Freddie

"Hi, I'm Freddie - I'm a train addict" Well, at least partially - I really do like trains, possibly because its one of very few themes LEGO has where movement under own power is a key aspect of it. I've been fascinated by the power they display, and the grace that several passengers trains and even some hauling trains have - and LEGO trains I've been into ever since I got to play with my cousin's LEGO trains. My reason for posting now, and not sooner (though I've been checking out the train forum, if only briefly) is due to a shift in my life, when going from student to actually have a job that earns me money, and the latter taking up several hours of my spare-time in just getting to work and home again. Still, last weekend Brikkelauget had a display at Asker Kulturhus, in connection with the latter's five-year anniversary. With a majority being town builders, trains obviously had its presence: two 9V-loops, with the larger loop ironically being mainly used for a pair of Emerald Nights (working 1.5-hour shifts) hauling a six-metres(!) long mixed freight train. The idea was originally to have the larger loop used for a train modelled after a real one, but we ended up running endurance tests of the PF-systems instead, to the great joy of the public - especially the parents when they initally mention to the kids to check out the train's length as it comes rolling out of the tunnel, then start to realise that the train is indeed very, very long. And the speed? I'm guesstimating it averaged 2-2,5cm/s, obviously going faster with a freshly charged battery and slower towards the end of the shift, when the other locomotive would reach full charge and would take over. It's a pity nobody took a movie of it - it was a majestic sight seeing a single locomotive pull a train that long at that pace - made a nice rumble and everything. It was enough for us agreeing to construct a specific PF-loop for the next major, public display. We still agreed that it can't truly replace 9V, and as such we'll still have 9V-loops, it certainly deserves its own place next to it, because it certainly is worthy of use for displays. EDIT: A picture of the entire display, with the freight train up front, is now up on brickshelf! A bit of caution though, since its 2266x685 pixels!

Happy birthday, Peppermint M!

All options are fine for me.

I'm mostly neutral to when the event takes place (i.e. all dates suit me fine), the non-neutral bit being that the best date would be the date when most people can participate. I also support Rick's suggestion. Tick-boxes definetly would be the best here, as it would be easier to close in on a date that would be possible for most people.

I know I will be attending this time around!

Just downloaded the newest Bionicle song: Bye Bye Babylon, by Cryoshell if the lyrics-sheet is to be trusted, the .mp3-file says its by White Heart. Been listening to it for a little while now, and I must say, I really like it. It's got a nice beat and melody to it, and the vocals are great. It's no hit, but it ain't bad.

As I'm likely to go as well, I too voted Billund. Haven't been there in ages, not to mention its within driving distance and I and Quarryman can split the costs if we travel together. For the time being I also second Quarryman's suggestion of event-date.

I've had this type of dream twice. Both times the dream had me going to some small, distant village on an errand. Both times said village had a small and budget-strained toy store that still had lots of old toys still on the shelves, along with some new stuff. The second time I had this type of dream was actually last night, which, like noted by others above me here, is a real downer once you realise it was just a dream. What makes it feel so real is that the store is usually a smaller store, usually a "general goods"-type, privately owned and a bit constrained when it comes to funding. The LEGO is usually half-mixed with other building toys (Megablocks and the likes), but the smaller sets are usually the newest sets. The old sets, on the other hand, are usually of the large, expensive type that apparently didn't sell well, with worn lids from lots of kids glaring and studying them, and faded colors from being displayed for years. It just seems so obvious that this is real. So in last night's dream I bought two Airport Express Monorails and the bigger track expansion pack, all of them with worn and faded boxes, but otherwise sealed and in excellent condition. Then I woke up.

I very recently stumbled across this diorama, which is a HO-Scale/LEGO hybrid. Even though the builder has put down an effort into it, I can't help but think that it looks, well, meh. Honestly though, even though I think using scale-modelling materials and tools to build landscapes could, and probably would, look nice (like in the catalogs from late 80's - early 90's), I can't get over the nagging feeling that it's a bit like cheating. Plus, landscapes of that type are single-use only - once it's in place there's no reusing it.

