DLuders

@ Xikin: On Paul Boratko's Crowkillers webpage for the Lamborghini Murcielago, click on the "Building" tab in the center of the webpage to see a series of photo-sequence Building Instructions.

The tires would still get "hung up" a bit on those plastic "nubs". Of course, if you're not a "Lego Purist", you could take a Dremel and CUT OFF those nubs....

I tried those small Lego wheels in the perimeter groove of the green 59521 wheels, and they don't work because they are not TALL ENOUGH to prevent the "teeth" of the green wheels from meshing together. Even if they were tall enough, those small plastic "nibs" (opposite each of the three spokes) catch the rolling wheels and the action is not smooth.

Very nice! There's not a lot of room to shoehorn all of the Power Functions elements:

Recall when Paul Boratko told us a story of his experience at the (Chicago, USA) Brickworld Lego convention? He said that some people DISMISSED his Lego Technic MOCs since they believed that they were "not real Lego". How closed-minded can people be? AFOLs on this forum who DISMISS creative uses of compatible, non-Lego parts are being just as close-minded. Waiting (year after year) for The Lego Group to meter-out a handful of new parts is not going to meet the hopes (and expectations) of many builders. By dismissing other possibilities you are LIMITING YOURSELF. We are creating MODELS -- there are no written rules that you MUST use 100% Lego. Only a misplaced "fan loyalty" would cause you to do that. Inventors "think outside of the box". Lego Technic and Mindstorms are arguably THE MOST CREATIVE and challenging Lego themes, where INNOVATION is key to long-term success. Consider what Thomas Edison (inventor of the Light Bulb and many other inventions) said:

I just went to my basement to try out a "sandwich" of two Lime Green 59521 "Wheel Hard Plastic Spoked Giant Thin (160mm D. x 28mm)" parts. I could place 28 ea. of the official Lego Soccer Balls into the circular "track" to act as ball bearings. However, the "turntable" does not rotate smoothly like two Hailfire Droid wheels would. That's because there are small plastic "nubs" sticking into the circular track area, directly beyond the green spokes. I'm not sure how useful those green wheels would be anyway, since the interior spokes would strike any electrical cables routed through the center of the turntable.

When I opened LDD 4.3.5 just now, it installed a mysterious 0.01-MB update during the "Launching Bricks" portion of the program startup. There's no explanation about these tiny updates on the official LDD.Lego.com website, so does anybody know what improvement has just been made?

@ Blakbird & Paul Boratko: Both versions of the white Lamborghini are bellissimo!

On Rebrickable, Stefan Birkefeld posted his "pneumatic tipping trailer for the Unimog U400 (#8110). The trailer fits precisely to the original width of the Unimog, 23 studs. The tipping mechanism is powered by the rear PPTO of the Unimog. Note that you will need both the PDF instructions and the [Lego Digital Designer] LXF file to build this."

@ Bizzy78: You should read Sariel's Scaling Tutorial for Vehicles.

Well, since non-Lego minifigs (and weapons from Brickarms) have been displayed at many Lego AFOL conventions for years, the answer is "Yes". The Lego Group has had HUGE success in their Collectable Minifig Series, so that gives you an idea that there is HUGE demand for "custom" stuff. TO BE CONSISTENT, if the organizers have allowed non-Lego parts to be displayed (and have even had them as convention "Sponsors" and vendors), why can't custom Lego Technic-related parts be allowed too?

@ Samuel: Welcome to Eurobricks! For those who want to build a 4-cylinder Radial Engine, check out bricktech's 6:48 YouTube video for a step-by-step instruction: .

Well, then, were you allowed to display your MOCs with chromed wheels? They look cool, and the public would enjoy seeing them....

There is a major LEGO convention (Brickcon 2012 in Seattle, WA USA) coming up in a few weeks. I have attended that convention twice in the past few years. Nowhere on the MOC registration webpage, or in the registration package, does it say that one MUST use 100% LEGO parts. I suppose it's an unwritten rule, but if I were to display a modified 9398 4x4 Crawler with non-Lego (3rd-Party) tires, would it be banned from public display? I doubt it. There have been full-size, realistic LEGO weapons (AK-47s and the like) that were displayed at Brickcon 2011, and nobody banned them (even if they were in poor taste for a family event like that). SO, if non-Lego parts are not banned from a major LEGO AFOL convention, why isn't it "good enough" for you AFOLs? I attend car shows all the time, and see non-OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) tires on cars. Do people "look down their noses" at low-profile tires mounted on cars? NO, they think they're cool. Being a "Lego Purist" is limiting -- keep you mind open to other possibilities.

