rriggs

-Where are you from? Dublin, Ireland but living in Hertfordshire, England -How old are you? 34 -Name? Roger Riggs (rriggs) -male/female? Male -single or married? Married -kids, pets, imaginary friends, real imaginary friends, side personalities in minifigs/username? Just a 8 year old moggie called Tammy -what do you do for a living? Coach Driver -Any other hobbies/activities? Computers (fixing them), Films (watching them), Cars (buying them) -Why did you become a Lego fan? Can't remember it was a long time ago! -When did you start? My first set was 379 Bus Station so around 1979/1980 -Why did you join the Eurobricks community? Most active and interesting Lego forum I could find -What do you do here? Just reading (a lot) and writing (a bit). -How much time do you spend here typically? 30 minutes per day on average -How much time do you typically spend with Lego? A couple of hours a week. Tends only to be at weekends. And a few new questions -Have you gone through a "dark period" with Lego or the website? Oh yes. -Why? The usual I think. Got to the end of childhood and stopped playing with any toys. Girls, cars, beer and money were all far more interesting! -How do you feel about being part of this community? It's a great community -How do you feel about being a Lego fan? No longer embarrassed! -How do people around you view it? They accept it. Colleagues, friends & family are always telling me about bargains or new sets they've seen. Xmas & Birthday presents are nearly always Lego or Lego related. -If in a relationship, what are the interactions with them and your Lego? My wife has no interest but also has no issue. She sees it as a hobby and no different than if I fished, followed football or gardened (although I think she might actually like me to do the last one - You should see the state of my garden!) -Same as above, but for kids? and pets and so on? My cat show my Lego no respect! -What do you think about the "spirit" of the website? Its friendliness? In general, it is a good friendly website. I enjoy the severeness of some of the moderators!! (the other forum I am an active member of has no moderation at all - It's an interesting comparison for me!) -Has your relationship with Lego changed? It went away and came back again. I am more interested now in the sets as Lego intended whereas when I was younger it was only about MOCs and nothing else. Cheers Rog

I think that the Legends was just used to distinguish this set from the orginal 1986 set number 6067. Exactly the same set but re-released. This is a great set and and nice review. I own the orginal 6067 and it always features in both my Castle and Town/City projects (where it works nicely as a medievel inn in an old part of a town). So many cool features and great unique pieces. Unfortunately, my flag/sign has started to wear out but I love the set nonetheless! Cheers Rog

Brilliant work! The minifig convertible is really great but the Top Gear episode is an absolute work of genius! Excellent portrayal of the presenters (and the Stig!) and a genuinely funny script. You have caught the essence of the show and the presenters personalities really well. Probably my only criticism would be that you clearly watch Top Gear as much as I do and that is simply far too much! Nice one! Cheers Rog

I have no problem answering questions or sharing info. If you come up with a questionaire or anything you want filled out, feel free to send it my way! Cheers Rog

I've uploaded both on Factory if you really wanted the instructions! Big one approved and the 4 wide pedning approval. The prices are steep but tempting!! £25 for the biggie. £10 for the 4 wide version. I might even get both! Cheers Rog

They look good and have some nice details. I particularly like the road surfaces and the great use of grilles as rainwater drains. Nice one! I'll definately be nicking that idea... Cheers Rog

MISB = *M*int *I*n *S*ealed *B*ox ie: As it left the factory and unopened. Generally (but not exclusively) used to describe sets that have not been opened but that are older than the current range. In this case, it does not sound like any kind of MISB set I've ever seen. I would query it with the seller (once you have double-checked what you actually clicked on ) Cheers Rog

Here ya go! The overall proportions have had to change a little bit to keep in 4-wide scale and still fit a minifig inside but I think it works. Need to try and do something better with the exhausts and fuel tanks but I'm quite pleased as a first effort at this scale. Cheers Rog

If it's good enough for Lego, it's good enough for me! 7900 Heavy Loader I know what you mean though. It's so hard to integrate my previously large vehicles (4 wide) with those which are 6 wide or - in the case of 7900 - 8 wide. I am going to have a go at a 6 wide and maybe even a 4 wide version. Watch this space! Cheers Rog

I actually extended the length after first completing it as it looked stumpy next to 5580. American rigs of the type 5580 was originally based on were also very long. I always thought they looked odd especially as they tended to have the trailers perched right on the back of the cab's chassis. European trucks and modern US trucks don't suffer from this. Because of this and the bonnet, it's actually 10 studs longer than the cab of 7900 that it's contruction was based on. I have thought about it but my problem is bonnet access. As I tried to stick to modern truck building techniques, the grille and bumper section is a plate mounted vertically. This makes it tricky to do the bonnet hinge. It's on my to do list though!! I had planned to use 1x2 slopes until I realised they weren't in the pallette so I used 1x2 plates and 1x2 tiles in grey to create the steps. The effect is reasonable (if less authentic) but does mean that the two grey sections under the cab aren't identical in shape and size. Makes it easier for minifigs to climb in using these steps too Thanks for the positive comments! Cheers Rog

Hi I have just designed this in LDD. It is based on the Model Team set 5580 Highway Rig but has been built using modern CITY parts and building techniques. The basic structure - chassis, wheels, 5th wheel, etc - is closely based on the cab from 7900. The design is clearly recognisable as related to 5580 though. It has a proper minifig cabin (2 seats, steering wheel, computer screen and bunk). Removable roof panels means you can get minifigs in and out easily. While it has no steering I have added the spare wheel to the rear for completeness and to make it less plain looking at the rear. I have uploaded it to Factory but it will probably take a while to appear. It priced at £25 which I don't think is too bad. Just got to persuade the missus to let me buy it now Cheers Rog

