Erik Leppen

Me too, really. The colored gears help find stuff, but for me the main advantage is that they help dissect photographs. If you see a picture of a model, you know what pins are where, because each color of pin-end can only be one of a few types. A tan pin-end must be an axle pin, 3L pin or 1.5L pin. A red axle-end must be a #2. A blue axle-end must be an axle pin. A dark-gray axle-end must be a long axle pin or special axle. In old sets, a black pin-end or axle-end could mean anything.

A few questions: Is it correct to assume that, next to gray, dark gray is also allowed as a support colour (for Enforcers)? How much gray (and dark gray) is allowed? For my current build I am making all the internals in gray. Most of it will be hidden in vehicle mode, but it all exposes in deployed mode. I assume there's no problem when Enforcer vehicles show normal lights (white, red, orange) in vehicle mode. Correct? How much studded detailing is allowed? I have used lots of slopes and tiles to achieve some nice details difficult to do studless, and I might opt for bricks/plates/tiles to avoid "beam-stacking" for large surfaces (I don't have enough panels). Anyhow, my entry is coming along nicely. When I have an idea what to do as a weapon (because I'm still figuring that out) I will open a topic. I do have to say it's pretty boring to build everything in shades of gray. Makes me all the more happy with the blue pins, tan gears and red axles :P I know I could have chosen bandits, but black does best suit the type of vehicle.

It's funny what happens, really. In the past, no model had electrically driven double-acting outriggers. Then, after almost 40 years of Technic, 42009 comes along and shows that it's finally possible to have electrically driven double-acting outriggers. A special new 8t gear has even been designed for the purpose. And now, when a model doesn't have this technical marvel of engineering, it's considered "ruined". It shows how spoiled we are with the quality of modern Technic sets. But to answer your question about why they have't used the 42009 system: because there is no freaking room for it. Haven't you seen the photos in the review?

This is amazing. The double-acting bed and the crane are brilliant pieces of engineering. I also love your steering mechanism. Would you mind if I'd use that on my [TC7] Enforcer?

I had sort of decided to not buy this, but wow, this truck surely looks to be a step above the rest. It seems to have everything. I really think this set is designed for AFOLs. No compromises seem to have been taken on saving pieces. This might just be the best set to date. The only think lacking for me is the B model which I think looks quite mediocre. I might still not be getting this though. As good as it is as a model, I'm not sure I can justify the price tag given the amount of new pieces. EDIT: Oh, and of course, many many thanks for the great review. I like how extensive it is, and the photography is magnificent. (I also like how you don't seem to dare to give 10/10 for any of the scoring criteria :P).

One of the nice things about review videos on Youtube is that they don't tend to degrade in a matter of days. So they will still be fine, and of the same quality, whenever I decide to watch them. But I've never understood the fuss about wanting to see or have something on the same minute it is published. I can wait. I do look forward to the reviews of course. But we've waited for months. A few additional days won't really make a difference.

Not satisfied? With this? I think it's brilliant! I wish I could build this good ;) I'm glad that in the end you decided to post it, because I think it's really great. Yes, I also noticed that the bed was a bit "high", but I think that gives it a really strong look, which I really like. It looks really heavy-duty. I think it's a great combination of function and form. To give a few feedbacks, there's a few things I noticed: I think the ground clearance is too small. There are beams below the frame that look really close to the ground. Maybe you could get rid of those. I know everything is filled with functions, but with the 5x7 frames and long beams you can build a pretty strong frame that takes little space. Another one is the rear wheel covers. I think those are pretty large. The rear wheels don't steer, so you can build the wheel arch close to the wheel. I think this would be more realistic. Also if the suspension on the front axle is a problem, maybe you could do with a live axle suspension for the front instead. But of course these are minor issues. I think the truck is pretty much a masterpiece :) Edit: also, the presentation is also really good.

To add to this: people with better photography skills have a similar unfair advantage. I'm afraid this can't be ruled out, but I think it's good to be aware that it exists, and that there is a luck factor (of unknown size) in winning contests. By the way, if contests are about having fun, then why are there badges for winning?

interesting what happened here. I saw the exact same thing yesterday and I almost made the exact same topic that now Mahjqa has written. yes, I think there should be a rule (may be an unwritten rule) that new topics have show something. Anything. If working on a MOC, show pictures, or even digital renders. If asking a questionabout a MOC, do a picture of the MOC the question is about. If you're asking for ideas for a gearbox, show what you have tried. (if you have tried nothing, why ask for help? First try, then ask.) I don't mind topics asking for help or even purchase advice. These are reasonable use of an internet forum. After all, helping one another is one of the forum's very purposes. But let's please do away with the "I will build X some day and reserve a topic for it now" topics. (By the way, on a game programming forum we have solved this by having a "sneak previews" topic. There, people can show a picture of something they're working on. Maybe Eurobricks could try a similar thing? Where things that aren't yet worth a topic can be shared there. Just, one picture and one line of text about a build-in-progress per post.

Really? I liked that set. Sure it's crude, but it had a certain no-nonsense purity to it, IMO. Anyhhow. There can of course only be one clear winner. I mean... really? Some honorable mentions: 8419? 8248? 8454? 8255? 8830? And the color scheme of 42024:

Edit: nevermind.

Studless building is definitely going to take time to get used to. That's one reason to also buy sets, rather than just loose parts. I don't think it even matters that much which sets, as long as you like them. Pick among those that pique your interest, that leave you wondering, how does it all work, and build all models. Definitely build all models from each set you get. You'll learn about how things go in the studless world, even if unconsciously. Because, yes, things are different than in the studded world. Studded builds are often from the bottom upwards. Studless builds are built from the inside outwards. To repeat what's often said: studless building is a bit like chess - you have to think ahead. Good studless building is not easy to do. Also, maybe you have some ideas in mind about what you'd like to build. You might want to select your sets on that (if you're thinking about a common subject). E.g. if you are thinking of building cars, get 8070 or 42000. If you're thinking construction equipment, then 42006 might be interesting. If you want to get into remote control/power functions, get 42030 and have the whole package in one go. A third criterion you can use to bulid up your collection of pieces using sets, is to look at color. If you have five sets and they have all different colors, it will be harder to build from that. I think it would be good if you would have a few sets that are similar in color. If your first set is yellow, maybe give other yellow models a higher preference as your next buy, so you build up a collection of that color. The other colors will come with time. (I know I wanted the crane 8288 for the white parts, but I could only really put them to use after getting 42025.) A final advice is, don't buy ten sets in one go. Start with one nice set, build from that, and if you enjoy your time, slowly build a collection with one set at a time. This has a few benefits. 1. You get time to learn how to build while your collection is slowly growing. Your parts grow alongside your experience, preventing being overwhelmed by all those parts and not knowing how to use them well. 2. The happiness from ten sets at once is not that much greater than the happiness from one set at once. So if you buy the ten sets at ten different times, you'll have ten of those really joyous moments of giving yourself a new present, unpacking it and experiencing it (and every set opens up new possibilities of building, which you'll appreciate more when they're rarer). 3. In the event that this whole building thing ends up not sparking your interest as much as yyou thought it would do (which is always possible), you're spendings haven't risen through the roof. In other words, you give yourself time to find out if you really like this hobby.

I think that would be the Silver Champion. A cousin of mine had it and it had always looked very impressive (size, wheels, silver parts, suspension elements and function), but there were so many great sets in that time that it wasn't possible to have them all.

The floor carpet and the painting of the green creature were the first things that caught my eye. Wonderful! The whole composition just works. The bed is a lovely piece of Lego engineering as well, and I like how the paintings hang a bit slanted. The jack-in-the-box is a lovely little idea. Oh, and I love that alarm clock :) The door looks a bit on the small side though. But maybe the room just has a high ceiling :) And it looks like the bed is too wide for its length. I think this works so well because attention is paid to details. For example, even the baseboard is there. I also like the brown wooden edge that marks the "border" of the MOC.

Don't use the pieces in models you are giving out instructions for. With all those loads of new parts and even new types of parts, it's only natural that there's also a small amount of parts being discontinued. I think if people sell instructions for MOCs, they should take in to account the rarity of the pieces they used. I personally think it's weird to create and sell instructions for a model that has a large amount of a very rare piece. It makes buyers run into unexpected problems.

Is this from a MOC with instructions? If so, this is a fault in the instructions (and the model). I think this is an illegal build for all possible explanations of the word.

Interesting how you went out of your way to keep the V8 engine, but seem to have throwt out the seat without much thought. That seems really contradictory with the idea to "change the look as little as possible".

It's an interesting setup, really. What if you'd used the old 14t gears? That might work.

