Gnac

Just for you, Jim: That's the best I can do with donor parts for now :B

I have a box full of polystyrene packing peanuts that might be good for this.

I'll flip a table if they aren't. These have been squatting in my "save for later" list for about a month.

To my surprise it has! (something like 1097, so not 1166 like i was saying all the time hehe) I actually got 1,164 out of Jim's inventory photos after adding all the bits to my offline stockroom app. I'm sometimes one item short because I don't add sticker sheets (which count as a part), but there's possibly more than one sticker sheet ("My other Volvo is a EW160E" bumper sticker?), or some super-mystery thing yet to be revealed. Same case with the Claas inventory - two parts shy of the official count.

It's about time LEGO stopped bludging and gave you lot something official! Hopefully this means Oz won't get mugged so much on prices now.

NOICE. It already looks like a huge improvement on the old one. Cheers for the pics and inventories Jim - both this and the Claas have some nice surprises. I didn't expect to see three of these in there, and I'm actually getting excited for different lengths of pneumatic tubing what is wrong with me

It doesn't have to be positioned neatly

Can the truck "accidentally" fit on the conveyor?

Some potential here for Carcassonne.

Yeah, I'm aware of all such as "the entire grille on 8109 is brick-built" and similar things. I heard the problem was much worse 20 years ago, when system bricks even had HOLES through them.

As someone who is wrestling with the idea of flogging a CREATOR collection to buy more Technic crack, I am already grumpy about this. I need to keep a separate tub just for all the System stuff wot adorns Technic models when they're unbuilt. Looking at that tub already makes me regret what I might do. Of course I WILL be getting it anyway, once Amazon knocks £40-50 off the RRP.

Link or it didn't happen

The holes in the track segments are about the same depth as those in half beams, so the pegs you're seeing there are most likely these.

I recently managed to buy two blue pneumatic air tanks for £6.50 each; can't wait to get them so I can suss out how to they'll fit into my 42043. Speaking of which... a while back I got one of the small pneumatic cylinders from that set for only 99p(!) No idea how it went un-noticed with no other bidders. There's also a complete pack of hoses for £10 - not a braggable price, but worth it for their essential utility. So much squeezy pumpin' fun ahead, awww yeah.

PC Black IR, technically a total of 0 (zero) parts. It's used for the IR windows on Power Functions controllers / receivers.

http://www.brickowl.com/search/catalog?query=%20Flex%20Rod&order=name_sort https://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?catType=P&catString=527 They look pretty much the same. The "55709" refers to the DBG 11M flex axles, which are for some reason made from the wierdest floppiest material compared to the others. The 12M axles shouldn't have that number though. I like that Brickowl goes the extra mile to distinguish between different moulds and materials instead of coalescing them. Buying stuff like that on BL can sometimes be a gamble.

These are great for getting 1/2 stud offsets in various directions: And of course, these old things are always useful: You could probably get stuff done with this too (I haven't, haha)

The older pump has a single through-hole at the bottom, and the ability to add technic bricks or t-plates can provide extra mounting holes to allow it to be stabilised vertically. If the new pump is completely studless, it would need extra integrated holes or some external bracing to stop it from moving about. I don't know how likely it is that the pump will actually BE studless, but those are the possibilities in the event that it is.

If the price of the LiPo batterybox is the issue, it may be worth getting the similar form factor AAA box if you have the batteries on hand. Space is at a premium in the U8043 - it's pretty neatly packed in there. Having said that... Things can be made more compact if required for aesthetics :B

The older yellow pumps with exposed springs had them too, and there are cases of people motorising them. What I'm particularly interested in though, is the base - whether or not it will still have stud cavities on the bottom.

Most definitely. Using the small motor-driven pump, there's too long a wait for the system to refill with air after opening a switch valve, resulting in some frustration when trying to actually perform realistic scenarios. The manual pump takes 2-3 presses for the system to quickly refill. I've decided to completely remove the batterybox (the grabber rotation and outriggers can be moved manually, and I don't mind losing the tipping functionality) to fit the pump in the space between the orange beacons. Now to look for some cheap air tanks, hah.

Well that switch assembly thingamajig for the PF batterybox is sort of interesting, and is that the first decent look at the new manual pump? I want three of those already.

Why are you doing this to yourself

Why not combine the two, get Kate Beaton onboard as a consultant, and call it... STEAMPINK.