DrJB

I came across a very lego-look-alike toy on Amazon, and yet 'Lego' is never mentioned in the description. Is this yet another illicit/shameless imitation? https://www.amazon.com/Builder-Building-Control-Programmable-Warranty/dp/B0769LNZFM/ref=sr_1_25?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1513010531&sr=1-25

I have a fairly large collection, spanning the past 10-15 years or so, including: 1. Technic (mostly) 2. Agents 3. Star Wars (few) 4. City, Bionicle, Friends, Creator, ... There is a total of about 150+ sets (primarily large) and some of them are still sealed. I'm inventorying the sets now and would like to sell the whole thing at once. I also have many extra parts (Bricklink). Let me know if interested and I'll upload my inventory. Thanks, JB

A stunning masterpiece. Thank you for sharing, and opening up our minds to 'no-wheels' technic models. All the best with the contest.

Of all the official sets and MOCs, I have yet to see a car with a transverse engine (typically in-line 4). Has anyone tried that? Granted the installation is not symmetric and may call for a 'wide' car, but nonetheless, that's one more step towards realism.

I visited a Lego exhibit at the Chicago MSI (Museum of Science and Industry) few days back and there, they have a huge display of the pyramids of Giza. Since then, I've been collecting pieces to replicate a smaller version of this build, but also wanted to build 'roofs/pyramids' of various angles. Now, there are few lego parts (slopes) to achieve this, namely, the 1-stud height For 2-stud height, these slopes are available ? For 3-stud height, these slopes are also available Do you see the pattern? Better yet, it seems Lego never released a corner slope with a 2-stud height. Such piece exists in both single and triple stud height, but not in 2-stud height ... They do have the 'quadruple' slope in 2-stud height, but that piece is not usable for corners. Any thoughts/comments or if we'll ever see such part in 'nice/useful' colors?

What triggered this topic is a recent discussion/thread about the Lego Technic Color Palette, and the availability of affordable 3D printers (e.g. monoprice 3D, $200). I have two 'goals' for this thread: 1. A repository of custom/interesting and Technic compatible STL files (beyond what's on thingiverse.com) 2. As the question: Can the LCad parts files be converted into STL? With #2, is it 'legal' to print Lego parts in 'own/custom' colors (not available from TLG) ? I understand doing this for a profit is a no-no, but if a person wants to print parts for their own use, what's the legal implication? Any thoughts/comments?

I have 2 copies of the 8376 set (Hot Flame). One is open/used/complete, the other is sealed (minor shelf wear). I'm afraid though that shipping to Australia is going to be prohibitive.

Received an email today from TLG. It seems there is a 'very-watered-down' version of Mindstorms, and programming is enabled via tablets. There is already a motor and a color sensor. This sounds like a promising platform, and I wonder if the system is expandable and other sensors are planned. https://shop.lego.com/en-US/Creative-Toolbox-17101?CMP=EMC-VIP2017_06_06_Boost_EN+_US&HQS=50_A_CTA_NA_EN&RMID=SAH_2017_06_06_Boost_NA&RRID=1088827

Very nicely done. I think the main challenge with this (and all other ral life applications out there), is that to control specific motions (from all 6 DOFs) would require rather complex formula since the motions of the various LA's are NOT uncoupled. Incidentally, I have developed such formulae (as others have I'm sure) and will share them if there is interest. The next issue is how to sync/link the motions of the 6 LA's? And there, as someone pointed above, would truly require some clever programming with 2x NXT/EV3 bricks, All in all, you've built a rather 'deceptive' mechanism ('positive' deceptive in the sense that it is way more complicated than it looks) that presents multiple challenges (who doesn't like these?) in all areas of physical build, math/formulae/kinematics, and lastly NXT/EV3 programming. Oh yes, I do like such 'multi-faceted' contraptions.

I am not sure why such 'obsession' with comparing the two. They both have their applications. To me none is better than the other. I think of them as two different tools in a toolbox, and they both serve different yet complementary functions. If you want precise positioning, then it's LA. If you want realistic models (8455) and compact builds, then it's pneumatics. Why do I have to pick a favorite?

Great topic. I initially was a 'purist on the fence'. But then one day, I decided to cut a differential and use its 2 clutch gears to open up options for a transmission. This went up a notch as last week, I got a 3D printer (nothing fancy) and now am seriously contemplating the idea of 'custom' parts. As to my 'view' on using 'custom' parts, definitely yes, as those help extend (push forward) what one can do with the standard assortment of parts.

Platonic solids are solids whose faces consist of triangles/squares/pentagons only, with no mixing of shapes. It turns out there are only 5 such solids and they do find applications in many areas of engineering/biology/art. Many (before me) have built lego renditions of such solids, and I thought I'd give this my own 'spin'. I was 'lamenting' in a different thread as to the lack of suitable/colorful connectors and as such, I decided to 'decorate' my solids with some trans-orange and trans-blue parts. The 5 Platonic Solids are: 1. Tetrahedron - also called triangular pyramid 2. Octahedron - made up of 8 triangular faces 3. Cube - Hexahedron 4. Dodecahedron - 12 pentagons as faces 5. Icosahedron - 20 faces (trangles) In addition to these, there is the well-known bucky ball (soccer/football), or so-called 'truncated icosahedron'. In fact, the tetrahedron octahedron and cube are mutuals of one another, as are the dodecahedron and icosahedron. You can get one inscribed inside the other, and the vertices of one meet the centers of the faces of the other. Lastly, and unlike the beautiful renders in THIS thread ..., ... I opted for actually building the solids. The reason is rather simple: Most of these solids are not possible in LDD as some of the parts get 'bent' a bit. In the photos below, and in addition to the common connectors, I use the following parts: and The second part came with many Bionicle sets and you can still find it on bricklink And now, for the photos: All Solids together on the kitchen floor - to show 'relative' sizes Bucky Ball - Truncated Icosahedron Two Cubes (with bent edges) Icosahedron (truncated) Tetrahedron - this one can be built in LDD Dodecahedron - My favorite (maybe because of the 20 orange globes)

One thought comes to mind. Depending on how much load you want the robot to carry, do you think one single motor per wheel will be sufficient? The 'weakest' part is typically the axle from the motor (and thus the wheel) and there is so much load it can carry, but not more.

Amazing renditions of the two monuments. Kudos. Are LDD files available? .. if not, has anyone tried to reverse-engineer these marvels?

I never got the McDonalds sets, but I have a huge bionicle parts box. If you tell me exactly which parts you need (and color), I'll look for them and get back.

Not to sound presumptuous, but at times I feel I've seen all there is to see in the Technic line-up, and everything seems to be variations/repeats of old sets/concepts. What I'm trying to say is that the Technic Theme is becoming slowly 'boring'. Of course, and in all fairness, there is another very likely possibility: my advancing years are catching up on me and I'm slowly moving away from 'how things work' to 'how beautiful they are'. Many people, after a successful career, turn to painting and other 'artsy' hobbies. I have several years (double digit) before retirement but again, I find myself exploring other things one can do with Lego. A recent visit to the Museum of Science and Industry here in Chicago got me thinking about Lego Architecture though, the TLG official 'Architecture' et is 'boring' too ... few shapes but totally mono-chromatic/white. Take a look at the tan building below. Though many of the parts are NOT available (see my 'missing slopes' thread in the general discussion), it is certainly a beauty that would easily rival with the GTB Fiorano 8145. All this prelude/introduction to ask this: Now that you've seen many of what Technic can offer, what is the next step for you? - Big images removed - SIze reduced by 33%, as requested.

In a recent thread, someone asked what the most difficult technic build was. I personally never 'felt' Technic was difficult but one respondent reported the Battle Droid 8002 was one of the most difficult sets. So, curious, I managed to get one off eBay, disassembled it, cleaned it up, and decided to build. Yes, it was not an easy build ... but the most surprising to me was, at the end, I ended up with few 'serious' extra pieces (The droid came assembled). This is the very first time this happens to me. I must say though that the instructions have some 'errors' in them, and plus, working from a scanned PDF is far from ideal. So, how often do you end up with MORE extra pieces than you're comfortable with? Or, how often you complete a build, then realize you've messed up 'royally' somewhere?

I would instead go with grains of rice. Less chance of breaking-up/crumbling and getting into tight spaces :) That said, yes, love this build, and it's got few wheels but not used in the conventional sense. Kudos!

When the technic theme started 40 years ago, it was all about vehicles. 40 years later, it's still about vehicles. Maybe some variety would help. The only departure I can think of was the electric plotter (Technic COntrol Center 1) ... from many years ago. As to non-conventional vehicles, there were few Star-Wars/Technic sets: Those used ingenious mechanisms and pushed Technic beyond the typical 4-wheeled vehicle.

Edited 8 hours ago by Milan Removed big images. Please reupload them in allowed size. Remind me again please, what is the MAX image size? Those images somehow look ok on my monitor (27" ASUS). In fact, what I posted was reduced from the original size.

I share your frustration ... wholeheartedly. As I said in my original post, my interest in slopes stemmed from a recent visit to a museum exhibit here in Chicago (Museum of Science & Industry). There, there were huge gisplays of iconic landmarks, such as the Golden Gate Bridge (in San Francisco) and the Egyptian pyramids. I decided to come home and buy the parts to build a smaller version of the pyramid. To my disappointment, the corner 2x2 slope is extremely rare in tan, and the cheapest I found on BL was $2.00 ... really ludicrous. The museum exhibit must have been a very special order. Some photos are below. Since then, I started looking even closer at all available slopes, and none of them exist in all the same color ... this is really really disappointing from TLG.

I still have mine sealed in its original box. I hope the stickers are still intact.

Very nice. However (on my computer) some pages are totally blank and on some others the text is printed in white ... I had to highlight it to see it. I can check again on a different computer tonight, but wondering if others are seeing the same 'issues'. Edit: Nevermind. I downloaded a second time, and now everything looks fine.

I'm not so sure anymore about the weight check at TLG. Recently, I bought 2 elves sets for my daughter, and both of them had dragons inside. Somehow each had an extra wing, which is a fairly large part. Unless the bags are weighed properly, but the large pieces are not.

Nope ... too many things to do. Will leave that on backburner until I free up some hours :)