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Yeah, I did notice that the long history of this part included those metal pins, I just posted the one with a technic pin hole for reference, as that's the most modern iteration of the element. But yes, it does kinda make sense it'd be used for windmills, helicopter blades and other stuff like that, crude as that sounds.

lovely! just what I was curious about, definitely a sweet and creative use of the part damn you're right, it's still easily possible to emulate this by adding on the round tile or brick with axle hole in the middle.. how could I have forgotten haha overall the more you think about it, the more you realize that you can replicate all the functions that phased out parts offered by just using modern parts. That is one thing that TLG have figured out quite well

Yeah, I had quite a break myself. Seems like "dark ages" is not a thing for no reason. and the propeller housing? yes, I do feel it's an evergreen, even though according to Rebrickable it was last used in a set in 2005.

Funnily enough, I believe that age group was targeted back on the cusp of studded/studless transition for Technic, around 1997-1999. That's when Technic tried to rebrand from "nerdy" to "cool" and "edgy" and targeted older, rebellious kids and teenagers.

Oh dear, as a huge fan of unlicensed LEGO I'd definitely have a bunch of ideas. I know underwater themes have been done a lot, but I'd definitely give this another try, perhaps Aquazone II - a proper reimagination of Aquazone with similar-looking and directly inspired factions but modern moulds. I wouldn't mind the return of those octagonal tubes, since today we've got way better ways of SNOT building than before, so they'd be easier to integrate into builds in ways that don't seem awkward. The propeller housing should deifnitely make a return though. It'd feel right at home, seeing as how TLG have been making a slow return towards angular shapes after almost two decades of roundness (if the Lego City yellow bulldozer is any indication). Regarding a newer theme, I picture: dark bluish gray and neon green. spaceships, vehicles - combo of sci fi and Lovecraftian fantasy. exploring deep tunnels in search of ancient civilizations and creatures, uncovering mysteries. Think a combination of space with the character of Adventurers and Rock Raiders, with a dash of the mid-late 90s sci-fi themes such as UFO and Insectoids in terms of aesthetics. I know it's all vague, but that vibe might end up leading to something pretty cool Funnily enough, I believe that age group was targeted back on the cusp of studded/studless transition for Technic, around 1997-1999. That's when Technic tried to rebrand from "nerdy" to "cool" and "edgy" and targeted older, rebellious kids and teenagers. As for System themes though? you're probably right, nothing to my knowledge ever targeted teens directly and explicitly

Talking about thiss wheel family: These wheel rims were quite popular in mid to late 20th century, and the newest variant displayed above endured until 2006, as it featured a modern Technic pin connection, making it easy to integrate with modern builds. But still, can't help but wonder, what uses would these studs have? Everything I can personally think of is putting something like this on the wheels: and then connecting them with a Technic brick or beam to produce a "wheels hidden inside the body" effect - possibly quite interesting. But nothing more. These wheels have now been retired for close to 20 years so maybe TLG didn't see much sense in continuing to make them either. But what do you guys think, do you have any practical uses for these studs? Mind showing me some models or MOCs that utilize them?

Yeah, thanks for the suggestion, I might do that. I actually went and gave that contact a good filing with sandpaper and apparently now the circuit finally closes with no extra hassle. I was super worried, so it was pretty lucky to discover that lack of contact with one of the plates was the problem!

Ok, just a heads up, I was able to narrow down the problem. The lower rear left battery wasn't making contact. Those Energizer rechargeables have really short plus nubs and apparently it just wasn't reaching the plate. It's not a problem anywhere else in the box though, for some reason. A temporary solution is just putting a thin aluminum foil strip between the nub and the contact, which does manage to close the circuit. What should I do for a more permanent solution, solder on a thin copper plate or some such? The minus side spring is fairly strong so it is pressing the battery adequately against the plus plate, but for some reason it just couldn't reach. I know I could just use different batteries, but I've got 12 of those Energizer ones, just enough for rotation for recharging, so it'd kinda suck to have to buy a new set now.

