Paul Boratko

I still build, but rather than daily, it's maybe been weekly. And it's not because I don't have the time. One of my biggest turn-offs right now with Technic building is the poor quality of parts. I am mainly talking about the plastic around the thin axle holes of connectors. These parts are way outdated and need revamped with thicker plastic. Universal joints should have ends like a #1 connector or even a CV joint opening. There is no reason why I should have a bowl of 100's and 100's of broken parts that have either never been or barely been used. I was rebuilding a rear suspension just the other day for a new moc, and I needed two 3L universal joints, so I went into a bin of old suspension concepts and decided to tear into one and harvest the joints. Every single universal joint was cracked on both ends in all 3 of the various modules. This is inexcusable. I'm so frustrated over this universal joint issue that I don't even feel like ordering anymore of them because I know they are eventually going to break as well. And I am not talking about breaking form being over used, I am talking about them breaking from just having the stress of an axle being pushed through them. LEGO building shouldn't be about having to replace your parts every week. I can't tell you how many common perpendicular connectors that I have that are cracked and they are brand new and never used. You can tell they've already failed as soon as you push an axle into them. I am actually finding myself trying not to use these weak connectors in models just because they are notorious for cracking. And this problem isn't something new, this has been bothering me for many years. It's time for an upgrade.

I do as well. People being able to see more clearly how things are built helps me to not answer as many questions.

I work on cars for a living. While gears and such are not color coded since they are noticeably different, other areas must be color coded to help prevent disasters. Such as fuses in a fuse box or wires. LEGO uses various colors for this same reason while also making the build easier for everyone. I know people who are highly intelligent who have completely botched official builds with the instructions being made as easy as possible...

When I see mocs using obvious questionable building methods to achieve their goal, I tend to not take them seriously, while many will say "This is better than anything LEGO can do" or "This should be an official set, you should be working for LEGO" I look at everything through a different set of glasses than most people do, but that's just me...

What I find somewhat bizarre is that they made these new style curvy panels to get the proper shape and then botch it right here. Also wondering why they are not using a traditional steering wheel. The real car doesn't have a Knight Rider style wheel...

If they really wanted to make it realistic to the cars in the movie, they could have included a 20 speed transmission..

Haven't posted here in awhile... If anyone is interested, here are instructions in photo-sequence for a C-Model Hot Rod built exclusively from the 42077 Rally Car... I did the best that I could with my crappy camera... There are almost 400 pictures and it should be easy to replicate... INSTRUCTIONS

Perhaps this set will actually be a 2 pack of smaller scale cars like the Corvette.

Lego even threw a clue in the promo as to what the model is going to be. Very clever...

This is exactly what I am referring too.. I have also noticed while monitoring my wife building the new Defender set that the 90 degree limiting arm is ever so slightly rubbing the tan gear because the white rubber band is pulling it towards that direction.. This is something that I would have avoided by having the band on the opposite side pulling it slightly away from that gear.. Those tan gears can be quite fickle..

I don't really build sets, but I've noticed working with this gear over the years that sometimes it seems to work smooth and sometimes it doesn't. I could build 2 of the exact same gearbox and one would work nice and smooth while the other didn't, and that gear was usually the culprit..

This is 100% correct. I have been telling people for years(I am certain I mentioned it here several times) that it is better to try and build their Gearboxes using liftarms rather than connectors or ever a mixture of both because the connectors on the axles simply are not true and will cause some friction. If you place 7 perpendicular connectors on a 7L axle and line it up with a 7L liftarm, you will see that the holes do not line up and it doesn't take much difference to cause serious binding. Not only that but placing gears or bushing too tightly against what is supporting them can also cause grief. This is most likely the cause why some builders are experiencing friction issues and some are not.. And of course the fake engine(depending on how large that it is) that you use will also cause friction... This is why you can have 2 people build the same exact model using the same instructions and get different results... If built correctly, you should be able to roll a model containing a simple 4 speed Gearbox across a table in 1st gear(which should have the most resistance) without any cracking or grinding. If you hear cracking or grinding, then there is an issue somewhere that should be resolved, and most likely it is something basic that was overlooked.. The main key to having a smooth running Gearbox is keeping everything uniform and true.

I like to think that gearboxes in the 853 and 8860 helped mold a 5 year old child into the man that I am today...

On a somewhat related note.. I had released a set of free photo-sequence instructions for a C-Model of the 42077 Rally Car set, and someone used those instructions and made digital instructions on how to build the model.. The best part is that they asked me if I wanted to buy them.. You get that? They wanted me to buy instructions for my own model..

It's quite unfortunate that these things are still happening, but it's never going to stop... It took TLG years to take down Lepin, and most likely, they'll just pop up under another name at some point.. I remember years ago when someone sent me a link to a Chinese online marketplace and they were literally selling my instructions piggybacking right off of my own website.. I was angry at first, but finally accepted that this is just how things are going to be as there is just no way to win.. If I were you, I would just stay motivated and keep doing what you're doing.. Don't lose any sleep over it.. There will always be leeches looking to profit off of someone Else's talents.. This is a very sticky situation where I feel many AFOL have been quite fortunate by the original IP owners either being very lenient, ignorant, or in most cases, uninformed.. Selling anything based off of an existing IP and using their name without their consent for profit could land you in some hot water.. Personally, I would never again design a model based off of a real car and use that company's name and then sell instructions.. There is a reason why I just do generic models now if I plan on releasing instructions..

It's been a busy 2016 for me, but I managed to get a supercar completed.. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I think that it is my best work that I've done so far.. It is based around the sequential 4 speed AWD chassis that I posted last month which has been redesigned for this new model.. I tried to come up with some new uses for the new panels from the 42056 Porsche.. Everything seems to work pretty flawlessly.. http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=566867 Free instructions at ReBrickable.

I know this isn't Lego Technic, but these are just too awesome not to share, not to mention that they are rather inexpensive.. I would imagine that much could be learned from these Amazing models.. You can buy them in the U.S. HERE

Shoot me an email or message and let me know when you start the auction and I'll share it on my Facebook page.. I only have like 4,000 people that follow it, but it's better than nothing.. I can also share it on the Fan Technic page that has 30,000 members.. I have a new project cooking for my annual charity auction this summer.. Are you doing this auction through Ebay..?

Out of the dozens of cars that I have built over the years, this is my first F1 style car.. Pics HERE Functions include: 4 speed gearbox with paddle shifters on each side of the steering wheel Reverse-Neutral-Drive switch with Reverse being it's own separate gear and isn't influenced by shifting In car and Hand of God steering 4 Wheel independent suspension Fake V10 engine Opening engine cover

There is a bricklink seller that has 9 of them in stock right now.. I checked with him and he sent me a picture of all of the sets together, so it is legit... A bit pricey, but if you must have on now, HERE you go..

Here is a side by side pic with the Bugatti... Probably about half.. A LOT of pins left over..

This works wonderfully and is very simplistic and straight forward... https://bricksafe.com/pages/Crowkillers/42096-hand-of-god-steering

Here is a straight forward design with true connections and some slight structural modifications.. This works perfectly and looks pretty tidy...