Matt Dawson

Try a cylinder (sortof) motion: If you connect a lego motor to a gear wheel with holes (such as 3648) you can connect a link arm that is connected to the pirate ship support frame, thus inducing the 'rocking' motion.

Thanks for the comments! The large, 40 tooth gears have remained as they're a very easy method of getting the hopper body to tip without the need for many gears...plus it makes the tipping nice and slow - though a 360 degree tip isn't exactly like the real thing... One problem with it as it currently is (with 8 tooth 'acivating' gear): For it to tip properly, I have to have 2 and a 1/2 rack plates - yes, I've already cut one in half, as you can see in the video...I'll have to try using different wheels, but the larger the wheel, the more unrealistic is looks - plus I've made the gear bar quite proud of the body to allow 8 wide stock to run (i.e. 6 wide + 1 stud detail each side.

You can see the old topic here. Anyway, here's v2!: The main frame of the hopper is a special build plate frame, as a standard lego one wouldn't be suitable. Though a modified one... Link to the Flikr set, which contains a tipping video!

maybe lego could offer stickers as part of PAB? Lego could certainly recover the cost of printing them if you could buy them seperately.

I know it's been a long time, but I have finally taken pictures, and the new version will be showing up soon...

Fantastic...now, when are you doing a drop off version too?

I'd love to see a range of individual vehicles available for sale from tran sets: > Hopper and Van from 7898 > Tanker from this years goods train set Several re-releases/upgrades of 9V stuff, including: > 4536 Blue Hopper > 4543 Tractor Flatbed > 4552 Cargo Crane > 4553 Train wash - an essential part of train operations. > Metroliner - an important type of set/train, familiar to many other trains in many countries. And as a few extras: > Bufferstops - 2 varieties for extra interest. > Signals - both semaphore and colourlight > Platform - for extending the standard station set. > 'Basics' sets - comprising buffers, wheels, and plates to construct a underframe/base. 2 versions, bogie and 4-wheel. > 'Coach sets' - similar to the Santa Fe coach principle, coach sets which could build a variety of coaches. As always, cost could be reduced by introducing the range in a variety of colours, so to make each train individual.

Not very - my immediate family knows, but no-one else...though I think my Facebook friends are a little suspicious with all the Lego pages... I model railways (in British 00 gauge), and they think that's odd, though when I tell them of all the things you cover with it, i.e. woodwork, electrics, scenery modelling, model making & maintenance, they shut up... So lego must be even odder...though saying that, as I'm a "loner" to some people, I have no qaulms about displaying my lego - I currently have a bit (2 road plates and a modded City Corner set) on permenant display on my model railway baseboard...though it will be staying there for a while yet... Maybe I should ask my cousin if he wants his lego any more...

Lego doesn't have one - yet... But one wonders why there isn't a Eurobricks Facebook page...

While Classic Castle were holding their time-bending contest, someone came up with 2 mocs of this years Lighting Repair - a space one, and a castle one. Well, here's my conversion of set 7801 "Rally Racers", given away with this months Daily Mirror Lego promo: I was partially inspired to do it with this post on the Brothers Brick blog. Well, here's my T60X-Alpha Heavy Transporter: "Designed as a cross between the C79T "Super Freighter" [Civilian class] and M45N-Delta "Heavy Bomber" [Military] comes the T60X-Alpha "Heavy Transporter", designed with both cargo space and engine power in mind. Designed for those speedy cargo runs, as well as supply missions, the C60X-Alpha combines 2 Isolinear Qauntum drives with 870 sqaure meter cargo hold and crew qaurters for 300 crew & passengers. With a maximum speed of warp 6.7, the freighter easily outstrips all civilian cargo ships (save the C899 "Specials") and can last for an astonishing 75 light years on one tank of Super-Refined Qauntum Plasma!" Not a single part of the original set has been left out of this build! Full Flikr set here.

You're welcome to do the 90's reviews! As regards to the 2010 set reviews, you can't review a set unless you've bought it...(save for the admins like CopMike on here, which seem to be able to get the impossible...)

An old lego magazine created a rabbit out of a 1x1 "washing Machine" brick, a 1x1 plate with clip holder, and 1x1 round plate.

I'm suprised no-ones mentioned putting him in a car dealership...

Ever considered re-using some of the sprues that get left over from sets? the sprue part from the Indianna Jones jungle tent set, once filed, could easily represent Mutts comb...

Are you going to do something about htat large gap for the luggage compartment?

I can't wait to get this one...

It was quite easy to re-vote in the poll - get a new IP adress... But this topic has over 100 pages, most of the last 10 are about the TRU Choice - but no picture.

I think we're all envious of your talents - you're sure there isn't anything advanced in there?

The main 'trouble' with farm is that it doesn't fit into the city range really - neither do trains, but ho-hum. Other 'troubles' are lack of support/farming equipment/trailers (muck spreaders, thrashers, Jeeps/Landrovers etc) as well as lack of crops - one wonders why lego created the combine harvester if it's got no harvesting to do. Lack of animals is also another issue - since when did a farm have just 3 cows?

tut tut...what about Horstead Keynes?

Nice ideas for the fairground idea KD, though one wonders whether the "Candy Stall" could be based on 8398 BBQ stand... but with a second stand at the back... The ferris wheel could be extremely similar to the Merry-Go-Round that was released last year in terms of qauntity of parts and price - especially without a sound brick!

I saw this on Flikr - ingenious! When are the full part-by-part instructions being published?

One point: just where have you been buying your lego from? I've obtained 3 used dark grey striaghts, each less than $3.50 on Bricklink. And I bought my motor for under $26, including both decorative sides - you just have to spread where you buy things... Nice! I actually prefer this colourscheme to that of the official set. Though why you've used tan 1x1 plates for the 45 degree decorative pieces I don't know - they look out of place.

Are you married? I had to laugh at this point. One wonders what he is doing - constructing a James May Look-a-like house? And about Bricklink. The cheapest shops are actually in the US for most of my parts. I order parts from the UK/europe when I need specific pieces or rarer ones - such as 1x2 brick shutter holders. Feidbeka is a excellent store though - 9V train wheelsets @ $2?

That's quite a good list. And only a third or so has been released yet...