dhc6twinotter

I 3rd that.

Now that the contest is over, I've uploaded a new, better video of my Super Cub. Original post updated with same video.

If the choice was between the Unimog or the log truck, my vote goes to the Unimog. It sounds like you prefer to build mocs, so the Unimog comes with a better assortment of parts. The pneumatics are nice, plus you get the larger tires and suspension components. The log truck is nice because you get the linear actuators, but otherwise, there isn't anything the log truck has that the Unimog doesn't. Imho, if you can find one for a good price, the best set for new Technic builders is the 8258 Crane Truck. It has lots of pieces, a nice assortment of gears, 8 tires, and a couple linear actuators. This was the first Technic set I purchased when I exited my "dark ages", and it's still my favorite set that I have. Also, like Dluders mentioned, bricklink may be a good place for you to purchase parts you need.

Sorry, I don't have any pictures or examples of electric traffic lights. There is a LUG that travels around to some of the shows in the States, and they have a large train layout with RCX controlled bridges and train crossings. The train crossings use the old 9V flashing lights and a micro motor to open/close the gate. I think the train layout will be at BrickMagic in a month. If you like, I can try to get more info on their layout when I see it.

Alex, Since you are using old 9V stuff, I would suggest using the old polarity switch with old 9V wires: You could also use the newer PF polarity switch, but you would need some PF converter cables: You would have to use 1 switch per light. If you wanted to get all fancy, you could buy a cheap RCX off bricklink to control your lights. You might even be able to program it in with other track functions. Some of the RCX's have a power plug so you don't have to use batteries.

Flex System! And swashplate.

I'll be there, and I'm looking forward to it! I know a few people from the Technic forum will be there, but I'd like to invite everyone to join. Here's some info from the BrickMagic site: Out Of This World LEGO Fun! The third annual BRICKMAGIC LEGO Festival will be held MAY 17-20, 2012 at the Hilton North Raleigh/Midtown Public ticketed event: MAY 19-20, 2012 Saturday 10 AM - 5 PM * Sunday 10 AM - 4 PM -Meet Certified Professional LEGO builder DAN PARKER, and help him build a 5 ft. wide DEATHSTAR! -See a huge hall of custom LEGO creations by top builders from around the country! -Play with over 20,000 loose LEGO bricks in our FREE BUILD ROOM (sponsored by Lay-N-Go)! -Meet professional minifigure customizer JARED K. BURKS, who will hold free minifig workshops! -Attend workshops on building tips and techniques! -Meet the team from SHATTERPOINT ENTERTAINMENT, as they demonstrate the making of animated LEGO films (which will run continuously in our Theater Room all weekend)! -Watch a robotics competition by First® LEGO® League teams, and try hands-on demonstrations of MINDSTORMS robots! -Shop for hard-to-find LEGO parts and sets, and purchase our special LIMITED EDITION SPACEFIGHTER EVENT KIT, available only at BrickMagic! -Be the first to see the TOP SECRET NEW SETS that LEGO will debut exclusively at BrickMagic 2012! -Meet JOE MENO, editor of BrickJournal magazine, and author of the new books YOU CAN BUILD IT and THE CULT OF LEGO, which debut at BrickMagic 2012! -Enter the SPACESHIP BUILDING CONTEST and win prizes! -Plus lots more! CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER TICKETS FOR THE 2012 FESTIVAL, AND SAVE $1 PER TICKET! Single-Day TICKETS: Adults (age 17-up): $12 ($11 in advance) Kids (age 4-16) and Seniors: $8 ($7 in advance) Age 3 and under: FREE Private exhibitor-only convention: MAY 17-18, 2012 -Assistant Brand Manager Ariana Keyser, will be our special guest. She has dedicated all day Friday to the event, unfortunately, she will need to fly back Saturday morning. Ariana has an in-depth presentation covering the new LEGO Monster Fighters theme with images of the sets, minifigs, and various media content including a new mini-movie that will not be aired until June. She has also been able to secure copies of the physical products to be displayed for the entire weekend at the LEGO Booth. To make her welcome, it would be great to have a haunted table or two for MOCs - if you haven't built a MOC yet, this would be something to think about. A haunted house, monsters, thinks that go bump in the night... Many thanks to Kevin Hinkle and the LEGO Group for the guest visit! -Call for Star Wars MOCs! Because of the Death Star Build by Dan Parker, part of the exhibit hall will be set aside for photo opps for the visiting 501st Legion. Visitors will include Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and stormtroopers! With this, there will be a silent auction for MOCs with 501st characters and Star Wars sets, with proceeds going to the Make a Wish Foundation. Those withe Star Wars MOCs are encouraged to register their models so I can place them in the exhibit area. These will be the settng for the photo ops, so if you want to be seen, this is probably the place. Those who wish to donate a Star Wars set for auction, please send me an e-mail at admin@brickjournal.com. And yes, there will be plenty of time to take pics - the 501st will be there all weekend, including Friday evening. AFOL if you would like to sign-up, click HERE Please note that you will have to confirm your sign-up before you may register for the event or register mocs. CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR HOTEL ROOM AT OUR SPECIAL $90 RATE! you can call the Hilton at 919-872-2323 or go to www.hilton.com and use Group Code "LEG" to get the special $90 per night rate! Location: Hilton Hotel 3415 Wake Forest Road Raleigh, NC 27609 Presented by TwoMorrows Inc. and BrickJournal Magazine I hope to see some of you all there! Thanks, Daniel

Thanks for pointing that out. I was wondering why the blue pie slice was so large, but I didn't think about the blue pins being counted.

