Jay Psi

At the risk of earning Jim's ire, my experiences mostly line up with what Kelkschiz and deetha have described, although with an increasing number of academies in the UK more local governments are handing over the money to trusts, therefore ridding themselves of any further accountability and oversight. The budgets won't have increased, but with a private enterprise in charge all of a sudden the general public becomes more amenable to saving money from essential services (like paying staff and keeping the building upright) to put towards shiny new toys*. I've seen senior management come out of five-figure week-long training sessions and keep their EV3/MoreToMaths/StoryStarter sets MISB, while blasting the other teachers for genuinely not having the time to get to grips with them. Thankfully there are plenty of examples of the other side of the coin, genuinely passionate teaching staff who make do with decades-old RCX and NXT bricks - and just plain old System bricks - but still deliver inspiring lessons that open the student's eyes to what can be achieved with Lego. *I apologize for using this term on a Lego AFOL forum of all places, but this is still the prevailing view of Lego Education and Lego in education. But as long as TLG get their money I guess it doesn't matter, right?

Here's the embed: I must join the chorus of chassis/underside pics, that's where the real genius lies! The exterior is spot on though, particularly at the back.

I actually thought this was an April Fool's at first - Grum not building a Technic model surely has to be a windup If you don't mind expanding on it, I would be interested to know how System building presents different challenges for you compared to Technic. Regardless though I will be eagerly awaiting the next update.

私たちの新しい韓国のメンバーへようこそ！ ... whoops

Not a Lego specific sale, but eBay are currently running a 20% reduction across all purchases made between 4pm and 10pm tonight (code: CUK20). Most store outlets put their prices up accordingly but if you happen to be looking at something that fits it's a nice discount on top. For instance, I've just got a BNIB 42052 (Heavy Lift Helicopter) for £68.

I know, Porsche Unleashed was a fantastic game as well! But as Microsoft/T10 have shown, the exclusivity can be overcome ... with lots of cash. Which is the point I'm trying to make here, that it wouldn't surprise me if the licence is part of the reason for the high price. It could also be down to the colour, if TLG are really going to match the Lava Orange of the car then the current orange just won't cut it. Let's hope their QC is better than it is on yellow liftarms and panels...

Thanks for the considered response, I enjoyed reading that I don't think any manufacturer would automatically say no to the PR boost a Lego set would give them, but a brand as prestigious and as well-regarded as Porsche don't need the extra publicity, so they may see it from another angle - that TLG are profiting from their intellectual property. For example, look at how fervently Porsche protects its IP in video games not developed or published by EA; they're still not available in Gran Turismo, and even Microsoft have been reduced to forking out and adding Porsches into Forza months after release as expansion content. Assuaging this concern is going to take more than just legal costs, perhaps a significant percentage of sales revenue which would explain the high price even for a top-of-the-line Lego set. While I also agree that Lego is more recognisable internationally, unfortunately for many our hobby and passion is still considered a "child's toy," a label which the likes of Porsche mostly avoid - notwithstanding the 40-something man with his brand new Boxter or Cayman! The L350F licence was exactly what I was thinking of when I asked the question. I would be (pleasantly) surprised if a Technic designer had a friend within Porsche that could smooth things over as happened with 42030, but I doubt this is the case. There's also a nagging suspicion in the back of my mind that because this is clearly an AFOL set that there is an "AFOL premium" attached to it to distinguish it from regular sets and flagships. It could also be a case of TLG testing how much our desire for a realistic, large-scale supercar (that has been requested so often in the last 15-20 years) actually translates into purchases.

Forgive my ignorance, but could the licence factor into it? I know we've been over this many times before, but acquiring a licence for a sports/super car from a highly desirable manufacturer probably would be a different kettle of fish to getting one from a manufacturer of construction or agricultural vehicles. Beyond that, it could be down to a slew of new parts like the panels (I hope) but otherwise I'm out of ideas. Either way I might have to take a back seat on this (pun unintended), unless there some form of exclusivity/limited availability is confirmed.

I was enjoying that cup of tea... Following on from Legolijntje's question, is there a "target" of sorts that potential new parts have to meet in terms of their use (i.e. total quantity, number of sets) before the molds are made?

Ah, so you're getting next year's birthday greetings in early grum? I'll get mine in as well then. Happy Birthday Alisdair, and I hope you keep building for many years to come.

That's happened to me as well and I posted about it earlier in the thread. It's a really difficult issue to fix though, so I'm not holding it against Imurvai. I'll just make do with the shoulder buttons for now.

It's not often that this word is warranted, but yeah, I would have to agree. Not only does this MOC have the "Holy Grail" of buggy motor-like performance from PF motors, but it looks like it has come straight out of an art museum. And those doors In the space of a fortnight I've gone from not having much for one SBrick to do to needing two, because I need this supercar in my life!

I have the same desk in that exact configuration (my Lego space is pretty much what I get from opening the extra section), but my current chair it just too wide to swing around freely without it's armrests or sides hitting something. Would you kindly point me in the direction of that beauty you used to or still do park your rear on?

