DLuders

Yes, Year 1998 Sets 8428 (Turbo Command with CD-ROM) and 8432 (Turbo Command without CD-ROM) had the COOL WHEELS. I read somewhere that the low-profile tires were the "stickiest" of any Lego tire made. Thanks for posting the alternate instructions!

This powerful engine must generate AT LEAST 1000+ Horsepower, right? You're going to twist off all of your Technic Axles with this baby!

I like the low roofline of the truck -- it makes it look more "rad"! The truck reminds me of the masonry brick delivery trucks toting pallets of REAL bricks and rocks to landscaping job sites. Well done!

I checked the LegoShopAtHome.com website, and the Year 2010 Lego 8048 set is not yet offered in the USA. There is some discussion about the set at the websites http://www.moclug.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?ac...297&start=0 and http://technicbricks.blogspot.com/search?q=8048 (scroll about 3/4 of the way down the page).

I like it a lot! It's very clean-looking and professional. It's a good combination of Power Functions and pneumatic Lego elements. Is this truck modelled after any particular brand of Israeli truck? I'm looking forward to seeing your video of it!

OK, I e-mailed all three 8285-1 PDF Instruction Books to Cwetgo, plus the scans of the Sticker Set. I uploaded the 8285-1 and 8285-2 instructions on Peeron.com ; maybe they'll post them in a few days. In the meantime, if folks want me to e-mail them the "missing" 8285-1 Book 3 of 3 PDF file (10.3 MB), please send me a Private Message (PM). Compressing the files into ZIP files doesn't really save much in file size.

OK, as you had requested in your PM to me, I e-mailed you Book 1 and Book 2 of Set 8285-1 (Main Model). If the ~9 MB files are too large, I can "ZIP" them. Let me know. I too want to build this model someday, so I downloaded the individual JPG files from Brickfactory (http://brickfactory.xs4all.nl/setlist/index.htm ). These were Pages 129-185 (the last 57 pages) of their scanned 8285 instructions, totalling 11.3 MB in size. You're right -- their server is SLOW. The very last JPG image (185) is a full-size "Sticker Set" which you can get printed at one of those Sign Banner places on peel-and-stick vinyl. I then downloaded a free demo trial version of a JPG-to-PDF conversion software (http://www.splitmerge.us ), which allowed me to create PAIRS of files to Adobe Acrobat PDF format. I then used Adobe Acrobat Professional to combine the 28 pairs of JPG-to-PDF files to one PDF file (which represents the missing "Book 3" of the Lego Tow Truck Set 8285-1 (Main Model). I will upload all three PDF books to Peeron.com this evening, so that others won't have the same problem. I don't know how long it will take the official Lego Instructions website http://us.service.lego.com/en-US/BuildingI...ns/default.aspx ; you can "Change Region" at the upper-right corner of that webpage to match your own language.

I have electronic PDF files of all three Tow Truck Set 8285 instructions, and can e-mail some/all of them to you if desired. I sent you a Private Message (PM) via Eurobricks to give you my e-mail address if you're interested. I confirmed that I did indeed have all three instruction books by OPENING the files and making sure they're all different. JUST FOR CLARIFICATON -- I have PDF files for BOTH the main model and the alternate "B-Model". I have 5 different PDF files total (Books 1 and 2 for the Main Model); I'm missing Book 3 of the Main Model. I have a complete set of 3 PDF booklets for the Alternate Model. Each file is 5-8 MB in size. I guess that doesn't really help you, though, so we'll wait and see if Lego.com posts Book 3 of the Main Model for you.

I downloaded the files from Han's website, but they have a strange file extension of "RAR" that cannot be opened by WinZip or Adobe Acrobat Reader. How can you open these two Zipped files?

Using Peeron.com , one can type in the set number (8258) and get the parts numbers you want (from http://peeron.com/inv/sets/8258-1 ): #64782 -- Technic Panel 1 x 5 x 11 #85652 -- Wheel 62.4 x 20 S Type II with Short Axlehole #32019 -- Tyre 62.4 x 20 S Then, using Bricklink.com , you can type in the part numbers to find sellers worldwide that have the parts. There are virtual Bricklink stores in Germany that have what you want.

The Brickstore application can be downloaded from http://www.brickforge.de/ .

In order to assemble parts for discontinued sets or "MOCs" (My Own Creations), one typically has to shop among several Bricklink sellers to accumulate the parts you want. The larger sellers (i.e., those with more than 100,000 in parentheses behind their names) tend to have more selection than smaller sellers (with only a few thousand parts on hand). The larger sellers are not necessarily the cheapest, however. Some are super-fast in sending your order, and others take ~2 weeks. Some are nearby in your own state or country, and others are farther away. Generally, the European Bricklink sellers have the lowest prices (but you pay more for shipping and travel time). Most sellers prefer payment via PayPal (quick and easy), although I've sent good-ol' CASH probably 200 times with NO problems. I don't know a way of looking up the Parts Inventory on Bricklink AT ONE TIME and getting an estimate of their cost. One can use Peeron.com to get the parts list, then look up each part on Bricklink (using their "Catalog" function on the top-most dropdown list) to get prices for the desired color. I would recommend starting with the most-unusual parts in your MOC, looking them up in Bricklink, deciding on a seller and back-filling with any common parts that they have. So, buy the fancy wheels and tires first, plus any other unusual Technic parts, then get the common Technic axles, pins, bushes, etc. last. You may have to shop among 4-5 different sellers to get all the parts; just keep track of each order by scribbling a note on a printed Parts Inventory list from Peeron.com . Bricklink.com also sells discontinued sets (although they tend to be a bit pricey); just type in the set number. eBay sometimes has good deals when a seller doesn't describe the item very well. I picked up a Lego Technic Off Roader Set 8297 that way (from a seller with a minus-1 Feedback Rating!) for $60 (1/2 price) when it was just listed as "Lego Off Roader" and not "Lego Technic Off Roader 8297." My son and I got the parts from Bricklink for building a "Trial Truck" chassis (with Power Functions motors and steering) from the website http://www.doublebrick.com/htc ; scroll down to the bottom of the page to download the "Basic 2-Axle Chassis Instruction" for building a quick, simple and FUN "Trial Truck" that can accept LARGER wheels for off-roading outside. The Poles have regular "Trial Truck" competitions for outdoor, off-road Lego Technic Trial Truck (TrTr) MOCs, and they can crawl over sticks, through mud, etc.! Check them out at http://www.bricktrucktrial.com/ .

