Hrw-Amen

I have bought the LEGO trains as whilst they are not that detailed they are the LEGO Sets and there is something about owning them. However most of my train stuff and certainly the rolling stock I have built myself. I agree that lots of kids prefer to push trains around. My mate came around with his young son the other day and even though we showed him the remote he wanted tio push the engine about the track. Lots of people nowadays do not look upon LEGO as a construction toy but more of a model, when i have been in my local toy shop i have more than once heard adult complaining that when they were young you could build anything from LEGO but now all you can do is built the set. Well i guess that just shows a lack of imagination. What i would like to see though to make it easier to build you own stuff is a set that has train wheels and buffers and maybe a baseplate of cowcatcher or some other train stuff, just like you get the ones that have wheels or roof bricks or doors. whilst they would not be wagon sets in themselves they would demonstrate that these could be built with normal bricks and these one or two other parts in this box. It may then inspire more people to build their own. it would also get over the issue of it being a European or American train as people would take the basic wheels and what have you and build in the style they like or are familiar with.

There was that thread a few weeks back about a 3D printed bit of track to go from the old 4.5V to the newer system if memory serves, so I am sure something similar could be done to transition from this new track if he has not already got it in the pipeline? I would not know how myself but am pretty sure someone here could figure it out?

Taking a slightly different tangent, maybe it is humans who are the swarm. I can imagine a large number of smaller human ships (Or human controlled drones.) coming down from an orbiting mothership swarming over some poor alien civilisation trying to destroy them or take them over. Poor bugs would be trying to defend against them. I would be really keen for that sort of concept to take hold. The small alien bug creatures could be trying to obliterate a human infestation from their home world!

Yes that does look quite cute, but i have to ask, how is it standing up balanced on one wheel?

For me it has to be the Spyrius Robo-Guardian 6949, I mean it can hardly stand up with its arms and things extended and it looks so blocky and chunky and well un-robot like. I actually like most of the Spyrius ships, even the little ones, but this robot is rubbish. It is a close second for the smaller version set no 6889, but at least that one stands up on its own.

Does anyone know if these tracks are able to be mounted on baseplates or other plates for ballast and the like?

I build a lot of train MOCs, both steam and diesel and also rolling stock. I always start out in 7 stud wide but often there are overhangs and things that end up with the model being 8 wide in places. So i would say 7 to 8 studs wide is normal. From what i have seen on the web most train builders do go for that size. My carriages are usually 7 studs wide and that allows for a 1 stud corridor. It is narrow but then again the corridors on trains (At least in the UK.) are very narrow anyway. Then as every one else has said you have to factor in the mini-figs if you are going to use them as they are a lot wider than real people at that height. The one thing that does annoy me with the 7 stud build is that you cannot cover part of the wheel very well as the chasis is not wide enough. You can just about get away with it in an 8 wide build but even then you are limited by the rods which on LEGO trains tend to be quite big. I would recommend using the BBB wheels to get a more accurate wheel size. It took me a while to use them but now I do they are really good. I think the problem you may have with tank engines is fitting all the Power Function bits into it. The battery box is the hardest thing to hide. I have built a tank engine myself but it was one of the very big British ones that to be honest was not far off the size of the EN engine. Anyway, good luck and we will look forwards to seeing the pictures.

Are you asking us for our thoughts on the VIP Programme or are you asking us how to unsubscribe from e-mails? I think that the others have answered the question about how to unsubscribe from e-mails. As for the VIP Programme, I had no end of trouble registering for it and spent about two hours on the telephone over the course of a week to a young lady at TLG Customer Service who for whatever reason could also not get my account to register. In the end we had to change to a different account number which as far as I am aware is now working fine. So set was really difficult and did not go according to the instructions but since them it has worked fine and I really like to get a free product every now and then when I have accrued enough points.

I was not aware that pretzels were a staple part of the Hobbit diet?

Oh, thanks for the link, i was not aware of that term for describing a rail profile. I think we have referred to them as flat bottomed rails here, but they look identical so I assume they are the same thing only designed by Charles Vignoles. You learn something new every day. Thanks again. Any idea when these rails are going to become available? I had a look at his site and it seems there is a tag for track but at the moment you just get a little Mini-fig railway man with a link to BrickCon2012?