I'm with you. I'd like to see more blue Technic sets. Green would be even better.

Thanks for the comment Lipko! David, thanks for posting that picture. That's a really good picture. BTW, for those of you that wanted to see a picture showing the scale of this moc, I do have a picture on my Flickr account with the City dump truck set and a mini-figure next to the plane. Sorry I can't post it directly here as I have already posted the maximum amount of pictures allowed by the competition. Thanks, Daniel

10) 2 points 24) 2 points 26) 2 points 29) 1 point

In no particular order, here's my vote: 6. Motor Boat & water skiing Tomik-1 point 2. The Harbour Tug Efferman-1 point 9. Lifeguard's Personal Watercraft Lipko-1 point 10. Leviathan Omikron-1 point 15. Micro Port Luc2000-1 point 13. Water Strider Splat-1 point 3. Water Jeep Rodeown-1 point Good luck to all! This is a great competition!

I've updated some of my pictures, and I'll try to get the rest updated later. New video coming sometime as well. Thanks! Your awesome harbor tug is going to be some tough competition though! And I'm looking forward to seeing your Vampire GT and Porsche 911! It's great that we will have more Technic models on display this year. Thanks! It works really well, although in hindsight, I probably didn't really need to motorize this function. It doesn't take very much turning of the worm gear to change the pitch, and I probably could have just used a manual lever in the cockpit with some gearing to get the same results. This is probably how I would do it next time I build a plane with a variable pitch prop. The motorized function does add some coolness factor to it though. Thanks! My original plan was to build the plane a bit smaller, but as I got building, I found that I needed the space for all the control linkages in the cockpit. I think if I would have built a plane with a side by side cockpit (like a DHC-2 Beaver) instead of a tandem cockpit, I could have built a smaller scale airplane. I don't think a plane at 1/2 this scale would have been possible, unless most of the motorized function get removed. The gearbox takes up a lot of space as well. If I had more time, I probably could have figured out a way to make it smaller, but since I built this in about 2 months, I really didn't have much time for trial and error. I think my next plane will be on a smaller scale though (but maybe bigger, depending on what plane I decide to build). Thanks! Let me know when you build the tractor. I'd like to see what others think about the moc and the build process.

I don't have a definative answer for your LA question, but I'm sure it can be done. If I have time in the next few days, I'll try to come up with something for you, unless somebody posts a good solution before then. As for the pneumatic auto valve, Seriel has a great design. I can't remember his website off the top of my head, but you might be able to find a link to it somewhere in the forum. Here is a 3 valve design I used on my tractor: Sorry the picture isn't very clear, but it's fairly compact and uses clutch gears to keep the motor from stalling once the valves have hit their limit.

Yet another fantastic moc from Paul! It looks like a really compact chassis, and I really like the flat 6 engine. The extra chromed parts add some really nice detail too.

Thanks! I went out and took a bunch of pictures by a lake. Lighting should be better, and I'll have the pictures up in a bit. I'll be working on a new video too, although I forgot to take a video of the underside, so I'll have to do that tomorrow. Yup, I'll keep it build for a little while. I'll have it at BrickMagic for sure, but I'm not sure I'll make it to BrickCon this year. I'm looking for work now, so my schedule is up in the air right now. Unless I land a job, my plan is to take a 4-6 month long cross country trip, and I may be able to drive up to BrickCon. My original plan was to bring the plane with me as I travel, but it turned out a bit larger than I thought. I don't know if I'll have enough space for it and all my tools, camping gear, and food that I'll be packing in my car. I do plan on making it to BrickWorld though. Thanks! Here are some measurements I just took (original post updated with this info too): -Wing Span 56in (1.42m) -Length 47in (1.19m) -Height 17in (43.18cm) -Length of each float 30in (76.20cm) -Weight 9.3 pounds (4.22kg) Placing it next to an actual set for reference is a good idea. I'll have to do that tomorrow too, when I have more light. I have some small City sets I can use for scale. I knew you had a lot of experience with aircraft design, so I was wondering if you would ask about the variable pitch. From what I gather, it was available on some military spec Cubs, and there may also be aftermarket kits for it, although I'm not sure about that. I don't think the cub was ever offered with drooping ailerons from the factory, but I do know there are kits to add this feature. I tried to make the cockpit controls as authentic as possible, and I spent some time doing research on the cockpit layout. I wasn't sure where to put the variable pitch control, but it seems like most planes have it right next to the throttle, so I figured that was the most logical spot for it. The throttle quadrant from the Grumman Avenger was kinda my inspiration for it. Marius's Twin Otter is my all time favorite Technic moc. I have always liked the DHC-6 Twin Otter (hence my username), and to see pictures of one build from LEGO was awesome. His float plane was the inspiration behind this, and I wish I could have seen it in person. I think both planes are almost to the same scale, so they would look really good together! His would dwarf mine I think. Thanks! I have yet to get the Unimog, and I would love to have it; however, it may go to one of the many other talented builders in this competition.

