DLuders

@ Skyliner: I like your MOC as-is. There isn't any room for suspension in this LOW car, and there are real LP400s out there without the rear wing:

On MOCPages, Siddhart Jaipal ("beefjerky444") posted his Lego Technic Ferrari 599 GT4 four-door sedan. No, this is not the one that Filip Flejsierowicz had done on this Eurobricks post. Jaipal's MOC has Lego Power Functions motors to zoom around the neighborhood (as seen on this YouTube video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJsDxQU2Mz4 On MOCPages, he wrote: "It all began on the university in the 2nd semester of previous class, during June. There was an Automotive Design course which I followed, together with other college buddies. The principal assignment was to create a new car design from a car that already exists, or from a concept that isn't even produced yet....we decided to redesign a totally Italian stallion Sports car!" There are 33 pictures and extensive discussion about the design considerations. Highlights of the finished car: "Power functions appliances were the chance to not only present the way the car looks, but also to show how it drives. You wanna know what I modified on the original Lego model of the 599 Fiorano? Here it comes: - extended chassis - extended amplitude (2 x 5 mm) - extended roof - wheel frames with springs - two seats behind - two rear doors - Power Functions RC receiver - 1 PF medium motor for steering - parking brake - 4 PF medium motor for rear wheel drive - 6 battery accupack in the truck - lightswitch - headlights - taillights"

There are some ideas posted on this PLUG post.

Waler93 just posted this of his Lego Technic Pneumatic Crane Truck, Version 2. It is a finalist in the Lego Technic Challenge. It is featured on the LUGPol Forum (in Polish). Here is the English translation: "I present my first official POWER! The day has come where I can present completed by the sweat of his forehead and under pressure of time-a Crane Truck. Construction began in early August, and the incentive to commit the model was the Lego Technic Challenge (as already mentioned in the "announcement" model). The model was done forcibly August 15 (last call for sending in the works), but I wanted to make some changes in his appearance. The first version you can see here , and on the http://technic.lego.com/en-us/Competition/voting.aspx where you can vote for him and 19 other models in the competition only for AFOLs. But to the point. What truck is, everyone sees, but what it sits - already a hurry to explain. At the beginning of construction, I set myself, that the model is to be the most bawialny. Look in vain in the weight of motors, receivers, and three pilots for its service. Instead of all this we have a bunch of switches, valves, and cogs. But I can not say that the model is completely manual, because I lied;) When we look closely at the model we find The PF-s: - 2 Engines Medium - 3 Swiches - 2 Sets of LED lights - 1 bbox - 1 Extension wire (50cm) The Pneumatics: - 4 Pneumatic Actuators - 2 Small pump - 1 small cylinder - 3 Valves - 1 Airtank - 1 gauge - Almost 3 meters in the pipe One motor PF is responsible for auto compressor. It is connected with two young pompkami 1:1 ratio. By "stick" pressure of approximately 2 bar (a pressure switch is set to this value) the need for less than 30 seconds. Placed air in air tank lasts for a few moves the actuator, then the compressor turns on automatically. By raising the pitch, two actuators are used, and to lift one arm. Crane with a maximum pulling arm is able to lift the 100g. A small load arm compensates for large capacity dump truck. Without the problem is able to pick up two dumbbells (White valve is responsible for carrying packages, green for raising and lowering the bottom of the lift, and the yellow top) The second engine is responsible for marketing the PF and out of the lift / retraction of the supports. It is connected with the transmission mode Z12 -> Z20. Rotation of the lift is done by the worm, coupled with the clutch, so there is no option grinding mode when it will stop at the market. The same goes for props. Here also is applied to the clutch. Addition, the truck is equipped with front and rear LED lights, turned on and off switch. This is the same as applies to pneumatics - used in electrical MOCs It is typically a manual turning of the wheels, ride, lift cabins, motor boxer 6-cylinder (yes, I know that such a truck is not installed, but otherwise there was no room), opened the door and side dump or lowering feet from the supports. What else goes for a piston engine is that it is driven by a chain. When they were founded pulleys and rubber have been imposed, the engine jumped and walked unevenly. Application of the chain modes Z24 -> Z16 has removed this problem. A bit about the construction: It is typically liftarmowa, Brick can be found only on the pace and the radiator grille. Bbox can be removed, so there is no problem with changing the battery. Cabin is built of panels and Lifts and slightly resembles that of Scania, but it was modeled on it. To build a truck I used 15 frames, 37 gears, and a slew of 15L and 13L Lifts. Total weight 2700g, height measures 25 studs, 21 wide and 74 studs long. (Dimensions in mm: 195x167x581) Specifically, what has changed compared to the previous version of the design of the cab, the crate was lined with brickami, improved stability of the crane and the entire structure has been strengthened." See the 31 pictures on his Brickshelf gallery:

