Blakbird

OK, vassals can't sell but I should at least be able to collect it in tariff.

I've posted a thread over at Lugnet about the new PF Train controller and about how it is not really useful for Technic creations. I've excerpted some of it below: I just got back from Brickfest in Portland and was lucky enough to see the unveiling of the new 10194 Emerald Night train and the new Power Functions elements which can be used with it. I’m not a train guy, but I had been anticipating the release of this remote in the hopes that it would allow better and more precise control of R/C Technic vehicles and other MOCs. After most people left one evening I spent a fair amount of time driving the Emerald Night around the track with the new controller to figure out how it works and how I might adapt it. Note that I am NOT an electronics guy and have not read the PF protocol, I was merely testing it from a practical standpoint. I’ve jotted a few of my observations below. Based on my conclusions, it will not be very useful for controlling vehicles other than trains. Feel free to add your own thoughts. The control is not infinitely variable. The control wheels have detents which offer a set of discrete power levels. From what I was able to determine, there are 5-7 of them. While this would work for an R/C vehicle, it is less than ideal. The signal is not continuous. When you move the dial, a short duration signal seems to be sent out. This makes sense for trains for a couple of reasons. You don’t want to have to have the remote on the whole time the train is running. You want “fire and forget”. Also, if the train is out of line-of-sight, such as in a tunnel, you wouldn’t want it to stop. So the train just keeps going with the last setting until it gets a new signal. This would not work well for R/C vehicles. First of all, the failure mode of getting out of range would be your vehicle driving off into oblivion. It also means that to slow down after driving, you couldn’t simply let go of the control. You would have to reverse the direction (or hit the emergency stop). This could be partially rectified by setting up a spring return system on the controller except for the next point. There is no absolute link between control wheel position and speed. Signals seem to all be relative. In other words, when I turn the wheel 1 click clockwise, it sends a +1 signal. It sends -1 for counter-clockwise. It does not send, for example, “Power Level 5”. This means that if your vehicle is out of range when you move the wheel, nothing happens. It also means that you have now lost your center point. So even if you spring loaded steering control to center, one missed IR packet would result in your steering now being off. From what I understand of the PF system, a proper R/C system for vehicles is possible, but this new system is clearly geared (no pun intended) toward train control. The new Li-Po battery, on the other hand, could be quite useful.....

I want it!

Good point. You can see that the mold obviously is removed from the bottom. I suspect there are quite a few of the more complex parts which have certain features defined by the mold parting plane. Probably Bionicle parts in particular. The stereolithography process can make any geometry imaginable, even with inaccessible internal voids. There are some fascinating developments in this area including being able to use metals such as titanium 6Al-4V. If it could used for ABS, there would be a huge wealth of opportunities. Not very scalable for large production though. You said you liked obscure.....

DISCLAIMER: This post is only for those who are nerdy enough to care about irrelevant details that have nothing whatever to do with the goodness (or lack thereof) of a set or part. Some of you may remember my recent review of the 8264 Hauler. In that review, I was looking at the new solid panels and made the following observation: Since I am unwilling to let anything go unexplained, I have been racking my brain on this one and I believe I have come up with the answer. On a normal Technic liftarm, beam, or brick, the holes have a slight countersink. This allows the interlocking flange on the end of the mating pin to snap open into place and remain firmly attached. The countersink prevents the pin flange from protruding beyond the face of the part. In the case of this panel, the entire surface is moved back instead of using individual countersinks. Why? I believe that the reason is so that the parts can be removed from the molds. A normal beam can have the die on either side parted to release the part. In this case, since these features face inward, there would be no way to release the mold from the part if the faces were not planar (unless you had an expensive collapsible mold). There you go, mystery solved. You may now go back to your lives without this question continually nagging at your brain.

I have many of the fiber optic elements. They transmit light very well, but they are really designed to be inserted into a specific light source which concentrates the light. These fibers only come in one length though, so you might have trouble unless your light source is very near your destination.

I concur with the others. The excavator with a PF add-on is a great choice and will teach you a lot about building studless, about gearing, and about the PF system. The bulldozer is fantastic if you can afford it. Or just stop by my house and I will show you all of them!

Wait a minute, are you accusing me of not having a Technic set? Actually, I do have 8450 (and all the Star Wars Technic sets) and I did choose not to include it, though I may later change my mind. I had to draw the line somewhere, and I decided not to include Cybermaster or Mindstorms because they get more into the electronic side of things and my site is more about the mechanical side of things. Also, the scope of the project was large enough without including everything! At any rate, thanks for this great review. I've never managed to get my CD-ROM to work, so I actually do not even know what the instructions look like. Even with my large collection, I don't have too many teal beams.

