DLuders

My son got the 8048 Nitro Buggy set, and he's going to motorize it using the 8-MB PDF download instructions available from http://yourfiles.to/?d=F074913A37 . Here's what it looks like when completed (from the Brickshelf folder by "indusol"):

As JunkStyleGio and Mahjqa already noted on a recent post, the May 2010 Lego TECHNIC Challenge theme is "Bridges": http://technic.lego.com/en-us/competition/default.aspx . "Take the Technic Challenge - Bridges!This is the LEGO® Technic Challenge competition! - here you have a chance at showing the LEGO Technic designers your designs and your abilities with the Technic elements. "The competition is very simple 1. Build a model out of primarily LEGO Technic elements. 2. Take a picture of the model 3. Press the button below to Enter the competition 4. Enter your contact information 5. Upload your image "What to build? This month (May) the competition is all about Bridges – Build a bridge, using LEGO® Technic pieces – Bridges come in all shapes and sizes all around the world, carrying cars, trains, people and more. The Bridge can be of any type or shape – but it must be able to stand by itself and a section of the road/other must be above ground. "How does it work? Right now you can submit models - On the 17th of May - a panel of judges consisting of designers, marketing managers, building instruction artists and more will pick out (of all submissions) 10 finalists that will then be put up for voting here on the site. Considerations for the Nominees will be based on Model, Design, build to theme and age. "The winner will receive a prize and also continue to the Big Finale in October." For the record, JunkStyleGio guessed the "Bridges" theme: QUOTE (JunkstyleGio @ Apr 4 2010, 02:48 PM) "My guesses are: *Construction-equipment *Road-cars *Motor-bikes *NXT-controlled stuff (anything goes) *Bridges, Towers and Cranes Let's wait and see!" Here's the link to the "Building Bridges" video that Mahjqa provided for inspiration: .

Yes, you've found the right place on Eurobricks' "Lego TECHNIC, Mindstorms & Model Team" forum! I like your attention to detail on this American muscle car. I don't think that you've enabled the hyperlinks to your Flickr photostream; I clicked on your pictures here and nothing happens.... Did you design the car first in Lego Digital Designer (LDD), and then built it with real bricks? Is there any chance one could get your LDD .lxf file for this great MOC?

Want to build something new, but don't have a lot of time? Here's a Willys Jeep MOC that would fit the bill. You probably already have enough spare parts on hand, and don't need to order anything more. "Efferman" says this about his MOC: "14 studs wide Willys Jeep for medium terrain. All four wheels are powered by a PF-XL. The steering works with a PF-M and a Ackerman Geometry....56x26 Tires, 1 PF-M for steering, 1 XL for propulsion....no differentials. rear pendular Axle." Photo Gallery with 39 pictures: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=429521 . Video: .

Most of us are familiar with (musician) Jennifer Clark's excellent work on Lego Technic Models in the early 2000s: http://www.genuinemodels.com/ . "Sariel" (Paul Kmiec) interviewed her on the Klocki website http://www.e-klocki.com/2009/08/23/pierwsz...a-lego-technic/ , and there's a lot of insight into her constructions. I know she inspired many Technic AFOLs (me included): Pneumatic and Electric Controller Unit: 3-Section Telescopic Crane Boom: Driven and Steered Vehicle Axle Using Znap Axles:

No, the Airsoft Tank was just sitting on a table in a crowded room, so there's no video of it in action. I made a slight mistake -- the tank is actually from nearby UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO (Moscow, Idaho, USA) and not from WSU (which we visited later).

My family spotted this MOC at Washington State University this past weekend -- it's an Airsoft pistol mounted on top of a Lego TECHNIC & MINDSTORMS elements. It can automatically follow the target using its sensors, and fire soft pellets with incredible range and accuracy! It was made by the "Technology Club" Electrical and Mechanical Engineering students at Washington State University (in Pullman, Washington, USA). They scavenged parts off of a 8272 Snowmobile set. (Too bad there wasn't a cool club like this where I went to college....)

According to http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-ga...-pagani-zonda-f , "Pagani Automobili's Zonda F is the 'most exclusive and most expensive open sports car in the world", with only 25 being produced. It's powered by a 7.3 litre AMG V12 engine that rockets you from 0 - 200 kph (124 mph) in just 9.8 seconds'"! Tyler Reid made this fine 1:10-scale Zonda F roadster: http://mocpages.com/moc.php/132401 . He says it has "full rocker arm and transverse shock suspension, 5+R gearbox with shift linkage and everything opens." "Sariel" (Paul Kmiec) plans on building a Pagani Zonda F supercar in 2010 (scroll to the last of 8 cars shown): http://sariel.pl/2009/12/the-supercars-line/ . He writes, "Pagani Zonda F: RWD, V12 engine, length 61 studs, width 30 studs, wheelbase 38 studs. One of the rarest and most extreme supercars on Earth. Interesting bodywork and a promising wheelbase. A beautiful, yet not motorized model of this car has been already built by Erik Leppen." Here's what the real car looks like: Indeed, Erik Leppen's Pagani Zonda F model is superb: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=292999 . He has a photo sequence of the model's construction for folks who want to build it too. He writes, "Black Pagani Zonda supercar with suspension, steering, 5-speed gearbox with reverse, V12 engine and doors. Used wheels of 8448 and suspension parts of 8466":

