Davey

Hey everyone! I finally finished my GIF for the Big Rig Truck Stop (Set #6393). Now I just need to learn the XML bit and get that part done. Enjoy! -Dave

True...but seeing as I have no 12V stuff and it is very expensive to acquire here in the US, I went with the 9V method. -Dave

Great work putting some of those crazy Bionicle parts to good use! I really like all the interior details, especially the chandelier. The tiled floor is a nice touch as well and the red/gray color scheme in the 'sword room' really works! Great job! -Dave

Doh! You are absolutely right. It should just be MIRV tipped kittens. My bad. My Egyptian cotton bath sheet from Target? I need to get better photo backgrounds someday. -Dave

There just might be. -Dave

aawsum = machine You my friend are a force to be reckoned with. Great work developing all these GIF's. :thumbup: -Dave

I will start on set #6393 Big Rig Truck Stop. Should take me a couple days since I have some other stuff going on, but I will get it done. -Dave

Wow! Lots of good additions the past few days! Way to go aawsum! Eventually when I have some more time, I will have to add to these. -Dave I agree wholeheartedly that this thread (or a newly organized variation of it) should be a permanent fixture at the top of 'Train Tech'. I also like the idea of linking the images off-site to somewhere such as Brickshelf or Flickr. The first response of the thread should probably just be continually updated with all of the information such as what is done and what needs to be done. I agree with aawsum that additional files such as PDF's should be kept to a minimum (better if not used at all). We'll also need to figure out how to deal with updated versions of GIF's if someone makes a new one. As an example, I'm sure someone could build/draw better table GIF's than what I have provided thus far. -Dave

My first LEGO train set was the #7720 Battery Train Set which I received as a child. My parents paid $59.99 back in the mid-80's for this set. It was my only train set growing up. I recently built a 9V version of the engine which can be seen here. After my 'Dark Ages' my first AFOL train sets were #10133, #10020, and #10170. -Dave

Stacy and I generally use waterslide decal paper from either Vita-Cal or Testors. The decal paper comes in both transparent and white. You can usually find these at Hub Hobby, Hobby Lobby, or other local hobby stores. If you need to print white graphics (or are placing the decal on a dark colored element), you will have to use the white paper...which in my opinion does not seem to work as well as the transparent. I should say I have not had good luck printing with an inkjet on the white paper. I'm not sure why though. If you are printing only colors and are putting the decal over a lighter color (tan, white, yellow, light gray, lime, orange, etc.) then you can use the transparent paper. You can see some examples of decals we have made below. I think everything below used transparent decal paper. Hope this helps. -Dave

Awesome!!! I love the color scheme and this is just a great overall build. I especially love the fountains and all of the palm frond work. Excellent design and I can't wait to see the working elevator. :thumbup: -Dave

Which in my opinion is a very sad reality. Take it from a krusty old guy like me...treasure your play time. It goes by far too fast. But I think you already know that. It's those other TFOL's I'm worried about. -Dave

Exactly my personal definition of play. As you note, it seems that everyone has a different idea of what 'play' is. I think that is what makes LEGO elements so unique. Even with so many definitions of 'play'...LEGO elements are still able to support and nurture all of the various ways that adults and childre view 'play'. This is the essence of what makes LEGO elements such an amazing and enduring toy. Yay! A kindred spirit! It's always nice to know I'm not alone out there. You'll come with me when the men in white coats come to take me away...right Brickster? For me it's not that I don't have the desire...it's just that I have somehow lost the ability. I think SuvieD made a good point that we may tend to "box it up, trivialize it, or deem it improper behavior for an adult to engage in." I think that pretty much sums up what has happened to me. The corporate world has almost brainwashed me into eliminating 'play'...which is really sad because some of the most creative ideas come out of 'play' which is the whole premise behind LEGO Serious Play. I bought some NERF guns last year and they have sat...in a room in my house...waiting for someone to play. I have the desire...but I seem to have lost some of the ability. I think I will have to work to get it back...and I am not sure how. I think overcoming actually caring what other people think is a big step. -Dave

