Legoless

Unfortunately you are too young to be a member of this forum (minimum age is 18)- however there are various guidelines to building- if you look in each forum (eg Train Tech, Lego Town) there are useful articles- such as SNOT building (Studs Not On Top)- which is one very useful technique to learn. You aren't supposed to post here at your age but there is nothing to stop you reading articles (bearing in mind some could be of a more 'adult' nature). Main thing is- lots of experimentation and practice. Most members here started Lego building as kids- and as such- with limited financial resources. I'd say that is the best way to learn, because if you don't have certain elements due to lack of money you have to think of other ways to get round it (lateral thinking). Also, when you are in town check the charity shops for second hand Lego- sometimes that way you can build up a collection very cheaply. Farewell and good luck!

Winnie the Police Bear?

Not in the same glass I hope? (Legoless awaits the first New Mannum cocktail bar complete with puking minifigs...)

That may well be the case, but perhaps (he suggests naively) nobody has ever put forward such a proposal to the right person. I'm sure such selection sets would outsell other limited edition S@H products such as the Architectural line- and the economies of scale would pretty much guarantee a profit even if such items were cheaper than PaB- a line which would be complimentary to such selection packs as, of course, AFOLs are always going to want certain elements not included, or in insufficient quantities. It would give TLG a better crack at the AFOL market rather than seeing them go to Bricklink to source those items (although I'm sure TLG recognises that its relationship with Bricklink is essentially a symbiotic one). No other companies do this- true, but then even MegaBloks don't have anything like the following that Lego does. Lego does understand the business sense in catering to the AFOL community- after all, many sets contain elements in certain colours because they know that AFOLs will buy those sets for that very reason- which means that even if those sets get a lukewarm response sales-wise from their intended demographic (ie kids or their purchasing parents) then they will still get a return from those AFOLs who want, say, a quantity of purple 2x2 tiles- even if the AFOLs wait for the item to be remaindered they've still sold the sets to the stores and got their money. Possibly one of many reasons why Lego employs AFOLs to design sets rather than your average industrial designer.

Wonder if Lego will ever produce an AFOL selection pack in neutral colours- like their standard brick buckets (or cardboard carton equivalents) but in colours that AFOLs prefer for architectural MOCs- eg brick red, tan, sand, etc? Would probably be a good seller on S@H if it was sufficiently good value. Obviously such a selection would not provide for all needs but would make for a good stockpile source for commontly used bricks. Perhaps even selection packs that contained only one colour?

Wonderful- I really love the shape of the loco boiler cylinder- the fact that it is more angular somehow adds to the vintage 'feel' of the loco. Nice work with the connecting rods also. My favourite part is the nicely scaled 'clerestory' carriage. I do feel that the loco could do with a rear truck (articulated) as the loco apprears to be too long for the number of wheels that are supporting it. Nice work!

I think I prefer your MOC to the rather ungainly original! Life aboard that caboose can not have been pleasant- for a start it had a very short wheelbase which would have made for a rough ride. Secondly, it is hard to regulate the heat from a stove like that, so in winter it would have been uncomfortably hot near the stove, but cold and draughty elsewhere from having to have the windows open. On long American freight trains injuries to brakemen were common, resulting from the train driver (or engineer in US Speak) putting on the brakes and the brakeman not reacting fast enough to apply the caboose brakes to keep the couplings taut. With each wagon colliding with the one in front (due to the kind of slack couplings and lack of through-train brakes) by the time the caboose caught up there would be one hell of an impact. This was less of an issue on British freight trains since they were much shorter.

I can't remember how deep the motor is- been decades since I saw a 4.5 motor- but would it be possible to put the motor under the battery box? It would make for a high centre of gravity tender which could be an issue with old blue track being somewhat 'loose' compared to later stuff- I'd be inclined to add many more sleepers. Then you could fit bogies to the locomotive. It wouldn't look entirely 'prototypical' as the wheels are too small for a real steam loco and there are no connecting rods, but then smurf-coloured track with white sleepers isn't exactly realistic either! But then that would hardly be the point! Bit early to be planning Christmas decorations?

Welcome to the board. I think I'd be inclined to lose the house doors and brick-build a much narrower opening, and if possible, try to round out the corners of the cab somehow. Incidentally, there is at least one HST poower car with buffers and couplings- it was used (minus the engine) as a prototype DVT (Driving Van Trailer)- ie an unpowered vehicle at one end of the train with a driver's cab with an electric loco at the other- so it could be driven from both ends. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Grand_Central_HST_Newark.jpg Edit- one of the power cars in the Flying Banana (HST based 'New Measurement Train') has couplings also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Measurement_Train.

I agree totally with the firse responder, Clone O'Patra- a very underwhelming piece. Fallingwater, the Taj Mahal, and Tower Bridge were much more impressive. Lego really don't need to model every landmark building on the planet- they should be more selective and only cover those buildings that look impressive in microscale- which this does not.

That's coming on in leaps and bounds. Don't forget the coffee vending machine- essential equipment in the car seller's armoury. They like to offer the customer a scalding hot cup of coffee since that makes the customer feel 'obligated' towards the salesman, and the fact that it is very hot (so needs time to cool down) buys the salesman valuable time to pitch the customer.