Absolutely, same here. Those are my favorite kinds of builds. My only observation was that these kinds of builds have now migrated outside of the Technic brand, but they are definitely present - in varying proportions of the systems used.

You can't connect two studded beams at the ends with a 2L coupling, because their holes aren't close enough to each other. And if you do that with studded beams using plates, obviously they won't be able to rotate in relation to each other, as the connection is rigid. Even disregarding that and making a lateral connection with pins, the edges of studded beams are square rather than rounded, so you're severely restricted in being able to make them rotate against each other, and they can't do it at all if they're adjacent. Another thing is that you can't just use studded beams vertically without thinking, as the height of a Lego brick is a non-integer multiple of 1 stud tall. For that reason you need 2 plate spacers between studded bricks if you want their holes to line up vertically. With studless beams none of that is a problem. You can connect them with pins entirely adjacent to each other, their ends are rounded so they can rotate into any position in regards to each other, and you can stack them vertically with no extra considerations, as they form a perfect square matrix. So yes, aesthetics may be subjective but all these functions are definitely objective facts.

That's entirely subjective - and even if true, lego technic needed at least 40 years to get there. The first fully studless models were very skeletal and not at all particularly pleasing in terms of aesthetics and it took practically 15 years to create all the panel inventory to finally make them look more enclosed. Meanwhile models towards the end of the studded era were starting to look pretty good in their own right. I think the best models appearance-wise are ones that combine studless, studded and System - the 2007 motorized bulldozer is a great example of that. And today such models mostly exist outside the Technic line proper. So all in all, I just don't think aesthetics was a factor here, more the fact that studless beams can be connected easier at the ends and stacked vertically, so they just lend themselves better for Technic construction. Still, studded beams have their place as well, as again - models such as the Motorized Bulldozer aptly prove

Kid friendly in presentation perhaps, but most System models are 16+ or 18+ these days. Hell, even models rated 8+ like the yellow bulldozer already contain a shitload of studded and studless Technic both . The complexity and part density has only increased over the years, while the age groups remained the same. I doubt introducing a system of lighting would go against kiddie play friendliness, unless you give a 11+ set to a 6 year old, but then that's on you.

Is it just me who's bothered by the fact that like 90% of Technic is licensed these days? I dunno, I prefer to use Lego to escape reality, not be reminded of it. And as for big media franchise licenses - I don't like those either, since your headcanon will never matter there anyway because there's a well-established official story. the latter is not a big problem with Technic, but it sure is with the rest of Lego parts-wise though things look mildly interesting

Yeah well, good for Lumibricks to patent their bespoke lighting system (which they're now making their biggest gimmick separating them from Lego), but I believe if Lego wanted a similar function, they'd go about implementing it in a different fashion anyway Anyhow, after studying NewElementary a bit more and looking at recent trends, I must conclude that TLG will be forced to close the gap on some of the most useful moulds used by the competition if they want to remain relevant. They've actually been in the course of this process already, if slowly. I expect it to accelerate from now on. Hell, wouldn't be surprised if Lego caved in and gave us the two-sided plates within the next 3-4 years.

It might seem like a hot take, but to be perfectly honest, I don't think there is such a thing as building difficulty. There is only such a thing as instructions clarity. You can deliberately make your instructions clear and unambiguous to follow, or you can make figuring them out a task. I'm under the impression that the difficulty of building the "hardest" sets has always been about deciphering the suboptimally designed instructions.

Yep, the introduction of the angled liftarms definitely elevated some studded Technic models' aesthetics, not to mention it single-handedly enabled entirely studless construction at small scales, which we already got in 1998. And yes, someone should totally do a side by sicde comparison video of the yellow crane trucks. Lego have made at least four if not five of them by now, all from different eras. It'd be amazing to analyze their differences and how they've progressed over the years!

