xenologer

this is why I probably will be limiting my own ships to small ones they take up less space, dont hog my brick supply, and I can SWOOSH! them with the big ones, if you want to swoosh, you have to set it on the shelf(its too heavy to hold), then move your head back and fourth real fast, but that makes you dizzy so its no fun... :-D

Just noticed when I wanted to order a few of my own models that they are Inexplicably Not Available for purchase. After some careful experimenting, I determine that the big Tires part 30391 are the key factor, removing them makes the set Available Now. Its not just my sets either, checking through the online galleries, every set that uses that part is Not Available. I'm emailing Customer Service, but has anyone here also notice and gotten a reply already? The tire is still in the brick pallets as Available Bricks....They dont seem to have expired anything... So, Bug?

Well, even with all the technic beams taking up so much space... Lets put it this, way, thats pretty similar to how real submarines are made, and they somehow find room for interiours. Looking at this one in particular, the main body looks like it has a hollow down the center big enough for a minifig sized corridor.. you could line it with bunk beds potentially.... Oldstyle System passenger airplanes weren't much wider... So I don't see technic skeleton's as necesarially being a barrier to having playability and interiours...

Lately I've been seeing ships that follow this trend, and it annoys me: It's built at 2 different scales! from the outside, its clearly a Very Large Microscale ship. (no, the windows do not count) but from the inside, its all hollowed out with a minifig scale interiour. Makes me think its more like a 'playset', you've seen hasbro toys like that -where a ship in a small scale unfolds to be an interiour section of itself...

Nope, I've never heard of anyone calling a microwave oven a magnetron. Okay... I have no idea where this topic is going since its too long to read it all. But Space right? lately since Lego hasn't been doing anything with Space as a theme (StarWars license is a different idea from 'Space as a theme') I've been generally taking any figs from City sets that have closed suits/uniforms and adding helmets to make spacemen. Firemen, some Construction workers, and the Ferrari pit crew all work pretty well.

Got a reply from customer support. They say that the developers agree it is a bug and will fix it in the next LDD version. (who knows when that will be) *shrug*

Part number 3680 the little 2*2 Turntable. I was just thinking about this, Every single official set I have ever seen, has always had the top and bottom halves of the turntable pre-assembed as a single complete piece. However, it is possible (and sometimes used by MOCers) to separate the two halves. So, does someone have to snap them all together by hand when they pop out of the moulding machines? or is there a separate machine that does this automatically? And heres a crazy thought, LDD treats the top and bottom as 2 separate bricks (possibly because of the way hinges work in LDD). Suppose I order a LDD model, that conatains only the top half of a turntable, does that mean someone has to manually snap apart a 'complete turntable' from the bins to package my model? (assuming they are manufactured 'complete') or would they not even bother, and just toss the entire assembly top+bottom into the bag? If that is the case... there is potential perhaps for 1/2price turntables.... This might be worth testing, what are your theories on this? 'complete assembly' piece, or separate pieces? ps. has anyone here ordered a LDD model that used turntables? did they arrive as a complete assembly like in Official sets? or as separated parts?

I noticed a odd discrepancy in LDD. peeron part #4081b Clip Light In real life, the clip portion should be located slightly above the center of the plate. But in LDD the clip is centered level with it. Noticed it when trying to duplicate a Real costruction in LDD, and found that things wouldn't fit right because of the difference.... I can see that no one would notice in the course of 'normal' building, since this piece is typically used for small cosmetic details (like making a light as the name implies) But it turns out to be highly annoying to me since I do a lot of SNOT building using it... anyhow, I've reported the discrepancy to TLC customer support. Tho I dunno how seriously they're going to take me... Would any other advanced builders like to observe the problem and send their request as well? PS might as well make a topic out of this: Any other wierd mistakes you've seen with LDD? (clumsy controls is a different issue, I'm reffering to actual mistakes and bugs here)

NOPE! the only good that comes of this is the software seems slightly cleaner ohwell I wonder when they'll get more bricks....

Oh, looks like they updated the website now it's all shiny and Macromedia Flash based now - sucks, Id prefer the simpler one that loads quickly than the buggy flashy one.... even has errors if you try to search by username... someone forgot to iron out all the bugs before going primetime...

Yep, It's definetly auto-uptdate itself. Now my cursor is fancier, changes between different hand icons depending on what action I'm doing. But the important thing is, that connections seem to work a lot better. And it seems smart enough to deal with multiple hinges in parallel! I havent discovered what other changes are in place yet. But theres not mentions on the official site that I have seen yet... when it first autoupdated, it seemed o have some kinda crashing problem, but i deleted the 'bricks' folder and it seem to reload them all and work ok after that....

heh, actually it started out yellow as a construction/utility vehicle theme. But just the other day I bought Heavy Loader, so I figure I have enough yellow bricks for now; changed it to green since I really don't have too much of it... You'll be happy to know then, that this was designed/built entirely using real bricks. I only made the LDD model afterwards, so everyeone else can have one. the software just isn't good enough for designing things with moving parts (like the steering mechanisms) so I'll typically design at least a mock-up (with less details,bad colors) in real bricks before or simultaneously as the LDD model.

The Original: ReBirth Version: Yep. I've decided to rebuild a Classic Space set in LDD Factory. Now, Since LDD doesn't have exactly the same pieces, some changes had to be made. Most notably the two big steering hinges were not available, and had to be replaced with stacks of 2*3plate/w hole pieces and technic pins. The Steering Mechanim still works, even with the different hinge design. This did however, lead to a snowball effect of changes to make them fit, so the underlying construction is pretty much new... Decided to make this a 're-Imagined' set, and made a few detail changes while I was at it: headlights, taillights, a trailer hitch (its basically a space tractor), etc. As well as make it a nice shade of green; If you want white or other colors, simply download to LDD and repaint a copy. If you have spare technic triple connector pins. I recomend using them to replace the rods holding the hinges together, for extra strength. Purchase it Here. Anyone buying one besides me? P.S. if anyone else rebuild's working 'copies' of great Classic Space sets, I'd love to see them. If enough of them get bought, maybe TLC will get some ideas....

