nerdsforprez

Is this the first Lego set to use one of its silicone bands as a decorative element?

Folks have to stop making these comparisons. Inflation in the last 10 years makes a comment regarding the difference in price meaningless.

I queried about this in the past. Perhaps it needs its own thread. I certainly should test my own theory. But in really complex gear boxes, I wonder if we should start seriously considering using lubrication to reduce friction. I know folks use like a silicone spray when using applications where there is a high RPM, but perhaps we should consider using it also in low RPM functions but with high friction. Real machines do. Cats, cranes, dozers, any heavy machinery of low RPM/high friction application uses some form of lubrication. It would be tedious to lubricate each part, but really you would only have to lub functional items (axles, gears, etc.). Interesting to give it a test....

I agree here. @Lego Tom I believe you are confusing preference with reality. That is great to state your preference, but the reality is your preference is not one that all folks share. I, along with @TeamThrifty, would prefer a non-color vomited set and more difficult instructions even if that means it is more difficult to assemble. Perhaps where some of the confusion lies is between folks differing ideas of how they enjoy the hobby. We use the terms "assemble" and "build" synonymously, when in reality they are not. One really implies just following instructions, paint-by-numbers type of thing. Deductive logic may be used on occasion, but no real inductive logic. Building is quite different. If there is any paint-by-numbers going on, those numbers might mismatch or be a digit off here and there at times. There is some mystery and mistic about how one arrives at the final product. Not only is deductive logic used, but inductive logic at times as well. THere may be a few swear words, perhaps even tears, but if the final destination is arrived at the joy is typically more delectable, because of work and toil was so much greater to get there. Folks hobby different. There is no right or wrong way. Although it is tempting to think of "the former is for average people and the latter is for smart people" that is not necessarily the case. Perhaps one's job is full of "building", inductive logic, etc. and "hobbying" simply means a beer, good music, and a simple assembly job to relax. I feel that is what Lego is for. Nothing is wrong with that. But RELAXing is the operative phrase here. All your doing is assembling. Kinda like Ikea Furniture. As a company, their job is to make the instructions as easy as possible. Take all the guess work out of the equation. True building on the other hand, while enjoyable, many times is NOT RELAXing at all. There is lots of guess work. Almost like you are solving a mystery. And there is a place in "hobbying" for that as well. In the US in the last couple of years we are seeing a burgeoning of what are called "escape rooms" where one is to solve a bunch of riddles to escape a physical space they are locked into. The process is supposed to be hard. Its supposed to stump you a bit. But that is the fun. Don't go on a Friday night after a 60 hour work week and your fried - you'll hate it. But when you are well-rested, and ready for a challenge - they are great.

What happened to the Chinook??

Great Build! Wonderful choice at this scale and executed great. I love that front end, looks so beefy and rugged.

A manual model selected to represent a vehicle known for its off-road capabilities is an interesting choice. Surely a first modification will be to motorize it. I don't mind that it is a manual set, but I hope there are some interesting functions so it pays some homage to the actual thing. Will be paying close attention to this thread as well. I also share others concerns about the neon yellow color. I hope that is not selected. Not only do I think it looks bad, it will limit what the pieces can be used for in the future...

Pure, silly fun. Thxs for the post. Enjoyed hearing grown men laugh in the background and enjoying themselves...

Nope. Well-played... as in expertly executed. But well-paid is a whole new application!

Well-played

Brilliant. Looks are spot on. Great job.

Saw it too. My goodness. Great news. I have been wanting new engine elements for a while. All the sudden, I might be purchasing this set... or at least buying many of these new elements once they become available on B&P....

This is my concern as well. I think one would be evaluating a demographic rather than actual building ability.....

Oh yea. Not correct. There truly is "American" speak (said in negative undertones)

Fun to participate in the voting. Great submissions. As always, Thxs @Jim and @Milan for hosting.

TY @Toastie and others for the responses. The build is near an outlet, but I will have to do some finagling if I wanted to use it. Which I may. I can also add a new part to the build that would be outside of the rest of the build, to cover up a power bank and also make it easily accessible. I have some options. I was also thinking about something like these little light bricks, or something similar. They are popping up everywhere on Temu and Aliexpress. I guess, after reading, you place an axle inside, twist, and it turns on. Anyone have experience with these? Really, I would only need the lights on for display, and not a lot of light, nor would it have to be focused, so this would be an acceptable option.