Ever since I started building my forwarder with the few green parts that it has, I can really appreciate the skill it takes to build an all green moc like this. I'm having a hard time just with the little bit of green I have, so the fact that you were able to build an entire moc from green parts is really impressive. You've got some skill!

That is a really nice moc. That is the first road grader I've seen that looks to have all the functionality of the real one. Nice job on the overall look too.

My presentation thread Thanks!

My presentation thread Thanks!

Hey all, This Piper Cub float plane is my entry for the TSATS competition. Functions: -Motorized fake flat 4 engine and prop (variable speed controlled by rechargeable battery and throttle levers in cockpit) -Working ailerons controlled by left/right movement of joysticks -Working elevator controlled by forward/backward movement of joysticks -Working rudder controlled by rudder pedals -Working water rudders controlled by rudder pedals -Motorized flaps controlled by yellow levers in cockpit -Motorized drooping ailerons synchronized with flaps -Motorized variable pitch propeller controlled by levers in cockpit -Motorized retractable landing gear with locks controlled by lever in cockpit Specifications: -2 m motors -2 mini LAs -1 Rechargeable Battery -1 AA Battery Box -Wing Span 56in (1.42m) -Length 47in (1.19m) -Height 17in (43.18cm) -Length of each float 30in (76.20cm) -Weight 9.3 pounds (4.22kg) Cockpit: Yellow lever lowers the flaps Tan lever (upper right of photo) lowers/raises the landing gear Grey lever on left side of cockpit controls blade pitch Black lever on left side of cockpit controls engine speed Black control stick in the center controls elevators and ailerons Grey rudder pedals control the rudder Gearbox: The gearbox has 3 outputs, and each output has forward and reverse. The gearbox controls the movement in the landing gear, flaps, and variable pitch propeller. The tan gears in the upper left corner of the picture are part of the control mixer used for the drooping ailerons. As the flap drive moves, it simultaneously moves the aileron linkages, and ailerons. Separate aileron movement by the control stick is still possible. Landing gear extended: Landing gear retracted: Engine with variable pitch mechanism: Underside showing some of the linkages: The AA battery box acts as a counterweight and keeps the elevators in their neutral position. Without it, the elevators would move down under their own weight. It's a simple solution, and it works surprisingly well. I'm fairly happy with how everything turned out, especially the motorized functions. They work really well. I wish I could have spent more putting the body together so it looks better, but time was short. The float rudders don't work too well, and I haven't figure out why yet. All in all though, this was a fun project. I definitely want to build another airplane. More pictures on my flickr WIP thread here I'll try to have a better video up in a day or two. Thanks to Eurobricks for hosting the contest, and thanks to Sinner/Seigfried for running it! Thanks! Daniel

Uploading pictures and creating a new thread now. Thread should be up in 15 minutes (midnight my time).

This project looks fantastic! Nice work! And, I added a 'like' to your video.

More progress: Wings and wing struts are pretty much done. I spent a lot of time fine tuning the flaps and ailerons, and if I have time, I'd like to work a bit more on the ailerons. Using pushrods to control everything is a bigger pain than I thought. Floats are done. I spent this morning building the second float, and lengthened the first float by 11 studs. The plane was too heavy for the suspension, so I had to eliminate that feature. Since the shock absorbers were 6.5 studs long, I replaced them with a 7 stud long beam. This threw the geometry of the retracting mechanism off, and I spend several hours redesigning part of the retracting mechanism. I'm really happy with how well everything turned out though. The CG turned out just about perfect. I can lift the front of each float with my pinky finger. Most of what I have left to do is cosmetic, and I have a bit more framing to do. I'll have a presentation topic up by tonight. I didn't think of that, but I guess if I'm flying inverted, pressure should be on the control stick anyways. I'm not sure I'll have the backhoe there. I brought it to a few shows, and it's starting to show it's age. It's got a few bugs that popped up during my last show, and I don't really feel like fixing it. I guess it's not that reliable. I need the parts for other projects, like my forwarder. Thanks!

Not very many from what I've seen, maybe 4 or 5. I'm not sure if you've seen it, but LEGO will be releasing a helicopter this fall. It's a great looking set, but I don't think it has the authentic functionality of yours. It's still nice to see TLG make a nice helicopter though. I've been messing around with a helicopter moc for the past 4 or 5 months, but I only work on it when I get burned out of my main projects. I may never finish it.