HandofBobb

so, I just found out the great news that folks here have been able to add new parts to LDD- I went to the pinned thread and downloaded all the files linked, but have a couple questions before I get started updating: 1) it looks like the New Parts.RAR file linked is the most recent version, so I assume I only need that one and not each individual update, but which of the various LXF files do I need? 2) my eyesight has taken a turn for the worse recently, and I was already having some issues with the decal selection- has anyone figured out a way to increase the zoom on that palatte? Forgive me if a similar question has been posted, but I didnt see a topic, and didnt want to junk up the OP...

Is that new hair on 'Vicky' in the Sports Arena, or does it appear elsewhere? it looks to have some epic anime bangs...

Hmm, I hope that means theyre fixing the incomplete parts to finally include mini-dolls, and not that they're 'fixing' it to remove the parts instead

wierd, I can find mini-doll legs in the minifig body parts section, but they are missing the hip/waist piece, and I don't see any other mini-doll parts... There's also the arm with anti-stud for Cyborg, but no torso with a removable arm to attach it to? Overall, I am pretty psyched about this update, I was just working on a build yesterday that could use the 1x1x1 2/3 Brick w2 Studs on the Side. Also loving the 2x3 Tile, the 2x2 plate w/2 studs, and all the corner and curve pieces shown in Junkstyle's post.

Nope, no technic bricks or advanced techniques, its meant for LEGO Worlds, so uses a very basic brick palette. Yeah, this is what I'm talking about, is there any easy way to fix this, or am I stuck tearing it apart and trying from scratch?

thanks for the replies, sorry I have been a bit too busy to respond during the week. I was attempting to scale up my Queen's Tower model for the LEGO Worlds contest, but this issue kept me from being able to complete the larger version in time. here are the files I was talking about- the plan was to stack 3 or so sets of the shaft on the base, but there's some irregularity along the upper bricks keeping me from being able to just copy and paste onto the base. (Hrm, it says the files are too big to attach, is there somewhere else I can post them and link to?) Here's a picture of where I first noticed the issue- I had a pair of 1x2x5 bricks un this slot, but removed them to put in supports for the bunks, only to find that LDD wouldn't let me place the top set of plates. Although it was weird and annoying, I was able to ignore it and build around it, but then it turns out to have been a symptom of a larger problem. You can see how the bricks in the corner are just slightly lower than the 3x3 tile next to them.

I'm in the middle of a largish build in LDD (about 5000) bricks atm, and im only halfway or so), and I'm beginning to run into an issue- It seems that over several layers, individual miniscule imprecisions on how the program aligns bricks have begun to add up to the point where the program is beginning to not allow me to place bricks, despite there being no discernable conflict- has anyone encountered something like this before, and are there any known fixes?

Are the 'spare parts' even consistant between sets? Since they are spare, and not included in the parts list in the instructions, I wouldn't really expect them in any set I bought secondhand that wasn't sealed.

If it weren't for the extra girl in the Pop Star corner image, I have a feeling that "Livi" might be Olivia's stage name- the two don't appear in any sets together, and the Recording Studio just comes with Olivia, not Livi- which would make sense if they're the same person, no need to get all dolled up for a private recording session.

Entry #2- Introducing the VecTurtle Arial Recon Drone- four vectored thrust jet engines offer this critter unparalleled manouverability Last minute, but I had to get the parts from Australia as that was the only place I could find a seller on BL with all the parts I needed,

My first entry, the Siege Turtle, with a 120mm Plasma Sphere Launcher, and twin-linked Plasme Rifles for Antipersonnel use. had it MOC'd up in LDD within minutes of the contest, had to wait for the actual bricks to arrive. white bricks on a white background isn't ideal, but I found myself limited by the lack of non-trans colors available for the curved windscreens- I coulda sworn I remembered them in Yellow or Lime, but BrickLink says no, so I went with white.

Heh, I kept reloading like a half a dozen times yesterday trying to get the parts update, only to finally check the Info tab and see it had somehow snuck past my notice and was already applied. Must have been one of my late night random idea builds on Friday that caught it. I'm really psyched to get several of the new round pieces- the 6x6 round Plate, the 4x4 round plate with 2x2 round hole, the 2x2 round tile with the hole in the middle, and especially the 2x2 truncated cone (the R-5 Droid head- I'm particularly interested in the fact its available in plain black- I hope to see that option show up in real life son.). Also getting the 1x2x1x2 reverse bracket and the Mixels joints is awesome, Bummer theres still no Minidolls though. I'm also having the issue with legacy colors bumping regular colors outside the top frame of the color palatte. As long as we're discussing desired changes, I've got a few- I'm painfully nearsighted, and partly color-blind. On the nearsighted issue, at my current desktop resolution, even at max zoom, the previe parts are about 10mm across, so it's very difficult for me to make out some details, I'd love some way to show a larger preview, 20-25mm would be ideal. On the Color-blind issue, in a previous version of LDD, I could build my MOC in any color (I usually work in light gray to start with), and then was able to choose a color in the palatte and use the paint bucket to apply that color to all valid parts- I don't know who decided to drop that feature, but I bitterly miss it. A separate option, I'm not sure which one would be easier to implement, might just be to add a tooltip in the parts preview indicating the color.

