Blakbird

It's a tradeoff. Nylon is stronger than ABS (~70 MPa vs. 40) but is also less stiff and less resilient.

I've now got new pictures posted for all the models up through 1984.

Bam.

I'm finishing up the LDraw file now, instructions will follow soon thereafter.

I've begun a process of updating the main set photos. While I think it would be far too much work to go back and replace all my old photographs, I think the one main isometric image which is used in all the history and category pages needed work. My old photography skills and lighting were just not good. This makes me feel a lot better about the old pages fitting in with the newer content. Let me know what you think of the before and after versions. Before: After:

Forget about the blinking light. If it holds a charge, there is no problem.

You are quite right, you can always see the differential housing in the front of a loader. I was thinking of excavators. I'll update the site.

One of the most rewarding things to hear is that someone comes to appreciate a previously ignored set. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but when it comes to Technic a photo of the box is just not enough to appreciate a model. There have been some really great models that were pretty ugly. There have also been some pretty bad models that looked OK.

I typically don't count B-models when talking about the "first" of something. It is hard enough to keep track of the main models.

I can't speak for the eBay plastic beads, but I bought some 14mm wooden beads from Amazom and they did not work. There is a spot on the return conveyor where the clearance is really close and they always jammed. They were slightly too large. I ended up paying the money for real Lego balls.

Update: Major update posted to Technicopedia. Includes 1997 with sets 2129, 8205, 8215, 8216, 8222, 8229, 8232, 8250, 8277, 8414, 8437, 8459, and 8479. I think this the most effort I have ever put into a single year. Not only are there 13 sets, but two of them are Universal sets with multiple models so there are really 18 models to write about. While some of them are easy, 8479 alone required more than 1000 photos and is the largest single page on the site. I hope everyone finds it to be worthwhile!

It could be either one, but even if it is a building mistake it means something in the instructions wasn't as clear as it could be. Hopefully we can figure out the problem with some pictures and everyone can benefit from it.

Which pins are falling out? Do you have a picture? I've had zero problems with mine. Both the suspension and the gearbox work perfectly.

Steel balls require a hardened steel raceway on which to bear because of the high contact stress, otherwise they will just dent the surface. I think using steel balls with a 3D printed raceway would just destroy the plastic and would not roll smoothly.

I'm getting ready to document the 8250/8299 pneumatic submarine for Technicopedia. This set came with two different numbers, and the second version included software. I do not have the software version and have never used it. Does anyone have it and, if so, could you offer any thoughts on its content? I hate to just leave that section blank. The 8432 Concept Car the following year also had software and I had that at the time. I recall being very underwhelmed. It had very early digital building instructions as well as a racing game.

Fixed the link. Sorry, it changed when the wires were added. Actually, those are LDraw file (made in LDCad), not LDD files. He posted them there after he made them for me!

You are hitting the current limit. The battery box and remote receiver are limited to 1 Amp. When you hit bumpy ground, you exceed the current limit and everything slows down.

For me it was 8880. I was trying to come out of my dark age and I kept seeing 8880 in catalogs and kept thinking "I should really buy that" but I didn't have any LEGO at the time and I couldn't justify the expense. Finally I talked my wife into letting me order it after seeing it appear in the catalog for the 3rd year. I called to order (you couldn't buy things on the Internet yet) and they told me it was out of stock and out of production. I wept bitterly. I ended up getting it later on eBay (Bricklink didn't exist yet) for a high price and it was missing over 100 parts. It was a long time before I had a complete copy. It is much easier to find now (through Bricklink) but also costs a lot. From that time forward, I bought sets new when I wanted them. I also collected all the UCS sets and the Modular Houses. I am glad I bought them new because they are a fortune now. If I ever lose my job I can probably sell my UCS sets and live for a year on the proceeds.

Thanks, those views are very helpful in figuring out how everything works.

An incredibly complex and wonderful model. I like everything about it except the tires which seem much too small to my eye. My favorite thing is that you made it all work from a single M motor which keeps the cost way down compared to many complex MOCs and results in that wonderful gearbox. I also very much appreciate that you used a pole reverser which is so much easier to use than the battery box switch. I wish more official sets did this.

I mention the same problem and my solution earlier in this post.

Yes, moving....

This actuator was discussed earlier in the thread. It costs a lot, but about the same as Efferman's actuator. The disadvatage is that the motor hangs of the back rather than being geared to the input, and there is no bracket to mount the actuator. It is effectively trunnion mounted on screws at the base of the unit so the motor would swing through space. This means it would be much harder to integrate into a superstructure.

LPub (instructions) and LDView (viewer) run on Mac, but MLCad (editor) does not. Bricksmith is the standard editor for Mac. All of these tools use the LDraw part library. If your goal is to create Technic instructions, I'm afraid LDD is not of much use. It is not compatible with LDraw and therefore the files cannot be used to create instructions in LPub.

Speaking of the 8479 Code Pilot, I'm treating this as a Universal Set which means I am going to build all 4 models and write about all of them, but I only have an LDraw file for the garbage truck. I can probably do the others with just photographs, but they are pretty complicated and would benefit from views of the internal mechanisms. If anyone wants to model any of the alternate models, I'd be happy to use them.