2GodBDGlory

Thanks for the updates! I look forward to seeing the result

So true! I've done that too many times...

Great! Ooh, that's an interesting idea! You'd have to be careful to make sure that the randomly selected parameters made decent sense, but it could work nicely! It would kind of require restarting the list, though, so I'm thinking I might not incorporate it this time, at least. Thanks! I've added the polybag option to the list, but the other two both sound like they could end up excluding builders who don't have enough parts in one color, or just don't have track parts. That wouldn't really be a problem for a traditional contest, since people just wouldn't participate, but it would suck for someone to set aside time to do this, and then draw a topic that they simply can't complete. Thanks! I've added both motorcycles and the TC18 car to the list of ideas, though I think it's fine to allow them to be full-size, since larger models don't necessarily take longer than smaller ones. The pullback theme is good too, but I decided to exclude it for the same reason I mentioned above: not everybody has pullback motors, so it could limit the pool a bit. Glad to hear it! TC18 has been added--I'd actually be quite happy if it got drawn, since I joined the forum just too late to participate in that contest! One idea of my own that I added to the list is a three-wheeled vehicle, which sounds like it could bring up some interesting options!

Nice to see that they're making those again! That'll be nicer than the tan ones we've had lately Eh, I wouldn't say it's all that great, since it's not a super commonly used part, and tan wasn't even the most egregious color, but it's still nice to see!

Cool idea! That would be fun

Yeah, something like the joiner parts here would be quite nice to achieve more realistic firing orders! Image from https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3517791 I should probably print some of those next time I build an engine that would require such a crank pattern...

Yep, agreed! I would like to point out, though, that fun playability isn't the only reason to build Technic. When I build, the goal is to have fun building and engineering interesting mechanisms, and playability is almost irrelevant, since I'll take it apart within days of completion anyways. It's certainly worthwhile and valid to build simpler, more durable, more playable models that kids can enjoy (And it's not easy, either! I can build way more complex than TLG does, but I'd have a hard time matching them, or many other MOC builders, in terms of durability!), but there are other enjoyable ways to build--none right or wrong!

Thanks! That's very interesting, and is sure to be useful. Too bad it's not a very realistic rendition of a real engine's mechanics, but I guess it would have been hard to do better at this scale, and it's no worse than previous solutions

Wow, that is big news! I can't seem to find that, but that should make a big difference in future MOCs!

Huh, that autoplay toggle suggestion sounded very reasonable, but it doesn't seem to have changed anything. Oh well, it'll quite possibly just go away on its own eventually! Thanks

This looks like a reasonable thread to post this in... Just yesterday I noticed that embedded YouTube videos on here started auto-playing when I opened the thread. I've been playing around with it, and it seems somewhat inconsistent, but most of the time videos will just start playing when I scroll over them, especially if I haven't viewed them before. I'm finding it pretty annoying to have to pause them all the time when I'm not interested in them, especially if I don't want audio going on in my surroundings! Has anyone else had this happening? Any idea if it's a change or bug on the forum end, or if something's changed for me on the YouTube side?

Nice job! I like the texture on the doors, and the overall intimidation factor! That was a cool shot of it driving over that row of cars Fred's Garage has a nice shop truck now!

Alright, I think we're at the point where nothing will happen unless I'm decisive and choose something, so I'll just pick a day: The official date for the first trial run will be the weekend of March 8 to 10 (Unless people are vocal about preferring a different time) The challenge will run for 48 hours, starting at 10:00 PM, GMT, on March 8th, and ending at 10:00 PM, GMT, on March 10. I think this is a good compromise for people in all time zones, with far westerners and far easterners both losing a similar number of weekend hours, and people in less extreme time zones having all 48 hours within their time off. For a few example time ranges from areas with large proportions of Eurobricks users: GMT-8, (Pacific Time in North America) would be 2 PM Fri to 2 PM Sun GMT-5, (Eastern Time in North America) would be 5 PM Fri to 5 PM Sun GMT+1 (Continental Western Europe) would be 11 PM Fri to 11 PM Sun GMT+9 (Central Australia [Wait, you're actually GMT+9.5? That's weird]; Korea; Japan) would be 7 AM Sat to 7 AM Mon GMT+12 (New Zealand) would be 10 AM Sat to 10 AM Mon I don't think any of these are too absurd, so that should be a good time to plan on. If you live in a time zone not in my examples, you should be able to figure it out easily based on an online time zone map. Topics aren't finalized yet, but here's a couple options pulled from earlier in the thread [EDIT: Now some from later in the thread too] that sound workable to me: A vehicle with at least three axles An alternate model for any set >150 part "polybag" model TC18-style car Motorcycle Three-wheeled vehicle I'll be taking more suggestions for topics over the next few weeks to build a final list (Or fleshing it out myself if there aren't too many ideas), and then the final topic will be randomly chosen from the list and revealed at the start of the challenge! Any major objections to this plan?

