JGW3000

I'm guessing this is not a finished design, and that further tweaks and may be new parts - including steering and suspension, may show up (hopefully).

THis is the fifth largest LEGO set, according to Brickset (http://brickset.com/sets/list-9322). Of the largest LEGO sets, this one has arguably the most play features, unlike the other large sets which are for display only (Taj, Tower Bridge). While nominally the USD Millennium Falcon has play features, my son has three friends with one each, which are carefully displayed and not played with. This BWE excavator, on the other hand, will be the ultimate LEGO technic toy box for many kids (and AFOLS) - 4,000 parts in one fell swoop opens a large number of possibilities. Including the mining truck gives the ability to design MOCs with wheels and PF, plus plenty of parts to build all types of tracked machines, etc... Really a brilliant design choice by TLG. Just waiting for the official US price to see if it is worth getting.

You'd think at this price point they will bring back this part , instead of the blue ones. First thing I do is use up my supply of these to fix the more obvious places they show.

I'm seeing plenty of yellow axles, which only contributes to the "color vomit" Looks like a MOC. But can't wait to see the functions. Gonna be hard to justify the cost, though.

"its only mostly dead" what is this, Princess Bride redux? In any case, looks like a low priority to LEGO, but still moving along. I have read that at least some TLG in-house set designers use LDD as well. Perhaps if someone meets an official set designer at a LUG/LEGO convention, can chat him up about if they use LDD, updates, etc...

I fully expect a 9V version, perhaps with the same receiver/controller? And maybe an add-on to allow additional devices on the same port?

Sorry, really wasn't focusing on the car New black panels here we come!!!!!

RohanBeckett - looks like the fish can breath easy as they can get there air pump back, That is a nice blower or compressor (strictly speaking, not a pump). Its a good idea to have the air storage tanks as well, helps to level out pressure fluctuations coming out of your air blower.

Yup, you are correct in that the pitch control can also cause some friction in the rotation, need to make sure the blades are tilted for best swooshing.

As a follow up, after rebuilding the set, and finally adding the M-motor and BB, with fresh batteries, everything seems to be working fine and the rotors are spinning quite nicely. I must have had some gear binding issues in the gear box. Of maybe one of the clutch gears that engage a driving ring was backwards. I seem to recall small hands messing with the build during its first iteration several years ago, which may have been a contributing factor.

I'm thinking that a fish tank air compressor may do the trick, but these usually are in the 8-10 psig range, maybe higher - I haven't checked. Benefits are quiet and low voltage, plus have easily adaptable hose connections.

I'll believe it when we get 'proof-positive' confirmation. Rather see something other than a Porsche

There are also Chevy Corvette and Camaro in Speed Champions - way too many possibilities...

I noticed that no panels, of any size, seem to have been produced in dark stone grey - whats up with that? We have black, white, medium stone grey, all shades of green or blue, red, yellow, etc... but no dark grey.

An interesting aspect is that the control/receiver unit is separate from the battery/power supply unit. I would not be surprised if we see something similar in a new PF2 9V system, and maybe this will use the same control unit, but then attached to a 9V power supply. Likely will be plug adapters to use PF motors on the new PF2 control unit, or maybe the 9V power supply will have additional, controllable (and stackable) I/O for motors.

Its most likely a studio image, if you look closely you can see reflections of the soft box lighting fixtures in some of the highlight areas. As per LDD - yes, we all want an update, but does anyone know the user base of LDD - its popularity on EB is no measure of how important LDD is to TLG and for supporting sales and marketing. As per LEGO allowing users access to the source code so that we can add new parts - no way this will ever happen, as part dimensions are probably TLG's most tightly guarded IP, even if clone brands make nearly identical parts, we all know that no clone compares with LEGO quality, and for a good reason.

My thoughts exactly - look for new Mindstorms set (EV4???) later this year - a good reason not to get EV3, as I was planning.

Current PF is slow (compared to buggy motors) and the IR, frankly, sucks due to limited range and non-usability outdoors. The new WeDo2/PF2 system is bluetooth, to at a minimum the RC aspect will be much improved. Looks like to be a very flexible platform which may allow 3rd party powered devices as well. Maybe now is the time to start either hoarding PF1, or selling PF1, in anticipation of new full line of PF2 coming soon.

New system is 3V (AA battery ) or 3.7 V (LiPo battery), but still uses a motor similar to the current 9V M motor. Does this mean we lose power, or will there be more powerful battery box attachments for PF2?

Blakbird et al, thanks for all the hard work getting this together. Before I take the plunge a build a few, I notice that some of the modules are using control panels or EV3 controllers. Is this necessary, or can PFs work as well? Would be helpful if you can list which module requires what controller!

Now for sale for $280

Looks like reports on the death of IDEAS are premature, as they dropped a hint in yesterday's blog posting - TLG's Tim Courtney posted "After the holidays, we'll wrap up the Second 2015 LEGO Review and prepare our announcement. There's some exciting news to share in just a few weeks ... so hold tight!", so we are getting at least one new project approved, I assume. Perhaps Caterham and/or F7A Hornet and/or Adventure Time?

This underscores the concept that to TLG, this is a business operation first with a focus on customer service and cost control, and a toy business second. They need to insure that no defective or possibly defective items get sold, and as others mentioned above, just cheaper to scrap than it is to repair/replace; certainly, defective products should not be used for donations. Since a large number of sets are produced to begin with, even a 1 % scrap rate adds very little to the bottom line. Scrapping product is common across many industries and products.

I gotten much slower - for a reason. Once the build reaches a certain point - a function or part of a function starts working, I have my kids play with it, as frequently, these subassemblies become hidden in the final build and intricacies of the mechanisms are no longer apparent.

These are great, thanks for the hard work making the building instructions. The one obvious part I don't have are the balls - how many are recommended for a good (lively) experience?