Blakbird

I've seen these models before. There is a seller on eBay who either sells others' models directly or modifies them slightly and then sells them. I have seen the black "monster truck" for sale by him many times. It is actually a Grazi design with the colors changed. Here is the original model, and here is the version I've built myself. This person took the MLCAD and photos from Brickshelf and decided to sell the design. I also used the Brickshelf files to create the model, but I wouldn't sell it without including Grazi. I also made instructions for Grazi's tow truck using Brickshelf files. This person has nothing to do with Crowkillers. He/she is just using Paul's (and others') designs.

No!! Mine operates the same before and after the service pack. Slow, but adequate. I still love the set.

In my experience, this is a waste of time. I made instructions for Grazi's 5000 part tow truck and posted them for free on Bricklink, then I found people on eBay selling them for $30. My name (and Grazi's) are on the instructions. I contacted eBay and filled out all the right forms, but they didn't really seem to care and nothing even happened. As far as I know, this guy is still selling my work.

That's right. He bought that set at the Con and built it there.

On a Mac you hold down the CTRL key while clicking to get a "right click". Some newer Mac mouses (mice?) actually have a right button.

Yes, I also think the bucket is too big for scale. The smaller bucket you mention also has a problem in that it is really a loader bucket, not an excavator bucket. The primary difference is the location of the attachment lugs. There actually are a couple of proper excavator buckets. The little one (8047, 8419, 8455, 8837) is way too small, but I think the old yellow one (8851, 8862) is just right. Digging excavators typically have a narrow bucket to maximize pressure on the front edge and therefore give you the most power to crush rock and break through soil. Occasionally excavators are used to lift loose material. In these cases a large bucket which can lift more volume may be used. This is often called a "yard bucket" or "mud bucket". The LEGO version obviously can't do any real digging, so it makes sense to be able to lift loose parts.

Yes, I would like!

Search the other recent threads on 8043 and you'll find lots of people who have done just that (including me) and reported their results.

Interesting. A fully studded System model of a fully studless Technic model. The 8258 set has no studs, only Technic parts, and lots of functions. The "display" has a thousand times more parts, but they are all System bricks so there are no technical functions (lights don't count). It is a magnificent display though. I'm sure it drew many people over to the booth to look at the set. I wonder how they transport that thing? It could easily weigh hundreds or even a thousand pounds. They must have a forklift and special trailer just for it.

I'm not sure that I have motor problems. That would be difficult to confirm. All I can say for certain is that the new actuators did not help.

Whatever the problem is, I don't think you'll fix it by taking it apart. The most likely problem is that the external electrical contacts are dirty. Clean them with a wire brush. The internal electrical contacts could also be dirty. Clean them by spinning the input axle at high speed for a while. If the bulb is burned out, you can't fix it. I suppose you could solder in a new bulb, but you may as well just order a new fiber optics unit from Bricklink at that point.

That's a tall order. Even with 1,000 votes, the only way for anyone to reproduce this model would be to have a computer model of it to get a parts list. At ~25,000 parts, that would be an enormous task indeed. Not to mention the fact that a model like this could easily cost $3000-$4000. Personally though, I'd buy one!

I wrote lots more about the seaplane at this thread. The trucks were very well done and were done by Glen Bell who also operates heavy equipment for a living. They were all functional and able to be loaded in the same way as real trucks. It was not a flyer, it was just a sheet of paper encouraging people to try the site. Most things at the show say "DO NOT TOUCH", so I wanted to make sure people knew they could come up and give it a shot. Reaction was hard to tell because the show is so loud and busy. Americans don't seem very interested in mechanical technology for some reason, so the questions I got were mostly from "visitors". A couple people had actually heard of the site before.