I know the ADU blaster was in LDD, but right now I am having a hard time finding it- did it get removed, or am I just being blind? If it's just me, could someone post a screenshot of where it shows up in the parts? (Really wish I could zoom the parts preiview about 2x more than it currently does- at my resolution, even max zoom has the parts about 10mm across, and I'm painfully nearsighted, even with glasses...)

Well, I'm not afraid to admit, I was one of the folks who PM'd him about it- shouldn't be a surprise as I was in the minority that said "go ahead". I was curious to see how the actual product compared to the promotional images, but didn't really want to start a fight about it on the boards. Overall, I think it turned out fairly well- a shame about the wheels, but if you're like me, you've got a pile of working wheels you could put on this thing- unless you're one of those people who gets hives at the idea of letting clone bricks touch your actual LEGO. On the other hand, since it's not real LEGO, I'd have far less issue with Kragle-ing the front fender on...

Ok folks, this is my first attempt at a review, so be gentle- constructive feedback will be appreciated. 75040 General Grievous’ Wheel Bike Ok folks, I’m new around here, but I was pretty excited by this set, and I didn’t see any other reviews posted, so I figure I’d give it a shot. I’m a big Star Wars fan, and a big AFOL, though I don’t buy as many sets as I’d like. Not counting the occasional Troop Pack, this is my first set in some time, my last one being 2009’s Clone Wars Republic Attack Shuttle 8019-1. I’ve always been a fan of General Grievous’ original characterization, in the old Tartakovsky Clone Wars, where he was basically evil Batman. Felt like he got nerfed quite a bit for Episode III, but at least he got some cool new toys, including this monowheel bike, and his starfighter, which was basically a space Batmobile. I got the original version of his fighter 7656, back in 2007- I felt they did a pretty good job of replicating the ship, but the original Grievous Minifig was pretty terrible. They released a new version (8095) in 2010 with a vastly improved minifig, but I didn’t feel they improved on the starfighter’s design enough for me to invest another $50 so soon- now that we’re back around to Ep III re-releases, maybe there will be a new version of his fighter that tempts me like the upcoming B-wing does. So I made do without the new Grievous, as I didn’t feel like paying the $15 or so he was running on the secondary market either. He was later re-relased in 9515 The Malevolence, but that set was outside my price range as well- so seeing the new version of him on the Wheel Bike in the 2014 wave got me really excited. I’m not gonna lie, he was the major factor in me buying this set, although the wheel bike itself if vastly improved from it’s 2005 version, 7255 General Grievous Chase. Although an updated Boga would have been nice, I’m kinda torn between missing him, and being happy this isn’t a $40-50 set. It was actually a nice surprise to get this as a $25 set- when the original preview pics came out, with no parts count on them, I was actually expecting it to run $30-35. OK, enough preface, on to the review proper (Note that this is a post-assembly review, so there are some things missing, like a parts square and such) 75040 in the Lego Store Official MSRP: $24.99 Parts Count: 261 Reccomended Ages: 7-12 Release Date: Feb 2014 Box Art (9/10): The Box features the new 2014 Ep III frame, with the Star Wars logo in orange and an underlit Vader on a background of volcanic rock with some lava showing through- which, while dramatic, is slightly confusing- it’s obviously meant to evoke Mustafar, but then Vader is rather overdressed for his appearance there- but still, it looks cool, so I guess that works. The main image shows the model in a dynamic setting, with Grievous speeding off and Obi-Wan desperately clinging on to keep from being yanked off by Vader’s Force Grip- you think Grievous would just let go of the staff. It’s got all the usual text on the left hand side, above a separate image of the 2 minifigs included in the set, if you couldn’t work them out from the main image. Back of the box mainly shows the bike in it’s walker mode, with a couple other shots showing off play features, such as the flick-fire missile, a hand rolling the bike along, and a shot ahowing that the legs deploy (which, again, I would hope you could work out from the other pics)- I’m not really sure what the smaller images on the right are meant to show. The other sides of the box, with a couple of the images repeated, all the relevant copyright and other disclaimers, and a shot of Obi-Wan as the 1:1 figure on the top, sharing space with about a half-sized Grievous- I don’t really blame them for putting him there as he really is the star of this set. As this is a post-mortem review, I don’t have any shots of the parts still in bags, but there were 3 numbered bags, a bag with all the parts for Grievous, and the large wheel was loose. Unlike some larger sets, the box was pretty full, not a lot of empty space, though this did result in the instructions getting bent up a bit. Front of the instruction book echoes the front of the box Instructions (9/10): A random page- as you can