It does unfortunately not sound anything like a Ferrari. The exhaust note is nice and sporty, but it still sounds like a V6. Ferrari engines have a mechanical set-up that is partly responisble for the sound their cars make (a sharp, "raspy" sound, compared to the slightly rounder and heavier sound of the V6 MR2 you posted), and will never be reproducable unless you manage to find a similar engine - which in these times would be a Ferrari engine. And I'm not talking about things that can be adjusted either - it's details in the construction that cannot be altered in any way - Ferraris are litterally engineered to sound like Ferraris, a fact proven when third-party exhaust companies develop "sports"-exhaust systems for these cars and they always end up sounding exactly the same, albeit a little louder. It's the same with the V10 and V12 engines Lamborghini use today, altough here the sound is somewhat reproducable since the basic foundations of their engines have been spread throughout the different makes of VAG. But if you're just looking for impressing Mr. Average living down the street, and other people in general, then the V6 is good enough with a similar set-up to that in the video. Just don't expect car-folks to go all ooh and aah, unless some serious quality work has been laid down.

Wow. For a little while there I was thinking I was looking at a new Märklin start-pack; which is obviously not the case. Very nicely detailed train, Selander, and when one takes into consideration the restrictiveness of building six-wide, it looks absolutely fantastic.

Greatly enjoying reading Technicopedia, and looking forward to the '94 section! I was wondering though, if there's any chance you might side-track onto the idea books (8888, 8889, 8890 and 8891) as well? And when I mean side-track, I mean feature the models within the idea books. Some of these models have some unique features, for example (and if my memory serves me right), then 8891 has the only example of an official model with a suspended live rear-axle. Would be awesome if you has any possibility of featuring those models as well, if not in photographs, then at least hightlight some of those models and their functions with rendered animations.

I'm definately looking forward to it. While I admit I was optimistic about the new races (cue a heavy sigh and a big yay!), the leaked news were so out of touch with how I reconned was possible, I simply didn't expect Cataclysm to be this... groundbreaking (and how!). I mean, just about every zone in Azeroth (apparently with the single exception being Westfall) redone, complete with a full revamp of quests to match the new and changed enviroments (for instance, Azshara replaces the Barrens as a 10-20 zone). It hasn't been confirmed, but I reckon the reputation-grind zones, such as the Plaguelands and Silithius will be re-done now. The way I see it, there's only really one big downer with the expansion pack, and that's the first expansion pack: Burning Crusade. Oh man, Outlands (and other BC-zones) is going to be a time-travel experience after this, and a nostaligic one at its best. I'm hoping it will at least gain some of the technical advancements, such as the new water effects (see the trailer for those).

I'd say the cargo-port sets from the '90s were better simply because there were different sets to choose from. I myself own the smaller cargo-port (6541, I think it was) with the yellow crane, which in my opinion has more in common with the port from 2007 than 6542, due to blue, generic cargo-ship, rotating crane instead of gantry crane. However, the entire maritime theme from that time was designed with connectivity in mind, and those lucky few to own both of the large sets, plus the harbour police and the accessories that went along with the sets, could build up a mighty impressive harbour without a fuss. The '07 set is (sadly) only limited to the single harbour, but at least sports some compatibility with the other transportation sets from the same year (such as the pallets).

I think it's an even better idea for small LUGs than big ones, when people, collections and resources are spread thin, and even more so in Brikkelauget, where members are spread throughout Norway. When the question was asked if we wanted to use the program, the answer was a uniform yes. While we don't do many events, we do participate/host in enough ones this year to qualify for LUGBULK, and will definately attempt to increase our activity to qualify for the program in the future.

Scions are litterally rebadged and reconfigured Toyotas (the exception being, as far as I'm aware, the Tc, which is still a Toyota), and as far as I know, the cars hold a high standard of build-quality and will probably last forever, if kept decent care of. Not sure about how well they will hold their value over time. I've been looking at getting myself a first-gen Xb myself, when the time to replace my current '96 Mazda 626 1.8 comes around. That'll still be a while, since so far the car is holding up far better than expected, and is very nice to drive, altough lacking excitement.

