Alternative Parts for Soft Axles

[Sheepo]

Hi people.

I want to talk about a big problem when you create a technic MOC: the soft axles.

They are very usefull to create soft curves, corners and transitions in technic models, specially in the bodywork, but as probably all of you know, the soft axles have a big availability problem.

In BL the prices are completely crazy(specially in red), and quantity available are not enough (who can not remmenber the 19L in black...or the 14L in red)

When I designed the GT500 in 2012(yes 2012, there is a long story behind this car...), the cost of the soft axles were very low, the 11L in red cost was around 0.30€ each, and high availability. Now if you want more than 2 you should pay more than 3€ each, and you can't buy more 10 in any store, that is completly crazy!!!

In my new car(it is finished, I will show it comming soon) I have used many red soft axles. I have many red parts in home from some years ago, so I have not had to buy red parts to build it. My original intention was make instructions, just like the Mustang, but now I am not sure if it will be a good idea: if you use ALL red soft axles available now in bricklink probably only 4 or 5 copies will can be built.

I want to continue building my cars with detailed bodyworks(I think most of you think the same), and without soft axles that is almost imposible.

I am very purist with non-Lego parts, but I think this can be a good moment to find some alternatives out of Lego oficial part to keep the building level.

The pneumatic tubes can be a solution: they are flexible and have the same diameter as the soft axle. But they are only available in black, light gray and blue, nothing about red, yellow, green, white...

I know the rigidity, strenght, and touch feel are not the same, but if any of you know a better solution please leff me know.

I have found a store where you can buy pneumatic tube 100% Lego compatible in many colors: black, blue, brown, dark blue, dark gray, green, light gray, red, tan, teal, trans clear, white and yellow. And with very good price: you can build the complete GT500 in red with less price than only one 14L red soft axle purchased in bricklink.

And now the question:

What do you think about this?

The alternative pneumatic tube can be a solution?

Even in a desperate moment the non-Lego parts are not allowed?

I want to know your opinion.

Thanks

Sheepo

[Milan]

What do you think about this?

The alternative pneumatic tube can be a solution?

Even in a desperate moment the non-Lego parts are not allowed?

1. I have no problem with pneumatic tubing. I love them.

2. Debatable. Full-time purists will protest, for sure. I am purist, but I think it is okay.

3. I would never use non-LEGO parts, even in desperate times.

[kennywest]

I think I have used the same store to purchase pneumatic hoses (they are soled per meter). I'm not sure I am a purist, but if you're building some kind of pneumatic model (like a dozer or excavator) I guess buying hoses per meter is the only thing you can resort to.

When I was young you had to cut the pneumatic hoses yourself (8851 set), it is only in more recent sets that all hoses are pre-cut. And since all hoses are pre-cut, there's no way to build a pneumatic model with custom-length-hoses.

Given the prices for soft axles, I don't see any problem in using "custom" pneumatic hoses instead.

Just my 2cents :)

[jesse66058]

What are these used parts called?

[Sheepo]

That is part is called Hose Flexible Ribbed with 8mm ends. http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=57539

The problem is that the only available lengh is 19L...

[Meatman]

This part is also very rare and expensive now.

[Blastem]

As I told when you showed your new car in yesterday's event. I think nowadays the only alternative is to inlay some type of wire into pneumatic tubing.

Of course this is not 100% LEGO, but considering the alternatives, It does not worth to expend hundreds of euros in plastic tubing.

Maybe LEGO could re-edit this type of piece in some basic colours...

If I were you, I must try only with pnematic tubing, and If it does not work because of softness or being jiff, look for the alternatives.

----------------------------------------

Spanish Translation:

Como te comenté cuando mostraste el coche en el evento de ayer, creo que a día de hoy la alternativa más parecia a un soft axle sería embutir en los tubos neumáticos un alambre. Por supuesto no es 100% LEGO, pero vistas las alternativas, no merece la pena gastarse ciento de euro en tubos de plástico para carrozar. O eso, o que LEGO los reedito.

Siendo tú, yo probaría con los tubos neumáticos, como comentas, Y si no funcionan, debido a que son demasiado blandos y/o flexibles, mirar alternativas.

[Meatman]

What about this for an alternative?

[Sheepo]

Thanks blastem.

Meatman, that hose rigid is even more rare than soft axles... in almost all sizes. Also the diameter is smaller, so the cars will look strange.

Edited May 5, 2014 by Sheepo

[Blastem]

Hose rigids are too thin and "wired look" compared with sift axles :/

[Meatman]

Thanks blastem.

Meatman, that hose rigid is even more rare than soft axles... in almost all sizes. Also the diameter is smaller, so the cars will look strange.

How do you connect those pneumatic hoses to connectors though?

[jesse66058]

How do you connect those pneumatic hoses to connectors though?

The pneumatic hoses i have do all fit directly into the connectors. No real problem. When stiffnes is a problem, you can use hoses of harder plastic. Problem solved? :)

[Meatman]

The pneumatic hoses i have do all fit directly into the connectors. No real problem. When stiffnes is a problem, you can use hoses of harder plastic. Problem solved? :)

Are we talking about the same hoses that the unimog uses? How do they fit inside?

I guess they would fit into a round pin connector?

[Sheepo]

The pneumatuc tube can be connected using for example a short hose rigid, a bar, a pin with stud and bar, a T pneunatic connector etc...