There are no written "rules" for Lego construction, and there should not be. Here's why: 1) When you put batteries in your Lego Power Functions creation, you're already FORCED to use non-Lego parts. This is because The Lego Group (TLG) doesn't MAKE THOSE PARTS (i.e., the batteries). Do the non-Lego batteries make your Lego model not a "MOC" anymore? No, of course not! So, if you are willing to use non-Lego parts for this example, why not be consistent and use non-Lego parts in other situations when TLG DOES NOT MAKE THEM? 2) When you don't have the super-rare black 19L flexible hose to build Crowkillers' Vampire GT model, why not buy a RED one and color it black with a Sharpie pen? It's sensible, and better than not building that fantastic model at all (because you lack that one part). Common sense should govern. 3) You can create virtual models (using the official Lego Digital Designer software) using colors that are not available in real life. It's STILL LEGO and it's still YOUR MOC. You may not be able to build everything IN REAL LIFE with the LDD colors selected, but they're STILL LEGO. Again (to be consistent), if you can color your virtual MOC any way you want, why not be willing to PAINT your physical parts to match? Consider the two cars below -- they're BOTH BMWs:

@ Strikeman: The book's publisher (No Starch Press in the USA) has a 30%-off discount offer -- "Use coupon code PREORDER to get 30% off all pre-order books!" In addition, you get a "Free ebook edition with print book purchase from nostarch.com!"

For his Lego Technic Racing Truck, Sariel posted these pictures of his "Adder" mechanism (using two Lego Power Functions XL motors as his "input"):

@ Lauris: Mahjqa recently posted pictures of his Lego Technic Batman Tumbler (named "Tumbly") on his Flickr photoset. As you can see on the third image below, two Lego Power Functions L-Motors are driving the rear axle. Click on the image below to study it closer (at FULL SIZE), or you can study the "Camo Tumbly's Lego Digital Designer (LDD) .lxf file on this webpage.

@ Dial222: Since you participated in a similar Eurobricks topic in Nov 2011, did you not try Tom Cook's link to make a "custom Parallel Port cable" for your Lego Dacta Interface A? Click on the "Technic Interface A" link at the left side of this webpage, and scroll halfway down to see the details:

On the No Starch Press website, Sariel's Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder's Guide now has a PDF Index and a PDF Detailed Table of Contents. The book's contents LOOK WONDERFUL , and it will be available in November 2012!

@ Gene: Welcome to Eurobricks! You had the restraint to keep your 8110 Unimog in the box for a year? You should build it and display it proudly for all to see!

On MOCpages, Dr. Gabor Pauler "created a compact, self contained [Lego Technic] cockpit controls module for airplanes/helicopters in scale 1:20 (roughly Technic Figure scale), with working 4-channel twin controls (pitch, roll, yaw, throttle) and 2 functional ejector seats in side-by-side alignment. The module has dimensions of 10 studs long, 9 studs wide, and 9 studs tall." He supplied a Lego Digital Designer (LDD) .lxf Building Instruction file. FOUR-CHANNEL TWIN CONTROLS "Channel 1: Pitch control: Forth/back movement of C1, C2 yokes are synchronized by C5 pitch synchronizer shaft of pivots of yokes. This movement causes underseat C7 left/right cyclic control levers raise/depress together, pulling/pushing C8 left/right vertical pushrods together, switching on/off C9 left/right cyclic control pushbuttons together. (Note: We show here an example of a larger sized craft with fly-by-wire controls, where there is no mechanical connection between cockpit controls and control surfaces. Pushbuttons transmit steering signals to a Lego Mindstorms central unit placed under cockpit in lower fuselage, which computes optimal settings of control surfaces and controls them by Mindstorms servo motors. In smaller and more simple models, C7 levers can be extended backward, C8 pusrods can go upward, forming mechanical connection with control surfaces) Channel 2: Roll control: Left/right movement of C1, C2 yokes are synchronized by C6 roll synchronizer trackrod. This movement causes underseat C7 cyclic control levers rotate, pulling/pushing left/right C8 vertical pushrods echeloned, switching on/off C9 left/right cyclic control pushbuttons echeloned. Channel 3: Yaw control: Echeloned movements of C3 yaw control pedals are synchronized by C10 yaw pedal actuator sliding block, which slides forward/back, rotating C13 yaw lever up/down by C12 ball joint. It will pull/push C14 vertical yaw pushrod an turn on/off C15 yaw pushbutton. Channel 4: Collective control/engine throttle: Pulling up C4 collective lever, it will rotate around C16 pivot and push down C17 pusrod and C18 throttle pushbutton." EJECTOR SEATS "Ejector seats add plus 2 studs lenght to a normal Lego technic seat, and in 4 studs width × 8 studs height they perform all important functions: (Note: Ejected parts of seats are color-coded in dark blue, static parts of seats are grey, all manual handles are yellow, static parts of airframe are red, bodies of pilots are green):"

You can see the prices of the various Lego Power Functions elements on this Shop.Lego.com webpage. You can "Change Region" at the top-right corner of that webpage, to match your country's currency if necessary. I would imagine that you could get comparable RC vehicles for the same amount of money, but they are all pre-made and are "not LEGO".

@ Conchas: