DLuders

@ dhc6twinotter: Maybe you could attempt to build THIS (as noted by Parda on his Lego Delicatessen):

For unconventional steering, consider Legoism's "Self-Steering Car Chassis, Mk II". There is a great explanation of it on that webpage and this , but here is a summary:"Each of the rear wheels' axles (A) is linked to a differential several studs ahead (B). As you have perhaps noticed, there are three gears © on one, and four at the other side, resulting in one of the axles spinning in reverse. The differential thus works opposite from its typical application on the half-axle; it actually turns only when the rear wheels aren't turning at the same speeds (i.e. they tend to steer), and its rotation speed is proportional to the difference between the rear wheels' speeds. But as long as the rear wheels turn simultaneously, it remains stationary."

@ Smyrgol: You can study the four pictures on this webpage for a simple, return-to-center steering design that uses rubber bands (instead of the rare "hockey spring" part).

I own this set of three "LEGO Technic Idea Books" from No Starch Press. They are very nice, and are perfect for the 5-8 age group. Each measures 8" x 10" x 3/8" (20.5 cm x 25.5 cm x 1 cm), and are in full color. Bill Ward has done a review of them on his Brickpile website. He wrote: "These books from Yoshihito Isogawa are a great guide to all the wonderful ways you can combine LEGO Technic gears and related elements. I’ve always been a little wary of Technic myself. Even though I got an Expert Builder parts pack as a kid, I never did a lot with it. (I was probably too young, since I was only 6 when that set came out in 1977.) I’ve built a number of modern Technic sets, most recently the Lego Technic Crane Truck 8258, but I’ve only done minimal work with designing my own Technic machinery. Mostly what I’ve done is simple gearing such as my Scrambler amusement park ride, but I always seem to have trouble getting the gears to do quite what I want without either destroying the gears, skipping teeth, or woefully misjudging speed and/or torque. "The first book is The LEGO Technic Idea Book: Simple Machines which shows a myriad of different ways to combine LEGO gears and pulleys to achieve particular gear ratios and directions. If you’ve ever scratched your head wondering how to get a certain speed or torque out of a LEGO motor, your answer is in here. Even the most experienced builders will certainly find something new they can use. For example maybe you know how to get the gear ratio you want, but the mechanism you’re thinking of is too bulky to fit into the model you’re working on. Take a look through this book and there’s a good chance you’ll find a better way to get the same effect in the space that you need to fit it into. "The LEGO Technic Idea Book: Fantastic Contraptions is full of clever ways to combine gears, pulleys, springs, and magnets to create models that move. There are ideas for shooting projectiles, building shock absorbers, and even using magnets to animage LEGO minifig scenes. The only problem is that the magnets shown have been discontinued (due to fears that a child might swallow magnets which would get stuck in their digestive tract and require surgery – for example, the new train sets have a redesigned coupler with a magnet permanently affixed), so that might be frustrating to some people without extensive collections of older parts. "Finally, the The LEGO Technic Idea Book: Wheeled Wonders is full of great ideas for LEGO vehicles. Drivetrains, steering mechanisms, and other vehicular ideas are illustrated in full detail. "The examples in these books are purely pictures. There are no verbal explanations, which you would think would be a problem. But the pictures are reduced to such a level of simplicity that it’s easy to understand the mechanism without any text, and if you build them you could easily understand how they work. There are a lot of tips that show ways of combining gears that I had never thought of, and as I was flipping through it I kept thinking “Oh, that would be good for X” type thoughts. The lack of text would also be helpful for younger kids or people whose primary language is not English (or Japanese, in this case). "I think the one area where this could have been improved would be to show more complex ideas – instead of just showing the simple combinations of parts to achieve a particular kind of connection, show ways to combine these together to create more intricate machines. Some of the examples in the Fantastic Contraptions and Wheeled Wonders books do this to some extent, but I’d prefer to see that taken to a higher level. Also, instead of just showing each model from a variety of angles, I’d like to see step-by-step building instructions or to see some of the simpler modules combined together to create more detailed ones. "One area that isn’t explored very well is motorizing the sets. There are some examples that use motors, but they are largely built using the older 9V motors instead of the current Power Functions parts, and with the Power Functions remote control system, there are a lot of things you could do that aren’t covered by these examples. Hopefully they will come out with a fourth book featuring Power Functions. "All in all though, these are excellent books showing a lot of great ideas for LEGO mechanisms. Even if you’re an experienced builder, there are surely some ideas in here you’ve never seen."

@ Smyrgol: You can see that the Dinosaur bends at the knees: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AytevjfrgkM

@ Finntech: You can see the various lengths of Lego Flex Cable needed for Set 8485 from this Bricklink Inventory; you need 1 ea. 9L, 1 ea. 11L, 1 ea. 16L, and 4 ea. 23L Flex Cables. I would buy the incomplete set, then purchase the missing parts separately. I just confirmed (via the individual JPG images on Brickfactory.info ) that the Dinosaur alternate needs all of the seven Flex Cables listed above; see Building Instructions Pages 109 (1 ea.), 110 (2 ea.), 115 (1 ea.), 118 (1 ea.), and 119 (2 ea. Flex Cables).

Looks good so far! I like your use of BOTH pneumatic cylinders and Linear Actuators.

Technical Fundamentals by Blakbird Websites with Lego Technic tutorials Technic Techniques from BrickTruckTrial.com

@ Parda: I supported your Lego Cuusoo Re-edition proposal. Have you considered using Lego 54821 BIONICLE ZAMOR SPHERES in your Great Ball Contraption (GBC) modules to supplement your footballs and basketballs? They are slightly larger (~16mm diameter vs. ~14mm), but they come in MANY COLORS and patterns, and they seem to be made of the same kind of plastic. You could possibly order new Zamor Spheres via "Lego Direct" (Lego Customer Service) since they are in recent (2011) sets. Their price may be less than the price of Bricklink footballs/soccerballs and basketballs. Get TLG's telephone number by going to Shop.Lego.com, and then scrolling to the bottom to see the "Contact Us" hyperlink. The Lego Element ID for the Zamor Sphere part is 4545430; you will need this to order your Zamor Spheres. The criteria for ordering parts from "Lego Direct": a) The parts must be from Lego sets sold within the past five years. The footballs/soccerballs and basketballs have not been produced in recent sets; some were in 2006 sets. b) One must know the Lego Element ID (not the Bricklink part number) for the part(s) you want. Use Bricklink to find out what set(s) the part(s) appeared in, then use the Lego Customer Service Building Instructions website to download the PDF file. The visual Parts List is usually on the last few pages of the instruction booklets. The Lego Element ID is that strange code number beneath each part. c) One can order up to 15 different line items (not just 15 individual pieces) at a time. If you want more line items, call back the next day with a separate order. d) Until an item is sold out, there is no limit on the number of pieces ordered on each line item. You need to know the desired color of the parts you want; they may not have all colors available. e) One must use a Credit Card.

Tl8's 29-page "Investigation Into the Strength of Lego Technic Liftarms and Brick Beams, and of Liftarm Pin Connections" is very thorough. The conclusions and graphs come from SACRIFICING (in the name of science) ~70 ea. 1x15 Technic Liftarms, ~14 ea. 1x16 Technic Bricks, and ~250 Technic Pins. Great research!

What a fun little truck! I have not seen anything like it before either. The lightweight Rechargeable Battery Boxes sure make it nimble. Maybe you can race another truck without the extra wheels on the side:

Organise? What's that mean?

@ efferman: Thanks for sharing the 6.5-MB, 99-page PDF Building Instructions for your motorized Lego Technic 8109 (with Remote Control modifications). "Q1) Should a good Parts List have Bricklink and Lego Part numbers? Or are the numbers (TLG and Bricklink) the same?" A1: As a minimum, Bricklink parts numbers should be provided. People will only need the Lego Element ID if they are making parts orders via "Lego Direct" (Lego Customer Service). "Q2) Should the Parts List have pictures instead of English description?" A2: A Technic newcomer could look up the Bricklink parts (one by one) using your Parts List, but yes it would be easier to see pictures of those parts too. Perhaps you could consider placing your MOC on Rebrickable (which generates a pictorial Parts List for your mod). "Q3) Should parts be marked which are not contained in the original set?" A3: This would be nice, or you could just make a single photograph showing the needed extra parts. "Q4) Should I design my mods with the possibility of using the [rechargeable] battery box, or should I make simply a reference to the AAA battery box?" A4: Not everyone can afford the Lego Power Functions (PF) Rechargeable Battery Box, but the similarly-sized AAA PF Battery Box is affordable. I would not limit your mods just to use the standard (full size) PF Battery Box, since it is a lot larger and heavier. "Q5) Should I design my models, if possible, without special things like Bionicle parts which I used in my 19 wide tandem axle?" A5: I personally think that Bionicle pieces offer a TREASURE TROVE of useful Technic-like parts. There are many cool parts that could (and should) be incorporated into Technic models. One can use Lego SYSTEM bricks too -- a Technic model does not have to use 100% Technic parts all the time. "Q6) Is a LDD (Extended mode) version of the instruction a good idea?" A6: A Lego Digital Designer (LDD) .lxf file is appreciated, but it is difficult to use for Technic MOCs (mainly because of the difficulty in meshing gears). Zblj is the best Technic LDD builder, and his skill increased with practice. LDD Extended Mode offers the greatest variety of bricks; when TLG releases their LDD update in ~11 days there may be more Technic parts in the LDD (Extended Mode) Parts Pallette. "Q7) Have you any other ideas what is necessary for a good instruction?" A7: Your photo-sequence Building Instructions are very clear. I think that they are perfectly adequate as-is. ANY BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS are welcome -- most people don't make them at all.

@ bb15080: I like your use of Lego Linear Actuators to control the steering! Do you have any snow to drive your MOC on?

@ Matresyoyo: Welcome to Eurobricks! I have not seen a 8070 Lego Technic Super Car CONVERTIBLE. However, on his Brickshelf gallery, Cypr-21 posted his modification to the 8070's ugly "Baboon butt" . Cypr-21 used a 8869 / bb339c01 Power Functions Control Switch/ Pole Reverser Switch to avoid pushing the battery box's tiny orange switch to change motor direction:

Here is the set of four Technic Idea Books (8888, 8889, 8890, and 8891) in PDF format. You can download them from MegaUpload SkyDrive via the hyperlinks below. Flip through the pages to reminisce about your youth, or make some MODERN, STUDLESS versions of the various studded creations shown.... Lego Technic 8888 Idea Book (Expert Builder) from 1980 (100 pages, 9.5 MB PDF document) Lego Technic 8889 Idea Book from 1984 (116 pages, 23.8 MB PDF document) Lego Technic 8890 Idea Book from 1988 (52 pages, 4 MB PDF document) Lego Technic 8891 Idea Book from 1991 (100 pages, 14 MB PDF document)

Good Job Matey

You should consider these references: "The Art of LEGO Design" by Fred G. Martin (from 1995; 19-page, 1-MB PDF file) -- shows STUDDED Technic beams & gears. "Lego Mechanisms On the Move" by David Gaier (from 2010-2011, 9-page, 1-MB PDF file) -- shows many pictures of simple Lego Technic mechanisms.

[bUMP] As seen on Rebrick, m3cc0 (Americo Verde) posted this image of his new Lego Technic tattoo:

@ tachiko: Since you are building your model using STUDLESS Lego Technic pieces, you may find that you will have to build it from the inside-out (not from the outside-in like you are doing so far). You should build your Lego Technic drivetrain and wheelbase first, and then fit the body around it.

@ KEvron: You need to match the black Train Crossing Counterweight against the online Testors color chart, and also decide whether the part needs to have a Gloss, Semi-Gloss, Satin, or Flat Black finish. I doubt that many people would know whether the final product is "correct" or not -- only YOU will know.

From the page-by-page JPG Building Instruction pages available on Brickfactory.info , here is the page that keef30 is talking about:

There was a previous Eurobricks Technic Forum topic about whether "To Paint Or Not To Paint, That Is The Question". I personally would have no hesitation to paint some Lego pieces (or color them with a permanent Sharpie-type indelible marking pen) if the price of certain parts was high. Heck, even Crowkillers (Paul Boratko) painted a few panels on his new Vampire GT model to use black panels that are just now being released with the 1H2012 sets: "Now there are 8 panels on this model that I was forced to paint black because they will not be available for about another month or so from Lego Direct. Both panels are used on the upcoming Lego 9397 Logging Truck, they are the #13, #14, #5, and #6." If one were to go to a hobby store and buy a plastic glue-up car model, one could leave it "nude" or paint it the desired color. Why must Lego always retain its original color? People have complained about the same-old, boring Lego Technic set colors (red and yellow), and wish for more color availability. Why is it better to NOT BUILD a particular model (because of a lack of colors) than it is to PAINT THE PARTS? Lego "Purists" are only limiting their options. Why NOT use spray paint? There are some good formulations nowadays that work well on plastic furniture:

@ Milan: Yes, I see that now by looking at M-longer's Brickshelf gallery. I've deleted the incorrect pictures; recommend that you do too.

As seen on his website, Sariel gave this interview on Polish TV. We know that he speaks the "King's English" very well -- he certainly writes better than us Americans and many of the native English blokes on this forum!