see, everything is quite clear with a neutral background, like most other current instruction books. The parts list from the back of the book Last 2 pages show several of the minifigs is the 2014 wave all Pokemon-style (gotta catch ‘em All!), and the 2014 sets. From what I can tell, it’s something of an inside joke on these forums to include a shot of this ugly kid’s screaming mug, so here you go: Minifigs (10/10): A brand new Obi Wan, and a slightly new Grievous- from what I can tell, there are 2 differences from the Clone Wars Grievous- his eyes are slightly less emphasized, and in this set, his upper and lower arms use the same piece, whereas the Clone Wars versions had 2 different paint apps. The printing on Obi-Wan is nice and crisp with plenty of details, including the lower part of his shirt and his loincloth on the legs, which looks great from the front, but gives the impression of him wearing a thong from behind. Here they are shown with my old 2k7 Grievous for comparison: And a shot of the back details, along with Obi-Wan’s alternate expression: As you can see, they didn’t skimp on the weapons selection included- all 4 lightsabers for Grievous, a Magna-Guard Staff, and a Blaster. Here they are laid out with the lightsabers from my 2k7 Grievous (in the grey handles) Parts (10/10): At 261 Parts for $25, it comes in under the general $0.10/ part rule, plus the bulk of the parts here are pretty interesting/useful, I could see myself picking up a couple more for parts. Other than the Minifigs and weapons, the distinctive part in this set is a giant clear wheel: In the parts breakdown, it’s listed as part 6053875, but since Trans Clear is apparently a new color for this part, that doesn’t bring anything up in Bricklink. A bit of poking around comes up with 88517: Wheel 75mm D. x 17mm Motorcycle, which, as it’s description implies, has mostly been used in some larger scale Technic and Bionicle/Hero Factory Motorcycles, and in 10227 UCS B-wing, 75016 Homing Spider Droid. And most recently in 70724 Ninja Copter from the 2014 Ninjago line. Also new this set is a 1x1 Round Tile with a new decoration on it, some kind of readout/dial, but different from the current 98138pb010 Gague with red pointer. It’s listed in the parts breakdown as 6057870 Aside from the new wheel and tile, interesting parts include a bunch of 1x2 Grilles in Metallic Silver, a Pair of 3x3 triangular pieces and a bunch of cheese wedges in Sand Blue, 8 of the Ninjago talons in dark metallic gray, 2 trans dark pink jewels, and all the lightsaber handles. Spare parts included the usual handful of Technic bits and cheese wedges, a second copy of the new dial, and 1 extra lightsaber handle in each light bley and metallic silver. Assembly (8/10): Unfortunately, there’s a fair amount of repetition in the build, but I’m not really sure how it could be avoided, so I’m not gonna mark it down too harshly. Bag 1 includes the bulk of the wheel itself, and mostly consists of repeating this build 12 times: The rest of the parts in bag 1 are the main axle and a couple of Technic bushings Bag 2 assembles the 2 sidecar parts The sets one flick missile goes on the right sidecar, just beside the dual blaster cannon, and uses a technic rod at the back to launch it, which works decently. I think it looks a bit weird to use the same trans orange cone on the missile facing the opposite direction from the ones on the tips of the cannons right next to it. Bag 3 consists of the small back assembly and the 4 legs, which are identical I would almost count all the Technic pins with studs on the ends as padding the parts count, but I feel I’m already getting a good deal on parts, so I let it slide. One minor detail is that, due to how the Ninjago talons are used for the feet, the bike can’t really balance on 2 legs, as it did in a couple of shots in the film- then again, the original jackhammer feet couldn’t do that either. Assembled, in bike mode it’s a bit back-heavy, but again, not really sure that’s avoidable. Grievous is mounted in the bike by way of a folding handlebar plate that his feet attach to, it works alright, other than the total lack of visible controls- maybe he’s connected to it via Bluetooth? I would’ve added 1x2 Plate w/Handle 2540 and a Droid Arm holding a handlebar piece to the base. Also, I wonder why the plate mounting the new dial piece has the vertical clip and not the horizontal one, so the dial could actually face the pilot? Since the seating arrangement it custom made for Grievous, it’s a little goofy for other figs: Even old Grievous’s legs aren’t quite up to the task… Rather ironically, the Friends minidoll seems to be the next best fit: Overall: 46/50 I’d Highly recommend this set to anyone who might be interested, it’s got great parts and is a neat vehicle when built. While it might not be entirely accurate to the movie, it’s still a vast improvement over the previous version, and most of the changes are for playability. While the color scheme should be more light gray and tan, I kind of like the dark gray/black as it matches Grievous’ Starfighter much more closely. Here’s a comparison shot of it next to the Super Secret Police hummer from Super Cycle Chase, as you can see, it stacks up pretty favorably. Just what exactly has Olivia been up to in her workshop?