Are you too busy building Lego, and don't have time to prepare dinner? Well, this MOC can be your kitchen helper. Staak/ Staak1972 recently posted 11 Brickshelf pictures and a on his "LEGO Mindstorms NXT VEGETABLE PEELER for Lugpol 'home improvement' contest. More at http://www.lugpol.pl/forum/viewtopic.php?p=164750&sid=dae1be0a7bf188e77f9b5177aa0557ee#164750 ."[Note: The Babelfish English translation of that Polish can be found here ]: "Gallery: http://www.brickshelf.com...ry.cgi?f=451148 . Description: The machine is used for peeling of vegetables ... cucumbers, carrots and white radish (from poverty and large also probably handle) The design has 3 engines -- 1 NXT controller, 1 NXT touch sensor and a touch sensor RCX. Sensors: RCX - signaling a knife in a raised position NXT - sync detector machine table Engines: A - turnover vegetables B - Move the table C - Raising the knife Knife in the lowered position is pressed through two pairs of shock absorbers (in case we need to increase downforce by exchange springs in yellow). Engine C is used only for lifting the knife during rotation vegetables and during the passage of the table to the starting position."

On his Flickr photosream, "Njarzzz" posted images of his black MOC "Inspired by LEGO 8653 Ferrari Enzo, comes with modified Technic Panels and Independent Spring." He also posted a Flickr photostream containing images of his modifications to the "LEGO set 8145 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano". This Flickr photostream shows both of them together: For more images, see his Brickshelf gallery of his "Black Enzo, based on LEGO 8653 Ferrari Enzo", and the Brickshelf gallery of his "LEGO 8145 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano with modification". When his Ferraris are in the stable, his "Sport Truck" is his "daily driver". He wrote, "Using parts from LEGO 8258 Crane Truck, this D-Cab Sport Truck was inspired by Pontiac G8 Sport Truck." There are 33 pictures of it on Brickshelf:

On his Flickr photostream, "Legogil" (Gilcelio Chagas) recently posted his "Lime Twist": "The Dodge Charger is an American automobile manufactured by the Dodge division of Chrysler. There have been several different Dodge vehicles, on three different platforms, bearing the Charger nameplate. The name is generally associated with a performance model in the Dodge range; however, it has also adorned a hatchback, a sedan, and a personal luxury coupe. The three main iterations of the Dodge Charger produced were a muscle car from 1966 to 1978, a subcompact car from 1983 to 1987 and the present-day sports sedan built since 2006. The name was also carried by a 1999 concept car that differed substantially from the Charger eventually placed into production for the 2006 model year. A similar name, the Ramcharger, was used for the truck-based vehicle."