I wanted to take a few moments to write about the model that won "Best in Technic" at BrickCon 2010 in Seattle, Washington, USA. It was a huge seaplane entitled "Baby Twin Otter" by its creator, Marius Postma. Marius has a Flickr page which shows a single image of the aircraft, but no further information is provided there. I'll attempt to fill in the details from my own memory, which is of course subject to error. The plane is modeled after the DeHavilland Twin Otter. Marius is from Vancouver, Canada, so probably sees these planes on a regular basis. The moniker "Baby Twin Otter" was chosen because it is not a purely scale model of the aircraft, but was inspired by it. The real aircraft is a twin engined, piston powered amphibious float plane. In all these respects, the model is accurate. The model is truly enormous with a wingspan I would estimate at 2 meters. It is capable of sitting on its gear, although it was displayed on a raised platform to allow exercising of all the functions. Each float alone is bigger than any official Technic model ever made. Features Structure There is so much scale detail in the model that I can't possibly explain it all here, but as an example take note of the tie-downs on the floats, the paddle, and the prop line on the fuselage. The wings have a mild dihedral and the wingtips are even washed out. If you don't know what washout is, go read about it and then imaging how hard this was to replicate. Marius built the wing with the front and rear spars intentionally misaligned and then used the cantilevered weight of the engine nacelles to twist the wing. The wing and body are built to show the accurate structural assembly (semi-monocoque)of a real aircraft including spars, ribs, frames, and stringers. There are diagonal struts which support the wing inboard edge and also very heavy struts and a cross brace for the floats. Although this is a studded model, many of the studs face outward or downward as required to create the shape and react the load. Flight Controls All of the flight controls on the aircraft are operable and match the function of the real aircraft very closely. They are even operated from the same locations in the flight deck as the real airplane. The flight deck can be seen in this picture.Ailerons The outboard ailerons are operated from the control wheels (yoke type) in the flight deck. The pilot's and first officer's control wheels are bussed together. A pull-pull cable system runs from the flight deck to the ailerons which move in opposite directions (one trailing edge up while the other is trailing edge down) as they should. A spring system in used to maintain tension in the cables. Some of the aileron system can be seen in this picture. Rudder The rudder is operated from the rudder pedals in the flight deck. The pilot's and first officer's pedals are bussed together. A pull-pull cable system runs from the flight deck to the empennage where it drives the rudder. The empennage can be seen in this picture. Elevator The elevators are operated from the control columns (yoke type) in the flight deck. The pilot's and first officer's control columns are bussed together. A pull-pull cable system runs from the flight deck to the empennage which move the elevators in parallel (trailing edges in the same direction) as they should. The empennage can be seen in this picture. The elevator surfaces are mass balanced which reduces the amount of hinge moment required to move them. Trailing Edge Flaps The trailing edge flaps are operated from a lever in the flight deck. A motor drives the flaps aft and down in a Fowler motion by hinging them at a low point. The flaps drive until deactivated by reaching a limit switch (I think this is correct since there is no NXT servo to count revolutions). Note that the ailerons also droop and act as flaperons giving this aircraft full span flaps. The ailerons continue to operate in a differential manner as ailerons even when drooped as flaps. Throttle Both engines are motorized and the 3-blade propellers are operated by overhead throttle levers in the flight deck of the aircraft. The port and starboard engines have independent controls and can operate at different speeds, useful for directional control of the aircraft on the water since it does not have water rudders. The throttle lever actuates a push-pull (Bowden) cable which moves a rotation sensor on the wing. The signal from the rotation sensor is read by an RCX in the port side float which modulates power to the appropriate engine. Due to the RCX, the engines can operate at 7 different throttle settings. The engines are counter-rotating and even turn in the correct direction to eliminate a critical engine. Interestingly, a pilot of a Twin Otter came to the show and commented that the real Twin Otter does not have counter-rotating props, probably for commonality reasons. Variable Pitch The 3 bladed propellers of each engine are variable pitch and can have their pitch adjusted independently via overhead levers in the flight deck of the aircraft. The levers actuate a push-pull cable which moves a swashplate driving the prop pitch angle. This is a particularly complex mechanism since the cable cannot pass the plane of the propeller since it is spinning. The adjustment of the pitch angle is sufficient to allow reverse pitch. The nacelle with pitch mechanisms can be seen in this picture. Landing Gear The landing gear can be retracted into the floats via a lever in the flight deck. The landing gear is pneumatic and is sequenced. When extending the gear, the doors open first. The fully open door moves a valve which then deploys the gear. This sequence happens in reverse for stowage of the gear. A compressor in the tail provides the pneumatic power and has an air tank for storage. A pressure regulator is present which uses a spring and a pole reverser to shut off the compressor when a sufficient pressure charge is present. The landing gear can be seen in this picture. The landing gear has lock links which go on-center to lock the gear down and is capable of supporting the weight of the aircraft. [*]Other Features Passenger Entry Door The passenger entry door is on the aft port side. It contains an air-stair and extends via a cable drum driven by a motor. There is a switch just outside the door to control its operation. Folding Wings The wings fold just past the strut attachment. This was a complicated feat since all of the outboard mechanisms had to disconnect as the wing folded, and reconnect when put back into position, as well as maintain structural integrity across the joint. Marius used a gear system which disengaged the inboard flaps (even though they are on the non-folding part of the wing) when the wing was folded to prevent the inboard and outboard flaps from losing synchronization. There are quite a few more picture on my Brickshelf account, but they were too large to post here. Please join me in congratulating Marius on this phenomenal model which really does earn the title "EPIC"! Besides being an amazing LEGO creation, this model can also go a long way toward teaching someone how a real plane works and how it is built.

