Sariel

Perhaps because there are several variants of the Lego silver colors, as you can check using the link I provided. I own a set of 4 of these wheels and I'm sure the rims are not painted. I've been used them for years and nicked them many times, if there was a paint to come off, it would do so already. Not to mention their color matches other Lego silver metallic pieces perfectly. I don't know how many more rumors are there that you want other people to verify for you, the essential question is: why on Earth would Lego paint a piece risking the paint coming off after a while, when they can simply cast it whole in the color of their choosing?

They're cast in metallic silver plastic, here, go check yourself: https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemInv.asp?S=41999-1 With all due respect folks, are we now going to argue about every unusual Lego color you find (metallic silver comes in over various Lego 400 sets, by the way)? LEGO DOES NOT PAINT PIECES. When in doubt, consult the Lego colors: https://www.bricklink.com/catalogColors.asp?utm_content=subnav

None. They're not painted, they're chromed. Not the same thing (chroming involves baking).

I've made this as a reflection, having just celebrated 10 years of showing my Lego builds at YouTube. I guess there's a reason why "AFOL" sounds almost exactly like "awful" ;)

They're not painted. They're cast in metallic gold colored plastic (as you can check), a plastic used in 163 various sets as of 2017. Here: https://www.bricklink.com/catalogColors.asp?utm_content=subnav Now you can be safely sure.

Gorgeous model. If you're looking for another challenge, I know just the thing :) Aston Martin Vulcan please.

Here's the best one of mine, 4 speeds + remote sequential shifting with a stepper:

I think that one is dead simple. Lego is chroming pieces but not painting them (I mean, details may be printed on a brick, but the whole brick isn't painted over to change its color). So if we have access to the same exact chroming technology that Lego is using, why is this even an issue? By custom chroming, we simply go from "a genuine Lego piece" to "a genuine Lego piece chromed just the way Lego would chrome it if it chose to". But when you spray-paint a piece, what you get is something Lego has never done.

It might be interesting to add "counterfeit pieces" to our list. At the extreme heresy end, I guess :)

Because it's a counterfeit product?

Lego string is nice, but having built 2+ meters tall truss crane I can attest that it can only take you so far (I've ended up using heavy-duty fishing line). Besides, I strongly suspect Lego is getting their string from a subcontractor, not actually making it, so maybe don't start praying to it yet ;) Also, I'd love to use Lego lighting only, but the golden era of Lego lighting seems to have ended in the 90's, now all we have are crude LEDs and TLG apparently sees no reason to make anything else. I'm tired of ending up with a giant stack of plugs every time I need 20+ LEDs in a single MOC.

If I remember correctly, these two models are at least 10 years apart. Back when Jennifer built her Demag, pretty much half of today's Technic pieces didn't exist.

I postulate that you also breathe only the air from inside the Lego pieces bags ;) Seriously though, it's a very interesting issue and Erik has a point here. I think we can distinguish various degrees of non-purism, a few examples I can think of, in ascending order of "heresy": 1. custom stickers 2. custom-chromed Lego pieces 3. custom remote-control systems (SBrick and such) 4. custom power supplies (BuWizz) 5. custom tires on Lego rims 6. custom lighting (Brickstuff, Lifelites) 7. 3D-printed pieces 8. painting Lego pieces 9. cutting/gluing Lego pieces 10. modified Lego electronics (e.g. gutted 8878 batteries) 11. third-party motors Personally, I can go up to point 7 just fine in justified cases (wheel covers are a good example where it's hard to get good results with Lego pieces but quite easy to do so with 3D printing) but not beyond. Perhaps it would be funny to write something like a Lego purist's 10 commandments: thou shalt not chrome and so on ;)

I don't question the quality of the prime lenses. I'm simply saying that in terms of practicality, having to move the whole camera forward and backward to zoom in or out is a needless pain in the a**, at least when filming. Plus these days a decent zoom lens will give you a pretty great quality - I doubt a prime one would improve on it so much that it would be worth all the bother.