Marceloraus/ Raus has perfected his Lego Technic Rock Crawler 4x4. His YouTube Video 1 and Video 2 best show its capabilities: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS5ALAUqZgM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkNI20QeYac On BrickTruckTrial, he wrote "Hello everyone, this time, he wanted to play a rock crawler as faithful as possible to the originals. For this I had to stretch the arms that had to work with suspension arms and axles with 4 free. I put a motor in each axle xl individual and did as usual with the bumpers of the springs 8880 set. I put the battery box on the chassis while maintaining low center of gravity. It was quite efficient." He posted 17 BIG pictures and wrote on his Brickshelf gallery that it is his "Rock Crawler lego final Version. Hi suspension articulation, 2 XL motor for drive and 1 Medium Motor for steering. Custom Tires for best Grip, Custom absolver shoks with 8880 set springs." Here it is climbing a ~55-degree angle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB-juXjGfLU

KnexLuc2000/ Luc2000 posted a of "My first attempt at making a LEGO SuperCar.Functions: -independant suspension -steering -3+R gearbox that drives a V8 fake engine -Moving seats -Front & rear brakes -handbrake I'll add a link to more pictures at BS and/or Flickr soon."

Well then, I guess the old surefire way to tell the "old" 8043 from the "new" one is by looking at the Production Codes stamped on the Linear Actuators (LAs). The "new, improved" LAs have either 36X0, 37X0, 38X0, 39X0, or 40X0 stamped on them. Any LA numbered 36X0 and higher means that it's the new design. I thought one could tell the difference by looking at the barcode on the unopened box. If TLG's Customer Service can't supply definitive numbers either, how could they know which version to "pull" from their shelves?

@ jantjeuh: I don't know why the 75535b "Technic, Pin Connector Round with Slot (Pin Joiner Round)" has a slot in it. Perhaps a Lego Plate could be placed edge-on so that it fits into the slot. I always spin the (unattractive) slot so that it's not in view. One could just get the plain (non-slotted) 75535 "Technic, Pin Connector Round (Pin Joiner Round)", but they cost more on Bricklink. As far as the Axle Connectors, the 6538a "Technic, Axle Connector (Ridged with + hole + orientation)" may be stronger than the 6538b "Technic, Axle Connector (Ridged with x hole x orientation)", because the plastic between the X and the longitudinal "valleys" is thicker. I never have cared which one I've used in various MOCs, because one can't tell which way the X or + is oriented once the axles are inserted. The circumferential "ridges" are used when placed inside a 6539 Lego Technic Driving Ring (pictured below). I prefer using the 6538c "Technic, Axle Connector (Smooth with x hole + orientation)" whenever possible, since it is more attractive.

The 8839 Supply Ship set used quite a few of the Technic Flex Cables. They were used as the "rigging" to keep the ship's mast upright:

The 4273 "Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Toggle Joint Toothed" was extensively used in these 51 Lego Technic sets. Take the 8829 Sand Stormer/ Beach Buggy set, for example. The 4273 part (and the toothed 1/2 Bush) was used to hold the flexible tube at a specific angle; you see them at the front end of the tube below. With the onset of CURVED Technic Panels, the use of flexible tubes and hoses declined.

@ Lockon Stratos: "Philo" (Phillippe Hurbain) calculated the efficiency of all of the various Lego motors on the webpage http://philohome.com/motors/motorcomp.htm . I e-mailed him a while back about the new Lego "e-Motor", but he has not tested that yet because they are still quite rare. The Lego Education Store website http://www.legoeducation.us/store/detail.aspx?pt=22&searchtype=0&sport=3&c=0&t=1&l=0&ID=2028&bhcp=1 lists the e-Motor as being "Temporarily Out of Stock", but it has been that way for months. I read somewhere that they will become available again at the end of 2010. It says that "The E-Motor is a 9V motor with an internal gearbox. Its 9.5:1 gearing ratio provides a maximum torque of 4.5 Ncm and approximately 800 rotations per minute without load. It also functions as a very efficient generator."

@ Zblj: As always, your MOCs are great! The counter-rotating blade mechanism makes this one special. You are "flying high" as one of the best Lego Technic MOCcers ever!

