CP5670

The random colored look doesn't work well IMO. It might have worked better if they based these off a theme (like Agents or Space Police 3) and used pieces and colors related to that. Of course, the actual hardware is going to be pretty low end at those prices. As for whether this is good for TLG from a business point of view, probably not. They have tried expanding into other things like this numerous times in the past, and most of the attempts have failed.

This actually reminds me of an interesting issue I have thought about before: what if a fan-operated business comes up that produces copies of discontinued Lego parts, at the same level of quality as genuine Lego (except for the Lego logos on the studs)? I have in mind things that are difficult to acquire today by varying degrees, like old gray bricks, train and monorail tracks, some of the rarer transparent space panels, some specialized Technic parts, and so on. As you said about Brickarms, they would be meant to complement TLG's products rather than compete with them. TLG could in theory manufacture such parts again but have not done so for several years, so they presumably have no interest in them. Personally, I think that would be a great development for MOC builders and I would be very supportive of such an effort. Well, they are free to do that. It's not like the ball joint was invented by TLG.

Well, this is really based on what TLG thinks kids want. I don't think they actually have a good handle on this, as there have been a number of questionable company decisions in the past that have supposedly been the result of these focus groups. At the same time, all this talk about "violent" themes is a little misplaced here, since Space has always been based around conflict since 1989, starting with Space Police 1 (just look at the old catalog dioramas if you think the minifigs were peaceful back then ). If it's supposed to be a continuation of Space Police, a battle of some sort fits in perfectly well.

The gear ratio on that MOC is actually only 10:3. I like the fast engine on this set though and it gives the pistons a more realistic look in motion. The 8857 Street Chopper has the same ratio too but the wheels are larger, so the engine doesn't turn as fast if you move the model at the same speed.

Can't argue with that advice at all. The Airtech Claw Rig ranks as my favorite Technic set ever. I especially like your render of only the pneumatic portions of the set. The dual-acting piston setup for the turntable didn't turn very smoothly, but I still liked that mechanism and how they integrated pneumatics into every aspect of the claw arm. The set also included a large amount of extra pneumatic tubing, about twice as much as the model actually needs. The engine on this set is geared up from the wheels a lot, more than any other model I have, and it turns very rapidly as a result. This was also the last set to use the old 20x30 wheels. The 8868's alternate model is worth a mention as well. It looks a bit strange but it has a pneumatic control circuit that runs through the functions in sequence automatically. It was the only Technic model ever to use such a system. The Supply Ship is another great set and is somewhat underrated. It's surprisingly large given the size of its box, and I like how the propellor housings turn alongside the steering. It also comes with several nice 2x2 computer panel stickers that I have found useful in space MOCs. One minor correction in the 8868 article: The 8421 Mobile Crane many years later also had both, although it didn't integrate the two systems at all unlike this set.

Classic space wasn't really even a single, unified theme. There were three or four completely different color schemes within it, and the design styles of the sets changed a lot over the years. The original sets like the Galaxy Explorer had little in common with the final wave of classic space such as the L&S XT Starship. The only things they shared were the minifigs.

I didn't notice that earlier, but it looks like you are right. Trans-red would look a lot better there. As for the detractors, even if you don't like the sets, they should provide good special parts on Bricklink for space MOCs, especially in transparent colors. I wasn't a fan of Mars Mission but I'm still glad the line existed, since I would have found it difficult to finish this if the MM aliens had not made certain black and trans-neongreen parts common.

I tend to simply do this by trial and error. As Blakbird said, you will often run into situations where you cannot get an exact fit over two gears, but a small amount of slack in the chain is usually fine.

Says it all, really. This is an epic set in its size and scale, and I think it's much more well designed than the newer Unitron monorail. Even the box packaging was quite impressive, with multiple "featured parts" trays placed on top of each other and the minifigs laid out in a semicircular arrangement in the middle. I got a second set recently off ebay to add to my existing monorail layout. There were also some very rare parts in this set that were unique to it or only appeared in a service pack, like the trans-blue antennas and canopy extender, the white panels, the gray round arrow tiles and the single-height 9V wire. The later versions of this set (1990) had the wire replaced by the standard double-height kind, as the single-height one was somewhat prone to breaking. The set also came with a kind of cardboard background to place behind the set. It wasn't very large but was still a nice addition. There is a picture of it here. Did your copy include that? I didn't notice the half-legged guy before. I need to find that on my box.

I am not at all negative about these sets like the other guy, but I'm reserving my judgment. We only have pictures of one set and half of another set, taken from a single angle where you can't make out that much, so I don't know how you can say that they are "obviously" well designed. I remember MM initially looking awesome in the first previews too, but turning out to be something of a disappointment. Personally, I would be a lot more inclined to get the bad guy sets, simply because they appear to use only "good" colors from the brick quality point of view. The SP sets (like many things from the last two years) would have to be exceptionally good for me to buy them at full price, at least until TLG cleans up their production problems.

I forgot to say earlier that I absolutely love the new Space Police logo and emblem. It's even better than the old ones IMO.

I definitely like the color schemes here. They are essentially the same as the Futuron/Exploriens and Ogel colors. It's hard to make out much more though. The main problem I had with the MM/aliens is that many of the sets felt hollow and empty, with little in the way of an interior. I can't really tell if these new lines have done anything to address that. At least that SP ship's cockpit looks sizeable and the guy seems to be able to sit upright. The space hot rod is a great concept as well.

I have some pieces from a brand called PECO (that's what it says on the studs). I don't know where I got them, but those are the worst quality bricks I've seen and sound similar to what you describe. Many of them don't even fit together since the rubbery plastic is deformed. Megablock quality is gold compared to those. I also have some from an unknown brand with happy faces on the studs, and another one called Atco (incompatible with Lego, but similar concept).

For the set I mentioned, I basically went by my parents' memory. I liked cars in general and wanted any car related toys back then. I don't remember building that particular set, although I can recall many things from age 3 onward, including where exactly I built each set for the first time.

Yeah. They were originally designed to switch between gear ratios in a transmission box, but were later used to split up geartrains, as done in the Space Shuttle and other sets.

This review had me laughing quite a bit, especially this bit: It's the bulldozer driver. Indy took his dozer, so he needs a new job.

Your setup looks great. I like how you have some of the old Brick Kicks/Mania Magazine posters on the wall.

It's good to see some first-hand evidence on this. TLG claimed to have fixed yellow a few months ago, so maybe the new yellow is starting to show up in sets now. Do you know how the bricks compare to the ones from, say, five or six years ago? (see this for an example) Certain types of non-ABS parts have always looked slightly different in color, but for the last two years or so the main ABS bricks have had problems as well. I have skipped or held off buying a lot of sets due to that.

There was actually a long thread on this at some point, but it's been a while so another one won't hurt. Mine was this, which I got sometime in 1987 or 1988 at age 1: I have lost some of the pieces from my original copy but got a second, new one off ebay last year. The printed Shell panels are especially nice and are unique to this set.

Very in-depth review. I think that fan is just part of the engine's cooling system, although the Bionicle piece they used for it looks somewhat strange. I love the last picture with the crazy Indy. I may get this set later in the year, if and when the yellow brick quality improves (as TLG claims it will). I have the big Technic bulldozer but this one is nice in its own way. As that picture suggests, there are some huge bulldozers out there used for mining and excavation, so the scale is not necessarily too big. It depends on what their concept for the model was.

Nice interview. Personally, one of the reasons I originally registered here (aside from the friendly community and the wide variety of themes covered) was in fact the "leaker reputation." Despite any changes that have taken place, EB still seems to be one of the more unbiased/non-fanboy sites when it comes to that issue.

I posted a quick example of the color saturation problem that I had described on the first page. TLG has shed some light on this issue since I made that post, but I'm not sure exactly when they expect the colors to back to the old levels in actual, shipping sets. It would be great if you could find out any more information on this, Copmike.

I wonder if there are any out there. The oldest AFOL I've seen was an 80 year old woman at Brickfair last year, who had actually made some quite nice MOCs.

There was a brief period around 2002 or 2003 when the upper age limit was 99. The box for my 8455 Backhoe says ages 11-99 on it.

The question is more of a hypothetical one. The airplane will always take off in real life because it's impossible to make a treadmill that does anything like what the problem says.