martyboy70

I did look into this but my local Maplins only had battery holders for 4 or 8 cells and its the only place locally that does this sort of thing.

I like the Super Blower-reminds me of Mad Max's Interceptor.

Hes having a great time so far!

When we refer to 7745 its a 12v era set: http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/7745_12_Volt_High_Speed_Train

Its free-seeing it being put to good use will be payment enough. It would fit in a space 4 bricks long by 3 high.

I recently got back into Lego (details here http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=59517 )and found that Ideas book with most of the stickers never having been removed from the backing. If you want that sticker PM me your address and its yours on one condition-that once the shops built stick a pic up here to let me see its being put to good use

I have that sticker-its yours if you want it!

Brilliant thats exactly what Im looking for I think. The bit dimmer should be ok as I read somewhere that running the lightbricks at lower voltage is better for their longevity.

Yeah cost is a big factor so buying £60 worth of battery and charger is a definite no-no and I would like to use the batteries I already have. I've just had another thought and thats about lighting. Looking at the IR receiver the PF system uses four wires and the 12v lights only use 2-I plan to cut one end off one of the grey 12v splice the lights onto the wire between the battery box and the IR unit-so does anyone know which of the four wires is which.

Oops is it really that big-oh well i may have to really butcher it then. Ill get the screwdriver out when it arrives. Has anyone disassembled one into its component parts without the casing as I really dont want to go out and buy AAAs when I have really good AAs sitting in my drawer.

TBH its gonna come down to 3 factors-price, price and price!

Im planning on trimming it down a bit as the bits at either side can apparently be cut off as they are for technic pins and are not needed for this build so that will reduce it a little. I have managed to get the 4 bits for about £40 and should be able to sell my transformer,large oval of conductor rail with supply wire and spares or repairs motor for more than this so "free" power functions but without the nostalgia factor of running on 12v. I cant wait for the motor and battery box to arrive Im so looking forward to letting my son see it running. Im going to do pics of the rebuild and a youtube video of it running when I get them.

OK so things are coming together now. I have in my possession or on the way the following: PF Remote Control unit-Brand New PF IR receiver -Brand New 88002 Train Motor -Brand New 8881 AA Battery box -Light Use 2500 mah Batteries -Light Use Can I just confirm that this is everything I will need to power the train-am I right in thinking that I wont need any additional cabling or adaptors?

Yeah this is the one small problem I have. Should I keep it mainly 80s which are pretty much 4 wide but can be pretty expensive unless they are "pre-loved" or go for newer stuff which looks a bit bigger to me scale wise but may have more play features. I think it will be a decision based on what I can pick up cheap.

^^What he said. The buffers are excellent and have that "bumped very slowly into many a station" look about them.

Absolutely right. Im on a couple of Cars diecast forums as my son is a collector and huge fan(though its a tough call whos the bigger fan between him and me) and somebody posted figures showing that merchandise sales wise Cars has made pretty much as much money as all other animated or CGI films released in the last 10 years put together and its increased year on year. Up until the release of and focus on Cars 2 brand new Cars merchandise was(and probably still is)being thought up and released. How many animated films still have new merch being released on a daily basis 5 years after they left the cinema? The 2 most expensive items to buy today on the 2nd hand market ever released by Mattel? The Speedway of the South and Factory sealed sets-both Cars diecast collections. A genuine #84 Apple car from SOTS will cost upwards of $100 for a 3 inch diecast car. The Cars license is the proverbial license to print money although I agree that selling LMQ and Mater then trying to sell slight variations in sets with A.N.other might not fly with Lego fans but it does in diecast where there are at least 30 variations of Mcqueen based on diferent scenes from the film and many people have them all and have bought multiples of others in sets to get them(my son has most of them) This is a good percentage of them but far from all; The film and the characters just seem to burrow in and resonate with kids and adults alike. Other films have made way way more at the box-office but have only sold a fraction of the merch that Cars has and I for one will be getting my hands on as much Cars Lego as I can.

Im in the UK and they seem to go for a lot here. A MIB example I was watching sold for £185 at the weekend and even used examples go for more than the PF parts will cost me plus I already have the RC and IR components sitting here and I have ordered a 88002 from Bricklink for a good price tonight-just need a battery box now.

Couldnt resist that one-glad somebody got it!

Its been a special time for sure!

Just in case anyone keeping tabs or contributing to this thread(thanks again to all who have)fancies seeing what a carpet covered in bricks turns into Ive started a new thread with pics here: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=59517&st=0&gopid=1061428entry1061428

This is looking incredibly good. Im hoping to add a better station (probably a standard one and then extend it a bit) for my 7745. I built the alternate scheme for this set tonight(steam train and signal box/platform/buffers) and really like having something better than the very basic platform it comes with originally.

