Sokratesz

'The Emerald Eliminator' Man that sounds like an awesome DC comic

It's a good source of parts though, I have three that I got for about 50€ each

You put the turntables the wrong way around :) But that's what I meant, put two of them on top of each other like that and you've got a very sturdy construction! - Sok.

It's a very well thought out set, feels very sturdy and has good playability with the air tank. They are quite expensive (60€ upwards) second-hand however and I'm not sure why. If you're just after pneumatic parts, 8462 is probably a better deal (50-60€ if you're not in a hurry), and it has two air tanks. - Sok.

The shaft is metal yes, and in the current sets they come in separate pieces and you have to assemble the wheels, axle and housing yourself whereas in the older sets it was one piece out of the box. You could however also try oiling the old wheels by taking out the wheel and pin and putting some (non-aggressive) lubricant in the hole before putting them back. I'll probably be trying that because changing the type of wheels significantly changes the look of the trains. - Sok.

You could always use two turntables on top of each other with a bit of distance between them to eliminate horizontal flex, that should be strong enough for even the largest models. The key to smooth turns using articulated steering is differentials on the axles, because the difference in distance covered by each wheel can be huge when turning at low speed. - Sok.

You can either use a turntable like this: Or build it yourself like LEGO did in the old 8459: http://www.peeron.com/scans/8459-1/17 - Sok.

You need 10 posts to be able to use the PM system :) You can e-mail me from my profile. - Sok.

Yeah sorry I clicked too fast I was gonna put 'stickers' in the subtitle :P Sweet, I'll keep an eye on it.

I bought an Emerald Night last week for 80 bucks, sold the passenger car for 60

I have an option to buy a 7750 complete with box and instructions for about 300€, and I remember hearing something about people re-printing stickers for old trains, does anyone know whether that works and looks good? - Sok.

Assuming you mean a PF train motor (and not an M or XL), any train with a large enough loc to hide the batterybox: 7725 7740 7745 7750 They all have 6 wide locs allowing you to put the battery box in the middle and completely hiding it from view. You can of course motorize smaller locs by putting the batteries in a car behind it. I might also be able to help you acquire a (cheap but not 100% original) 7760, the blue one from your sig, and a 7730. - Sok.

I remember building one in the past with an offset that didn't work too well..but I'll have to try it. - Sok.

We aren't as easily impressed by numbers

Too bad the set itself sucked donkeyballs :( Speaking of compressors, when building one with multiple cylinders, is it better to connect them with identical stroke or with an offset, assuming you connect them with a T-piece? I'm fairly sure offset = worse (cause they'll simply be filling each other) but I might be missing something. - Sok.

I got a load of salary from my work at uni yesterday so I'm gonna blow some on LEGO. Basically, my options for this month are twofold: - I have an option to buy a used 7750 in good condition with box and instructions for about €300 (I think he will take 280 though) - Or I could buy a Technic Unimog (~150 new, a bit less used) Both would be great to have, I collect both 12v trains and Technic. But I'm torn. What say you? - Sok.

It's like, 4 gears :) but can be done quickly. An XL motor doesn't fit easily in the loc and a PF train motor is almost as good. - Sok.

You can motorize the tender from the Emerald Night, this saves you from having to modify the locomotive itself. - Sok.

I guess the strength of LA's depends on the motor used, pneumatics have it easier there cause even with a 'slow' compressor you can just build up pressure slowly. Pneumatics can also be much faster than LA's when used with multiple air tanks. (I have 7. Yay me :D) - Sok.

Why the sad smilie after Zorro's name?

The reasons for LEGO to change to LA's were as follows: - LA's are cheaper to make and QA than pneumatics - Their MTBF is much higher than with pneumatics - Pneumatic cables turn brittle and break after prolonged exposure to the sun I guess, however, that they are bringing them back mostly because of popular demand. I sent them an e-mail asking why there weren't more pneumatic sets in feb 2010 and they gave me the reasons I just listed, but now we have the unimog and possibly more on the way. - Sok.

I'd like to know from 8868 and 8480 too :) The shuttle is designers nightmare.. - Sok.

I've got one.

There's plenty of 12v fans out here - like me :) And price levels depend greatly on the set. Some of the more common ones, like 7725, 7735 and 7745 can be had for under 150 complete and in good condition, while others, most notably 7760 and the trains with red motors, are much more expensive. - Sok.

More sets with a compressor would be sweet :)