Simply astonishing! The colours you have used for the building would overpower most smaller models, but in yours they serve beautifully to add texture and richness. You have also allowed sufficient space in your moc to include a lot of activity, which again would make most other models look crowded. Would love to see some close-ups of the dragons.

Shows that small Ford dealers look the same the world over! I can think of a few small UK dealerships that look a bit like that (well, slightly larger but one has to scale down for Lego). One tip if you have the capability to produce transparent stickers (they are available from specialist mailorder companies) would be to signwrite the windows with the latest promotions. And, being a garage, it would be interesting to see some wrecked vehicles awaiting repair (eg missing a wing or a door).

Sensational! You've managed to model the unmodellable! The DS is so full of interesting curves that I doubt most builders would even know where to start! Like 'Fonix' I love classic Citroens, although they lost their way once Peugeot took them over. Would love a DS in real life if money (and a convenient Citroen-loving mechanic allowed). I heard of a guy once who took the gearbox out of a DS to put in a Citroen H Van (the ones that look like corrugated sheds on wheels) not realising that some Citroen engines revolve the opposite way to just about every other engine (typically French- being different just for the sake of it!). He ended up with 5 reverse gears and one forward!

Absolutely stunning. Your rendition is fabulous but I am also really impressed that you've gone to so much trouble to model the terrain. That for me really brings the house to life, as well as giving it space and context. Love this and your other work (esp the arctic church).

Could possibly use a doll from Lego Scala or Bellville. You'd have to paint it white or brick-build the head maybe if that is possible. Most courthouses of course aren't quite that imposing! London's famous Old Bailey courthouse would also make an interesting model. http://www.e-architect.co.uk/images/jpgs/london/old_bailey_nw030809_1.jpg . No need for oversize statues but a very complex, challenging build. [Edit] just seen other picture of Old Bailey with oversized statue on roof- D'oh! (well in my defence M'lud I don't live in London so I've never seen it close up). I think I'll shut up now.

Interesting- however I wouldn't bother using an expensive 'branded' toothpaste for cleaning Lego. The active ingredient is the silica granules which act as a fine abrasive, whilst the 'paste' consistency helps bind the debris (and said granules). Even for teeth cleaning, branded toothpastes are a waste of money- as it is the brushing which is the most important part. Hence I use the very cheapest 'value own brand' toothpaste costing a fraction of the price of the branded stuff. My dentist always compliments me on how clean I keep my teeth. So I'd be inclined to use similar for cleaning Lego (along with the cheapest toothbrushes- now those I wouldn't dream of using in my mouth!).

Nice work- I haven't explored Brussels (apart from the Eurostar station) but does look typical of Belgian architecture that I saw when I was staying near Ostend. Funny thing about the language- if you are in a Flemish part of Belgium and you don't speak Dutch, people are only too pleased to help you with information. If you speak schoolboy French however (I hadn't spoken French for over 25 years when I went there) and request information from a French-speaking Belgian they absolutely don't want to know.

I think Captain's Daughter refers rather to a ribald English double entendre 'She was only the Captain's Daughter, but her naval base was full of discharged seamen!' Hope I can get away with saying that on an AFOL site... Anyway, *cough*, nice review.

Surely the point of Lego is that you can make your own stuff using ingenuity and imagination. I'd hate it if Lego decided to do what Hornby or other model train makers do by producing just about every concievable variation of every train! The Windhoff (sp) is used in the UK by Network Rail (who own and occacionally 'maintain' the trackwork as a multi-purpose vehicle consist (unusually using powered vehicles at both end unlike continental practise which is to have only one powered vehicle- unless used in multiple of course!). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_MPV. Essentially, it is a freight-carrying DMU designed to carry standard shipping containers secured with ordinary twistlocks. This makes it perfectly ideal for swapping different maintainence 'modules' about as required, eg weed killing applications, tunnel maintainence or overhead line work. Nice MOC work!

Wonder if ME Models or Big Ben Bricks (or anyone else) will be able to produce some kind of wheel system that will enable live power pick-up from metal tracks without having to break into a 9v motor? I've no criticism of anyone going that route if it suits them, but it does lack the flexibility of a more bespoke approach.

I think the instability of ABS in sunlight is overstated perhaps. ABS is used for vehicle bumpers (fenders in US-Speak) and mirror housings, as well as for other minor trim. I have had a succession of old cars that have been around the 15-year-old age range, and most of them have had unpainted or exposed areas of ABS trim parts. Yes, unpainted ABS will certainly discolour in time. Black ABS will tend to go grey. However, although it does become increasingly brittle, it usually takes a hefty knock to crack ageing ABS. The only ABS part I've replaced in years was a Vauxhall Astra (aka Opel Kadett) wing mirror, which being a cheap-and-nasty General Motors product was fixed- wheras every other car on the market has spring-loaded mirrors to deflect on impact. Since Lego track laid in the garden is not likely to suffer heavy impact (unless you drop something on it), I would expect it to last for maybe a couple of decades. You can always bring back the colour of ABS with a vehicle valetting product such as 'Back to Black'. And if you have (as you say) a brick wall round your garden you could always rotate the track pieces around so that it all ages at the same rate (ie moving track from sunny areas to shady). More problematic would be protecting any external wiring (if any) as you don't want it being gnawed on by rodents!

When I clicked on the link in the frontpage I wasn't expecting this model to be so tiny! I marvel that you've been able to model a recognisable truck so well and yet so compactly. Well done you!