This Wikipedia article talks about the "Generation 1" and "Generation 2" Lego Pneumatics: "Generation 1 The first generation of LEGO Pneumatics ran from 1984 through 1988. This generation was simple compared to the later generations. The pneumatic cylinders, for example, only had one input valve. This meant that in a simple pump->switch->cylinder setup, the cylinder rod could only push outwards, requiring gravity to pull it back in. A pneumatic distribution block piece was utilised (along with a switch) in order to enable pulling as well by creating vacuum instead of pressure in the cylinder, however, this had limitations and often made pneumatic circuits quite complex." "Generation 2 In 1989, the LEGO pneumatic line was revamped, and a new cylinder and pump piece were introduced. The old cylinders and pumps were discontinued. The chief difference is that the new cylinder had two input valves now, which allowed both pushing and pulling without needing complex circuits involving the distribution block piece. Over the years, several new pieces were introduced in this line as well. The new pump was spring based, and could only be operated by hand, which limited pneumatic power to how fast it could be manually pumped. This obviously limited the power of pneumatic circuits. So in 1992, LEGO introduced two new pieces; a small pump and a small cylinder. The small pump did not have a spring on it, and it was designed to be operated by a motor, which would allow for much more powerful pneumatic creations. As of 2006, the small pump has only appeared in one model set (8868 Air Tech Claw Rig) and a few parts sets (no longer available), so it is mostly a piece found on LEGO sets built by extreme enthusiasts. These pieces can no longer be obtained through the LEGOEducation Store. In 1997, LEGO introduced the Air Tank, which acts like a battery, storing compressed air so that even more powerful pneumatic circuits can be created. This piece is also very popular with the enthusiast community, but many feel that it was underutilised by LEGO, as it only appeared in 3 model sets and a parts pack. This set was available at the LEGO Education Store as well, until the beginning of 2006, when LEGO officially discontinued the piece due to budgetary reasons. In 2003, LEGO discontinued the old cylinder and switch parts, and made new "studless" versions to fit in with their transition towards removing studs from Technic sets. In 2008, LEGO re-introduced the Air Tank in an add-on set intended for the educational market. This set also introduced a new part, a manometer. In 2010, Lego released a set with the pneumatics, the Tractor with Log Loader. This is the first set to include the pneumatics since 2006." "Pneumatic distribution block These pieces used a special kind of one-way valve inside of them, and three ports on the outside. The leftmost port could only have air going into it, no air would ever come out. The middle port could have air going in or out. The right port could only have air coming out of it, no air could go into it. Using these, it was possible to make the Generation 1 cylinders pull down as well as push up, however the pulling wasn't as strong as the pushing, and this prompted Lego to redesign the pneumatics into an easier-to-use and stronger system. These were discontinued when Lego switched to Generation 2, in 1988." The various Lego Pneumatic parts are shown on this Bricklink Catalog page.

@ jantjeuh: Here is the 8043 Motorized Excavator parts inventory (the OLD 8043 set, prior to the Service Pack): http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemInv.asp?S=8043-1 . Jurgen Krooshoop's "Ultimate 8043" was made using the parts from the old 8043 set, with additional parts that he noted in his BrickStore parts list. From the "Jurgmeister" Brickshelf gallery:

Looks good, but making the multi-section, telescoping boom out of Lego is going to be tricky!

@ mrklaw: Welcome to the Eurobricks Technic Forum! To answer your question, there are two previous posts in this thread that talked about their 8043 set's code numbers on the box. In this post, TechnicFan68 said "The numbers are "Item: 4560806" over the barcode, and 125778 under it. The barcode itself is 570201460135," but he wasnt' sure whether it was an "old" 8043 set or the "new" (improved) 8043 set. In this post, "sted" reported that his NEW 8043 set (bought from Lego Shop At Home) had: "item# 4560806 barcode# 5702014601635 other # below barcode 125778" My OLD 8043 (bought from Toys R Us USA on July 15, 2010) has this written on the box: Item: 4567590 Barcode Number: 73419 12937 Other (tiny) number below the barcode: 125778 It would appear that TechnicFan68 bought the NEW 8043 (since the numbers match sted's box, and DON'T match my Old 8043 box's numbers). So, it would appear that if you see these numbers on the box you want to buy, you will have the NEW 8043 set: "item# 4560806 barcode# 5702014601635 other # below barcode 125778" Once you open the box, your four Linear Actuators should have one of these codes (to indicate that they are the NEW design): 36X0, 37X0, or 38X0. Any other numbers mean that they are the OLD (pre-Service Pack), unlubricated Linear Actuators (and thus, the OLD 8043 set).