Well, this might be a legitimate concern if the flagship Technic sets weren't being marketed as "16+" in the first place...

I've got a 8856 waiting to be built, something always drew me towards Lego copters and that one is a marvel to be sure! Examining the evolution of Technic helicopters is a great experience in its own right, and this one is definitely one of the best of them. Well, after making a list of reasonably budgeted (up to around 100 USD per) Technic sets, I found myself wanting the most from 1999 for some reason - 4 of them. Seems like the studded chassis - cable exterior thing they were going for that year really speaks to me for some reason. But I noticed wanting 2 sets from 1993, 1994, 1995 each, and three from 1996 and 1997 each. So yeah, guess you could say that era really has some serious appeal! I only regret that in later years there are no more than one set that I want due to everything being licensed, which bothers me. Exceptions are 2013 and 2015 apparently, where there are two models each that caught my interest. But overall yeah, it feels like the era right before the abandonment of studded building for large scales seems to be my fav aesthetics-wise.

Not exactly the same thing. Western companies using Chinese manufacturers is regrettable but often unavoidable, but it's still not the same as the company having Chinese capital and all proceeds from the final product eventually making their way to China. Still, apart from that gotta say that CaDA are relentlessly innovative in a way that TLG can't match, not sure if due to their self-imposed constraints or whatever else.

I just ran an overview of Technic over the years to select one set per year to buy and gotta say, for a few years Lego have completely replaced a lot of their models such as supercars, excavators, bulldozers etc with real-life licensed models, which makes them lose a lot of appeal in my eyes. I much preferred unlicensed, original ones, but what can you do, apparently these sell better or something. Still, 2025 in particular has at least some unlicensed small to mid-size sets such as the Lunar Outpost Moon Rover or that deep sea research sub, interesting things both worth buying in my opinion. I actively avoid licensed sets and cars when looking for stuff to buy and there's still quite a bit to choose from in the 1000-pc range in the most recent era of Technic. I'd personally say that the most egregious year would be 2017, where they introduced the panels - several of their models did what they could to show off the panels, which felt like they were force-feeding us those things. I suppose that was also the year where studless Technic truly transitioned form skeletal to covered - which I don't think was such a good thing, given how that both obfuscates the mechanisms and System bricks are still better at accomplishing that same task. Many have noticed that Technic has stopped being about functions and started being about aesthetics more and more over the years, meanwhile Cada has them beat on both counts (plus they don't shy away from giving their designers free rein to use studded parts, which makes the models even better).

Ohhh, a man of taste I see. Still the holy grail model for a lot of folks, and for good reason too

Gotta say, I absolutely despise the CCP and am loathe to support it financially (supporting any Chinese-own business is tantamount to helping perpetuate the regime), but daaaamn are some of those Cada models amazing. They surpass Lego both in terms of functionality and aesthetics-wise, and that's even with Lego's current (misguided in my opinion) obsession with making Technic about looks rather than functions. That AMG GT3 is an absolute masterpiece