Great, great topic! I have been struggling with this exact issue for awhile now. I seem to have moved away from 'play' and more towards what I would deem 'modeling' or 'display'. As a child, I used to dream up all sorts of fantastical stories and scenarios for my Minifigs to get into and then I would act them out. It was great fun and always meant I was 'swooshing' something or racing a vehicle around the city. As I have grown older, I feel like I have lost a lot of that imagination and it really bothers me. I think some of it stems from the fact that I never (even as a child) wanted anyone to see me acting out these scenarios and talking to myself. With Stacy being my LEGO buddy now, I guess I feel weird 'playing' in front of her. I know I shouldn't because she's a die-hard AFOL too, but it still feels weird. I wish I could get over that. I remember awhile back, I was in the LEGO Lair alone and I was swooshing around an X-Wing and a Tie Fighter and running around the basement making 'space noises'. All of a sudden, Stacy came down the stairs and turned the corner and there she was. I was like a deer in headlights. I stammered out something like 'Uhhh...I was...uhh...just moving these...to a...umm...different table.' She laughed as she knew I had been playing and said she thought it was cute. I felt better, but I still feel weird acting out these scenarios in my head in front of anyone...even Stacy. I wish I could recapture a lot of that imagination and desire for play. I find myself setting up elaborate scenarios on our layout...but never doing anything with them. I have a story behind almost every little scene on our layout...but I never actually 'play' with the scenes. I need to get back to doing that. Anyway, I'm rambling now. Great topic though. I'm interested to see what everyone else says on this subject. -Dave

Great work Brickster! I'm really loving watching your layout evolve. It's always cool to see what is going to show up next. Great work and I'm already looking forward to Train Town 6! -Dave

If you're thinking of getting into LDraw, you might want to check out these two books as well. LEGO Software Power Tools Virtual LEGO I have both and they are quite useful as both teaching aides and reference books when using the various LDraw tools. They do not cover LEGO Digital Designer, only the programs associated with LDraw (MLCAD, L3P, LPub, etc). Both books come with easy installation CD's, but you can also download the installer from the LDraw website. Good luck! -Dave

Nice work Gambort! I love the weathered look. The idea of using the light blue to simulate the paint fading is great! I should really look into doing some of this for my layout to give it a little more realism. Great work and thanks for sharing! -Dave

I really don't know whether our layout would be classified as simple or complex. I guess base on the definitions you gave, ours would probably be simple. As you can see, we currently have three main loops and the freight loop that encircles the whole layout has a good sized shunting yard attached to it. As others have said, the level of complexity is directly related to amount of space for me. The switch points take up a lot of room and using them in a "crossover" scheme is a pain (at least with 9V track). That's one thing I really like about the RC and PF stuff. The new double-crossover is a nice space saving tool allowing more complex layouts to be easily designed. As I start to incorporate more PF stuff, I may start to get more complicated with the layout due to having access to that piece. When it comes to shows, I build a new design each time based on the amount of space we are allocated. The complexity of the layout is governed by that. At Brickworld 2008, we have 4 operating loops that were pretty small. This year we opted to extend some of those loops to longer runs and dropped down to three loops. -Dave

Welcome to Eurobricks! Have you had a chance to hook up with Club Kockice yet? LEGO Ambassador Matija Grguric is a member and is an all around awesome guy. You should definitely get in touch with him if you haven't yet. Anyways, welcome to Eurobricks! -Dave

CopMike is my hero...hands down. This is an awesome build with some really cool rare pieces. Lovely overall design. :thumbup: :wub: -Dave

Stacy and I each purchased one of these at Brickworld 2009 and this is a great event kit! Adam did a phenomenal job on the design and it's a fun little display item for home or office. Overall, a good exclusive set. -Dave