I like 8289 quite a bit. It is a bit blocky, but the rear lift mechanism is pretty cool (and very similar to the more recent Cherry Picker). Also lots of parts, especially red beams. If you haven't already, make sure to read the reviews of sets over at Brickset.

Are you referring to sets which can still be purchased at the store right now? If so, your selection is pretty limited. Start with 8259 and 8262, both new this year. From last year, you should still be able to find 8294 and 8297 easily. For $/brick, 8295 is also very nice. As for older models, you are right that the "collector's price" goes up, but mostly that only applies to the larger sets or those that are very rare. When you get into the smaller sets, many of them are actually quite cheap. For example, I just ordered a group of 6 Technic sets off of Bricklink, all of them at least 15 years old. Total price was $50 and there are over 1200 pieces altogether. They are not the most coveted sets, but they have plenty of great parts.

I haven't seen a review, but I do have several copies of this set. It is VERY well done, especially for a set this size. Worth the money just for the treads. Maybe I should do a review .....

If that is your dream then you should love this thing. I agree that 8297 and 8466 are not in the same league. But they are not in the same price range either. Get the one you can afford. I also agree that 8880 is an amazing model with virtually everything you want. But it wasn't on your "want list", so I didn't address it. For general awesomeness, I'd also recommend 8480, 8285, 8421, and 8868.

Well, that's certainly a lot of sets you want. I hope you saved your money! Based on the age of the sets you already own, there are literally hundreds of new elements which you will not have seen. In fact, some entire series have come and gone since then. Principally, you do not appear to have any of the studless beams or liftarms. You also mentioned you'd like some PF elements and would like to build a black car which is realistic. By this, I don't know if you mean technically realistic (functional) or aesthetically realistic (looks good) or both. But in any case, I can advice you where to lots of good parts and functions, presumably with price as a restriction. Items to get right away: 8674 Ferrari 1:8, Not only is this a fantastic model, it also has a great set of suspension control arms, beautiful wheels and tires, shocks, and a V-12 engine. All of these peices will be very useful to you in building a car. 8297 Off-Roader, Like 8674 it is an excellent source of suspension parts and it also has the advantage of being presently available. You'll also get a PF battery box, a small motor, and some lights. 8455 Backhoe, If you want to learn pneumatics, this is place to do it. It will cost you a lot to pick one up but you will find it is worth it. You'll get 10 pneumatic cylinders and lots of good parts. 8466 Off-Roader, Fantastic set with great suspension and a 5 speed gearbox with reverse. 3-differentials. Also has massive balloon tires. Expensive but worth it. 8428 Turbo Command, Great set to introduce you to newer parts and building methods without breaking the bank. Great selection of non-beam parts and a very clever suspension mechanism. 8285 Tow Truck, An absolute smorgasbord of studless beams along with a huge model incorporating pneumatics, damping, gearing, differential, and engine. 8275 Bulldozer, The only Technic set with PF XL sized motors and IR receivers. You'll get 4 motors, 2 receivers, a battery box, a transmitter, and loads of treads. Items to NOT get right away: 10144 Sandcrawler, This is very big and contains a lot of old Technic treads, so it would be useful for that. But unless you want a LOT of standard brown bricks, this probably won't help you. 8653 Enzo Ferrari, This is a GREAT looking model, but it has very little in the way of technical functions. You are much better off with 8674. 10179 UCS Millenium Falcon, I have this and I love it and it is indeed a parts bonanza, but it is also very expensive and, once you build it, you will have a hard time convincing yourself to part it out. 8482 Cybermaster, Cool for its time, but rendered mostly moot by Mindstorms. Get it as a collector's item, but not as a parts pack. 8434 Plane, No way around it, this set sucks. Buy it only if your wealth means nothing to you. 8458 Silver Champion, Magnificent model, but you'll pay through the nose for it. Save it for later and get 8674 first. 5571 Black Cat Rig, Although this is one of my favorite sets of all time, it is prohibitively expensive and contains a fair number of parts which are either rare or unique. If you want a pile of parts to build various items, it seems a shame to rip apart this gem. But if you want a great looking set for inspiration, this is it! 8454 Rescue Truck, Meh.

Very nice work! I happen to work at a large aircraft manufacturer so I see this kind of equipment every day. I like the multi-axle steering and lifting the platform is a perfect use of the linear actuators. On most cargo loaders, the driver's cabin does not raise with the platform, but there are exceptions. As long as you are taking on big, unusual aircraft related projects, a natural extension of this would be the huge loader used in conjunction with the 747 LCF (Large Cargo Freighter). It is very similar to what you built. The only official LEGO product I've seen along these lines is the 8454 airport fire truck.

Hmmm. I have many thousands of axles, connectors, and pins in both red and black and I don't think I have ever broken any of them. The only parts that have broken are gears and thin liftarms (with axle holes) and none of them were red. I would have said a bad batch but you said it happened again. What are you doing with your parts? They are not for use in commercial machinery.

