Toastie

I just ordered new business cards: In addition to everything else, it now says: "Would-be TLG Board Member; Intergalactic Strategic Planning Group (ISPG)" Have fun! Thorsten

This is true LEGO building. Wonderful. So many, many details you have added to the original set. Keeping it coherent. Using parts in the creative way you are doing, and in the way you are envisioning, is - as far as I am concerned - the true LEGO style. Thank you very much for sharing! Best Thorsten

This is why I phrased it as a question Believe me, I am fully aware of that. I like to challenge though. As others do. To get people onto the threshold of their comfort zone. Not "out". Just close. Without wanting to be super smart! You know the Monty Python thing ... "How to irritate people" ... I am not anywhere close to the level of a "Master Builder". Zero. But I occasionally I do turn bricks the other way around. For fun. And to be absolutely sure: There is nothing wrong with collecting!!! At all. There is one thing though: 1000+ posts don't impress me. Again: At all. People freak out on whatever. Just >personally<. I just do my thing. On an online forum, I voice it. Well: I am only on one single online forum: On EB. Because here, I am in touch with - LEGO folks. That is all, what counts. They can take it. Best Thorsten

Ha! I ... knew ... it. "Pooda" has become "Brandon Pea" ... so: Call me "Inspector Columbo" from now on This is all so much fun here ... I love it. Personally, I really would like to see Poodaville. It must be fun to go there. You are so much (and with real spirit) into City ... I am sure it must be fun to go there. I am preparing my "setup" ... it is "Crazy City" (CC), I guess. And I am sure you'll like it as well, as you are no concrete head. Takes time though. But will happen. All the very best, Thorsten

Like you humor! Rock on! Thorsten

Well, go nuts! Question is: What do >you< want to convey? It all looks like fun. Just let it flow ... ... but maybe with a remote idea ... All the very best - it is a very nice video. Thorsten

This is a very educated and fun to read discussion. This is why I love EB so much! Now, one thing I don't get at all: The "what they give us" thing. I believe that many here have assembled tons of sets (this is what I am reading; correct me if I am wrong). OK. Given that many here have these many sets ... why don't you do it the LEGO way? I mean the "original idea" way. The "family owned enterprise" way. The LEGO thing: Make it happen. This is what LEGO is about, isn't it? And then show it, if you like. Or let it be if you don't want to. With 10+ City sets + a couple of brick buckets/boxes + sets that you just buy for parts you need ... you could do everything. City, City+, Non-City, All-City, but most importantly: Your City. Is the line of sets each year, the themes and sub themes ... is that really a show stopper? Did we lose something? I am a bit puzzled. All the best, Thorsten

Maybe or maybe not. We've already been using Mindstorm for ages. Its motors have encoders. I was gonna say. Plus: The LEGO rotation sensor did and does a reasonable good job as encoder on RCX PBricks. Used it before for PID controlled trains (https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/45440-lego-train-control-using-rcx10-pbricks/) The integrated encoder is much more elegant of course. So when @dr_spock refers to "Mindstorms", any "dumb motor + RCX rotation sensor" as well as the NXT and EV3 motors did/do that. Best Thorsten

That one may work; you could use some sort of tape (machine unplugged) to lock it. BUT: Secure that thing before you do that. Does it go from zero to full forward when you turn it on? Or is there some sort of power regulation? Again: Secure that thing before plugging it in with the tape locking the on key. The spinning speed should not be too high - on the other hand your pressure on the file is key. Just be patient - with no pressure at all, just the weight of the file in the beginning. You can use any LEGO round plate for practice. A 2x2 round plate would do, it has an axle hole. Just try it. A 4x4 round plate is closer to the wheel. Both are way more challenging, as you would not have any guide as the flange on the BBB train wheel represents. When you can make a groove on these, you can make any groove you like on the BBB wheels for sure. The flange on the BBB wheels is almost a guarantee that it will work. Best Thorsten

Well, it is a simple but rather crude method. A lathe is so much better - but not so many have access to one, I believe. This is why I did it that way. And: It simply works. The wheels are in perfect shape. Ben's wheels are simply superb. More interestingly though, the red LEGO rubber bands still do their task as well. I must admit though that I don't run the BR23 that often. On the other hand, the rubber bands are comparably cheap. When they do snap - put on another one. Has not happened, but ... Best Thorsten

I believe this is a very delicate problem. It reminds me of the force required to push the center drivers in an out on Ben Beneke's BR 23. He used a split axle. I don't believe a purist solution will do. But who knows. A skid plate, as suggested by @jrathfon may do; you may need to adjust the force by using a leaf spring type piece. Very thin though. Good luck! Thorsten

OK, was ages ago and there may be much better solutions, 10 years after. It still works though. Best Thorsten

