DrJB

Thank you. I have about 250 sets, and going through them will be long and laborious. I started buying Lego in 2003. Back then, TLG did NOT provide parts lists in the instructions. I did ask a question in the BL forum, and now waiting for answers there as well. Well ok, not often, but sometimes ... happy now? I have proofs and would keep a list but who has the time for that? In any event, here is example to prove this point: Look up the part below 48912c01 https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=48912c01&idColor=85#T=C&C=85 BL says set Set 8369 has two of such part ... WRONG, I have such set, and it came with only one. Oh yes, I did inform BL many years ago about this, it has not been corrected yet. Correction - It turns out I have the B-model. The A-model uses 2 springs, the B-model only 1. BL is thus correct and I am wrong... but I learned something new today... that the Racers came in A & B alternate builds. Now, your point about BL being community driven ... this means it's volunteer work i.e., no rigorous checks & balances process, and this means most likely there are mistakes in there. I'll add this, many men (17%) have some sort of color blindness, where they cannot tell the difference between blue and purple (true fact). Could it be possible that, the set that has my purple parts was inventoried by a well-intentioned man, who was also color-blind? Not criticizing BL, just trying to find possible explanations. Here are photos. In fact, I suspect these were mixed in set 4957 Ferris Wheel. The set comes with 32 such parts, and I only have 32 of them (total). Could this be color variation? Incidentally, looking at the underside of the parts (photo below), it appears the two colors came from different molds. The set was manufactured/sold in 2007. Did TLG have color consistency issues back then?

I have these dark purple parts mixed in with many (blue) from set 4957. Could it be possible that somehow blue got discolored into dark purple? Typically discoloration happens unevenly (whichever part is facing the sunlight). Unless somehow I got a set with mixed colors ??? Edit: Yes, all parts were blue when I got the set new. After few years in storage, some have decided to morph into a different shade ... that some on here call 'Brittle Blue'.

Thank you Alexandrina. Those are definitely from a set as that's typically my only source. The only extra parts I buy are usually 'new' from bricklink, and they are Technic. Also, I recall, I have several Ninjago sets (the kids were into that a while back) and the dark purple was a common color in that theme (same as lavender is for friends today). My suspicion is that the bricklink inventory could be inaccurate (I've seen that few times). Is there another site out there that would have such information? I tried Peeron but to no avail @Brickbuilder0937. These are definitely not megablocks as I only buy new lego sets. Plus, the studs have 'lego' on them. I did check the color again, against parts from set 2263 (I have such set). There are few parts in there that are dark purple(visible in the photo below), and the color matches perfectly. So, it is a definitely dark purple. Which set is it from? ... that's the nagging mystery.

Correct, the 42099 planetaries can be retro-fitted, but you missed the point. My argument is more about 'realism'. I work on Construction machines for a living, and the Final drive is a heavy/bulky gearbox that is attached to the dozer's chassis. For $450, I would expect TLG to come up with somewhat of an 'authentic' design. Also, another piece of 'realism' that is totally missing in 8275 is the fact that the two track frames are 'articulated'. This is done to allow the dozer to travel easily (and not lose grip) on uneven terrain, where the two tracks need not be parallel to one another. In the picture below, the sprockets (with teeth) are on the left, and they connect to the final drives (where I hope they'll put planetaries) i.e., fixed to the chassis. To the left, there are smooth wheels (no teeth, called idlers) and those can move up down (with the track frames) to accommodate for uneven terrain. Those idlers are mounted on spring-loaded 'tensioners' for recoil. In the middle, the equalizer beam in red is attached to the chassis in the middle, and with cylindrical joints to the left and right track frames... Just a quick/short lecture on dozer kinematics :) As you can see, for $450, I have high expectations ... beyond the remotes and fancy App.

I have several of this part in Dark Purple. It comes from a set I bought a while back, but I do not recall which it is. I did a search in Bricklink, and such part does not exist in Dark Purple ... Anyone has a clue which set such part comes from? Edit: It turns out the parts are not dark purple, but discolored blue from Set 4957. There are 32 such parts, and after several years in storage (inside dark closet), some of them have remained blue while others show some noticeable discoloration. Also, the blue vs others come from different molds (looking at the inscriptions underneath). They appear dark purple to me, but apparently many who responded disagree. So be it.

I'm not sure if the hub from 42099 will fit. That one is a combination planetary reduction + Steering knuckle. Unless they package it somehow in a new housing. Still, curious to see how they'll manage that. In the end, I'm after 'function+realism', and all dozers I've worked on do have a final planetary (multi-stage) drive.

I see potential for multiple NEW parts, and not talking about just colors. Given the size of the final drive, I suspect a planetary gear system ... And if the tag price is confirmed (US $450), most likely a combination of LAs and Pneumatics. Any photos yet?

