Steven L

I use LEGO as a 3d medium for artistic and creative expressing. So yeah, I play with LEGO.

My pile of LEGO and Technic LEGO are at my parents place. We've got an almost 4 year old running around the house, so it's hard to keep my stash hidden for her. I've recently discovered LDD and find it more efficient than real life building. Sure, it takes away part of the fun but all you have to do is flip open the laptop and you can build. Unlimited bricks, you don't need a lot of room and you can do it everywhere you want. I thought in this time of technology, more people would design on computer and then build in real life. Also, if you are missing a brick, you have to buy it. Not everyone has the funds to do that. Digital building could be a good alternative. I guess I'm part of the 20%, for now.

Added some more: Flower stand (my wife is a florist at the market. This looks like her. Horse and tram added. It can pass the derailed train. The train crash with the horse tram in the back. I added the new LXF file, so you can have a closer look if you want.

This is the picture I used for inspiration. I don't know if this is the Original because I've seen it on a few websites before.

I'm a draftsman by profession. Using CAD programs makes you think in easy steps. So I'm used to cut and paste engineering. The windows are made with one window frame and one window, than copy/pasted ones, than the two windows copy/pasted and so on. In 5 steps you get 32 windows. Beats placing 32 windows and 32 window frames. Left and right wing are also copy/pasted (to bad there isn't a mirror tool). A lot of objects, like the train and the wagons are joined into one, so they are easy to select and move.

Another way is to put suspension on the entire ridgid steering works. I have the wheels shown in Hepping's post on the previous page. I tried to make live axle, but unless you scale it up about double, you might pull it off with just pins and Technic bricks. My LEGO Technic box is over at my parents place. I'll give it a try when I'm down there.

So you started building, changed, rebuild, took parts apart, changed.... All in real life? Now it's even more awesome!

Thanks! Found it.

Thanks for the reply. I'm glad you like it.

Thanks for the help bbqqq!

I would wonder what kind of illegal substance I had today, and never use those again. :P How much harm can they do? Are we talking about same strenght and speed as humans, scaled down to the minifig size? How much can they do? If you only accept all the functions a minifig can do now, snap on a tool with the hands, snap on a brick -nob with a foot, there isn't much what they could do. Unless you bring alive the rest of LEGO to. Working vehicles, tools and such. If I could keep them contained and/or trained, I have a few possibilities. LEGO exploring to the life of ants or mice. Sell the ducumentories to Animal Planet and buy more LEGO for my minions. LEGO Private Investigaton company. Nobody suspects a LEGO minifig with a camera. I wonder how far they could evolve with a huge pile of LEGO.

Thanks for the reply. I'm glad you like it. I might use your suggestions for a next build. I found the samurai helmets when looking for headlights. I wanted to use mini-heads for the lights, but I needed something to hold it in place. I wanted pith helmets, but I couldn't figure out how to mount them on the car, that's when I saw the samurai helmets with the holder.

Added the train to the station, to see how it looks. The lavender is scaffolding. It will be removed later. In the back you see a horse. It's going to be a tram. I'm going to add detail and a few people walking around and looking at the train. I'm thinking about a small flower stand on the corner of the street. To show that life continues around the accident.

Sorry about the delay, here is the LXF. http://sta.sh/download/751126699408516/car_2_by_steven6773-d6jlyqw.lxf?token=ed5820ae95cb09229b01130043d5f290d728a56d&ts=1377411268

Sorry about the delay. Here is the LXF. (edited: can't seem to upload. File is to big.) Does this work? http://sta.sh/download/7957972163872794/bike_by_steven6773-d6jlycw.lxf?token=8550df91f7def518d6bf66f6dfe381f59fa54f4b&ts=1377411051

Thanks for the help ScotNick and Murdoch17, I made a combination of both: The trainstation looks like this now: I've also made, in a new file, the train: From the side: There are two things I don't like about the train: In the picture of the crash, you see that the big wheels have closed wheel arches. If I want to mimic that, I have to make the train two nobs wider, and I don't want that. Also, I have to find a way to make the wheel arches fit the wheels. So I used the arches you see here. Second thing I don't like is the flex rod, wrapped along the chimney. In the actual photograph, you see two tubes running over the train, around the chimney. I've added the LXF, if you want to take a closer look. montparnasse train.lxf

I also have an old LEGO Technic set without new parts. As a teen. I've tried it a couple of times. It was frustrating but I did manage to make it one time. Can't recall how, but it was a sliding pillar suspension. You can Google that for inspiration.