Now all it needs is the Rhotuka spinner on the back. :-D

Nice except the legs need more development. (just imagine how hard it would be to walk if You had no knees) at the moment, it looks more like a Lunar Lander type craft to me.... just add knee joints so the legs are less tripod-like and it'll be fine

Thanks, Nope, its MF Scale. The 'head' is hollow and flips up on click hinges so a driver can fit inside. Kind of like an upside down bathtub with windows. I made a mock-up of that area using real bricks to test it, and a MF with a motercyckle helmet and no backpack just barely fits. Hmmh 1621, Actually I was looking at 6895 when I was building this, but the mechanism is the same. The only difference is that its like attaching two of 1621 back to back so the rear wheels move too.

Working on my most complex LDD Factory MOC ever: It's a Space Buggy, probably used for exploration Holds 1 minifig (he cannot be wearing a backpack, and must be having a not too big helmet to fit inside) Has Working 4 Wheel Steering. Uses the same steering mechanism as 6895 Spy Trak, however LDD doesn't have the large hinge pieces needed So I had to improvise by using stacks of these with technic pins through them. (theyre actually a bit more compact than the real deal, I think I'll be using this for all my vehicle hinges now....) Anyhow, the InProgress part, is the tail. As you can see I just have an exposed technic beam there as a placeholder. I havent decided what should go back there yet; but it needs something to balance out the big 'head' in front. Debating on some kind of truck flatbed, or an opening trunk compartment, or maybe even a simple mini-crane with magnets to pick up a small crate (LDD *does* have train magnets) What you guys think?

Yeah, i saw this yesterday Its nice except for a few things that really bug me.... First of all.... the pilot is facing backwards. If he would put the canopy glass facing the right direction, and in the nose instead of the tail of the ship... it would look a lot more natural...and less like a SW design And what Really bugs me. is the way the yellow/black wings are attached. From what I can see, the clip points are forming a 5*6*8 plate triangle. That is not a true Right Triangle, so the clips are actually under stress as they are being streched away from one another.... he's got a 2% error in hypotenuse length. amounts to nearly 1/6th of a plate difference... (is 1/6th a plate within the manufacturing tolerance of a standard brick??) I'm ok with 'stretching' triangles... so long as the error in side length is less than the built-in brick tolerances....

LUCKY! the only thing near me(USA,CA) is a normal Lego Shop, with a simple wall of 'standard' bricks for picking. Where do you have to go to get all kinds of special pieces like that?

I like it, 'chicken walker' legs are a lot meaner looking that the 'human walker' leg design on the official exo force mechs. The only problem is the KK click joints only bend 90degrees, which makes having the ankles reach forward to step problematic for that kind of leg.... are the cockpit side armour printed? or is the blue square a sticker? I haven't seen those pieces in that color before...

Thanks for the review Looks Great after looking at your brickshelf photos.... I am seriously considering making this the most expensive set I ever purchase (how much is it USD$ btw?) It looks like it has all the elements of a MOC Space Freighter or Space Construction Vehicle. Plenty of yellow skeletal structural bricks a operators controlroom that could easily convert to a pilots seat readymade foremans module and toilet that could easily become sealed habitat modules on a spaceship. yup, just tilt the tower onto it's side to make a cargo rack spine...add some engines...rearrange the base plates into some kind of wing structure...

Definetly looks better than the old version, Removing the gun/missle pod stuff was a good choice. If you can get the cockpit glass in smoke instead of clear it might fit with the darker colors a little better... And with this, as well as the old version I do wonder... why it's called the 'Sphere'? It's not shaped like a ball... Im still not entirely sure what direction it flys in. The way the long engines are pointed, I'd guess that its like a rocket, where it launches straight up, and probably hover's using those... Maybe it's somthing like Fett's Slave1 ship... where it's supposed to flip?

Greebs, Greebles, Greeblies, etc all refer to the random little pieces stuck on top of the actual model's structure to add details and apparent complexity to mechanical areas and stuff. by definition they are never structural or planned in depth, just kinda tossed in there on top of the 'real' model. They're meant to kinda be anonymous techno junk; dont look at them too closely. The hyperdrive motor on the Millenium Falcon set for example, while it is made up of lots of little detail bits, wouldn't be a greeble since it's got a planned purpose... lately greeblies seem to be the biggest new 'fad' among space MOCs... My thought is that while some can pull it off, lots just put them in there because everyone else is doing it, and it turns out bad looking... oh look! your ship looks just like everyone elses now! how original!

The guy is clearly very good, and uses a lot of advanced design techniques. But overall I don't like that ship. Excessive use of greeblies. The ones at the rear of the engines (inverted disks on the white area) is fine, but the front red areas are just kinda ugly. If it was me id replace those with stripes or colored tiles in a nice pattern. Greeblies really aren't needed to make something that looks good, more often I think they hurt... take Soren's stuff for example, minimal if at all... It's kinda like makup i guess, 'less is more' aside from that, the general shape I dont like, reminds me of a naboo fighter, which natrually reminds me of SW...

Just how flimsy are those bridge pieces? Are they like bionicle swords? Im thinking that they have some potential in large starSHIP mocs, or in possibly a crane.... but thats assuming they can be used as major structural supports without collapsing....