You could try to lube the internals of the pneumatic pump by following the steps in this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooB8q4DZXz4 I would not use WD-40, however, since it softens some plastics. Use Olive Oil.

Very nice MOC! I took a peek at your Brickshelf folder and saw the other pictures you have of the truck. I like the bold look -- is it modeled after any particular truck? Yes, the 64227 "Electric, Power Functions IR Speed Remote Control Unit with Dark Bluish Gray Base" takes some getting used to, but it offers a more realistic starting and stopping of vehicles. Instead of having a motor be "full on" or "full off", one can GRADUALLY accelerate and decelerate with the Speed Control unit.

On his YouTube channel, "kikeshepard" (Enrique Shepard) demonstrates his Lego RC car model of the AERIAL ATOM 3. As one can see from the images below (from Motorator), this open-air, two-seater has an exterior ladder frame that's just BEGGING to be modeled in Lego Technic! On MOCpages, Enrique has posted 12 pictures and the video of the Aeriel Atom 3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w0XAZ9rGFw

@ Martijn: Wow, 150 hours and 25.000 bricks! This factory is very impressive -- the lucky people who attended the show really saw a masterpiece. Accompanying your , you wrote:"This is the first video of the full functionality of the Lego Mindstorms - Factory 2.0 project. All video was recorded during the LegoWorld 2010 event in Zwolle (The Netherlands) from October 20th until October 27th. The factory is capable of building virtually anything using the 95 types of bricks available in the warehouse. Models for the factory are designed using Lego Digital Designer (LDD) and are interpretted by custom written Windows software (For an example of this: ) . After interpretting the LDD model building instructions for the factory are generated and are sent to the master NXT of the factory.Creator: Martijn Bosgraaf (Dryw Filtiarn) Total construction time: 4.5 months (June 2010 until October 2010) ~ 150 hours of Lego building + ~ 100 hours of programming (5 NXT's + LDD model processing software) Total amount of bricks: Estimated to be around 25.000 Warehouse: 95 different bricks with a total of 1520 bricks in stock Maximum model size: 16 x 22 x 11 (width x length x height in bricks) Controlled by 5 NXT's Models designed in Lego Digital Designer (LDD) A great thank you to Peer Kreuger (mahjqa) for his effort to record the video and editing it to get this video online. Visit his channel at: http://www.youtube.com/user/mahj ."

Latvian AFOL "Rolic" (Rolands Kirpis) just posted many pictures on his Flickr photostream of a nice Lego "Mitsuoka Himiko" car, based on a Mazda MX-5. It's got a convertible roof & opening hood and trunk, and nice curves. The Jalopnik.com webpage http://jalopnik.com/5103781/mitsuoka-himiko-the-classiest-mazda-ever talks about the real car; an image of it appears below.

On his Flickr photostream, BlockoLUG has posted images of clever "CubeDudes". "Wallace and Grommit" and "Penguin" (from the "Wallace and Grommit" clay animation movies): "Rocky" the flying squirrel (from the "Rocky and Bullwinkle" TV show): "Gumby" and "Pokey" (from the "Gumby" clay animation TV show): "Pikachu" (from the "Pokemon" TV show): "Pillsbury Doughboy" (from the TV commercials for baking flour): There are a LOT MORE CubeDudes there, so check them out!