LEGO spinning tops

[jam8280]

Looking for fellow LEGO top-makers here on Eurobricks. Very little posted on this building genre so far, but I'd very much like to change that. Special Themes seems to be the best fit.

Over the last 2-3 years, I've designed and built at least 1,000 working tops and still have well over 700 in my collection. As you can see from my MOCpages top folder and the videos below, the visual and mechanical design possibilities with this simple kinetic art form are truly endless -- especially in the LEGO realm.

Since tops are mostly about motion, I'll embed a few of my less conventional spintop videos as an introduction. No need to watch any of them all the way through.

 

 

 

 

 

Yuri Fassio held annual top-making contests for several years on MOCpages, ending ca. 2012, but there was never much activity between contests, and all but a handful of the tops posted there in recent years have been mine. It'd be nice to have some company.

[BrickbyBrickTechnic]

Awesome! I've seen all of these on YouTube. I especially like the mechanism to spin the spinners.

[Eggyslav]

My goodness, these tops are absolutely Mesmerising, great Job on them. Question though: What music did you use in Centrifugal Tops and Reflector tops videos?

[jam8280]

6 hours ago, BrickbyBrickTechnic said:

Awesome! I've seen all of these on YouTube. I especially like the mechanism to spin the spinners.

Thanks! Planetary spinner video below...

Detailed photos on their MOCpage, which also discusses what I've learned about LEGO planetary transmissions.

[jam8280]

5 hours ago, Eggyslav said:

My goodness, these tops are absolutely Mesmerising, great Job on them. Question though: What music did you use in Centrifugal Tops and Reflector tops videos?

Very kind!

Centrifugal top music = Mozart, Divertimento No. 17 in D major - I. Allegro

Reflector top music = Mendelssohn, Concerto for Piano, Violin & Strings Orchestra in D minor - III. Allegro molto

Mozart and Mendelssohn allegro movements and top videos just seem to go together in my head -- especially the Mozart. Part of it seems to be some kind synergy between transitions -- for the tops, the transitions from one wagon-wheel illusion to the next.

Edited June 28, 2017 by jam8280

[Eggyslav]

Ah my two favourite composers, I instantly recognized Mozart, but Mendelssohn is suprising!

Edited June 28, 2017 by Eggyslav

[Henchmen4Hire]

Is there a way to build tops so that they whistle or hum as they spin?

[jam8280]

On ‎8‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 3:22 PM, Henchmen4Hire said:

Is there a way to build tops so that they whistle or hum as they spin?

I've been trying to think of a way to do exactly that, but so far, no luck. However, if you make a top that's very dirty aerodynamically, it will definitely hiss if you spin it fast enough!