Wow that's a tough call. There are so many to choose from and so many different categories, so I'm going to cheat: - Balloon Tires/Wheels: 62x46 as seen in the Power Puller and 4x4 Off Roader: - Truck Tires/Wheels: 68.8x24 Model Team as seen in the Black Cat Rig. The Technic wheels and tires 62.4x20 are very similar and almost as good. - Motorcycle Tires/Wheels: No question here. The winner is the rear tire from 8420. - Racing/Road Tires/Wheels: This is the toughest category. But I have to go with the 84.6x34 ZR from the Super Street Sensation.

Are you married? If so, allow me to offer my apologies right now for being involved in getting you hooked. As long as it has batteries in it. If you ever set it up using a transformer, the balance is way off. I have "ballast batteries" in mine.

The Control Center II is one of my favorite Technic sets of all time, and that means something since I have all of them. The helicopter is basically a simulator which has controls for elevation, rotor spin, pitch, and roll. The dinosaur is totally unique. It bends up/down, waves its arms, wags its tail, moves its head, and opens/closes its jaws. I haven't built the hydro in a long time, but it is very good as well. This is one of only two sets to contain the Control Center box which is capable of controlling 3 motors (9V) and recording programs. Unlike Control Center I (8094), it also has a socket so you can use a 9V transformer instead of batteries. The set comes with 3 9V motors. If you are getting back into Technic, I would say this set is a must have. Whether or not it is worth 300 euros is another question. Based on the fact that this set must have been sitting on that shelf for 14 years and is in such battered condition, I would think you would have considerable bargaining power with the shop owner. See if you can talk them down. I wouldn't worry about the electrics. If the set is unopened, everything should be in very good shape, especially if it was kept indoors. I have 2 copies of this set both of which have seen years of use and I've had no problems. If you haven't already, check out BerndDasBrot's excellent review of this set. As you can see, he has made an MLCAD version of this set. He may be willing to give you a copy which you could use to explore the set before buying. If you are looking for information on Technic sets, you may also be interested in Technicopedia.

To me, it looks most like the ripper on the back of a dozer. Not sure if they really put those on tractors.

I have several thousand. Many came with original sets, but the bulk of them were acquired individually on Bricklink, some from as far away as Australia.

The "thing in the back" doesn't really "work". There weren't enough pieces for the alternate model to make the implement do anything in particular, so it just kind of ....... is. The spring shock has no function here.

Your opinion might change when you get to triple digits!

Most of the functionality would come from the crawler. I would make it R/C using PF motors and receivers, super geared down to crawl slow (although still probably faster than the real one, even if you don't account for scale). The SRBs and tank would really just be there to mount the shuttle to the crawler and because they look cool. You could model some of the internal fuel tanks and pumps I suppose, but it would still be a bit bland. Unless of course I kicked it up a notch with some of my Ammonium Perchlorate rocket propellant! I could also install a recovery system on the SRBs (ejection system with parachutes), and a remote disconnect for both the SRBs and the orbiter from the external tank.

In my never-ending quest to make more cool renders, I have finally arrived at 8480, the Space Shuttle. This is one of my favorite Technic sets of all time due to its uniqueness and all-around technical awesomeness. It has everything you could want in a set. Well, almost everything. Has anyone ever made a scale set of Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB) and the External Fuel Tank to go with the Orbiter? A search of Brickshelf did not turn up anything. Ultimately, I'd like to actually build these, but for now using an MPD for a render would be perfectly acceptable. Ideally, the style would match the 8480. In other words, it would be a mostly open "skeletal" structure, not a Model Team like structure. Don't get me wrong, I love combining Technic and Model Team, but it wouldn't fit with this orbiter. For the truly adventurous, I'd like to also do the Crawler Transporter (with the new treads!) and the Mobile Launch Platform.

Yes, this model is supremely functional. There are 12 pneumatic cylinders. 4 for boom lift, 2 for rear outriggers, 2 for tow pad lift, 1 for tow pad tilt, 2 for lifting mid axle, 1 for pressure regulator. There is a compressor inside the sleeper with two small pumps and two old 9V motors. The battery box is hidden in the fuel tanks. There are two motors and a pair of pole reversers behind the sleeper which telescope the boom and control the winch. The hood tilts forward revealing a working Technic V-8 connected to both rear axles with differentials. There are 12 of the big Model Team tires. The front wheels are pendular (side to side) and sprung (up and down) as well as steerable. The mid axle raises and lowers and is pneumatically balanced. The rear axles are pendular (side to side), independently pendular (front to back), and sprung (up and down). Here's a picture showing many of the features engaged. This is the most perfect blend of Model Team and Technic that I have personally seen, and I thank Andrea Grazi greatly for the creation. But at 4,000 parts, it's not cheap!