I was looking at the Korean "BrickInside" website , and saw this picture collage of the Wall-E robot (built with Lego Technic Elements) -- http://www.brickinside.com/NeoView.php?Db=...amp;fmCategory= . "Wall-E" was a popular, animated movie made by Disney's PIXAR studio a few years ago. Even if you can't read Korean, the website shows 23 pictures of the , a COOL animation (which you can save on your hard drive as a GIF file for later use), and a video. Since TLG is now marketing Disney-related sets (like the 7592 "Construct-A-Buzz" Buzz Lightyear set commemorating the "Toy Story" movies) , do you think they'll ever market a "Wall-E" set? It is a small enough (and simple enough) set to appeal to young people.... The complete photoset is on GYUTA's Brickshelf folder: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=362256 .

If you want to make a fully-motorized backhoe or tracked excavator MOC, here's what you could do: 1) Check Blakbird's Technicopedia ( http://www.ericalbrecht.com/technic/ ) and see the various backhoes and excavators that have been done in the past. Some sets are already motorized to some extent, and some are not. 2) Once you find a set that you like, look up the BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS on the Lego Customer Service website http://us.service.lego.com/en-US/BuildingI...ns/default.aspx . Type in the set number, press "Submit", then scroll down to the list that appears in the bottom box, click on each line item, and once you see the "Download" button appear, right-click on that Download button and "Save Target As" somewhere on your hard drive. Many sets have multiple booklets. If there's an Alternate ("B") model, it will be listed with a " -2" behind the set number and the primary model wilol be listed with a " -1". You may like PORTIONS of one model to apply to YOUR MOC. 3) If it's a newer Technic set that you want to emulate, the instructions are available from http://technic.lego.com/en-US/buildinginst...1%20of%204.aspx . Note that the modern sets have Alternate ("B") Models with instructions available online only; there are no printed instruction booklets for them that came in the original box. 4) If these don't satisfy you, do an Internet search under the terms "Lego 8294 mod" or "Lego 8294 motorized" (in the case of the 8294 Excavator). "Seek and ye shall find"! 5) If you want to consider FRONT-END LOADERS, Sarafiel made some excellent building instructions for motorized "8265 Upgrade" MOCs: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?m=sarafiel . Or, download the "Notice" set of photo building instructions for Alban's motorized Front-End Loader: http://blogotechnic.blogspot.com/2009/10/l...e-montages.html . 6) If you want to start small, check out Philo's "Killer Dozers" (based on parts available from the 8275 motorized Bulldozer set): http://philohome.com/kdozer/kd.htm . 7) Buy any needed parts from Bricklink.com (the Unoficial Lego Marketplace): http://www.bricklink.com . Be sure to use the "Catalog" function in the green-tabbed portion of that webpage (near the top), pick "Parts", and then scroll down the various "Technic" parts catagories. New and used parts are available worldwide, in multiple colors.

I know what Alasdair wants to do -- he wants to create some rock sieve trays to sort gravel ranging in size from 3 cm (1.18") to dust. This is called "inch and a quarter - minus" size gravel. The sieve trays are stacked on top of each other, with the largest sieve size on top. The smaller-sized rock grains fall down through the sieve to get captured on the appropriately-sized grid. The trick is to make a shaking tray that can vibrate a lot of weight to shake the gravel through the sieves. Recommend making grid sizes of 2-1/2 cm (roughly 1 inch), 1-1/2 cm (~0.6 inch), 1 cm (~0.4 inch), & 0.5 cm (~0.2 inch). Perhaps the oval-shaped #6575 Technic Cam (pictured below) could impart an up-and-down motion to a stack of sieve trays.

The dumping mechanism is very good. Are there lorry trucks in Tasmania that use this system? In the USA, the garbage trucks grab rectangular trash containers and dump their contents up and over the side of the truck. I like your use of the Technic Bricks and gears. You sure did a complete mod of the 8436 set (pictured below):

I'm sure that your design will be very useful in HIGH TORQUE rock crawlers and Trial Trucks! P.S. I like your "Heavy Freight Plane" on your German website!