Is anyone getting outraged? I see people voicing their opinions. I don't see people raging out. Also I don't see whom the rest of your post is referring to. It looks like you're overreacting. I see no need to drag the law into this, because the fact is, if you ask those guys to take your model from their shop, they will. For the rest of your post, 100% disagree. I guess you and I have different views on life :) That's how reputation works. Blakbird has a good reputation in the AFOL scene. So people won't question his every move - they assume it's OK because they can take an educated guess about how he thinks about these things. There's no need to question until something questionable happens. The case with this shop is radically different - they're people we don't know, so they don't have a reputation, and they do something that, apparantly, some people dislike. So people are more cautious. But, to be honest, I don't think this is new to you :) Also, yes, attribution is a big factor, at least, to me. Had this shop added "this supercar is made by Erik Leppen and you can find free building instructions [here]", I might not have taken action.

I really think Phoxtane hits the nail on the head. This is not a legal issue. It's a social issue. It's about feelings. What they did apparently upsets many people. The reason for being upset is of second importance, it's a plain fact that people are upset. So whether it's officially unjust or not and by whatever reasoning, isn't the point. The point is that people feel that it's unjust. And isn't that feeling much more important than any rule whatsoever?

Technic is already SNOT.

Not really. It's more like renting someone else's car without telling it's someone else's car. The problem isn't so much the renting, for me, it's the not telling. It's the holding back of information (in a commercial context) that makes me find this problematic. [And personally I don't care if it's legal, or even moral. I care whether I like it or not. And I don't like this.] If they want to have recognition for Han's snow groomer, they should say it's Han's snow groomer. That's not rocket science. They shouldn't act as if it's a rare hard-to-get unique model without adding any information about where they found this model, or how to build this model for yourself. My conclusion is that their intent is not to share beautiful models with the world. If it were, then they would credit the builders of those models. This websites looks a lot as if they intention is commercial/capitalistic. As I oppose to this intention, I asked them to remove my model from their shop. What makes MOCs different is that MOC designers are not paid for designing MOCs, and have not signed a contract that says that their IP now belongs to a toy company. (I assume here that set designers have signed such a contract.) If you sell a set to non-AFOLs without telling, people usually assume it's a set and they're then correct, and have recoginition for the IP, which indeed belongs to the Lego company (presumed the above is true). If you sell Han's snow groomer to non-AFOLs without telling, people usually don't know it's Han's snow groomer, so they won't have recognition for Han and the IP that still belongs to him. Another difference is that the Lego company has a commercial interest as well as the renters/sellers. Many MOC designers don't - they just want to share knowledge, and money is often an unwanted visitor. This difference in intent means there will be friction if these people interact.

They don't. At least, they had my model on it too, without me knowing. I was kindly informed of this by an observant AFOL. While they won't make any profit with those outrageous prices, and made my model uglier in the process (yes, they made little changes: they added stickers, changed the wheels and replaced some elements by other colors), I felt disrespected that my name was not mentioned and my (free) instructions are not linked from their website. So I decided to kindly ask them to remove the model. They did. So if you find your model there, I'd advise to ask for it to be removed. In the end, I hope they will notice their way of doing things doesn't work. I didn't want to engage in a discussion with them, as that would be perpetuating negative energy, which I don't want. I just hope that AFOLS will keep making great things and share them with the world - after all, that's what makes the world a more beautiful place to live in :)

I love the slanted red 5x11 panels. The whole design really "flows" from front to back. Your suspension systems also seem very interesting, but I always fear the force they put on the connectors. Anyhow, great model!. :)

- clips and bars (modern hinges) - old 2 and 3 finger hinges - hinge brick 1 x 2 - bars and the half-pin - the half-pin and flex axle ends - clips can hold tiles [and plates?] - tiles [and plates?] can be put vertically between two studs on a brick/plates, although this may be "illegal". - power function cable ends, old 9V cable ends and Mindstorms cable ends - unimog ball joints - wheels and tires... - the CV joint - pulleys and rubber bands - the old toothed angle connectors, toothed bushes and technic 1xN plates - knob wheels - the very old gears - 8880 ball joints and hub elements - the 8466 black wheel connector, CV joint spindle and yellow housing element with ball joints - pneumatic tubing and everything they connect to (including connectors and bars) - fibre optics cable and corresponding light brick - flex system ends and cables. Flex system cables and soft axles - the bottom of the new brick separator fits on 2xN plates - you can put a normal Technic pin in the bottom of a 1x1 brick, but that might be illegal. Somewhat more far-fetched, but technically they are connections: - the halves of a turntable [each type separately] - the Unimog hub spindle and housing element - the plug in the old 9V train controller ;)