Drive module.. I swear I've pulled it apart a dozen times... as I inevitably find I need to make a change deep down... and because it's small and compact, and built with a lot of liftarms, and pins.. I pretty much have to destroy the whole lot to make an inner change! I do miss the satisfying push together of regular studded pieces, in technic sets.. and there's something about the rigidity of a well designed studded frame, that studless can't quite match.. although recent parts such as the technic frames are helping a lot more RB Quote
mahjqa Posted February 11, 2011 Posted February 11, 2011 (edited) tell me about it! I swear I've pulled it apart a dozen times... as I inevitably find I need to make a change deep down... and because it's small and compact, and built with a lot of liftarms, and pins.. I pretty much have to destroy the whole lot to make an inner change! Isn't that kind of the point? If it's hard to take apart, this means it can stand a bump here or there as well. I know what you mean, though. Pretty much everything I've built has been rebuilt from the ground up more than once. I do miss the satisfying push together of regular studded pieces, in technic sets.. and there's something about the rigidity of a well designed studded frame, that studless can't quite match.. although recent parts such as the technic frames are helping a lot more. While I agree that a well-built studded frame can propably be used to knock out a burglar (I swear, this has a studded frame and feels like a baseball bat) I don't much care for stud connections anymore. I much prefer the 'click' of a technic pin. (of course, this has mainly to do that during exhibitions many of my models will be driven by kids. You can't really take chances with structural integrity, there.) Edited February 11, 2011 by mahjqa Quote
RohanBeckett Posted February 12, 2011 Posted February 12, 2011 yeah.. I displayed all my technic models at a small exhibition a couple of years ago... there were lots of kids around.. and I happily let them operate my models - knowing that the studless ones held up pretty well... I also have 2 of the Racer RC cars.. and they were hammered all day long (going through 2 or 3 sets of batteries)... and apart from the odd wheel falling off, or steering rod coming unclipped... held up just fine! RB Quote
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