Regarding the 18+ labeled sets ... I am not sure what this really means, as it could be interpreted in many different ways: 1. So that us AFOLs do not feel too bad about buying toys for ourselves 2. The set is very difficult, if my 14-year-old son can build it, it's proof he's a genius, way ahead of his time. This lego stuff is a true investment into my kid's brain development. 3. Up the WAF (Wife-Acceptance-Factor) ... this is not wasted money on a toy, it's an adult thing 4. Set includes minifigs with more realistic anatomical features I have not bought any 18+ sets yet ... but I bet the instructions are still written for a 6-year old i.e., one part per step per page.

I concur, you're absolutely correct. This has happened as well in the Target next door. They did a whole store renovation few months ago (in the middle of the pandemic), and they now have a dedicated section for adult Lego ... I guess they were anticipating more grown-ups to purchase such items, in light of the home confinement. What I also noticed is now many Target stores tend to have a larger Technic/Star-Wars selection. In the past they only had small sets, and the larger sets were available only on-line (I bought my 4083 from Target.com). Now however, they carry large sets ($150-200) in store as well. To @nerdz4prez point, and based on which store you go to, the selection tends to vary. They do cater to the neighborhood, and if a specific area does not have big spenders, the store has a smaller selection. This is true not just for Lego, but I've also seen it for drones and Smart-Home devices as well. Target has been looking for ways to redeem themselves and attract more customers, ever since the large data breach they had a couple of years back. Walmart is 'everywhere' and has stuff for everyone ... whereas Target is still searching for its own niche. Need to venture a bit more into other neighborhoods I guess.

Very valid arguments you have here. Regarding your first question, I'll add this: I'm an AFOL with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. As such, I come to Lego (primarily Technic) not for the flashy colors, but to reproduce and explore functions and mechanisms I learned while in school. Whether it is the clever adder/subtracter contraptions with differentials, the paddle-shift transmissions, the Torsen differentials, holonomic/meccanum wheels, the pneumatic machines with intricate Boolean logic, Platonic Solids (my avatar) and Tessellations. All of these, and there is a much bigger list, are really NOT for kids. In a sense, I see Lego as a prototyping platform for mechanical engineers, very much like Arduino is for electrical/electronics. Then you can always mix the two and move into Mechatronics. For that, need to go see how Mindstorms got started, after a joint venture between Lego and MIT in the mid 90's. Incidentally, that is what sparked my renewed interest in Lego back then ... we had micro-controllers and plenty of gears, axles, and technic beams (lift-arms were not that big back then), and had to build functional/programmable machines (fighting bots). As to question #2, those of us old enough to remember the old lego sets (My first was 851), would have a different opinion here. We've come to expect 'more' from lego than just build it once and display it (and let it collect dust). In the old days, there were universal sets too, and instructions to build multiple contraptions. After one has acquired/purchased many sets, one should have enough parts/colors to build 'anything' they want. However, this seems to pose an existential threat to Lego as not many people would buy sets anymore. Hence TLG keeps on coming up with new parts, new colors, and authentic vehicles that many of us relate to (and dream of). There will be a mix of opinions here for sure, but I'm with the camp that says Lego sets are becoming too expensive here and especially now that you have to buy a specific set to get that special part. This is not true only for Technic, but also others. A while back my son wanted the Green Ninja from the Ninjago series, and that minifig was exclusive to a single top $ set. Yes there is Bricklink if you always want the latest part in a unique color ... and many of us will always find a way to b*tch about any aspect of this hobby. In the end though, it's a personal choice, and if you want the top toys (rarest parts), gotta be willing to pay the price.

Regarding ALL other parts (non-metal). What I found to be very effective is dishwasher soap (not for hand washing). That stuffs 'eats' up the dust and does not leave many bubbles behind. I'd fill a kitchen sink with hot water and dishwasher liquid, dump all the parts in there, let soak and mix few times, then rinse and put on a towel to dry. No brush, air-spray or anything that's too much work. As for the metallic parts (LAs, pneumatics, shocks, ...) wet cloth, one item at a time. The last thing you want is moisture then rust/corrosion

About 15 years ago I bought a Lego Williams F1 (8461). My intention was to build it but I already had the Silver Champion 8458. I paid $200 + $50 shipping from Germany. Today it's worth about $1000. It's still in its box. So BusterHaus is correct, after 15 years, it increased 4× in value. BusterHaus is also correct about investments i.e., use the stock market ... you do not need storage space and concern that the box gets damaged or the house catches fire. You must also keep in mind that in the past, most people would buy lego to play with. This trend of collecting/investing is fairly recent. Which means, many people out there have the same idea as you do, and in 20 years, there will be many of such vehicles available from collectors. Proof? Look at 41999, its original price was $200, it sold for $400 about 7 years ago (they were in high demand), and today, 7 years later, it still hovers around $400. This investing/collecting trend might not be as lucrative as it once was ... at least my personal opinion.

For a while I thought the arms holding the warp drives were made up of thin 1×2 lift-arms and I could not figure out how a cross-axle would connect at both ends. Then ... looking at the parts list, I see you're using a 1×2 plate with round corners (shown below). Such part is rather new to me as I've been away from lego for few years now. Plus, I build primarily in Technic. The more I look at this model, the more I appreciate your build technique. Fantastic job!