The French-speaking AFOL named "Alban" built fantastic, articulated Lego Technic front-end loader which he calls "The XXL Loader". It features extensive commentary, pictures, and a video. The 500-photo BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS are very detailed; a 75.6-MB downloadable ZIP file contains them all. Power Functions motors are used. Webpage translated into English: http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?t...mp;fr=yfp-t-701 . [NOTE: The French-to-English translation is a little rough; "Charger" means "Loader" and "Jacks" mean the "gear racks." Original post in French: http://blogotechnic.blogspot.com/2009/08/m...opelle-xxl.html . Find his 500-photo building instructions here (look for the "Notice" hyperlink): http://blogotechnic.blogspot.com/2009/10/l...e-montages.html . When you extract the ZIP file, just click "Yes" on the popup messages that talk about not encrypting the files. NOTE: All of his other MOCs on this page have instructions too!

@ JunkstyleGio: I tried for 45 minutes to finish your 8043 Trailer and Bucket .LXF file, but I could do it. The basic problem with Lego Digital Designer 3.1 in "Lego Universe Mode" is that one can't seem to connect Technic Liftarms at any point except on the ends. I tried withdrawing axles first, pulling pins in and out first, etc., but nothing seemed to work. Heck, I tried putting on the rear bumper (after I had inserted the blue Technic Pin with Axle), and the program wouldn't do it. Superkalle, it SURE WOULD BE NICE if LDD 3.1 had an option to direct the alignment of interior Technic Liftarm/Beam holes onto specific Technic pins. JunkstyleGio, recommend sending a private message (PM) to Zblj for possible assistance. He seems to be the most-capable AFOL using LDD 3.1 in LU Mode so far....

I like your blend of Technic- and Model Team-type construction. The black "cheese slopes" (1 x 1 x 2/3 slopes) defining the wheel arches look cool. The protective side step bars look realistic too.

I'd like my cash in small denominations, in unmarked bills please....

LPE = Lego Pneumatic Engine: http://www.nicjasno.com/ .

Shimon, do you have the older Pneumatic Switch #4694 (first picture below), or the newer #4694b (2nd pic)? EB member Mark Bellis would probably know best about how to troubleshoot the pneumatic components. You many have to shell out some shakels to get some replacements from Bricklink.

So, if building a 100%-Lego, 50-MPH RC car is "impossible", there is an alternative. Instead of abandoning the project altogether, how about CONSIDERING using ALTERNATE MATERIALS like aluminum. The Lego "purists" may object, but isn't a LEGO-LIKE model better than no model at all? If you want to keep an open mind, check out http://inanimatereason.com/shop/ and http://www.bricklink.com/store.asp?p=InanimateReason (click on the "Custom Items" at the top-left corner of that website). Using aluminum liftarms, metal axles, RC wheels, and servo motors COULD allow a person to create a 50-MPH Lego-like RC car. Talk to Bill Shaw about it at toppsoft@gmail.com .

Nevertheless, making a Lego Dragster could be a fun project. Check out Nico71240's "Dragster 2" video: http://www.youtube.com/user/Aremzi#p/a/f/0/pUCV3vwjF0s . He also has a video on "How to Combine 2 Motors" for a Lego Dragster: http://www.youtube.com/user/nico71240#p/u/41/Yn-T81PhwLU . You may get some ideas from them. Be sure to visit his Brickshelf folder too: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=339209 .

For the next 9 days or so, you can vote for your favorite Finalist in the April 2010 Lego TECHNIC Challenge: http://technic.lego.com/en-us/Competition/voting.aspx . The choices are: "Treaded Farm Loader" by biojo619 "Tracked Tractor with Bailer" by jayko543 "La Moussonneuse-Bateuse" [loosely translated as "The Harvester Boats"] by remi0110 "Tractor with Slurry Sprayer" by TLT803 "Tractor with Trailer" by edgars9727 "Race Tractor" by isakdrewsfilbert "Tractor with Farmtools" by ramijju "Chicken" by rokreder "Lucas" by pinouch98 "Case IH Tractor" by ruudtechnic There are short descriptions associated with each MOC on the voting page linked above. Some designs are pretty clever! P.S. No word yet about the AFOL entries; check the Technic Designer's Blog http://technic.lego.com/en-us/Designers/Blog/Default.aspx soon.

No THAT is cool! Technic fans get to ride in style in this limousine! I like the steering setup, and the fact that at least 10 minifigs can be driven around.

The 4-speed RC gearbox looks great! Do you have to modify your existing "Wasp" Black Technic Supercar ( http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=412228 ) to make a 4-speed transmission? It sure is packed with gears already:

Today, Jurgen Krooshoop posted his design for a "4-Speed RC Sequential Gearbox": http://mocpages.com/moc.php/198525 . He has a video, pictures, and LDRAW building instructions available too. Here's how he describes it: "For some time I wanted to make my own remote-controlled reliable gearbox with more than 2 speeds. I've seen some nice designs, like Sariel's aeroshift and Sheepo's 7+R gearbox, for which I've had the honour to make building-instructions. See mine in action."