JopieK

Yups LEGO is too much a close minded company just like Apple and Microsoft :( I think in the end they will all need to break up their narrow minded perspectives otherwise they will loose... I'm very much a LEGO and Apple fan (just got my Retina Macbook Pro), but I think open source will definitely be the future. So: TLG, make everything CC, NC, SA... I really mis certain things like a good way to create instructions of custom models etc.

Very nice, now a mac version :)

Well, I just used a standard (new) Emerald set and built that into a black/red version, ignoring all green parts etc. Luckily the door sliding rail 1x2 is now also in a set available, when I did it, they were officially not there (although some bricklink seller had them at a reasonable price, interesting that the price didn't drop b.t.w.). Darceasar also used them in the tender as you can see.

You did a great job! Really nice!!!

That are indeed nice parts!!! Before the TLG dark ages of jack stone ;)

Yups that is always a good idea, we are also subscribed to Railhobby (some Dutch railroad hobby magazine) for inspiration!

I would opt for the 7750 Steam Engine as a train fan. I think that was one of the very best trains that LEGO ever produced. Apart from that it has the most rare parts of all trains (red bogies, buffers, those black windows, etc.). An second option after the 7750 would be a limited Santa Fe super chief.

I think that servo is way too big for a switch. I use small servo's very effectively as point motors (without the need to modify the switches).

Very nice, looks just like mine ;) you did a great job on the tender etc.! I also like the curved bricks at the front under the boiler. In this style the Emerald looks b.t.w. quite like a "Baureihe" (e.g. the 52), the typical German tender loc's:

In that one pictures, it looks like next thing will be him eating that tire++ (tire with some gross stuff I mean ;))

His father wondered how he did it, we as AFOL's probably too. We also wonder what tire he got in his nose? Probably a slick one? Luckily there are pictures in the original article. Here is the article: http://translate.goo...us.html&act=url Original article: http://www.ksl.com/?...566&nid=711 I don't know that part actually: So will this make TLG abolish wheels like they did with the loose magnets?!

Don't our friends from Blokbricks have it?!

I normally don't fill up @Shell since I drive on LPG (gas fuel instead of benzine/diesel fuel) but hope that it will come in Holland too... Shell is part Dutch so... They look quite nice although I hope it isn't McDonalds LEGO quality...

Well, but you did a great job there! And of course every review is personally biased, but then again, look at movie reviews, aren't they biased? @Crazydance, I personally like the Santa Fe much better, but they have other issues like being quite heavy. For children less playable and too expensive.

Sure... of course not I said LiPo -> Lithium Polymer -> battery as in rechargable battery, not a battery box for 6xAAA. Well the problem is that they are pretty much sealed. That is for safety reasons. We will operate several of these trains in primary school situations and then a sticker is a very much preferred solution. B.t.w. it would have been better to use red vinyl with the same color as LEGO red, but I didn't have that so printing red on vinyl was my only option.

Well, it might survive in normal water but of course as the water becomes more dirty (less H2O) there will be more particles that will conduct electricity... and after a while shorts will occur. In distilled water the chance is smaller of course! But you better seal the electronics. There are people that have done that before.

Very nice review! Also a very moving story about your youth dream ;) I personally don't like that train, but since you have a childhood graving for it I can imagine that it means something special to you. I had the same thing with the 12V decoupler that I never got. When I finally got it after my dark ages it disappointed me because of the fact that it doesn't work that well! The 4559 has nice parts though, especially those hinged windows. I think the reason I didn't like it is that it has that container system. My cousin got it so I had the opportunity to fiddle around with it a bit. Playability is very high because of that system of course, so I can imagine that children like it.

Look at this:

I wouldn't know, I have some books but most are on building (actually most are Mindstorms that we also use for school). This might be a good one: http://www.amazon.com/The-LEGO-Book-Daniel-Lipkowitz/dp/0756656230

Very nice church! I like the way you did those stones. Nice and great size!

really nice station! And I thought rochefort was only about moulded cheese (that I like b.t.w.) ;) Very nice indeed! Great job, that's a lot of work!

Maybe not for purist (since I use two non-official stickers), but I thought it would be neat for the LiPo in the 3677 to have some cover. So, from this: To this: The color matches quite well I think (that was the best I could do at least ;)). My nieces are happy with it, whoops, but now the station seems to be missing a bit of it's roofing (well it is LEGO so it is meant to be played with isn't it ;))

Very nice indeed!!!

It is vinyl and/or polyester (see our site, we have some experience with that ;)). It is difficult to print on the material, especially white on transparent etc. but if you have the right connection or just buy printing press equipment (like we did), you will be fine. Out printer can't mix colors very well, but newer machines are inkjet like (but almost none of the newer ones can print white). Of course cutting the stickers is also a challenge, that is why we have a computer controlled cutter. About water slide decals: they look nice but are better for model railroads than LEGO since they scratch very quickly.

@phoxtane: exactly. I think we will be seeing more and more of this however (real 3D printing of custom LEGO acc.) At this moment the 3D printers are mostly not that accurate yet (at least the ones in Dutch FabLabs that I have experience with) but they are becoming better and better.