Thanks! After it was suggested by a YouTube commenter, I decided it would be worth it to recreate the model's gearbox and make a quick video about it, so if you're interested in a super-compact 4-speed transaxle, here's my video!

This is what I was thinking of: It's not quite in system, because these parts can't snap down quite far enough onto the hubs towballs, but it certainly works well enough for a builder with loose standards like me! I haven't tried that in a motorized model, so it's hard to say how well it would hold up, but here's a reinforced version I threw together:

In some circumstances part 6571 can be used like a super-short towball liftarm, but it's still inconvenient, and an expensive part!

Very cool! It's a super unique model, and has lots of functionality in a small space! I'm impressed you even managed to find a Lego part for the cutting blade!

Good to know, especially for a non-gamer! Thanks!

Impressive work!

[EDIT] This might not be such a great idea; I tried it, but it doesn't seem to have a proper amperage output, so motors stall easily, causing the battery to squeal a bit. I'll be going back to the original battery Not much action on here, but today I got thinking that an easy performance upgrade to do to this hub would be to drop in a USB-rechargeable 9V lithium battery, like one of these, to up voltage from 7.4 to 9.0. https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08D925V8H?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details I think all you'd have to do would be solder a 9V battery plate (scavenged from an old alkaline 9V, most likely) to a couple Dupont jumper wires with a female end, and then plug that into the correct spots on the original internal wire. I'm not sure what would happen if you tried charging it from the normal port, and I certainly wouldn't try it, so unless you want to unscrew the battery box every time, I'd also recommend cutting a hole in the side of the case to allow for charging the 9V battery off of its USB port. It wouldn't be a huge power jump, but I think it could easily be worth the effort, especially if you already have this type of 9V battery just lying around, and it wouldn't even have to be permanent (other than the hole in the side of the case), since you could always drop the original battery back in. Thoughts? From the research I did, it was concluded that 10V was about the safe maximum for these to run at, and 11.1V would burn it out, unfortunately

Glad to hear it's working well! And yes, that front rim does look quite nice!

After looking at the poll, it looks like doing a 48-hour challenge is the most popular option, and it sounds like the majority would be willing to do something soon, so I think we should try to choose a weekend, figure out the details, and then see how it goes to decide how any future challenges could be changed. What weekend should we aim for? The weekend of March 8-10 is probably about as early as we'd want to do, but other than that, I may not be free until April 5-7, though weekends after that would likely work Also, we'll need to start getting a shortlist of possible topics to choose from at the time Let me know what you're thinking!

Very cool! I really appreciated PyBricks support for the Lego Train remote, but an Xbox controller would be far superior! The main catch for me is that PU motors still aren't powerful enough to make the most of this fine control, but it's a very neat option! Two clarifications, though: 1. The controller support is fully compatible with the Python interface, not just the block one, right? 2. Only Xbox controllers can be used, not generic Bluetooth ones, right? [Heads over to Ebay looking for cheap previous-generation Xbox controller auctions...]

It seems like an unusual opinion, but I always find myself intentionally seeking out new-design pins whenever I need a solid connection in a model! Maybe it's just because they're newer and hence less abused than my other ones (I've reused the same parts in LOTS of models!), but their lack of a center slot makes me hopeful that they'll hold up a lot better long-term. I've probably scrapped >100 old style pins, and I'm hopeful that the new ones will be better

Where possible, I like to recreate the original mechanics, but if something else is required to fit in a given space, that's fine too. I do give myself bonus points if the achievement of mechanical functions is realistic, though! Historically, I've probably gone about 30/70 on aesthetics to functionality, but I think I'm starting to improve on aesthetics, so now it might be more of a 40/60 I'll use System bricks for detail work on the body to get smoother shapes, and really anywhere else it feels useful, but it's not too helpful for most other things I choose topics for my builds based on which real-world machines I find interesting, and based on which have interesting mechanics I want to replicate. I guess my strategy with design challenges is to always start with the most complicated parts of the build, then move on to functions that are very location-specific and can't be relocated, and then finish it out. As for challenges more specifically, I'm not really sure what to suggest, other than thinking outside the box. Having large list of possible techniques floating around in your head can be just what you need sometimes, so researching other people's solutions can be worthwhile, even if you don't use it for a long time. TechnicBricks.com was a favorite place of mine for all kinds of ideas, but it's now offline, requiring that you access it through The Wayback Machine: http://web.archive.org/web/20211221022646/http://www.technicbricks.com/ What makes me choose Technic over System? I love machinery and mechanisms! It's also cool to have two levels to a build, trying to balance functionality and aesthetics For a System builder wanting to learn more about Technic, I'd say build some sets, and practice a lot! Sariel's The Unofficial Lego Technic Builder's Guide, from No Starch Press, is also a great resource