Seeing as it's been 10 years since I've uploaded my first YT video, I thought I'll share some experience: Camera: for really good results you'll want a DSLR, but the trick is that most of these are built for photos with filming just being an extra option. The Canons all have this problem, for example: great photos, average videos. For an affordable camera that was built with filming in mind and offers really good price/quality ratio, I recommend Lumix G7 by Philips. It gets great results and can film at 4K, too. Lens: zoom lens is pretty much a must, filming with a fixed lens is a huge inconvenience. The general rule is that the lower aperture of the lens (f), the better: more light comes through and you can get a decent image at darker conditions. Personally, I like to switch between regular zoom lens and a wide-angle zoom lens. Regular is better for photos, while wide-angle will generally make your models appear bigger, more dramatic, and thus work really well for videos, and give especially the small models a more massive appearance. GoPros: first, there are many cheaper alternatives to the original GoPro cameras that will get you decent, if somewhat worse, results. Second, speaking as someone who went all the way from 3 to 5, I strongly recommend getting at least GoPro 4 Black Edition. Alternatively you can get GoPro 4 Session, which produces almost the same quality but no 4K resolution while being cheaper, smaller, and far more practical to use. As for the fifth generation, GoPro 5 Session is basically 4 Session with 4K resolution added, and the actual GoPro 5 has slightly improved image, built-in image stabilization, better mic, and most importantly a screen that shows you what the camera sees. It's also waterproof without the need for extra housing and it's got a GPS which allows you to record speed while filming and then put the real-time reading on the video (you'll need the free GoPro Quik app for it). On the underside, 5 is much heavier than 4 and has a different body shape, making it incompatible with some of the 4's accessories (lens cap, for instance). Stabilization: filming with a camera in your hand sucks and should be avoided at all times. You'll want a tripod, and for filming close to the floor you should look into tripods for macro photography (best I've found is Velbon Ex-Macro). If you want to move the camera horizontally, there are three options: a slider, a dolly board (basically a camera mount with wheels), or the good old towel. No, seriously, you can get a smooth movement by simply spreading a towel on the floor, putting your camera on it, and pulling the towel gently but steadily. Finally, there are gimbals, which are useful mostly when you're filming on the go, meaning that you're moving and/or your subjects are moving. Gimbals are of little practical use indoors, but with some experience you can use them to great effect outdoors - keep in mind that they're best used with fast models that move dynamically. As for the brands, Feyiu-Tech makes excellent gimbals both for GoPros (e.g. G4S) and for DSLR cameras, and the GoPro's own Karma Grip isn't bad either, it just differs from regular gimbals in a couple of ways (no joystick, among others). Lighting: the top level lighting is softboxes, at least two, ideally 3. A little lower in terms of quality we have studio lamps with umbrellas; they're cheaper and I strongly suggest using diffusing umbrellas rather than reflective ones when filming LEGO. Lighting is crucial, especially if your camera or lens aren't too good. Always try to reduce the amount of shadows; set your lamps so that one cancels the shadows from the other, and use diffusors whenever possible for soft, subtle shadows. Light tents aren't that great for Lego in my experience, but if you have enough room, you may want to try a light table. Backdrops: a lot of people film on a piece of canvas, even a bed sheet, and I strongly advise against it. The texture always shows, and the canvas isn't 100% opaque, meaning that some colors from behind it usually seep in. A good but affordable solution is a paper backdrop, also called seamless paper backdrop. These come in long rolls of thick paper that you can quickly roll and unroll, they're available in many colors (I'm a huge fan on putting bright-colored models against dark grey backdrop), and they're smooth and mat, which makes them look great both on photos and videos. Look for backdrops by Savage company for really solid quality and great colors (https://savageuniversal.com/products/seamless-paper/). The paper backdrops are easy to set up, you can simply roll them down from a table or a couch, and when they get dirty, you can use an eraser or simply cut of the affected section.

I don't but Jason mentioned that they won't be giving up.

Try this link: https://codeload.github.com/imurvai/sbrickcontroller/zip/master

Well, I for one supported it at Kickstarter without hesitation. You can support it too: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fxbricks/pfx-brick

Speak of the devil!

True. Not to mention that it measures how fast your wheels are rotating, not how fast you're going, and that's not the same thing. Spin your wheels up in the air and the speed computer will tell you you're going super fast.

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=2986#T=C

Six, using them frequently.

Probably balancing the rear-heavy superstructure and making it all stay together under stress. There are no beams inside to keep motors and axles in place, it's all bricks. Apply enough stress and it will simply come apart.

Could have sworn it was a popcorn ;)

Hi guys, I hope you won't mind a Technic guy playing with Trains a little. I have created something very ugly, but at the same time quite playable: More info & pics: http://sariel.pl/2017/04/railroad-crane/