Yeah the (good)memories have been flooding back since I dug it out of my mums loft a week or so back. It was a way of getting him some free toys for my new place and I did think of selling it on ebay and getting him some new stuff but to be honest the fun we have had building and playing with it has been absolutely priceless. His imagination is endless and some of the scenarios he comes up with have been hilarious. Hes a big Cars fan so I had to get him the Lightning Mcqueen after something he said when I built the garage. I built it as per the instructions and he took the light back off the towtruck and said "Thats better,now hes Mater" On the recommended age thing I know what you mean. The LMQ has an age of 5 up but hes not 4 til December but built it in 2 minutes with almost no help from me. Im amazed at how good condition it is still in-a lot of my other toys of the time ended up in bits while the Lego just kept on trucking-probably because its designed to fall apart! Oh and "keep on building"-you betcha!!

Yeah he has been enjoying every minute of building and playing with it and now if you ask him what he wants for his birthday its a one word answer "Lego" I was into a bit of everything back then so its a nice mix. Im really looking forward to getting the train running again soon too. I fully intend to brick on as this will be start of a bigger collection-Im just in a bit of a dilemma as to whether keep it 80s(mainly 4 wide)or go modern which looks a bit bigger scale wise. Anyway its onward and upwards.

After some recent turmoil in my life (more details here http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=59279) my old Lego has proved to be a great bonding exercise with my son who is nearly 4. We have had a great time building and playing with all my sets from back in the day along with some recent cheap additions. Firstly a quick sum. Take this lot(All your base plates are belong to US): Add this: And this: Finally add some great educational fun,some teamwork and a great time spent together and you should end up with this: We had a great time building and playing with all the sets and its been good for his colour,spatial and number skills and a couple of the smaller sets were built by my son Kyle with little or no input from me apart from a watchful eye and an encouraging nod or two. Please allow me to give you a tour of our little Town. CAUTION!!! DIESEL SPILLAGE To the tune of Milkshake by Kelis-My fuel spill brings all the boys to the yard: The Emergency services get a callout to deal with some carelessness by Mr Shell(He thought he was working for BP) Little do these guys know they have a LONG wait ahead of them. The motor on the train doesnt work and is awaiting Power Functions conversion and I have removed the 12v conductor rail: It costs HOW MUCH for a gallon of gas???? The garage employee explains that fuel prices have changed somewhat since he last got a tankful in the 80s and that filling his car AND boat will require a second mortgage. The tractor driver isnt bothered he runs on red diesel. 5 Bonus points if you can figure out why the tow truck has a missing headlight. Oh and is anyone elses Town plagued by Mutant Parrots? The tension builds as we await the start of the Victory Lap Grand Prix. Lightning McQueen has qualified on pole and the other drivers are waiting patiently as their mechanics make sure their cars are tuned up and ready to go as the cameraman films all the action. Car #3 had a big crash in qualifying and lost his front wing but is hopeful of making the grid. The crane driver had always struggled to tell the difference between freight and passenger trains: Space...The final frontier These are the voyages of Classic Space Its 35 year mission To explore strange new carpet. To seek out new dust and new civilizations To boldly go where no Minifigure has gone before. 5.4.3.2.1. Operation Living Room is go for Launch. A busy day at the Airport as the bins are emptied and the Top Gear film crew realise they have turned up at the wrong airfield. The Blizzard Blazer had ploughed all the snow into one MEGA Snowman. Leaving on a Jetplane...but not before the technical fault with engine 4 has been fixed. Jake Raines delivers Airmail to the Post Office. Having a Post Office at the end of the runway has caused some Health and Safety concerns(but hey I have lost the baseplate) The local Medieval War re-enactment society are always kept busy. I have been pleasantly surprised to find out that only a couple of Minifigs, one baseplate and a few pieces(probably less than double figures)have gone missing in all the years I played with it as a child and in the 20 odd years its been away Hes on his way round to mine tonight so it wont stay like this for too long so I thought I better get some pics. We are going to disassemble 7745 tonight and build the alternate build as he is a big Thomas fan and loves his Steamies. Thanks for looking. Any comments or questions are always welcome.

Thanks again for this I do really appreciate it but I may have some bad news. Last night on Ebay I did items by distance rather than time and found someone a mile from me selling the newer 6xAA box cheap so with the saving on postage giving me more to use to bid on it Im really hopeful of getting it(everybody cross your fingers for me) So its looking more and more likely that I will be going down the AA route. On another note me and my son have spent all weekend building the pile of bricks in the photo into their respective sets and we have both had a great time. I'll get some photos up later probably in a new thread.