What year range do you think studded Technic has peaked in terms of looks? I think it was just before the transition to studless, personally. For example take a look at this absolute beauty from 1997: I don't think I've ever seen a studded set with this level of appearance-consciousness, especially the cockpit made using axles and connectors clearly shows the superiority of the "toothless system" - sure, that one did allow for connections at a huge range of angles, but later pretty much the same was achieved using axle connectors and flex axles/cables, not to mention the ever-expanding variety of angled axle connectors. Still, this one's cockpit in particular looks great. Another small set I think looks great in its own right is this one from 1996: While almost entirely studded, it returns to the glorious days of heavy use of System plates (although definitely not in the same way as the forklift from 1977, not by a long shot haha), which heavily enhances the aesthetics and compact feel of the model. The flex bars used for the cockpit were definitely a portent of the "flexi-era" that would dominate 1998-2001 and still feature heavily beyond. Of particular note is the front bumper made very creatively with yellow bricks curving downward around a black brick, giving both a rugged and pleasing look. Another thing of note with both of the above sets is the abandonment of the "axle with two bushes on the sides" connection for structure, which predominated in earlier Technic. By this point the system had matured enough for the designers to realize that friction pin connections are superior for connecting things structurally, while axles are best left to accomplish their role of transferring torque and being used with dedicated axle connectors rather than bushes. That has led to cleaner models with no bushes sticking out on the sides everywhere. Last but least, this model from 1998, the Super Tow Truck: This is probably the last model that you can truly call truly studded Technic, since 1999 onwards moved to what you could reasonably "hybrid construction" in its flagship models - small ones have been entirely studless for a year or two by now, and mid-sized ones have already been hybrids - but this one? I think it can be fairly said it's a studded model - and what a studded model it is! I'll be damned if this isn't the most hip and fancy looking studded model ever. Lego during this era have clearly been trying for Technic to lose the "boring nerd" vibe in favor of something hip, cool and trendy, since kids would perceive Technic as decidedly uncool (can't really blame 'em either). So first came the introduction of the Technic minifigs (cool move IMO), but with this model? Boy oh boy, where do we even begin. It encapsulates pretty much all the accomplishments of the Technic system up to that point - heavy use of angled liftarms, axles-and-connectors and ribbed hoses for aesthetics, heavy System brick decoration, but most importantly - the external chassis is still the tried and true studded Technic brick fare. The color scheme breaks from the familiar reds and yellows, with the cool combo of blue and teal definitely doing the heavy lifting. And yes, the elephant in the room - the almost grotesquely ostentatious https://rebrickable.com/parts/32077/wheel-70-x-28-mm-futuristic/ wheels, completely unlike any type of Technic wheel that ever came before, and on their own make the look of the model fresher by at least 10 years. Since we would never again get a truly studded flagship, I believe studded Technic ended on a very high note. But I also realize some may enjoy the more retro look and feel that Technic sets until roughly 1995 featured, or even the "toothed era". So do let me know what was in your opinion the peak of studded Technic aesthetics.

Yeah, you may be right about that, when you look at themes like Blacktron etc they used mostly universal parts from the previous years' assortment, which is ironically what Lego would return to after 2003. And I agree that mid to late 90s and early 00s had the biggest concentration of bespoke moulds. Just look at the Aquazone, Ufo and Insectoids themes. Rock Raiders too tbh. I can understand how this was not particularly sustainable for Lego, since those parts were few in number and limited in use, which is pretty much just bad economics of scale, simply put. So it stands to reason they'd reverse course from this approach. But damn, were all those sets and themes memorable and fun, can't deny that! BTW, on an unrelated note; I only just realized Lego introduced 16x16 plates only as late as 2011, and red ones as late as 2024. When I was a kid, I played a lot with a red 16x16 plate serving as a baseplate (a proper plate with antistuds on the bottom, mind you). That thing came from an old Cobi town-themed set from the late 90s or very early 2000s where it served as either the floor or the roof of a gas station. Pretty stunning if you think about it, how fast Lego's competitors innovated compared to Lego themselves. If Lego has been playing catch-up for literal decades even in regards to basic pieces like that... oh boy

Well, since the 2003 restructuring the idea is to only add parts if they are really useful, multipurpose and justified, so as to avoid a repeat of the 80s and 90s where moulds only ever used in a single set reigned supreme (which almost brought the company under). I agree it seems like there might be some bloat recently but then again, are sets made in 2015 really that different to sets made in 2025 really? Talking about both System and Technic. I haven't seen a leap half as big in the last 15 years as say, the 5-year leap between 2002 and 1997 for Technic was. I think the biggest revolution for the system was the 1x2 plate with rounded edges and open studs, that thing has completely revolutionized builds. At this point the only way there could be another revolution of a similar impact is if Lego finally agreed to introduce plates with studs on both sides.