Awesome build!!! Did you design it first with LDD?

You are right, antp. It's sometimes confusing with all the different names and companies. And it's all in Frensh. I almost started modeling the "Hugo" trainstation, but then I found the Wikipedia page about the train crash with a link to the old Montpernasse trainstation. I've added the first floor yesterday (Left and right wing mostly copy/paste from the second floor). Also added a clock in the center of the building. For colors I'm thinking about using Gare Saint-Lazare http://en.wikipedia....zare_Facade.JPG. So light gray with beige and a dark gray roof. I'll post pictures later. I was working on a street light but I couldn't find a way to build something like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Street_lamp_hunting_lodge_Moenchbruch_-_Stra%C3%9Fenlaterne_Jagdschloss_M%C3%B6nchbruch.jpg But instead of two, it has 3 lights, the last one where the center spike is. Any thoughts?

Just watched Youtube video's of garden LEGO trains. Most of them just lay down the LEGO tracks on the footpath or across the lawn. A few had a concrete track bed. I don't think LEGOland uses LEGO tracks but a more durable version. If you look at the two topics UrbanErwin posted, you bacically hear the same thing over again. Don't use LEGO tracks permanently outside. ABS doesn't like longterm exposure to UV-light, water and heat. Unless it's coated like car bumpers. So for best and longest use, I would only expose it to the outdoors in moderate dry weather. So I think you've got two options: find a way to easyly set up the tracks or find a way to cover up and protect the permanent mounted tracks. What about some kind of cover that protects the track from the elements? I'm thinking about something like those tire warmers they use in formula 1 racing. A padded fabric cover, water resistant maybe with electrical heattracing for the winter.

I've been following this thread for a while now. I'm not planning on making an outdoor track, nor have I any experience with this. But I like to brainstorm with you. If you want your track to go inside for the winter, but you don't want to screw it in to place every time, why not make a concrete track bed with 2x8 bricks imbedded in them. At the right spacing, with the nobs above the concrete.

Thank you. @LegoDrake: for me no lurking in the shadows. My criteria was that this wasn't a kid's forum. As soon as I knew this is an adult forum, I joined. I'm here just a couple of days, but I find it here quite nice and friendly.

I didn't know about the Cuusoo website as I'm a newbie on online LEGO forums. I just browsed Cuusoo and a few of its threads, and I find the standard is pretty impressive. The presentation is incredible, awesome 3d rendering, good picture angles, well thought texts. I think the object is to create your own LOGO kit, complete with box and everything that comes with it. Now, for what I understand, is that one posts the finished product, as complete as possible. So LEGO only has to pick up your design and files and put it into production, sort of speak. If one, as a newbie, joins Cuusoo and posts a few LDD pictures (with all due respect), there are going to be people who say:”that’s not our standard. Bring it to the next level.” I’ve joined other forums about various hobbies and sports and they are all the same. At first one has to find out what the level of the others and oneself is. One’s you’re settled, you find they are friendly people. Most of them… About religious posts: most forums use a no-religion pollacy. I wouldn’t reply on a religious post and maybe report it to the moderators. It looks like it worked out on your thread on Cuusoo.

Thanks for the replies. You are both right, the colors aren't what they are in real life, but I think that's the beauty of LDD. You can color it any way you want. Exhaust matching the cylinders, I didn't think of that! I actually started out with a V-twin engine, but I couldn't line out the cylinders with the housing, so I switched to radial engine. The hardest part was to fiddle everything into place. Maybe I make another one soon. For now I'm working on something completely different.

Thanks for the replies! I've found out that with elaborate technical systems, the hinges aren't doing what they supposed to do. I have to find out what I'm doing wrong.