Wait - no! Within the upper class of the developed countries (as the middle class is steadily and at increasing rates dissolving ...), I truly believe that the TFOL market must be considerable. TFOL as is young folks buying LEGO sets on their own. The prerequisites are: Enough money available and interest in LEGO. I sure do believe this is a sizeable fraction. But did anyone challenge that? All the best Thorsten

Sure. And this is why I pulled up that 2009 link from 1000steine. In this contribution, a poll was made by TLG themselves. As far as I know, this poll was not restricted to Germany. It 11 years old, but I was surprised to find a rather coherent picture: When you calculate with the German 10% fraction you arrive at 1 Million AFOLs should the spend about 500€ (= roughly USD). TLGs number for the average 2009 AFOL investment was 1000 USD. When you further speculate that the average spending of money for LEGO in the developed countries (this is where TLG pulls it off) within a factor of 3 the same ... we arrive at anything between 0.2 Mio and 3 Mio AFOLs. I personally believe the 0.2 is too low. I also believe that it seems to be a bit of a stretch to talk about 10 Mio ... But all this is (a little educated) speculation. Was fun to do - to get at least an idea. I'd say there are 1,064,359 (as of now) AFOLs. Anyone challenging that? All the best Thorsten

Yes it is! Wonderful idea!!! Problem for me though: I do build - well ... freestyle - so for me it is "rewarding" to have the Mindcraft folks hanging out around a StarWars diorama built from a StarWars Advent Calendar items ... and a number of other bricks. I guess this does not count as diorama for LEGO sets. Hmmm. Maybe it does: For the 201X StarWars Advent Calendar In any case: Your proposal is brilliant! I shall borrow the digital camera from my daughter ... All the best, Thorsten

@Philo, you did it again! This is absolutely nice. Really cool. Thank you very much! All the best Thorsten

This. I believe this is the core of the matter. The remaining issues (cutting corners, time required for building dioramas etc. pp.) all fall under these restrictions. 1600 million USD in operative profit. And no time for building dioramas? No way. They could make decisions into that direction, but they don't; because the uncountable folks in administrative departments cannot envision that. TLG has become very big. And all the very big companies I happen to have research contracts with - perform as @Mylenium has very nicely summarized. No exceptions. I also do believe in the power of legals today. Yes TLG has for sure have to clearly show what actually is in the box. And dioramas don't. However, they are highly inspiring - in the past I actually tried to steal some of their ideas - and always was short of bricks, because they were so huge. They are royally cheating () in the new catalogs as well. I just grabbed one of the 2020 January - June catalog at Smyth's today. Look very carefully: You can clearly distinguish the rendered bricky stuff from the background; however, the background is very carefully selected, nicely rendered or real stuff (but manipulated) as well. The set renders are very carefully using lighting to match the background appearance. Snow, water, rivers, trees, the moon, stars, under water worlds etc. - all carefully set-up in a way that makes the set look part of the background and often huge. And much more, as it really is (when you take the background away). Oh that is fine, it is how things are done today, I am fully aware of that. People like that. It makes them feel better. Dioramas were brickbuilt for the same thing - but there was a difference. Tyres did not throw dirt around, guns had not bullets flying straight out, with a nice trail of smoke, minifigs were not twisting in a golden whirl of whatever, and boats on a river had no bow wash. Which makes it necessary today to have a tiny, tiny text below the "picture" saying: "Boat does not float" because it actually looks like it does ... Yes, this is the world of today. Created by people who may not know anymore what the idea of LEGO really - well - was. Other than: "Make it look cool, watch out for the legals, and let's see how that stuff sells. It is as it is ... people seem want it that way, otherwise it would not work so nicely. Revenue-wise that is. All the best Thorsten

Hehee - yes noticed that and recalculated a minute ago ... thanks for the heads up though! Best Thorsten

In terms of operating profit: https://www.statista.com/statistics/292286/lego-group-operating-profit/ and http://kidscreen.com/2019/02/27/lego-revenue-increases-4-in-fiscal-2018/ 1,600 Million USD / 10 = 160 Million USD Revenue according to the latter link was: 5,500 Million USD / 10 = 550 Million UDS When each AFOL spends 550 USD per year, then there are 1 Million AFOLs. According to this stone-old link from 2009: https://www.1000steine.de/de/gemeinschaft/forum/?entry=1&amp;id=206987 AFOLs and TFOLs spend 1000 USD per year on LEGO. Which gets the number to very roughly 0.5 Million AFOLs. I bet there are better numbers though ... Best Thorsten

Or Jake Blues (in my all-time favorite movie) saying: "So - I lied to her". I agree with @Roadmonkeytj; hopefully they will. But I doubt that. It is less "will" - rather "rules applied", period. As I said before: This whole BL deal - well - smells. Badly. Best Thorsten