[Meatman]

The pneumatuc tube can be connected using for example a short hose rigid, a bar, a pin with stud and bar, a T pneunatic connector etc...

Ok, that is what I thought. So now you will also need another part to be used.

I guess you and the other car guys are going to have to have to really start getting creative and not use them or not use as many of them. That is if you want to produce instructions.

There is always those cheap Chinese knock off Ferrari sets of the 599 GTB. That one has many red soft axles in all sizes. With the insane prices on bricklink, I wouldn't be surprised to see parts from this making their way into the system.

Quite the bargain here

Edited May 5, 2014 by Meatman

[Blakbird]

You bring up a very valid point. It was only a few years ago that replicating someone's MOC was quite rare and instructions were almost non-existent. It was usually no problem getting whatever part you wanted. But now there are lots of instructions (partly my fault) and lots of people building models. The quantities of Technic on Bricklink are just not sufficient.

Personally, I would have no problem using aftermarket red pneumatic tubing. The purist solution demands that the model CAN be built in real LEGO, but there is nothing stopping a builder from replicating that model using whatever they can find. And for appearance, red tubing can look pretty good. The 8284 tractor uses red rigid tubing pretty extensively on the attachment. Several of the "Tech Play" series of race cars also use different colors of rigid tubing for curved areas. The 8462 blue tow truck and 8437 car also use lots of it and look good. I think pneumatic tubing would need internal support or it would sag. I would use some 18 gauge solid core wire on the inside.

[jantjeuh]

Use soft axles in your MOCs anyway, and suggest that people who don't own many of these use pneumatic tubing instead. Thank god I've got plenty of soft axles in all colours (except 19L in black, grrr ...)

P.S.: 9L liftarms in tan are also impossible to find ...

Edited May 5, 2014 by jantjeuh

[Lipko]

Is the red plane (9394) hard to get?

I have a decent amount of red flex axles, decent enough to make one car at a time.

Hmm... I may have had too many beers today, this post is pretty nonsense.

[TinkerBrick]

Third Party pneumatic tubing seems like a legit alternative to me. I use them for modding my unimog and replacing old tubing from the 80s. I'm fine with it. Imho TLG is not producing these tubes it selfs but orders it from a third party manufacturer. It's about the sole part that is not branded with its logo.

[jantjeuh]

Is the red plane (9394) hard to get?

Not really, but then again, 19L flex axles aren't exactly rare (in red at least). The 11L and 14L ones are.

Edited May 5, 2014 by jantjeuh

[Zerobricks]

Use pin joiners and frictionless pins, those things bend nicely and can/were used for tracks fro rollercoasters.

[Appie]

I was going to post this in a few weeks in the proper Mustang topic when I get a few more parts (it is still missing some parts of the left door and some other little pieces that I missed in my bricklink orders), but I might as well show a little now (and more in a few weeks). When I wanted to built the Mustang, the connectors mentioned above were already 2-3 euro a piece, since I wasn't going to pay 80-120 euro for 1 type of part (not to mention the 14L red flex axles) I looked for alternatives. My first idea was to make a black Mustang, but I dismissed that since 19L black flex axles weren't as available either (only used in "The Mission" set I think) and I didn't like the fact the wheels would be black, exterior black, white stripe and if I didn't alter the colour of the chassis, that being black too. I then looked at building the Mustang in white, but was shot down early due to some flex axles simply not existing in white. I looked at rigid hose options too for all colour schemes I came up with, but some lengths weren't available, meaning I would had to cut up hoses. I didn't want to do that, the only piece of Lego I used to cut up in the old days were... pneumatic tubes!

Loving the idea of the white mustang I had in my head I found a shop that had pneumatic tubing in white which I thought was original Lego tubing. I thought the Lego 9641 set had white tubing, but it's super light gray. I already ordered them when I found out, but when I recieved it, it was the exact same stuff as Lego, same thickness, same feel, same looks only it was white instead of the default blue, black or gray. This allowed me to built the Mustang in white.

It's firm and stays in place as long as you don't touch it

The black flex axles at the front are still 11L flex axles, didn't change those for tubing. For the blue hoses I wanted to use pneumatic tubing, for the added thickness, but the blue hose I ordered at the same shop as the white one, was a little transparant. Not looking like pure Lego I dismissed them for this model (will probably use them for some pneumatic stuff). I then used 3 11L rigid hoses, which look very well imo.

So I'd say as long as it looks like real Lego pneumatic tubing, go for it. It gives alot of room for more colour combinations than you ever could come up with only flex axles. And with more colour options available stuff like the 2-3 euro connector might not get caught in the crossfire of the flex axle price hike.

Also Sheepo, thank you very much for this awesome model, it was a great joy to build. Also thank you Jurgen for making the instructions with you.I can't wait to see your new model!

Edited May 5, 2014 by Appie

[S.I]

Has anyone tried checking lego direct?

[Meatman]

Has anyone tried checking lego direct?

Yes. Nothing available either with the needed soft axle sizes or connectors.

[Rockbrick]

I would use the narrower rigid tubing (same diameter as the T junction pieces)

this is thinner than the flex axles but if you wanted it thicker you could insert short pieces into the end of larger diameter pneumatic hoses

problem is these are too soft and only available in Blue and Black and Grey if you want to go down the lego purist route

third party tubing must be available stiffer and in all colours.... and thicknesses -