DLuders

@ efferman: My son built the 8458 B-Model, and I agree that one looks cool but it utilizes different Technic body panels from 12 years ago:

[bUMP] On this No Starch Press webpage, the publisher of Sariel's new book has posted these "sneak peak" images. There are only a few more weeks to wait until the book is out! As Sariel noted on another topic, Botbench did a short Review of the book. From Sariel's facebook page, you can see that this book is quite thick at 352 pages:

Wow -- nice creation!

@ Ximbary: Can you take a closeup photo of your "shunt" (short-circuit) that you did on your Lego Power Functions battery box?

@ z3_2drive: I like those Rok Lox 1.9 Comp Tires on your Supercrawler! Those tires are sure sticky to handle a 60-65 degree slope. I have some of those tires too, and like how they are compatible with the Lego 44772 wheel.

That B-Model picture that JunkstyleGio posted looks like some racing semi trucks:

[bUMP] Roodja4ko posted this of the (Year 2000) Lego Technic 8458 Silver Champion and some RoboRider sets:

Over on TechnicBRICKS, Conchas (Fernando Correia) wrote this article about the 1H2013 Lego Technic sets.

@ MarkusOSX: Our Lego Technic Ambassador is Jetro (Jetro de Chateau from SeTechnic in France).

Well, since the red Battery Box hold-down strap is part of the "chassis" (and not the "top"), one could assume that it is required. TLG has been silent since this competition started 2-1/2 weeks ago.

@ MarkusOSX: I like the "skull" on the front grille, and the "powder blue" color (which has not been produced in any Lego Technic panels, as far as I know).

[bUMP] Legocenter Odessa posted this YouTube video of two Lego Technic Gladiators "whomping" on each other with big punches! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjp9SuMIdgs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjp9SuMIdgs

It's hard to top Alienwar9's 7-part "City Sections" for large LDD models:

@ IJsmuts: Welcome to Eurobricks! According to Peeron, the 8450 set cost $37.50 in 1999, so expect to pay at least that much for one nowadays. I don't see any for sale on the eBay website now, and Bricklink doesn't have any either.

@ Victorien_31: If you send an e-mail to me at LudersDG@MSN.com with your contact information, I'll send a Eurobricks Private Message (PM) to Pat-Ard. This process worked for Danilat; I simply copied/pasted his message and forwarded it to Pat-Ard.

Maybe you could make a template, similar to what Aanchir did for these parts: Consider the "Sprocket Wheel Template" listed at the bottom of this Eurobricks LDD Reference post. Aanchir posted this LXF File and wrote, "Sprocket wheels are another hassle on LEGO Digital Designer (obviously, because they are based on clip-and-bar-axles). This file intends to help you make this technique more manageable. There are three parts to this: a tool in Spring Yellowish Green for building a chain of treads, a pre-made chain of treads, and two "loops" of treads around the two styles of sprocket wheel. "To use the tool, simply place a tread piece or a pre-made length of treads on the part of the tool angled horizontally. Add an additional tread piece to the vertical part, then use the "hinge" tool to connect these two sections. You can then copy the length of tread, move the tool to its original position, and continue expanding the chain as long as you need. "The loops and pre-existing length of chain are meant to help you incorporate these treads into a MOC or set. Although LEGO Digital Designer does not recognize connections between the treads and the sprocket wheels themselves, you can use these loops as a "starting point" for aligning your treads. Just delete portions of the loops and place a chain of treads in their place to create a larger loop between multiple sprocket wheels. Note that this template is not able to compensate for sets or MOCs where the loop will not be "taut"-- this is a problem I may not be able to deal with at this time." Here is additional information that Aanchir put on his Brickshelf gallery: "Hi! I'm Aanchir, and I created this template. "This template is for building models on LDD that require part 57520 (the small sprocket wheel) and part 57518 (the tread). "To use this template: 1) Download the file 2) Remove one or more of the tread pieces that surround the sprocket wheel so that it's no longer a complete loop. I recommend removing one of the 60-degree tread pieces so there's a horizontal tread to connect to. 3) Connect as much extra tread as you need. A chain of horizontally-placed treads is provided for you to use or copy. WARNING! Clips on LDD do not like to center correctly! There will usually be a left or right offset, which can do a lot of harm if all of your clips are offset in the same direction. The chain of tread pieces may not be lined up at both ends! To avoid this, use the green alignment tool included in the file. Place new tread pieces on every other pin, then place tread pieces on the pins in-between. The alignment tool is entirely in green so you can use the "color select" tool to select all its parts at once. If you need to use green parts in your actual model, feel free to select the tool and change its color to something a color you will not be using. 4) Once you have the length of tread you need, you will need it to wrap it around the other wheels of your model. ALWAYS use the hinge tool to ensure the tread is wrapped snugly around each wheel. It may help to paint the treads TRANSPARENT so you can see how they align in the grooves. 5) Some sets and MOCs will have some "sag room" on their treads, or will have wheels that have to be rotated to align properly. I am not yet equipped to deal with either problem, but perhaps you will find your own solution. If the alignment goes smoothly, the last hinge rotation will make your length of tread link back up at the ends. Congratulations! You're done! I hope this template proves useful."