15fps. I'm going to redo it and try and slow it down a bit. I (hopefully!) have a day off on Thursday so will give it a go then. Watch this space! Cheers Rog

Yay!! I get to be in the film 10 times then!! Cheers Rog

Current CITY police officer as per my avatar. You can't see the legs but they are black! Cheers Rog

I completely agree! I very nearly bought this set the other day in Tesco as the front and interior look fantastic and I thought looked like a successor to the original Model Team rig. However, closer inspection found the the rear end left a lot to be desired. The small-style cab (no sleepercab) and the plain looking coupling put me off. While there is plenty of scope for MOCing a better rear end, it has put me off for now. Cheers Rog

I really do appreciate the tutorials. I would probably never even tried this had it not been for them. I will be looking out for the next instalments! In the meantime, do you know of any editing software or techniques that you can use to slow down a clip you have already made? I recorded my short clip at 15fps but would interested in having a play about with different frame speeds. Is there anyway of just changing the frame speed on an axisting clip - Say to 10fps? I know it will get jerkier but I would like to see how much. As for my camera, I use a really cheap (you can tell from the quality of the clip!) webcam that I found in a cupboard last week. Looks like a Logitech ball webcam but has no badges or names on it. XP just detected it and installed a generic driver. SMA worked with it straight away. If I get really hooked on this (very likely ) I will invest in a better camera! Cheers Rog

Inspired by the couple of great tutorials on the forum, I downloaded SMA and had a got at a short simple Lego animation. I need to work on the speed the minifigs move and the lighting but I am quite happy with this clip as a first try. I am in the process of coming up with a longer story for my next one! Any other criticism or advise always gratefully received! The clip (7 seconds only) is here: Lego Animation Clip Cheers Rog

Nice review and you have also done me a great favour. Having read this review, I remembered that I did have one of these sets when they first came out. No idea where though so a search of the house ensued (including the loft and the shed) but nothing. A quick trip to my dad's house and a search of his loft and there it was. Abandoned during my dark years and forgotten when I left home! No instructions or box and the tree is missing but I have both bikes, both troopers and Luke - including two chrome light sabers! Even more of a bonus was I also unearthed my 7130 Snowspeeder (Hoth trooper missing ) and my 7131 Podracer!! Made my day! And all thanks to this review!! Cheers Rog

Errr... as far as I am aware, levers in Lego are generally used a antennae...?? This is meant to be similar to the towing points and/or winches found on the front of UK fire engines which are used to recover things like crashed cars. Cheers Rog

Ooo Yes!! Please do this. I think a lot of us would like to see the comparison in scale... Cheers Rog

Although I might have got a bit carried away with the equipment I think that this is nice tough fire and rescue vehicle. Key features include 6WD, front & rear tow bars for vehicle recovery, rear mounted hose, cutting equipment, fire extinguishers and several cupboards and compartments for storage of breathing aparatus, etc. This was built using parts from 7241 Fire Car, 7942 Off Road Fire Rescue & 7737 Coast Guard 4WD. Cheers Rog

I've now got the first two of these sets (police chopper & mini digger). They are really nice little sets. Not a lot of pieces in each but nice little models nonetheless. Importantly (IMO) they have nice City minifigs included (a copper and a builder obviously!). For the price (ie: Nowt) I am very happy with them. Features which I was particlrarly impressed with were: 4991 Police Helicopter As RobertB said this is a small helicopter but it does have neat features: Main & tail rotors Hinged opening roof Blue lights on the skis A small searchlight A loud hailer on the side of the chopper Steering wheel controls Minfig policeman with helmet and visor All this for £0.65 which is the price of the newspaper 5627 Mini Digger Full-size digger scoop the same as 7246 Mini Digger Proper Minifig seat and steering wheel Pick axe and pneumatic drill accessories included Nice orange suited builder minifig As this one came with the Sunday edition of the newspaper it was £0.95 which I think is still a great deal. I will be getting the rest of the sets that include minifigs but I'm not bothering with the other Creator style models. FYI - Early Learning Centre where I got my sets had just one box containing (estimated) 200 sets and there was a small queue outside the shop waiting for it to open both today and yesterday. Cheers Rog

Belated thanks guys! (was on holiday when it was my birthday and didn't know this thread even existed until now!) Thanks again guys! Cheers Rog

Congratulations and well done!! What's a regulator? Cheers Rog

On both of my compact digital cameras you press the shutter button gently/briefly in order to set the focus. Then press it again to take the shot. That seems very far! In macro mode I position my camera about 30cm away and have never had an issue. That said, I do sometimes take a wide shot of a minifig and then trim it back once uploaded using Paintshop/Photoshop. The high res of modern cameras mean that works well. I like an appropriate background (normally out of focus) behind my minifig close-ups! I use a tripod and I either use the timer (which is hassle and makes everything take longer) or I use my non-photo-taking hand to hold the camera and tripod extra steady. Works every time. I also make sure that I take (at least) two of each shot and then select the clearest and best once they've uploaded to my PC. Several different angles each time too. What looks good on a 2-3 inch screen can be a whole heap different once it's proper-sized! Cheers Rog