Great review of an awesome looking event kit. I'll be eagerly awaiting the release of Space Hotties #2. -Dave

I generally leave mine sealed until I'm actually ready to build them. Over the past couple years, there have been so many good sets come out that I have amassed a bit of a collection of unopened sets I still haven't had time to build. Part of this is because I usually buy multiples of sets. Case in point was the #10179. My wife bought a first edition one for me shortly after it came out. I've left it sealed so far...and glad I did since this summer I scored another one 50%-off at Brickworld and built that one instead. So, yeah...I mainly leave them sealed until I am ready to build them or need the parts for MOCs. -Dave

The biggest advantage as others have said is that you spread the load over two motors. This will definitely prolong the motor life and allow you to pull longer trains. As Diamondback mentions above, the downside is that you are splitting the available amperage between two motors which can lead to lower speed in longer loops. The solution to this is to either use a modified controller or...if you prefer not to modify like me...you can run two controllers on one loop thereby increasing the available amperage. The key here is that both controllers have to be set at the same 'speed notch'. My layout is large enough now that I have to do this on at least two of my loops. -Dave

An Otomen is… 1) A young man with girlish interests and thoughts. 2) A young man who has talent for cooking, needlework, and general housework. 3) A manly young man with a girlish heart. The OTOMech Model TK-MM is the brainchild of the industrial design unit of ToT-LUG Industries and it is the first mech to come out of the up-and-coming design house. Weighing in at roughly 100 tons, it is designed as a mid-sized walker designed to support a ground attack. The walker stands roughly 35 feet high and can achieve ground speeds of up to 24 km/hr in transit mode. In primary attack mode, speeds are slightly lower due to diversion of power from the main drive unit to the auxiliary weapons and countermeasures systems. The OTOMech is powered by a proprietary cold fusion drive system that was sourced from the Fabuland Armored Guard Lab and Unit-design Group. As you can seen from the picture, the heart of this propulsion system is their proprietary fusion brick bearing the group’s name. Lead propulsion system researcher, Mark Larson, debuted this propulsion system as Brickworld 2009 where ToT-LUG Industries was able to source this unique power system. Here we see the cockpit of this walker complete with pilot, Lila Lamb (of Fabuland Housewives fame). The cockpit is deep within the walker to help protect the pilot as much as possible. The cockpit contains all the necessary navigation equipment and ancillary weapons systems controls. The rear of the walker is fully shrouded in an advanced composite armor designed to protect all the key propulsion systems. In addition, the armor is self-repairing (to a point) allowing itself to repair minor damage on-the-fly. Key to any mech is the weapons system and The OTOMech has an exciting array. Below the body of the mech are two 155mm cannons. The missile pod is capable of carrying 16 ‘Otaku’ class missiles capable of N-LOS (Non-Line of Sight) firing. However, the crown jewel of this mech is the ‘Kitty Cannon’ that fires standard kitties capable of being tipped with multiple MIRV’s. Another couple shots of the legs and armor covering. Additional weapons can be attached to the legs, if needed. However, this proves to be rare as top speed is greatly reduced due to the additional load on the gyroscopic stability system. As you can see here, multiple guidance and targeting kitties are used to feed sensor data to the cockpit. On downside of this configuration is that they are greatly exposed to enemy fire. But they look so cute! This mech can be posed fairly well for being a larger walker. Weight and overall center of gravity tend to be the main issues with posing this mech. Fourth Wall Commentary: I’ve never built a mech before, but I got assigned the category in the first round of the 2009 MOCOlympics. As I was sketching out various ideas for this, I felt I needed to try something that nobody else had ever done. It needed to be something that would defy the traditional mech genre. The OTOMech Model TK-MM represents my ‘girlish’ side that enjoys things like fashion, shopping, and Shojo manga. Thanks to Mark Larson for the Fabuland Armored Guard Lab and Unit-design Group ‘power brick’. -Dave