This is so nice! All the apparently weird but so lovely, so crazy - in other words - so LEGO details! Finally, someone who likes to put a lake onto the upper floor of a building. And so much more. I love this - I am building exactly the same way. Think the "not possible" and simply build it with LEGO. I admire your creativity - and your way of making it LEGO reality. Thanks for sharing and all the best! Thorsten

Yes. But chances are I will be dead by then, looking at the mortality rate in my family. No problem here! It is as it is. But I don't like to paint things onto a canvas not in my life's reach. That is for next generations. So for me, it is 75%. Which I would judge "completely nuts" from where I came from. Thing is: I truly believe it is possible. Only with the full suite of "everything"; new means of intelligent power distribution, new means of energy storage, new avenues of making it happen, and most importantly - learning to live together on this rather small planet without believing that homo sapiens on the Northern Hemisphere are any better than folks on the "far" East. But hey, what do I know. I just live here.

Yes. That.

No they are not. And never have been. For one, to me "sustainable" means "for everyone" - and not for the ones who can afford to build houses and so on and so forth. I am absolutely fine when you see it that way, please believe me. Secondly, only radical ideas have made an impact on evolution. All the "lets do it as they show on the Discovery Channel ideas" did not. LEGO is radical per definition in itself, as I can go radically nuts - by putting a radiation hazmat girl/guy on ... whatever ... a beach, not knowing what he or she is doing there. And that is what I do. Radical was also to claim that renewable energy will - some day in the future - deliver more than 30% to the power supply in the country where I live. You know what they called me back then? Thirty years ago? Dreamer, idiot, extremist, greenie, and yes, megablock (see below, in the reason for edit section); rendering the future apocalyptic. And you know what? Mission accomplished. Simply done. It is not only reality, it is even better. Some 30 years later. It makes me very happy. Right now, I am travelling around and keep telling people we can make it up-to 75%; you know what they call me? Dreamer. Destructor of our wealth. Dreamer. Idiot. I am used to it. And old enough to cope with that. I have at max 30 more years - but will not cool down. Never ever anyone said here to be empowered, nor save an entire galaxy, nor this planet, nor a region on this planet. Never. No "saving" at all. I don't like way of arguing that way at all. It is the classical straw man's argument. And believe me: I built a house (not only once), raised a family, and I am - for sure - taking my responsibility of my own, and my families life. And my family is doing that as well. It is give and take. At least where I grew up, moved to, and live right now. And lastly: "Whatever". Heard that too many times, got over it. And my original post was not intended to go to that direction at all. It was about to ask very skilled people to think outside the box. No more. It did not work out - that is how it is - and without being bitter: Whatever. As @Didumos69 phrased: ... back to my train layout. I just added a deep sea section to it; next to a switch yard populated by of 4.5/9/12V trains. Senseless. But cool. (This thread should be locked as it goes wrong ...)

True. No doubt at all. But it may not be too shortsighted to begin with what is possible today, and that are as only one example electric cars. There is no doubt - zero - that this route will never be reasonable with fossil energy supply. The IoE is required, as well as much more efforts establishing renewable energy production routes and energy storage. Which in turn don't work without IoE. I believe it is smart to begin with something, even when it temporarily doesn't make much sense. But then: There were many and very smart people back in the apparently so good'ol days, who said that the internal combustion engine propelled automobile will never ever replace the horse as transportation means. Well. That was not a very good prediction, which one would call today model calculation. In contrast to that today's model calculations regarding the development of earths surface temperature, sea levels, polar ice cap coverage, shift of "permanent" tropospheric pressure systems, to name a few, are spot on for more than three decades now. Within these three decades the computing power has gone nuts but the predictions of the IPCC from 1990/1991 (1st assessment report) and the measurements from worldwide distributed stations are in very good agreement with each other, when taking the 1990 worst case scenario as basis. Unfortunately the crazy computing power of today comes to the same result. I happen to do research and teaching in that area; at least I have some access to the primary literature and know a good number of colleagues directly involved in climate research. Believe me, they don't toss any of the tax payers money around, nor would I regard them as very rich people doing nothing else than predicting the apocalypse to arrive soon. In contrast, they desperately want it to go the other way around. In Germany, I would not even know a legal route for the average researcher in this area to make more money through research grants. No idea. I sometimes wonder what "we" are waiting for. Another decade or two to be "sure"? Or better five? Should we wait with technological changes until 100% renewable energy is available - everywhere? That won't happen - in many areas of this planet, people will be extremely happy to have electricity more than 2 hours a day. And they will for sure not care from what kind of primary energy carrier that electricity was generated. But in the "developed" world that is different. We barely survive a power outage of one hour - per year. And it is in this developed world, where we can initiate changes. Be it marginal or not. The automobile is a very good example how such a marginal change can change the world. And that is only one example. Best Thorsten