Anyone have any good recommendations for light systems for your Legos? I know there are many options to choose from, and yes I have done my homework, but what I am looking for is something with a very long battery life, or something with near-infinite power source. I have a long hx of working with different systems, but the problem is that usually my lights are embedded deep into a build. When the battery source wears out I have to disassemble too much to make it worth my while of exchanging the batteries. Something with an alternative PS, or perhaps even external PS would be great. Or the use of watch batteries or something that doesn't really ever need charging....

I will be posting a whole new post, hopefully it will revitalize this post but also add something to it. I have a similar, but also, different question re: Lego lighting solutions

Great job for anyone. Absolutely superb for your first post. Wow. Thxs for sharing.

Umm.... it literally came with weighted pieces. True, they were all ABS, but the weighted pieces were each around 41 grams. And 24 of them. Thats nearly 1000 grams right there. If by "huge number of large pieces" you mean the truss pieces, you are not correct. If there was any driving up the price because of the weight increase, it was due to the weight blocks. Btw... Even considering the above, I believe it was that expensive. The Daytona set came in at over 6900 grams (and it also was a notoriously bad value) which is less than 1000 grams less than the LR 13000 (6990 vs. 7982 per BL). To put that in perspective that is only the (near exact) difference of the weight pieces only. It is also licensed. I get it has no electronics, but it was a whopping 250$ less than the LR 13000.

Thxs for your feedback, but a few things dont really make much sense to me. First I read this statement as the set was worth it to you to learn about how crane work. Fair enough. But that brought me to my grip with this set all along, which is aside from the electronics (specifically the weight sensor system) what does this crane offer that cannot be build already from existing bricks? Then you mentioned that you don't know much about cranes, so the value in this set came in that it was a set one had to assemble-only, not design, create, etc. Fair enough again, I thought. He wants to learn about these wonderful machines. But then again, I realized, there is a motley of crane plans, instructions, MOCs from others, etc. and even official Lego sets one could buy to teach you the basics of crane building and operation. Heck, I think set 8288 (i get it, its long discontinued, but the instructions are avail., and with them you could build the crane or something at least similar) would tech you the basics of crane building, physics, etc. In the end, you mention that building your own would have been a daunting task. I disagree. With the amount of aides in the community (Lego cranes in the late 2000s, 2011 and 12 ish were all the rage) you easily could have built your own, for much less $$. One can still purchase 42042 relatively inexpensive, and with some blue 15L liftarms even do an extension pack, and build it as large as this set. Sure, you miss the new pieces, but that is my gripe. They are wildly expensive and dont add anything that cannot be built out of pre-existing pieces. But if we follow this logic then nothing is worth discussing, in terms of things being "worth" their money or carrying value. Why don't we throw out the whole concept of "worth?" The reason why? Because the logic above is a little too extreme. There has to be utility in discussing value without it being able to explain all, or fit, all situations. Especially given the wild income inequality in the world. As long as there are annual incomes ranging from $0 a year to billions, no definition of value will ever apply to every situation. That doesn't mean its not a useful concept. I think we call all label this set, as a poor value and investment, overall and objectively (just based solely on how it matches up to other sets) while at the same time accepting there are some who feel they got their money's worth out of the set. Seems like you are the latter, which is fantastic. But, at least IMO, that says nothing in terms of the value of this set (in terms of what it offers, objective numbers compared to other sets, etc.).

I agree. This new method is nice, but if I interpret things correctly one needs to rate all entries, not just the top 6, so things take longer than usual. Also, I noticed with such great entries (all contests, not just this last one) it really can come down to nuances as far as ratings go. We don't want to encourage haphazard rating. My vote is for two weeks as well, not one.

I built this several years ago, and the initial video I posted vanished with my old page. With folk's orreries popping up, thought I would post mine as well. A little jerky in functioning, but really that's not something easily avoided with the limitations of ABS and the weight of some of the extensions of this build. Carries themes of the SW series, a scene from the Battle of Hoth, Boonta Eve Classic, etc. Quite a fun little build.

Ah! I had not seen it. I have been away for some time and did not read all the way back. Thxs for alerting me. @howitzerand @Marno I guess great minds think alike?