Well, if you're heading for Oslo, I'd recommend visiting the Opera, Aker Brygge and Vigelandsparken (aka. Frognerparken and Vigelandsanlegget). The former is accessible by bridge outside the Oslo S Central-station's southern exit/entrance, and while the building itself isn't a tour-de-force, IMO, it is fun and encouraged (and legal!) to climb its roof. The building is chalk-white, so it is recommended you wear sunglasses as you climb it. Aker Brygge is also recommended if you like modern architecture. But as nice as it is, restaurants here are known to be expensive (and not worth it!), even by norwegian standards. And then there's Vigelandsparken, known for its statues and obelisk that represent humanity and society (I think...). It is also excellent for a picnic, with vast areas suitable for doing so. On a sunny day, expect to see alot of people doing just that, bringing grilles, game equipment and such. That's what I can remember of the top of my head. There's always the Visit Oslo website, which has useful information. Also recommended when visiting Oslo is getting an Oslo Pass, which is a bargain if you're going to travel alot within the city limits. When travelling in Oslo by foot (or, god forbid, by car *shudders*), remember that the trams have an absolute right-of-way. If you get run over by one, it' your fault. If it smashes a side-mirror on your (rented) car, it's your fault as well. This has to do with it being a rail-vehicle, so remember to not run out in front of one on a pedestrian crossing, because you can't expect it to stop. For comparison, all other vehicles are required to stop for pedestrians at crossings (except for rushing emergency vehicles and where there's traffic lights, obviously). If you happen to go through Fredrikstad (an entirely different city, mind you!), Gamlebyen is recommended. It used to be an old fortress city, but is now a living museum. The buildings here are ancient by american standards, but people work and live here. The shops here are unique, and the galleries are free to visit. It's not large, by any means, and at most you'll only get a few hours out of it. If you rent a car, you should park it outside Gamlebyen (free parking), and walk in.

Nice recreation of the classy, yellow boxcar, TheBrickster. While it looks nice, there are two details I personally would have changed: the wheelbase, which IMO should be two studs shorter. The shorter wheelbase reduces friction in corners, and is also closer in design to the original as well as all other short cars LEGO has had designed. That, and removing one pair of windows. Having two pairs of 1x2x3 windows makes makes one of the pair look tacked on - I would have used regular 1x2 bricks here instead. That's about it. And I'm sure it would look great at the end of a train full of classic recreations!

Remember you can also reinforce axles using bushes. Some of the torque will pass along the bushes (altough not from one to the other) easing the stress on the axles. Builders of rally-trucks often use this technique to increase the transferable torque to the wheels while staying within the rules. This is often combined with hub gears, so that the driving axle rotates faster than the wheels, which also reduces stress on the axles.

Fantastic! Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic! While it looks out of place when next to the official sets, it looks like it belonged in a real city before you came and brickified it, and placed it in yours! The color balance of it is great, the details likewise, and well. What more can I say? Y'know, it did remind me a lot of Jamie's City Hall, but I can't help but think that this one outdoes it my a mile.

A turntable and 1x4 or longer tiles will solve that problem. You'll have to ditch the 1x3 plates on the sides, though. Those will hinder articulation. A similar approach has been used by AJW for his recreation of the ancient set 162. There's an alternative solution too, which I'm not sure will work, but that is to make the wheels slide from side to side. An axle that close to the motor won't need more than a single stud of movement, from left to right. Extensive use of tiles will be needed for this type of solution, but I've seen it done before, and it seems to work.

Mine hasn't overheated either, so no worries for me. I'd expect the replacement remote to be identical in shape and function, but possibly with slightly higher quality to that last bit. Mine has a tendency to misintepret the input if I'm making small adjustments to speed, which I'm also hearing from other owners. I'm guessing LEGO is also looking at that and wanting to improve that bit while they still have a chance to do so.

While Matn's point about boxes being larger to attract customers is a valid and a very true point, don't forget that box-sizes also are a compromise between the desire to expose and sell, and to pack as many examples of each set onto a single pallet to reduce costs. While the recent size-reduction of boxes can be claimed to be an enviromentally and PR-wise sound decision, you can bet saving money was a big motivator behind the decision as well. To my understanding the boxes still have the same exposition area as before, with the depth of the boxes reduced. Money's still coming in, while money going out has been reduced.

This MOC is nothing short of fantastic. The cockpit is beautifully done, and the tail and thrusters equally so! Looks solid and swooshable, too!

I am. What they didn't do was taking them away from those hunters who already had tamed one, but they did take away all the abilites and reduced the worgen down to nothing more than a trophy pet.