My display was a computer running Technicopedia and a sampling of Technic from history. I brought the models from 1977, 1992, and 2010. The many functional trucks are from Glen Bell. Marius made the Twin Otter seaplane which was truly a marvel to behold. He won the "Best in Technic" trophy, and I spend many hours talking to him about Technic, life, and his seaplane. I plan on writing another post in the future to expound upon it.

I have no comment on that matter.

Barman has designed a whole series of parts to do just this, and has presented them on his Brickshelf page. The image I've linked below shows and animation of his concept. Very well thought out!

Typically, a compressive load destabilizes a beam-column. The statics of the free body demand it. I think the only reason that this unit straightens under compressive load is that the load causes the threads to come into face contact. When there is no load, you can push the rod to the side which separates the threads on one side. When you put load on it, the threads straighten out. Fluid filled actuators do not have this behavior.

Wow, I'm very unimpressed. I just got back from Brickcon where I used the excavator (with the old actuators) all weekend. It was slow, but it worked. When I got home tonight the service pack was waiting for me, so I installed the new actuators. The excavator is no better now and may actually be a little worse. I have heard reports from others that the mods helped, so I'm not sure what's going on. I put in fresh batteries and even tested the voltage, so that's not it. It may be that the motors operated so near stall for so long (days) that they are essentially ruined and therefore the new actuators don't help. I don't have a new set of 4 motors to try though.

FYI, I don't think that's my render. It might be Koyan's. Mine looks like this. http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/blakbird/Renders/Model-Team/5571render.jpg

Anything that they could make functional with sheet metal in 1959 you should be able to make functional in 2010 with LEGO.

For the most part, I curse any Technic set that has even a single Bionicle part in it. I suppose there are theoretical good uses though.

Thanks so much for putting in the massive amount of work to do this and make it available. If you haven't already, you should contact Nathanael and make sure he gets a copy.

That's certainly the most Power Puller wheels I have ever seen used in one MOC. They don't even look big here. This thing is insane and, therefore, awesome. I love the way he stiffened the inside of the tires to prevent them from collapsing.

It is difficult to define the elusive quality that makes a Technic set awesome. I'm sure TLG would love to be able to find the definition. It is not necessarily the part count and it is not necessarily the size of the model. The subject has something to do with it, and the functions have something to do with it. Even the color is relevant. We may never find a clear definition, or we may not even agree if someone proposed one. But I think we can all agree that, whatever this awesome quality is, these two pictures show it. Long live 8868. May you someday be equaled.