The x784 "Technic, Gear, Hailfire Droid Wheel" is a gear AND a wheel.

Here is vinciverse's , on which he wrote: "My name is Raul Oaida (from Romania) and this is my LEGO tribute to the end of the space shuttle era. Proving that although retired, this machine can still fly, albeit in toy form.The launch took place from central Germany (easy flight clearance) and reached a max altitude of 35000m. A 1600g meteo balloon filled with helium was used alongside a GoPro Hero, Spot GPS and of course Lego Space Shuttle model 3367. We launched it on the 31st of December 2011, the equipment was recovered via GPS tracking 240 km S-E from a remote area. I wish to thank Steve Sammartino for the opportunity to do this project and the german airtraffic control for the understanding. Full Story: http://microblade.bl...ck-odyssey.html You can find us on Twitter: @rauloaida @sammartino Mobile: +40721004077 1st song: Radical Face - Welcome Home 2nd song: Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra"

@ Kierna: What happens when you download the older Microsoft Access 2003 from this webpage? Maybe there is something about the newer version of MS Access that is incompatible with LDD Manager....

@ Jurgen Krooshoop: I like the music you composed for your YouTube video. What was the most difficult part of your Koenigsegg model to complete?

Jurgen Krooshoop posted information about how to obtain his PDF Building Instructions on this Jurgen's Technic Corner webpage. The model uses these parts: He described it as "A non-PF supercar in the same scale as my Sunbeam Supercar and the Little Devil. The model started as a test for Sheepo’s MPS. I built a couple of his front-axles and rear-axles, and I realized how amazing they are. This inspired me to build a new supercar. I choose the Sweedish supercar Koenigsegg CCX as model. I wanted to make the typical door-mechanism of this car quite some time ago, but I failed back then. This time I succeeded in making the doors move out and up simultainiously with one singe operation. And of course it had to have all of the fuinctions you’d expect from a Lego® Technic supercar with some small extra’s. Here’s the complete list of features: 6-speed manual gearbox Full independent double wishbone suspension Hand-of-God steering Working steering-wheel inside Ackermann-steering geometry Caster angle on steering axle Camber on both axles V8 engine with RWD Typical Koenigsegg doors Opening hood and trunk"

@ Methos: I'm hoping that Zblj will see this topic, since he is so talented with using Lego Digital Designer (LDD) in modeling difficult Technic situations. If your custom engine is in an "X" configuration, you could see this thread for his X24 and X48 LDD .lxf files! Image

@ Jacko: Could this LUGnet webpage help?

Kids LOVE the Grave Digger monster truck in "The Legend" color scheme -- I'm sure it will get many "Thumbs Up" on the Technic Challenge gallery. Here is Grave Digger doing show-off "freestyle" driving in Texas: