Toastie

Thank you very much for this very kind reply, @Alexandrina! I really value your reply very much. Yes: This is mostly what happened. With very best regards, Thorsten

Hmm. That does not sound like "needing lubrication". Also, there is a rather big difference between "lubrication" and "cleaning" (electrical tracks/connections). WD40 is for sure good for let's say (old) car related issues or real steam engines - but certainly not for delicate LEGO parts. It says on the can it can do it all - sure - but you don't want all. First, you need to carefully figure out the cause and then decide on the cure. Stopping in the middle of the track would mean that "friction" has become insane - easy to tell: Do the non-motor wheels still spin? If so easily? If so, friction is not the main cause. So let's first check on that, and then we move on. Just leave any WD40 where it belongs ;) You know, over time it creeps to every LEGO piece attached, and clutch power goes far south. "Everywhere". Best, Thorsten Ooops, just saw that. Man, drink the whiskey, but don't waste it on LEGO track - even when dead cheap. I believe there were numerous posts here on EB about cleaning electrical track parts (4.5/12/9V). It goes from mechanical to chemical. When oxidation has occurred (black/grey/whatever color "on" the metal rails), alcohol, regardless of type, hardly works. WD40 would partially, but see above. Don't use it. I'd rather use some very fine abrasive material - VERY fine. Steel wool of the finest grade or something like that, as you don't want to deeply scratch the metallic surface, but rather remove the "oxide" layer(s) only. However: This is NOT the cause of your problem: It worked in the beginning. Did you check the 12V pickups? Do they look good? Did you mechanically clean them?

What LEGO "is", depends entirely on your very personal perception and interpretation. For me, it is a world of my very own - I never want to miss. LEGO though is foremost (yeah, sure) a company. A company does things to prosper. For their very own workforce - and for the owners. Whatever the split is: So be it. Lets call it capitalism (or the "free" market) - the entire LEGO thing builds on just that. From carpenter to world-wide operating enterprise ... it is what it is: A money making operation. Now, the customers have their very own perception: Carpenter, caring family in Denmark, toys for learning how to create. Hey: We create! So all is good, as creating is good. It all depends: When does the company - or The Group, as they call themselves - alter our feelings and impact on our experiences - and when do we simply let it happen. Or even accelerate that development by our very own behavior. "Build and play" is certainly not anymore the target of TLG; it is "New Customers" buying as expensive as possible sets. As it has been in the past: Depending on returning = getting older and grumpier customers does never make any sense - not in capitalism. The system simply does not operate on sustainability, it works on growth. I know: No news here. Nothing wrong with that, particularly when it comes to a toy manufacturer, and not a weapons goon. The really cool thing though is: Capitalism encourages competition. "Parts packs" are just one click away. The good old LEGO world is just around the corner. I am mostly moving into that direction. And why are "they" doing this? Because in a capitalistic world, "they" can make money this way. Not because they are any "good" or "worse". Or promoting build and play. Believing in "making the world a better place" has become a bit rusty, as far as I am concerned. And also a bit out of reality. So: Do it your way. Make the world a better place with your very own actions. In a rant, I always see a reason for doing so. I really want to thank you for posting your rant here on EB! All the best, Thorsten

Thank you very much @TeriXeri! I actually had those - in limited < 5 numbers and over many years of "acquisition" (= birthday, Xmas, ...), but that is what I was referring to. Yes, today, 3-1 is my target as well - seldom though. Best, Thorsten

Maybe not - I just randomly picked a set called "Free Style" - maybe there are better examples. Or possibly not - it could all be a "good old days" biased feeling. I for sure though do remember the "parts packs", allowing me to build roofs - "large" roofs ... whatever that means to others. Best, Thorsten

Well. That is what I did in the past (the past, which is +30 Years ago). These "Classic Boxes" did not exist - there were "Window frames" or "Black bricks" - you know them all. Today's "Classic Boxes" are - well - a couple of things you can build using the "Classic Boxes Instructions". I never get any of these to get basic bricks. It is a waste of money. Color vomit for one; I am color blind, so that vomit is less of a threat to me. But then all these weird pieces (weird in the sense of a person wanting to build basic things, which require ample of 1x1, 1x2, 1x4 plates and bricks, maybe even in standard colors. Yes, I agree colors don't matter to children; but so don't all these ... "nice" pieces. Example: https://www.lego.com/de-de/product/bricks-bricks-plates-11717, clocking in at €70. To be honest; I believe the "models" shown were done first - and then the bricks were thrown in. Plus a few others. But what do I know. Example 2: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=4259-1#T=S&amp;O={"iconly":0} Not surprising: "FreeStyle" is my thing. That "thing" they are showing (a friendly monster :D) is no way a beauty, but it is crazy - showing the free style way of LEGO. Not the kitties with appropriate eyes ... looking up and down ... I know, the past won't come back, for sure not. But just because classic boxes have the tag "Classic Boxes" does not mean, they create classic ways of building. As far as I am concerned, they ask for instructions to make the nice models shown. But then again: Past 60 now. Surely lost ground. The world has (multiple times) changed. But that >is< an issue to me. Best, Thorsten

Wrong forum: This not an unpopular opinion, it is exactly that: True. Best, Thorsten

Huh? Of course he did - it carries his signature! Which in turn tells me exactly that. Otherwise, there would be for sure a reference. The old school way, you know. Best, Thorsten

No, it is definitely not fair - I know at least three people in my family who would buy the set regardless of price: My younger daughter, my son-in-law, and me . But nice that you could make it to Wuppertal! Yes, it is quite the view and ride. Plus, it is a very effective means of public transportation - above a river - given that you want to ride along the "main axis" of the city. As Wuppertal does not exist since long (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuppertal), it was also a very effective means of connecting te former cities Elberfeld and Barmen. I also believe that the two historical cars (https://schwebebahn.de/en/kaiserwagen), which are used as tourist attraction - 2 h ride from one end to the other and back, with coffee and stuff - will soon be in action again. I believe they needed new wheel sets - and there are not that many companies out there making such wheel. All the best, Thorsten

You mean this? @fotoopa Cool, very cool project!!! Best, Thorsten

Exactly. I believe the mechanics "behind" Ideas is exactly what you said - very nicely and cleverly camouflaged with this "reach 10k" excitement. You may also call that something else. The not so much involved really believe in 10k = coming to real. Example: In my universities' hometown (Wuppertal) there is one of these rather unique types of public transportation (Schwebebahn - https://schwebebahn.de/en). These folks are really excited ... set it all up ... chances are below zero that this will get approved. Monorail (upside down at least) = train with no IP/license other than local excitement = ZERO. It is what it is. Best, Thorsten

Well, it is abgelaufen (abgelaufen, Farbseuche - German seems to be becoming attractive - from verbs in weird tense to simple but new nouns ). However, this whole IDEAS thing is not necessarily about "better", it is about more votes. OK, there is one more thing: It is about more votes exceeding 10k so that TLG can securely select the one/many sets from the list of >10k votes, which will most likely make the maximum profit for them. Again, it is not about "better", as better resembles an individual or projected taste. Revenue, though, is a taste, which is actually not a taste but a fact, many in a corporate universe do like. Best, Thorsten.

Thank you very much @Daedalus304 for all the careful, educated, and wise decisions you and the entire team behind this (!) evaluation. Congratulations to the winners, and runner ups - and most importantly to all participants! It was so nice to see all the entries. Best regards, Thorsten

Absolutely! However - I am using MLCAD. Why? Because it is/was around for - well - ever. My fingers simply find what I need. No clicking, no nothing. It is up to me. And when I want to break the (unwritten) rules of Legality - it not only lets me doing that - it never ever complains Yes, there is this way better and much more powerful programs. No doubts. But there is also the as-if-it-were-integrated-in-your-head thing. And simply because of that AND Micheal is still responding (one has to ask politely) - AND MLCAD is still within the AIOI installer of LDraw (32bit) - I happily continue to use it. Cool thing is: The plain vanilla LDraw output of MLCAD is readily imported by Stud.io - and the renderers Stud.io uses are - breathtaking. Best, Thorsten

Huh? I thought it was in "two weeks" ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnfRhkLmaqI All these rumors ... tomorrow, this week - it will be in two weeks! Best, Thorsten

As Chris Cillizza says on YT: "And that's the point." Best, Thorsten

@Bricky Steamboat And this is to feeling good!!! Have a nice one! All the best, Thorsten

This is how I made my graphs back then in 1986 for my diploma thesis - there was an Apple IIe - and a "state-of-the-art" x-y plotter. OK, the graphs were boring - first and second order kinetics plots - but it was so cool to see them "paint the picture". The brain was the Apple IIe though - and the data were submitted via RS232 - full 25 pins, as XON/XOFF was not invented yet. This is sooo cool to watch. Best, Thorsten

No, not interesting: Flabberghasting! And so powerful and inspiring! This alone: "If you have a build you would like to be turned into a real set, let us know! We are always on the look out of new ideas that think beyond the brick. Easily submit your concept through our all new web portal (link below). Whether you are an enthusiast, or just a casual builder, we can’t wait to see your idea. This is not yet over! In a time when various collaborations are becoming more popular, CaDA Bricks is open and available to anyone from engineers, designers, or toys inventors!" That's the thing. Not TLG's all in-house developments (set IDEAS aside - well not really, as they turn the submitted MOCs usually into something else - no idea how clear that process is to the submitter, but honestly I believe - it is totally opaque, teach me if I am wrong) - but rather the skilled public domain. It will always win - at least in current times. Any secrecy in this regard is so outdated - when it comes to inspiring, creative toy production. Yes, TLG has made an insane revenue lately - but bonfires only burn that long. We'll see. Thank you very much for sharing!!! All the best, Thorsten

I believe this is the core of the matter. EB as forum is fine. But EB serves so many other things as well. One is repository. Of ideas, MOCs, tests, failed attempts. Successful attempts (both are equally important, or - the latter even more so). Yes, there are the pinned things, the moderator reviewed "lists" of this and that - but there is nothing better to get an update on a 10 years old project - which is still alive, because either the original poster or a fan of that MOC/MOD is showing some improvement - or better - alternatives. That's the difference between EB and - TickToc. Or whatever the fire-and-forget platforms are called. My personal perspective only! Best, Thorsten

De-what??? I like the way TLG is talking about shifting-the-rules on their website (https://ideas.lego.com/blogs/a4ae09b6-0d4c-4307-9da8-3ee9f3d368d6/post/6c5a05b4-e29c-47ec-8841-a2bce1f8933e) Just imagine some guy yells this little speech below from an elevated stand, maybe even inside a castle with some good number of flags with subtle castle-symbols in his back, maybe some subtle torches burning in the back - and some subtle officers, knights and - you know it all, the works. It is all silent, no one in the crowded audience speaks a word, all are looking in awe, waiting for the announcement of the leader of The Liberal Party of the Grand LEGO Worlds - one can only hear wind-gusts. It is March, after all. And then the PA comes on: Wonderful perfect quadrophonic sound with distortion levels so low as to make a brave man weep ( stolen from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, THGTTG) - and a very, very loud voice (BTW: same PA as the Vogons have on their spaceships to announce the destruction of planets): "We feel as though this is one of the best ways not only to honor the winners of this fan vote, but also to let the voices of 33489 people who voted for Castle or a subtheme be heard." (Pause - someone whispers: 33489) "If we consolidated any other subthemes together, for example 'Classic Space' and 'Space Police' or any other subtheme, it wouldn't change the top three, and the winners. The only exception is Castle!" (Pause - some people are getting nervous) We hope you understand why we're changing the rules slightly, and that you're excited to cast your final vote to help us decide which themed set to launch in 2022! There was a terrible ghastly silence. There was a terrible ghastly noise. There was a terrible ghastly silence. (Same reference: THGTTG) And it felt as if all the other themes were simply gone. Democracy: When the ballots are out, they are out. There are voting rules in effect. When the ballots or the rules are actually changed during the voting process, be it stupidity, or even stupidity squared asking for the change, the system behind this action is usually called autocracy, only to voice it less harshly. It is what it is - Castle fans are happy, and so let the good times roll! All the best, Thorsten (Post not to be taken seriously )

With promotion to the next level arriving at the same type of treadmill - or dumped down ... depending on the speed of would-be "performance" = RPMs of a ... spinning wheel. As Alan Parsons voiced it - "There are unsmiling faces and bright plastic chains - And a wheel in perpetual motion". This is really a totally cool "endless ball track" - I love it. And I am very tempted to build it and show it off in my office. Regards, Thorsten

Well, there are simply too many unknown parameters. Stickers are per se problematic - everywhere; not only when it comes to LEGO. I bet you have had issues with getting a sticker off from a surface. Some glossy ceramics are particularly nasty (call it a coffee mug) when wanting to remove a sticker from the bottom - telling you not to swallow the mug but the coffee - and also, that the coffee may be very hot - and strong and may cause a heart attack, along with a bar code and maybe the price. Why? The ceramic surface is almost perfectly "even" (little curvature does not harm), and that surface has may be been cleaned after production with chemicals you don't even want to know, i.e. it is ultra-clean. Next: The choice of the adhesive. Mug bottom: No problem, "sticker" is: Material? Paper? Plastic? Both? Thickness of sticker? EU regulations? ("Thou shalt use a combination, which makes it hard to get off"). And so much more. Does the adhesive chemically bond to the surface? I.e. penetrate into the material and changes it close to the surface? Certainly not on the ceramic side ... Temperature range? Humidity range? Exact same thing with LEGO: Surface of the brick/part? >Really< even? Most "panels" are not (some are even of that matte type) - some bricks are ... >All< dirt/grease/moisture removed before applying the sticker? Did you hold your breath to get it right on first attempt, but you ran out of breath, did not want to die, breathed out, sucked in air, some barely visible watery surface layer formed on the brick: 3 years of life-time loss . Was the formulation of the brick/plate used the same? As said, adhesives may go into the molecular surface layers of the material(s). Did you succeed right away - or were several attempts necessary because it was tough to align that damned sticker on that curved surface? Etc. etc. And then TLG's manufacturing process comes in: Was sticker1 prepared in exactly the same way as sticker2? (Thickness, plastic formulation used, adhesive formulation used). You know they can't get the colors right when stuff is made in India/Poland/Germany/Elsewhere - so why do we expect they get the adhesive applied in the exact same way? There are simply too many variables here. Old but still good: http://thebrickblogger.com/2014/08/lego-sticker-shock-what-to-do-about-it/ Best Thorsten

The 12V era at its very best. Not only "just" (it is doing it for me) showing the vintage stuff - no - this is so much more about having fun - real fun - with navigating "everything". Real 12V switches. This is so nice to see ... and one needs to feel the track/connections/logic behind it to make it all work. Not automated - no, under full control of the operator. Thank you very much for sharing!!! This is the "entire" 12V world - from beautiful, 6-wide, classical trains, to the art of orchestrating the flow of the electrical juice ... the array of switches almost looks like a piano keyboard. You are not displaying the array of switches, you are playing them, lights, points ... And the manual dial is the "let's go fast and furious" knob - and at the same time the one to carefully shunt delicate cargo ... Yes. THIS is 12V. All the best, Thorsten

Oh sure, they absolutely can. But why would they want to? Not hobbyists, fetishists . A shoe is seldom representing a "hobby" in the classical sense, does it? Just count the "shoe stores" in your hometown or the next bigger inhabited place with folks around having enough money willing to spend this money for - Adidas, Nike, Puma, Converse "shoes". I absolutely believe there are not only "more" of these folks than train heads out there, there is a shi*load more of those. Otherwise, there would be way more "train stores". Same line of thinking for almost all other LEGO +X00$ IDEAS sets. This is a money printing approach - for TLG. Man, trains. How uncool is a train? It runs on tracks and can't decide on its own where to go, it doesn't smell good, it does not let you cruise the streets of Las Vegas, it is big ... an Adidas shoe is hip, slick, in, for whatever reason, it is a must-have. And you can virtually have every single make - as boring as it possibly can get - in your cabinets. I usually "use up" my shoes. They are mostly from the uncool side of brands. And comparably cheap. To the extent that my daughters are calling me "embarrassing". I also do like trains >very< much. Best, Thorsten