That's beautiful! A while back, a fellow member on here posted photos of 2 vehicles but he later deleted him and his account is no longer available. I hope he's well. Nonetheless, with a couple other members from the community, we did LDDs of the 2 vehicles, and they turned out alright. Check them out in the thread below. TO me, it was very refreshing to see vehicles that are 'not' supercars, yet with many functions. Look towards the end of the discussion. That's were the final screenshots and LDD files are.

Yes, the same basic information is there, but on the page I shared, all the info is tabulated in a single table, near the bottom right .. very concise and easy to have lots of information in one shot.

I have one question for the Technic Parts Experts :) Today we have a multitude of tools when searching for parts. One of the best sites (to me) out there is peeron.com, as it offers, for any given part, all available colors and what year they were produced. I have not found such tool on other sites. Yes, the information is there, but a bit difficult (requires many clicks) to extract. For example I'm looking for all available colors for the various angled connectors. Anyone knows an easy way to obtain/compile such information? Here is a sample page from peeron.com http://www.peeron.com/inv/parts/32015 One more question. Any way to tell whether these are genuine lego parts? It's on aliexpress so, I have my doubts https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001697480769.html?src=google&albch=shopping&acnt=494-037-6276&isdl=y&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&aff_platform=google&aff_short_key=UneMJZVf&&albagn=888888&albcp=9765961330&albag=100795971798&trgt=893380455986&crea=en1005001697480769&netw=u&device=c&albpg=893380455986&albpd=en1005001697480769&gclid=CjwKCAiAouD_BRBIEiwALhJH6MrQgj10Jt5S67XsqtZpE5SKiEzbNr8g3AQDgIQ69L-um34FVVZlrBoCXA8QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds By the same token, that website offers metallic cardans, that appear sturdier than the original Lego-branded ones. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001253321277.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000060.2.5d9045e122wMFF&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreThisSeller&scm=1007.13339.169870.0&scm_id=1007.13339.169870.0&scm-url=1007.13339.169870.0&pvid=5e0882c1-54b7-47f5-b253-3675011dda88&_t=gps-id:pcDetailBottomMoreThisSeller,scm-url:1007.13339.169870.0,pvid:5e0882c1-54b7-47f5-b253-3675011dda88,tpp_buckets:668%230%23131923%236_668%23888%233325%237_668%232846%238113%231998_668%232717%237567%23917_668%231000022185%231000066058%230_668%233468%2315608%23160 Ok, should stop 'promoting' non-lego stuff.

Thank you, that's a very good find. Back to your Klingon's model, you are very skilled at using parts in very unique/novel situations. My hat to you Sir.

Granted, we already have plenty of StarWars inspired sets, but really, the Federation and its allies/foes has a great collection of fantastic ships. Any reason (documented) as to why TLG has not done any official Star-Trek set? WOuld that be an overkill? Does the Star-Wars licensing/agreement prohibit TLG from pursuing any other Sci-Fi theme? Many SW fans out there while, religiously following everything SW, are equally Star-Trek fans. Of the many potential ships I can name the NextGen Enterprise, the Romulan WarBird, DS9 station, .. and many many more. Or is it that TLG has missed the boat on this, and Star-Trek fans are older nowadays, and the market is not as big ?

Beautiful! Since you're so good at this, I would really love to see a Romulan Bird-of-Prey (different from the Klingon's)

Simply beautiful. What are the black & white pieces at the back of the warp drives? Edit: Ah, never mind. It's a spherical joint/connector and a small rubber tire. Clever use!

I saw that too and was wondering if one can add some micro lights and have them fire every other revolution ... That would be real slick. In fact, a while back, many Lego engine blocks were made in trans-clear. Not to digress too much ... but here we are, some of us 'annoyed' by these cheap/not-so-legal replicas/imitations yet I wonder, I'm sure China has its own AFOL community (unless they're all doing the DJI Robomasters, ipo Lego FLL). What is their opinion/perspective? Are they annoyed as we are, they like it because it makes the hobby affordable, proud of a national product, couldn't care less, there is justified demand for this, a mixed bag of sorts? Do we have any world citizens from that part of the planet in this forum/community ... or do they have a chinabricks.cn 'sister' site? Yes, I'm way off-topic.

Thank you @LvdH - Still I find it 'odd' that the community is 'accepting' original designs, even though they're made with non-lego bricks. But, that's a totally different discussion ...

Are CADA sets made with authentic lego parts? ... Their prices are rather low. Never mind, first time I come across such brand.

Since we're talking about Bruno's knock-off's ... how about this one? The box looks rather fancy, but for $200, the quality for sure won't compare with authentic Lego. Thoughts ? https://www.buildingtoystore.com/en/cada-c61042-ferrari-pista-488-supercar-master-series-remote-control-building-blocks-toy-1009.html

The other thing you can do is look for specific parts (for example the wheel rim), get the number from it (very small typically), and then look in Bricklink which set that part came with. If it's an old set, there might be few possible sets, then you can visually identify if any of them match the partial model that you have.