Isogawa's "Tora no Maki" downloadable PDF book shows lots of Technic assemblies, gear trains, ways to make rigic connections, etc. Scroll down 1/2 way down this page to find the download link: http://www.isogawastudio.co.jp/legostudio/...troduction.html . Toy Collector TechnicBRICKS: http://www.toycollector.com/index.php?opti...&Itemid=781 .

If you want to see all of the Lego Technic sets ever made, you should see Blakbird's Technicopedia at http://www.ericalbrecht.com/technic/ . It categorizes the various Technic sets, compares their features, and is an excellent resource. Once you find a set you like, use Peeron.com to get the Parts Inventory. You can buy any parts you need from Bricklink.com. Although Peeron.com often has building instructions, they're individual JPG files that are tedious to download. A better option is to download PDF building instructions for MOST sets from the Lego Customer Service website http://us.service.lego.com/en-US/BuildingI...ns/default.aspx . Be sure to scroll down each page on the Lego Customer Service website to see the various set instructions load up on the list; it takes several clicks to get the DOWNLOAD button to appear. Most files are about 8-9 MB in size.

I too struggled with understanding how Lego Power Functions elements interfaced with each other when they were first introduced. Perhaps the best explanation is contained in the "Power Functions Presentation" PowerPoint file that can be downloaded from Philo's website http://philohome.com/tech.htm . It's outstanding, and contains much motor information and comparisons. As mentioned before, you can buy needed Lego pieces from Bricklink.com . On that website, there's a "Relationships" page (look in the top-center for the link to it) that shows "Tire on Wheel" combinations. It shows you pictorially what wheel rim fits on various tires. Bricklink is an extremely powerful tool. You can use the "Catalog" page to look up Lego part numbers. Click on Catalog-->Parts-->Technic Gears to see all of the various Lego Technic Gears part numbers (with pictures); click on those part numbers to connect to Bricklink.com sellers from which you can buy the parts. Check out Peeron.com for PARTS INVENTORIES of various Lego sets. Do you like a past Lego Technic set that's no longer being sold by LegoShopAtHome.com ? You can probably find all about it via Peeron.com and Bricklink.com . Peeron and Bricklink often go hand-in-hand. Also check out the downloadable "Tora no Maki" file on the website http://www.isogawastudio.co.jp/legostudio/...html#howtobuild . Scroll 1/2 down the page to find the downloadable link to the PDF file. It shows how various Lego Technic elements can be connected to form gear trains, rigid structures, etc. It's OUTSTANDING.

Has anybody noticed that Lego Shop At Home is sold out of their #8263 Snow Groomer sets until April 2010? It must be because folks LOVE the black Technic treads!

My 17-year-old son and I have been learning about Lego Power Functions steering geometry via trial-and-error. If you just want to see how the PF elements work in a simple "drifter" car, check out the step-by-step photo instructions on http://www.brickinside.com/NeoView.php?Db=...amp;Number=1798 . It's a fun car that is FAST and doesn't bother with differentials! I too struggled with understanding how Lego Power Functions elements interfaced with each other when they were first introduced. Perhaps the best explanation is contained in the "Power Functions Presentation" PowerPoint file that can be downloaded from Philo's website http://philohome.com/tech.htm . For ideas on how to power wheels with suspension, check out Sariel's website http://sariel.pl/ . He has many links to other Lego Technic builders at the bottom of his webpage. Those builders have photographs on Brickshelf.com that show how to use various Technic elements to make a driveable Power Functions vehicle with steering and suspension.

I just downloaded Blakbird's PDF instructions for the Lamborghini Gallardo. The renderings are of very high quality, and make building the model a lot easier than deciphering photos on Brickshelf. How many cool Technic creations have you seen, and folks ask for the INSTRUCTIONS to build them? We should be thanking Blakbird for taking the time to share his creation with others, and not giving him a hassle. Talented builders like Sariel (and others like him) don't have the time (or interest) to make instructions. Blakbird offers a service to the hobby, and paying for his TIME is not unreasonable.

Actually, General Tip #2 is not correct. Building instructions for Hobby Train Set #10183 ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE from the Lego Customer Service website http://us.service.lego.com/en-US/BuildingI...ns/default.aspx . One doesn't have to find used printed instructions for sale at Bricklink.com .