I've had exactly that piece (yellow axle connector w/ axle hole) crack on my 8674's front suspension as well. Thankfully nothing else has broken on this or on the other F1 cars I have. Because it's come apart in the same way as yours has it's not really salvageable either.

This looks great, particularly at the back - I don't think it looks too wide at all. The curved 3x11 panels with a soft axle in between is a great idea for keeping the curve in the front wheel arches too. I'm very much looking forward to a video if you get time and once the Stratos is finished; just as long as you

Cross post from the 42056 thread, but if a mod thinks it's better suited elsewhere then who am I to stop you from moving it? From my work in education (UK, EU) I've seen the massive lift to interaction and engagement Lego can have with pupils from 3-18, particularly Technic to teach mechanical concepts (and the oft-neglected mathematics that accompanies it...) and Mindstorms for electronics, computing and of course, robotics. Increasingly education professionals are also extending the use of Duplo and System as a vehicle for "structured play" beyond the early years setting it was confined to. However even in these situations, there is a disconnect in the minds of the children and adults in the way they think about Technic/Mindstorms and everything else. Ironically I think that it is precisely because the former have been used so extensively and successfully to aid teaching that they are now widely viewed as the "educational" arms of Lego as are therefore more closely associated with a formal education setting than other themes. This means that when the time comes to think of Lego as a toy Mindstorms and (particularly) Technic are incorrectly shunned as themes that work well in the classroom, but not in the living room. Because we can't be learning and playing at the same time, that would be terrible...

Is there any chance of assigning a switch-like feature to one of the ports (i.e. single press for on/off, so no need to hold the button down)? Again it's not a big deal and if I've missed this function on the app already then I apologize. I used the app for ~20 minutes last night and while establishing a connection after modifying the profile did take progressively longer (~15 seconds at 20 minutes) I didn't experience any disconnection issues or lag when it came to using the profile/controller.

Don't be alarmed Imurvai, but if I could kiss you right now I think I would! I've not had a chance to give it a proper test, but from playing around I noticed that anything that was assigned to the trigger buttons on my iPega 9028 (HTC One M7, Android 5.0.2) wouldn't scale proportionally most of the time, if at all. Gradually applying pressure to the trigger would leave the motor in a stuck state as if it had stalled, complete with that annoying "startup" whine, only to correct itself if the trigger was let go and then fully depressed. The lights were either fully on or off on the triggers. I'm guessing it isn't anything to do with the PF because when I assigned the same motors/lights to the joysticks the proportional control worked flawlessly. But that's the only issue I've encountered so far - hopefully I'll get a chance to give it the app more thorough test (more functions, playtime, range) this weekend. Again, I don't think I can put into works how grateful I am for the hard work you've put into this.

Wasn't this likely to be the case anyway? Most tyres currently in production are made of the harder rubber, particularly the larger tyres. I'm disappointed as well but I didn't expect softer rubber at all.

These contests become more difficult to judge each time ... but here are my points. 3: 10 4: 6 17: 4 16: 3 14: 2 5: 1

It can be cheaper to go to Pick A Brick for certain pieces, but in general Bricklink is the way to go.

The plough attachment goes a long way to explaining the seemingly superfluous pieces on the crane. Compromises have to be made somewhere (e.g. battery box in the engine compartment) and I think they've made the right choices here. It's also worth noting that Claas would have signed off on this as well, so it's accurate enough for them.

Cross-posting from the 2016 thread because I think it's more fitting in here: I'm not sure what's suave, classy or understated about a road car with a huge rear wing and a clearly visible rollcage! To me eyes the 911 GT3 is already as in-your-face as a mass produced car can be (i.e. not including limited editions, homologation specials, custom builds, etc.), so bright colours don't bother me in that respect. However, from a parts point of view I would prefer darker colours because they'd be easier to use in conjunction with the panels we already have. More than that though I hope we see these new panels used in more sets from 2017 onwards, which should see them being produced in more colours. Edit - I don't expect to see a B-model either, I don't think that's what this set is for. UCS sets don't usually have B-models, do they?

I would be ecstatic with the Falken Tyres #17 livery, but the problem with that (and the other liveries posted above) is that you'd need to negotiate with the racing team in question as well as Porsche. Besides, I'm think that this Porsche is the road-going 911 GT3 as that would be more marketable. Orange would be the most iconic colour but I would not say no to a dark blue.

Let's say it's 1000 pins as a rough (conservative?) estimate. Seeing as most pins can be had quite literally for pennies from Bricklink, even if they were gratis that wouldn't be more than £10 of the set's cost. Hardly a fantastic sweetener! But in all seriousness I agree, £180 MSRP is a great price - for instance, I'm pretty confident that this set would give me all the 5x7 frames and most of the flat panels I would ever need. Add the new circular gear racks, XL motor, buckets, gearbox/train parts and the set becomes a must buy for me even as a parts set alone. Of course knowing my Lego manias (!), I will torture myself waiting for the price to come down to ~£120. Good thing that there a couple of less expensive but just as tempting sets I that can purchase in the meantime...