They look like they would go very fast indeed!

So what you are saying is that this is a kind of gate that allows ships to travel across the galaxy between various gates within range? i think i got that right? It does look very much like I imagine that type of structure to look in a Sci-fi film or TV programme. Am I right in thinking that the rings spin around and create some sort of wormhole through which the ship passes? It certainly has that feel about it. A kind of massive stargate but in space? The rings are pretty well done, do they actually spin?.

It is really nice and does fit well with the classic space theme. If I was to make something like that in Mini-fig scale (Which I think your ship is?) one thing I would try to include would be an escape pod or at least a little shuttle or something like that. Maybe it could be docked around the back where your airlock is located?

Monai. What do you mean by a 'The profile is a real "vignole" one?' I am pretty sure you are not referring to the island in Venice or the Roman stew which are the only two meaning of the word I am familiar with?

Does anyone know if the Wargs jaws move, only the white one has its mouth open whereas the grey one appears to be closed. So either they are moveable or they are two different warg models?

It does seem as though LEGO City of late is inundated with firemen and policemen and not much else. Still they must have very good crime figures and be able to jump on the smallest fire the minute it even thinks of starting. I was kind of hoping for a bit of a change with some different themes next year. Maybe more hospital, even coastguard or perhaps some different shops. Surely that cannot be too hard to pull off?

This is a really nice train. I particularly like the way you have modelled the tender on it to capture the unique look. Good to see it running as well, and hear those 'chuff chuff' noises.

Following on from last week (I think the post was lost in the downtime?) I have now finished my green Brake/Baggage Coach. It has a Power Functions train motor and IR Unit/Battery Box in the baggage compartment end, mainly because these coaches at 46 studs long are quite heavy and it gives the loco a hand in pulling all that mass. It is a pity I could not get the sliding doors in green, but there you go, I have to make the best of it. I have included the links to Brickshelf:- http://www.brickshel...ry.cgi?f=483226 And also the link to flickr:- You can also find my other stuff in my flickr galleries as it seems quite a bit has gone missing that i put up last week such as my Octan Wagons and the new red & Black 2-4-0 loco with the 4.5V motor and PF IR Unit. I won't post them all again unless anyone specifically wants me to as they are easily available in both flickr and Brickshelf.

Are they going to be available in different colours like his wheels? I am just thinking that most of us have DBG tracks I imagine and I am not sure that brown colour for the sleepers will go too well with the existing track. It would good if there is an option for the sleepers to be the same (Or very nearly the same.) colour as the official TLG track.

I have to say that idea with the springs is pretty good. I think I have a few of them lying about and may have to try it out.

I have not seen that, maybe OK for plates but if I used it in bricks I'd worry it would be hard to get them out again? Has anyone tried it?

Maybe NASA could use this model Earth as a space ship if it were hollow, could it be filled with a breathable gas? Also would if it were hollow stand up to its own mass, or would it collapse into a Black LEGO Hole sucking all other LEGO into it? What we would need would be something like a King Midas, but for LEGO to go around turning everything instantly into LEGO bricks. Perhaps a King LEGOlas or something similar. That way you could create a full scale model Earth made out of LEGO just by getting him to roll around on the surface. You would have to make sure to stay out of the way yourself though or be turned in to a massive mini-fig!.

The only down side that I can see is that it is a train that has a pantograph system again. Not that I don't like them, but they never sell any masts or other features to make them look right on the track and having to get enough bits to build a whole circuit of them just adds to the overall cost. I have the red passenger train and yellow cargo train but hardly ever use them because of this issue. Running without at least the poles at track side just makes the train look weird like something is missing, which of course it is. I will still buy a couple, but I really must get the bits together for all those masts and the like.

Looks like it is designed to make AFOLs buy at least two of these to make a complete train. Nevermind, I am sure I can live with that. At last something to use my VIP points on.

For some reason before I opened this I was expecting to see a blue spiky Hedgepig, but it is not it is a space ship. Am I right in thinking that the sonic aspect comes from the similarity in appearance with body of an electric guitar? Quite unique an idea really especially the way the antenna are suggestive of the neck without actually being one. Looks like the kind of ship a future rock band may fly around in!